{"id":21764,"date":"2024-07-24T08:50:14","date_gmt":"2024-07-24T12:50:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/worldscreen.com\/"},"modified":"2024-07-25T12:32:03","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T16:32:03","slug":"the-hungry-games-ari-mark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/the-hungry-games-ari-mark\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hungry Games\u2019 Ari Mark"},"content":{"rendered":"

The all-new competition-natural history crossover The Hungry Games: Alaska\u2019s Big Bear Challenge<\/em>\u00a0debuted on Peacock earlier this month. Produced by AMPLE Entertainment for Peacock and Love Nature and distributed by Blue Ant International, the quirky and creative series follows Katmai National Park and Preserve\u2019s brown bears as they feverishly prepare for hibernation. Over 150 days, the meaty bears are tracked by cameras while being ranked and scored reality-style based on how much weight they are able to gain before the winter sets in. Actor and comedian Rhys Darby (Our Flag Means Death<\/em>) provides snappy voice-over commentary throughout. Ari Mark, executive producer and co-founder of AMPLE, delves into the series with\u00a0TV Real<\/em>, touching on what makes this innovative hybrid genre appealing, the logistics behind producing\u00a0The Hungry Games<\/em>\u00a0and the show\u2019s franchise potential.<\/p>\n

TV REAL:<\/strong>\u00a0Talk to me about\u00a0The Hungry Games<\/em>. What gave you the idea to create the program, and how did it come about?
\nMARK:<\/strong>\u00a0During Covid, we were depressed, like everyone else. One of the few things that brought us joy was animals. Natural history programming has always been a space I have loved, particularly for its cinematic quality. It also tends to be extremely traditional in tone. I wanted to make something that was true to the natural world and epic but also new. Once I started experimenting with crossing other genres with nature content, it came together quickly.<\/p>\n

TV REAL:<\/strong>\u00a0Let\u2019s discuss the crossing of the natural history and competition genres. What makes this hybrid genre so intriguing?
\nMARK:<\/strong>\u00a0To be honest, I think this Frankenstein of competition with nature is the first of its kind, but I hope it becomes popular.<\/p>\n

Logistically, all natural history shows are challenging [to make]. First, you must find the animals. Luckily, Katmai [National Park and Preserve] has been following their bears for a long time, so we had a head start there. Second, you are faced with much longer production periods because you have to be embedded in their environment for a season or more. And last, the conditions can be brutal. Our crew barely escaped a flash flood while filming.<\/p>\n

TV REAL:<\/strong>\u00a0With all that in mind, what were the logistics of budgeting, shooting and producing\u00a0The Hungry Games<\/em>?
\nMARK:<\/strong>\u00a0The fun part about nonfiction is that the logistics are very different for every show. So, we\u2019re used to going into challenging situations knowing we will have to be ready for anything. We have an experienced team at AMPLE Entertainment, but what makes our team especially rare is that they are unusually nimble. Our slate is so varied that we have production experience producing shows in South Africa, the Philippines, Alaska, China, Australia, Israel and beyond.<\/p>\n

The Hungry Games<\/em>\u00a0was not easy, but none of these shows are in the end. Luckily, the competition element is completely real and organic to the world of these bears. They literally must compete to survive every single day. The stakes are life and death. I can\u2019t imagine any better prize than living another day.<\/p>\n

TV REAL:<\/strong>\u00a0What did you draw upon from your previous programs and partnerships to inform your decisions here as executive producer, considering how fresh\u00a0The Hungry Games<\/em>\u00a0is?
\nMARK:<\/strong>\u00a0Every show is unique. Every partnership is a collaboration. We choose our partners very carefully. In this case, Peacock and Love Nature worked hard with us to find a tone that struck the right balance for a series that\u2019s trying to do something new.<\/p>\n

TV REAL:<\/strong>\u00a0What has that partnership between AMPLE and Peacock looked like?
\nMARK:<\/strong>\u00a0Peacock was very hands-on. They weren\u2019t afraid to jump in and help shape the edit, style, etc. The nice thing about Peacock is that most of their executives have deep backgrounds in cable and\/or broadcast television, so they get it. They have experience across many genres. It was terrific fun.<\/p>\n

TV REAL:<\/strong>\u00a0What was behind the decision to have Rhys Darby narrate and attach that star power to the show?
\nMARK:<\/strong>\u00a0We went to Rhys\u2019s amazing team and Rachel Artmont at United Talent Agency right out of the gate because he has a brand. He\u2019s not just funny; he\u2019s smart, and his humor knows itself. There\u2019s no audience confusion. When you hear his voice, you immediately think of someone you like and want to laugh with. There\u2019s an earnestness too, but it comes with a big wink.<\/p>\n

TV REAL:<\/strong>\u00a0What\u2019s next for\u00a0The Hungry Games<\/em>?
\nMARK:<\/strong>\u00a0My hope is that it resonates with audiences. I want to be able to do\u00a0The Hungry Games<\/em>\u00a0for many years to come across a wide variety of species and landscapes. It has real franchise potential.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The executive producer and AMPLE Entertainment co-founder delves into The Hungry Games.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3087,"featured_media":21765,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,69],"tags":[4021,4903,9780],"class_list":["post-21764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-interviews","category-top-stories","tag-ample-entertainment","tag-ari-mark","tag-the-hungry-games","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Hungry Games\u2019 Ari Mark - TVREAL<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/the-hungry-games-ari-mark\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Hungry Games\u2019 Ari Mark - TVREAL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The executive producer and AMPLE Entertainment co-founder delves into The Hungry Games.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/the-hungry-games-ari-mark\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TVREAL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-07-24T12:50:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-07-25T16:32:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/07\/Ari-Mark-AMPLE.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"394\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alexa Alfano\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alexa Alfano\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/the-hungry-games-ari-mark\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/the-hungry-games-ari-mark\/\",\"name\":\"The Hungry Games\u2019 Ari Mark - TVREAL\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-07-24T12:50:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-07-25T16:32:03+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/#\/schema\/person\/2653b97e27eaf76a4713c75f0e821dad\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/the-hungry-games-ari-mark\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/the-hungry-games-ari-mark\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/the-hungry-games-ari-mark\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Hungry Games\u2019 Ari Mark\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/\",\"name\":\"TVREAL\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/#\/schema\/person\/2653b97e27eaf76a4713c75f0e821dad\",\"name\":\"Alexa Alfano\",\"description\":\"Alexa Alfano is associate editor at World Screen. 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