Blue Ant International on Clearing Factual’s High Bar

Solange Attwood, executive VP at Blue Ant International, talks to TV Real about how the company is meeting the demands of the evolving factual content market in which the editorial bar has been raised.

Chief among the recent changes that have shaped the current global content industry has been the way in which those in the business communicate with one another, according to Attwood, who points to the increased familiarity with virtual meetings, screening portals and digital catalogs. And when it comes to the content at the center of the evolving business, Attwood finds that the editorial bar has been raised.

“The push for bigger and more premium documentaries, especially in the competitive landscape among the major SVOD players—which pull in audiences and new subscribers with big tentpole premieres—continues,” says Attwood. “This demand by audiences for premium projects has made the need for co-productions more necessary than ever, with producers and broadcasters and streaming services alike coming together to pool their resources to finance and create bigger and better shows.”

Attwood also notes the impact of the proliferation of FAST and AVOD platforms, as well as the rising demand for more diverse storytelling.

Part of Blue Ant International’s strategy to meet the demands of the current market is helping producers and creatives finance their projects and find long-term returns for their content. “With hubs in the U.K., Canada and Los Angeles, Blue Ant International’s team brings in-market expertise, helping make connections creatively and financially to help finance new productions,” says Attwood. “As a privately owned, independent company, the team has the ability to cater to production partners with bespoke deal structures to drive revenues for partners. We are also in constant contact with both producers and programmers around the world, staying one step ahead of content trends in order to provide the world with sought-after and timely programming.”

“Our role as a distribution partner is more important than ever in helping creators navigate the rapidly expanding TV universe and the growing number of platforms,” Attwood adds.
Blue Ant International not only helps producers identify the potential value of a title, providing an assessment of the long-term revenue, it serves as an ally in securing presales and co-production opportunities as well. “Our expertise also lies in seeing untapped sales potential, such as tacking on additional revenue streams that might not be obvious at first, like second-window sales, which extend the life of a series,” says Attwood. “One of the most rewarding aspects of being in the distribution business is delivering royalty checks for our production partners who are seeing that long-term payoff and which often helps them keep creating more IP.”

Earlier this year, Blue Ant International’s parent company, Blue Ant Media, confirmed a new development deal with Tamra Simmons, the Emmy-nominated  producer behind Surviving R. Kelly. Per the deal, Simmons will work with executives to develop a trio of upcoming unscripted projects that will identify and explore diverse storytelling. “The projects coming out of that pipeline haven’t been announced yet, but our distribution team is getting significant interest from buyers around the world,” says Attwood, who notes that having big-name talent on board—including esteemed directors, executive producers or showrunners—is essential to ensuring the kind of quality and storytelling that will resonate with international audiences.

International buyers, according to Attwood, “are hungry for big, returnable franchises, talent, premium limited series and feature docs ripped from the headlines or featuring real-life stories that feel as large and as premium as scripted. All are proving to attract new subscribers and deliver ratings.”

Returnable franchises on Blue Ant International’s slate in high demand are History By the Numbers, produced by Saloon Media in association with Jupiter Entertainment, which explores the numbers that have created our world’s history; Deep Water Salvage, from Saloon Media and Renowned Films, which goes behind the scenes with professional salvage teams who brave the seas to save storm-wrecked ships; and Battle of the Alphas, a natural-history title that explores the science behind animal conflict and competition.

In premium limited series and feature documentaries, Blue Ant International has The Royal Documentaries, a collection of more than 20 docs from ITN Productions that profile various members of the British royal family; and Spirit to Soar, a documentary from Makwa Creative in association with Antica Productions that follows prolific First Nations storyteller and journalist Tanya Talaga as she explores the systemic racism facing Indigenous peoples.

Vital to the success of any international title, according to Attwood, are partnerships. “Having international co-production partners attached, which is so crucial for financing, is incredibly beneficial in that different broadcasters bring insight into what resonates most with their audiences for creative development, which lends itself to more diverse storytelling,” she says.

With a portfolio that features storytelling across specialist factual, high-impact documentary, factual entertainment, kids and family and scripted, Blue Ant International aims to further expand its offerings in all genres in the months and years ahead. “It’s often hard to predict too far into the future in this industry,” says Attwood. “However, a clear path we are on for the future will be continuing to scale and continuing to add new stories from a diverse range of content creators.”