Blue Ant Media has sold a majority stake in its New Zealand-based factual production company NHNZ to unscripted producer Julie Christie. Christie will become CEO at NHNZ, which has also been rebranded as NHNZ Worldwide. The production company will continue to be based in Dunedin, New Zealand, and Blue Ant will retain ownership of NHNZ’s […]
Love Nature greenlights blue chip duo Blue Ant Media’s Love Nature 4K has greenlit two six-part, blue-chip specialist factual series from sibling producers for its linear and online channels. A Wild Year On Earth, produced by Blue Ant Studios’ Northern Pictures and narrated by actor Laura Carmichael (Downton Abbey), is an epic look at how […]
Weeks after unveiling its long-gestating, multi-million-dollar collaboration with David Attenborough, Netflix made another strong statement in the factual space at this week’s World Congress of Science and Factual Producers (WCSFP) where new recruit Sara Edelson – Los Angeles-based manager for original docs – eschewed the SVOD’s low profile strategy at markets, and met delegates out […]
Kiwi prodco NHNZ has hired ex-Discovery exec Liz Brach in a newly created VP of production and development position in the US. Brach will oversee editorial development and production of new projects made for the US market, including National Geographic Channels, Animal Planet, Discovery Network International, PBS and streaming platforms including Love Nature, Netflix and Facebook […]
Producer, distributor and channel operator Blue Ant Media has launched a global networks division to support its international expansion efforts. Former National Geographic Partners COO Ward Platt will lead the division, taking up the newly created role of CEO, global networks and kids. The global networks division will manage: Blue Ant’s joint venture with AT&T, […]
Blue Ant Media has added to its senior management team by bringing in Sam Sniderman from Vice Media-owned Pulse Films. Sniderman has been named global head of commercial affairs at the Toronto-based broadcast, production and distribution company. His hire comes soon after Blue Ant acquired David Haslingden’s Racat Group. He was previously global COO and […]
Toronto-based producer-distributor Blue Ant Media has announced the high-profile acquisition of international media organisation RACAT Group. Included in the purchase are prestigious production houses NHNZ, Beach House Pictures and Northern Pictures. Also included in the deal is international children’s nature broadcaster ZooMoo Networks and Runaway Play, a mobile game developer and publisher. The RACAT businesses […]
NHNZ and China’s CCTV will coproduce several new projects including two animated kids series. Kiwi prodco NHNZ is best known for its factual output, but is also making kids fare. Under the terms of the 2014 Sino-NZ coproduction pact, it will team with CCTV animation to make 52x12mins Panda and Kiwi (WT). It will follow […]
Pukeko Pictures, the New Zealand-based producer behind new drama Cleverman, has appointed a head of scripted development. Lisa Chatfield (pictured) will work closely with chief creative officer Martin Baynton and head of production Angela Littlejohn after joining the Wellington-based prodco. Chatfield was most recently at the New Zealand Film Commission, where she was head of […]
Natural History New Zealand has created a new US ob-doc unit, Outrun the Sun, and hired Abigail Rodriguez as vice president of development. NHNZ created the US prodco to create character-based fact-ent and ob-docs for the US market. NHNZ already makes ob-docs including Redwood Kings, and said it wants to expand in this part of […]
