Escapade Media Boards Hacking Evolution—Lionfish

Escapade Media has secured distribution rights for the blue-chip natural-history documentary Hacking Evolution—Lionfish, produced by Orange Frame for PBS.

The invasive lionfish was unintentionally introduced by humans along the Atlantic Coast and in the Mediterranean, an example of how sometimes newly introduced species balloon out of control, altering and sometimes destroying their new environments. In Hacking Evolution—Lionfish, viewers are taken on a journey into the story of the lionfish and learn what it means to be an invasive, non-native or native species from a greater evolutionary perspective.

Hacking Evolution—Lionfish is presented by Danni Washington, a science communicator with a background in marine biology. PBS will broadcast the film on October 12 with the title Lionfish Invasion. Orange Frame is producing both a hosted and non-hosted version for the international market. Escapade Media has rest-of-world rights for the doc, excluding the U.S.

Jeff Boedeker, director of Orange Frame, said: “Invasive species like the lionfish are harmful, not because of what they are, but instead because of where they happen to be. This story is an opportunity to explore how ecosystems are the result of millennia of coevolution by life adapting to its environment and each other—and what happens when that process gets short-circuited.”

Natalie Lawley, managing director of Escapade Media, added: “Escapade is very excited to be co-producing this incredible documentary with PBS and Orange Frame, guided by Danni Washington. This film documents how a small action can have a truly gigantic effect on our ecosystems, and at a time when climate change is in such focus, Hacking Evolution—Lionfish is a blue-chip documentary for the global audience.”