Video Interview: Haven’s Emily Rose and Eric Balfour

NEW YORK: World Screen sat down with Emily Rose and Eric Balfour, stars of the new eOne Syfy series Haven, to talk about the show’s success, and its appeal on the international market.

Over the last year, Entertainment One (eOne) has been steadily increasing its U.S. television business, aligning with top-level creative talent to deliver scripted series for both broadcast and cable, and developing innovative financing models in the process.

Late last year, the Canadian-headquartered company partnered with Piller/Segan/Shepherd, the indie set up by Shawn Piller, Lloyd Segan and Scott Shepherd, to develop a series based on the Stephen King novella The Colorado Kid. By the end of 2009, a deal was in place with Universal Networks International for Haven to air on Syfy networks worldwide, and soon Syfy in the U.S. and Canwest in Canada were on board. Entertainment One controls the worldwide distribution rights (with Germany’s Tele München Group handling free TV in Continental Europe).

With a cast that includes Rose (Jericho, Brothers and Sisters) and Balfour (Six Feet Under, 24), the series, about an FBI agent who finds herself in the center of a small town where people are affected by a range of supernatural afflictions, was recently renewed following the strong performance of its first season. Thirteen new episodes are slated to roll out next summer.