Off the Fence Adds to Production Pipeline

Off the Fence has added new co-productions and Dan O’Neill-fronted shows to its docuseries pipeline.

Field biologist, wildlife filmmaker and TV presenter O’Neill (Giants) is leading the two-part title Zombie Animals, in which he examines the world of parasites, viruses and fungi that cause their victims to act like zombie slaves. It is being produced by Off the Fence Studios and National Geographic International for Nat Geo WILD.

The two-parter combines blue-chip and UGC archive material with dynamic graphics and on-location footage. Aaron Paul is series producer.

Also in Off the Fence’s production pipeline are Snow Leopards with Dan O’Neill and a second season of Nature’s Ultimate Survivors. In the former, O’Neill, the Snow Leopard Trust’s only “explorer in residence,” returns to the mountains of Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia to gather new information on the elusive “Ghosts of the Mountains.” Helped by expert local rangers and next-generation camera, tracking and drone technology, O’Neill follows the cats to reveal their hunting behavior, social dynamics and territorial range. O’Neill also fronts the second season of Nature’s Ultimate Survivors, which explores wild and weird skills that help animals survive in the wild.

Also on the slate is Wild Talk, co-produced by Off the Fence, its parent company ZDF Studios and ARTE. The five-part docuseries explores the rapidly evolving science of animal communications, revealing that many species are just as talkative as human beings.

“It’s fair to say that natural-history co-productions are second nature to OTF,” said Andrew Zikking, managing director of Off the Fence Productions. “Over the years, we’ve learned that a successful co-production is a craft in itself, not just in terms of the tricky art of creative collaboration, but also in knowing how to pick the right partner for the right project for the right client and audience. It’s deeply gratifying that such natural-history power players as ARTE, National Geographic and Love Nature have committed to work with us on these exciting new projects. And, as a company that prioritizes discovering and celebrating fresh and diverse talent, it’s a real coup that the peerless—and fearless—Dan O’Neill has agreed to front three more premium OTF productions.”