Programming Profile

After six years building its kids and unscripted business, Canadian studio Boat Rocker’s distribution arm is launching international sales of four scripted properties, including its Orphan Black spin-off and a reimagining of Robin Hood.

Mipcom 2022 will be a milestone event for Canadian studio Boat Rocker as it begins selling from its first slate of scripted titles.

The Toronto-headquartered company has previously handled distribution of some third-party scripted shows, but this marks the first time that series developed and produced under the Boat Rocker umbrella will be shopped to international buyers.

Since the formal launch of its distribution division in 2016, the company has focused primarily on unscripted and kids’ programming. As the company has expanded its US footprint over the past two years, however, its scripted ambitions have become increasingly apparent.

While the company has developed and produced several scripted series over the years, most notably the popular sci-fi drama Orphan Black, its full-scale entry into the scripted space has coincided with its IPO in early 2021.

The distribution team, led by Jon Rutherford, is heading to Cannes to introduce buyers to four key scripted titles, all at various stages of completion.

“We’ve never launched brand-new scripted properties in this specific way before, though we’ve always planned for it and known it was coming,” says Rutherford, President, Boat Rocker Studios, Rights and Kids & Family. “It’s been the plan since the inception of the rights group within Boat Rocker in 2016. We’ve built an infrastructure that can support the distribution of projects at the highest level.”

One of the headline titles on the slate is Orphan Black: Echoes (10×60’), a long-awaited new series set in the same world as the original sci-fi thriller Orphan Black, which ran for five seasons on Bell Media’s Space channel in Canada and BBC America in the US from 2013 to 2017.

Set in the near future, the new iteration takes a deep dive into the exploration of the scientific manipulation of human existence. It follows a group of women as they weave their way into each other’s lives and unravel the mystery of their identities, uncovering a wrenching story of love and betrayal.

Krysten Ritter (Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Love & Death) and Keeley Hawes (Line of Duty, Bodyguard) star in the series, which is set to debut on AMC Networks in 2023. Anna Fishko (Pieces of Her, The Society) is creator, writer, showrunner and executive producer. Also executive producing are Boat Rocker’s David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg and Orphan Black co-creator John Fawcett, who also directs.

The original Orphan Black helped put Boat Rocker, then known as Temple Street Productions, on the television map. Being involved with the spin-off is a thrill, says Rutherford, who calls it a “project we’ve had ambitions to produce for some time.” The continuation of the series falls into Boat Rocker’s broader strategy to build global franchises.

Also on the slate is psychological thriller Beacon 23 (8×60’ + 8×60’), produced for Spectrum Originals and AMC Networks, which has already been renewed for season two ahead of its launch next year.

Created by Zak Penn (Ready Player One, The Avengers) and based on Hugh Howey’s bestselling book, the project follows two people whose fates become intertwined after they find themselves trapped together at the end of the known universe. It stars Lena Headey (Game of Thrones, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) and Stephan James (Selma, Homecoming).

Boat Rocker will also begin shopping its contemporary reimagining of Robin Hood, created by Canadian TV director and filmmaker Director X (aka Julien Christian Lutz).

The Canadian series, Robyn Hood (8×60’), follows Robyn Loxley, a young woman whose masked hip-hop band The Hood is known for its inventive videos and anti-authoritarian message. As the economic disparity between rich and poor widens, she finds herself fighting for her home and her family. Penned by screenwriter Chris Roberts (Orphan Black), the series is set to premiere on Corus Entertainment-owned broadcast network Global in 2023.

Boat Rocker’s scripted distribution slate also includes comedy series Slip (7×30’), starring creator, writer and director Zoe Lister-Jones. The Toronto-shot series, produced for The Roku Channel and set to launch in the US and Canada in 2023, tells the story of a 30-something who finds herself getting restless inside her relatively happy marriage.

While the scripted piece of its distribution business is new, Boat Rocker remains committed to its unscripted and kids and family offerings, notes Rutherford.

The company is heading to Mipcom with its hit preschool series Dino Ranch, which recently premiered its second season on CBC in Canada and Disney Junior and Disney+ in the US and Latin America. The series has been a hot property internationally, although Rutherford says: “There are still a few markets to sell to, and we’re also securing secondary homes and making sure all our original global partners are back on board.”

On the kids front, Boat Rocker will be launching sales on the eighth season of its popular teen drama series The Next Step, which has now passed the 200-episode mark. Rutherford says the Canadian studio will also be unveiling several other kids’ projects, including some produced through its partnership with Toronto-based Industrial Brothers.

The company will also put a sales push behind season two of culinary series Mary Makes It Easy, fronted by chef Mary Berg.

Mipcom 2022 marks another first for Boat Rocker as it launches sales of its premium feature-length documentary, Le Bal A Mordern Debutante. Set in the glamorous world of debutante balls and produced by Boat Rocker-owned US prodco Maven, the doc is part of a new initiative through which Boat Rocker is independently financing documentary projects.

According to Boat Rocker, the documentary marks the first time that cameras have been granted access to the annual invite-only Le Bal A Mordern Debutante, which brings together high-profile Gen Z guests in the name of haute couture, couture, jewellery and charity.

Rutherford says Boat Rocker’s distribution slate is indicative of the fact international deal-making – which, for several years, was dominated by all-rights SVoD deals – is beginning to shift once more.

“We’re seeing the next evolution of the distribution and rights business globally,” he says. “A few years ago, it seemed like there were fewer opportunities to exploit content, as we were seeing all these global launches. Now we see that, yes, those still exist, but there are a lot more opportunities in individual markets and territory-by-territory deals. It’s a very exciting time, both as producer and distributor, that we’re entering.

“There’s a lot more willingness from various organisations to look at unique licensed opportunities, versus them funding the entire production. That’s exciting for us and good for the market in general.”

Boat Rocker’s business has changed and expanded significantly since the onset of the pandemic, not least due to the fact it is now a publicly traded entity on the Toronto Stock Exchange. And although Mipcom took place in-person last year, attendance was dented by the lingering impact of the pandemic and Boat Rocker had a smaller presence at the event.

This year represents a “comeback market” for Boat Rocker, says Rutherford, and is the right moment for the company to showcase what it has been working on since the pandemic turned the industry on its head.

While most of its scripted series are still in production, there will be material to showcase to potential buyers. Rutherford says there will be encrypted, password-protected content to share in meetings and eventually send through a screening portal, so that potential buyers can begin to make purchasing decisions.

“We’ve survived, we’ve grown and we’ve become a public company since the last time we were in Cannes. And now we’re launching a new area on the scripted side, in addition to successful projects in the kids and unscripted area that continue to thrive,” he says.

“It’s been a fortunate and successful couple of years for our scripted development and content creative teams, to get these projects off the ground. It’s interesting – at one point we thought we might just have one scripted series to start with, and it turns out there are four culminating all at once and launching with international rights. It’s exciting for the team, and for our growth in general.”