Warner Bros calls for Canuck formats

PRIME TIME: Warner Brothers International Television Production is on the lookout for formats that appeal to Canadian audiences, according to Adam Steinman, the company’s VP of creative, format, development and sales.

Adam Steinman

Speaking at the Canadian Media Producers Association’s virtual Prime Time Online event on Monday, Steinman said that there is little interest in commissioning “big network shows” because Canadian audiences see the original US simulcast.

Instead, Steinman is after uncomplicated formats that “reflect the Canadian experience and how it differs from the rest of the world.”

For this reason, he said, airport-set reality series Hello Goodbye, originally produced by Netherlands- and Belgium-based BlazHoffski, was “one of his favourite formats of all time.”

Steinman also said Back in Time for Dinner, which was first commissioned by UK pubcaster BBC2, was an example of a format that could be easily adapted to cater to Canadian audiences.

“It is not as simple as a plug-and-play format. You need to think carefully about something that you can achieve on a budget and also [whether it] really taps into what makes Canadians Canadian,” he added.