Bell Media & New Metric strike creative pact with ‘Letterkenny’s Jared Keeso

Letterkenny (Source: Bell Media)

Bell Media-owned Canadian streamer Crave and local producer New Metric Media have struck a multi-year creative partnership with Letterkenny creator and star Jared Keeso to create new shows for the platform, including spin-offs to the popular comedy.

The agreement covers 49 episodes of programming for Crave, including further Letterkenny spin-offs, as well as the development of new projects unrelated to the show, which is launching its 12th and final season later this month.

In addition to the content commitment, the companies said that they will continue to collaborate on existing and new brand extensions, including merchandise and live productions. New projects to come out of the partnership will be distributed by Bell Media, while New Metric Media will act as sales agent.

Letterkenny launched in 2016 as Crave’s first original series, with the half-hour comedy set in a small, rural Canadian town and following the constant feuds between the three dominant groups in town – the hicks, the skids and the hockey players.

The show has found international popularity, picked up by Hulu in the US, and spawning a spin-off last year, Shoresy, which is also produced by New Metric.

“Letterkenny and Shoresy are consistently among the most-watched series on Crave, which is a testament to Jared’s creative vision, and keen ability to create groundbreaking, culturally relevant content. This deal marks a starting point of what’s sure to be another defining era in comedy,” said Justin Stockman, VP of content development & programming, Bell Media.