Passion Heads to Cannes with 200-Plus Hours of New Content

LONDON: Passion Distribution is preparing to showcase more than 200 hours of new content at MIPCOM this month, including The Next Great Magician.

Passion Distribution is offering the 6×1-hour finished series and format rights for The Next Great Magician. “Magic is forever popular at a global level,” says Elin Thomas, Passion’s director of global sales. “The Next Great Magician is an unmissable, prime-time family entertainment format where the most talented magicians perform incredible illusions in a bid to win their own TV special.”

Passion Distribution also has in its portfolio The Dressing Room, which looks at how sporting teammates interact in the heat of the moment. “It’s a unique insight into the way we relate to people during our most highly charged moments,” Thomas says.

Meanwhile, the world of the ultra-wealthy is the focus of Rich Kids of Social Media, which spotlights characters who are “larger than life and living the dream,” says Thomas. “Our slate of new entertainment series will appeal to audiences of all demographics across international markets.”

Among the documentaries on offer from Passion are titles from Tinopolis’ Mentorn Media, including The World’s Most Identical Strangers (working title), Saddam Goes to Hollywood, The Woman Who Ate a House and The Hipster Handbook. From Pernel Media there are the investigative documentaries The Mystery of Fatima and the Third Secret and Revelations of the Gospel of Barnabas. Passion is also presenting international buyers with new content from The Weather Channel, with the documentary series The Weather Channel Top Tens.

Returning series include RuPaul’s Drag Race (season nine), Make You Laugh Out Loud (season three), Charlie Luxton’s Homes by the Sea (season three), Selling Houses with Amanda Lamb (season four), Klondike: Gold Fever (season five), Cold Water Cowboys (season four), The Motorbike Show (season three), Weather Gone Viral (season two) and Unreported World (season 32). The company is also offering two specials, Dynamo: Live at the O2 and Dynamo: A-Z.

Emmanuelle Namiech, CEO of Passion Distribution, said, “Alongside brand-new distinctive and diverse productions from the Tinopolis group of companies, we have worked incredibly hard to source content from talented producers from the U.S., U.K. and France to bring buyers stand-out programming in core genres. Our entertainment offering is particularly strong at this market. From awe-inspiring, breathtaking prime-time shows such as The Next Great Magician and Robot Wars, to The Dressing Room; a candid fixed-rig format that is what’s really going on in the dressing rooms of sports clubs up and down the country. We also welcome the return of successful long-running factual series such as Klondike: Gold Fever, Timber Kings and Cold Water Cowboys, as well as new seasons of inspiring and aspirational lifestyle brands Selling Houses and Charlie Luxton’s Homes by the Sea. Quality documentaries are a cornerstone of Passion Distribution’s slate and this autumn is no exception with a great selection of unique documentaries, showcasing unique lifestyles and authentic human journeys. We are also proud to bring to market a new season of the fabulous phenomenon that is RuPaul’s Drag Race, which is climbing to new heights and is now an Emmy-winning show, thanks to RuPaul’s unique talent.”