MIPCOM Spotlight: Passion Distribution

Passion Distribution’s factual-entertainment series The Class Next Door features a class full of parents who have been sent back to school.

It is filmed in an actual school during the regular term with real teachers. “Each episode is driven by the warm and funny narratives of parents as they endure the daily routine of school all over again, and how they compare to their kids next door,” says Emmanuelle Namiech, the CEO of Passion Distribution. “It’s engaging, fun and a great new factual-entertainment format.”

The company also presents the three-part Pompeii: Countdown to Disaster, exploring the final days of the Roman city that was buried in a volcanic eruption. “This series is particularly exciting as it sheds light on new information, combining geological, historical and archaeological evidence,” says Namiech. “Previously unseen restorations help bring back to life ancient buildings that were never before open to the public. All of this new information is revealed with a new kind of storytelling: a countdown through the final 48 hours of life in Pompeii.”

There is also The People’s Vet, about workers in busy charity pet hospitals. Producer Blakeway North has “found emotional and life-affirming stories for an entertaining, uplifting series with bags of drama, warmth and fun,” says Namiech. “Each eventful episode possesses a carefully crafted blend of stories, from the dramatic and nail-biting to the laugh-out-loud funny and occasional weepy tear-jerkers.”