Brightlight & Essential Pictures Align Under EBTV Banner

TORONTO: Under the banner EBTV, Brightlight Pictures and Essential Pictures will be working together to produce and distribute TV programming for the U.S. and international markets.

Canada’s Brightlight Pictures has strong ties with U.S. and Canadian broadcast and cable networks, in addition to its broad experience in producing, financing and structuring international co-productions in both feature films and television. Essential Pictures has experience in developing, packaging, financing, producing, and, through its sister company Essential Entertainment, distributing commercially focused feature films.

With offices in Los Angeles, Vancouver, Toronto and London, EBTV will work in all areas of the development, financing and production of scripted half-hours, one-hours and mini-series. Two series are currently in development for Canada’s TMN and Movie Central under the EBTV banner, one of which is a collaboration with Scott Free.

“Working together under the EBTV banner will give us the infrastructure and experience to take full advantage of new, forward thinking business models for financing, producing and distributing television projects, both domestically and internationally,” said Neil Kaplan, the president and COO of Essential Pictures.

“EBTV is a proactive response to an increasingly complicated international marketplace. It provides us with further opportunities to utilize and export Canada’s deep talent pool of writers, directors and actors,” commented Stephen Hegyes, the principal and producer at Brightlight Pictures.

"Brightlight has had success producing in numerous countries throughout Asia and Europe. EBTV will significantly increase our ability to develop, finance and distribute projects around the world, expanding our international co-production opportunities," added Shawn Williamson, principal and producer at Brightlight Pictures.