Mark Burnett plots third-party sales, Beyond the Bible follow up

Mark Burnett’s prodco One Three Media is moving into third-party sales for the first time, the prolific producer has told TBI.

In a wide ranging interview, the Bible and Shark Tank producer also revealed he is working on a third faith-based scripted series that will follow his upcoming miniseries for NBC.

On the distribution front, One Three Media, which Burnett joint owns with Hearst Corporation, is planning to acquire third-party content through its One Three International imprint for the first time following interest from the international production community, Burnett said.

“People are coming to us now asking us to do their distribution. We are very boutique and everything we do is of very high quality – we’re pretty choosy about what we do and that’s the reputation we’ve got. [OTI’s senior VP] C. Scot Cru has been with us since the beginning and knows the vibe we have so stuff we think is really good we’ll take. International distribution is very much an aim,” he added.

However, the company will head to MIPCOM with one of its own new series, TBS show Trust Me, I’m a Gameshow Host, toplining its slate. The format sees contestants given seemingly implausible facts from a pair of hosts, one of which is lying, and tasked with unveiling the truth.

Burnett said of the show: “It’s one of the best formats I’ve ever worked on – exceptionally funny. We’ve made ten episodes and we’re going to take it as a format around the world, starting at MIPCOM.”

Burnett currently has four shows on network TV, namely NBC’s The Voice and The Apprentice, CBS’s Survivor and ABC’s Shark Tank. His 2013 scripted cable smash, History’s The Bible, is soon to be followed with AD: Beyond the Bible for NBC and he revealed his Lightworkers Media company is eyeing a third “faith-based” series to come after that.

Read the full interview with Burnett in TBI’s MIPCOM issue