Radar MCN & Spiegelworld Team for Circus Town

WTFN Group’s Radar MCN has teamed up with Spiegelworld for Circus Town, a weekly long-form digital series that follows as a small California town is turned into a home for circus performers.

Spiegelworld runs three long-running circus shows and an integrated restaurant business in Las Vegas, as well as a new show and restaurant in Atlantic City. In January 2023, it bought the Mojave Desert town Nipton to turn into a place where artists and performs could live, create and experiment. The series will follow the range of characters who pass through.

Episode one follows a troupe of Ukrainian and Russian acrobats in Las Vegas who have developed a special trust in each other to create a dangerous new banquine act and a Japanese mermaid who pivots her career to become a pole dancer. The second episode introduces an acrobat who forms a unique bond with a talented chihuahua and gets a private tour of Nipton from its unofficial mayor.

Fred Media, part of the WTFN Group, is currently exploring presales opportunities for the TV series. It is set to launch Circus Town to the international broadcast market at MIPCOM in October.

Derek Dyson, Radar MCN’s general manager, said: “Launching a successful digital channel relies on a few key elements. A popular niche, access to content you can’t find anywhere else and genuinely entertaining stories. The partnership with Spiegelworld delivers this in spades. In purchasing an entire town, Ross and his team have created a wonderful Schitt’s Creek scenario that combines with the circus shows to provide an endless, rich seam of fantastic stories and stand-out characters. We are producing high-quality, non-scripted, long-form content with people who are passionate about what they doing and, as it promises everything from death-defying acts to day-to-day relationships, the high stakes, high drama and high emotions involved are sure to generate a huge following.”

Dyson continued: “Through managed digital channels and a TV series, Circus Town will provide another great example of our total distribution strategy and IP optimization. It also leans into the creative capabilities that set Radar apart in the MCN space. We are not just hoovering up rights. Following extensive research to fully identify the audience and opportunity, we are creating digital-first, story-led bespoke content with a broad reach. And for everyone involved, it’s also cost effective and low risk.”

Spiegelworld Impresario Extraordinaire Ross Mollison added: “We are really excited to be partnering with Radar MCN and WTFN to launch Circus Town. The community of people who work in circus and who love watching circus entertainment is global. So, starting with the digital series, we can bring international audiences into our unique and curious world on a weekly basis, allowing them to follow our life in the town, backstage and through startling performances as we continue to push the boundaries of contemporary circus experiences.”