OTTAWA – There isn’t one sure model that will get a Canadian show on American airwaves, but there are some key ingredients producers need to consider in order to make it happen, according to a Friday panel at the Canadian Media Producers Association’s (CMPA) annual Prime Time event in Ottawa.
The first is that it will take co-productions to make it happen because there simply isn’t enough money here for producers to go it alone. Speaking at the confab on Friday during the New Approaches to the U.S. Market session, Noreen Halpern, CEO at Halfire Entertainment, said producers don’t do co-productions because they’re fun.
“The truth is we don’t go into co-productions because we want to work with two broadcast partners and because it would be fun to do it. You do it because you don’t have the money to do it on your own. That’s not just here, that’s in the U.S., that’s in the UK, that’s in Australia, that’s everywhere,” she said.
This is in large part because consumers want to see big budget series – those with per hour price tags that approach $10 million. “There’s a conversation at Netflix now, what does a $20 million an hour show look like. How do you get that? By doing co-productions,” said Halfire.
Co-pros may not be easy, but there are guidelines to keep in mind, according to the session’s panelists. Meghan Hooper-White, senior VP of co-productions and acquisitions at Lifetime Networks, noted the quality of the content is the big driver in getting a deal done.
“Nothing drives me crazier than a producer calling me and just talking about a (business) model before talking about anything else. Great, fantastic, but it’s all about the creative. Putting the model together is complicated but from the business point it is actually the easy part, the creative is the hardest part,” she said.
“It does totally work if the two broadcasters, the producer and the showrunner all see that same show.” – Corrie Coe, Bell Media
Even after earning buy-in from the producer, the two broadcasters, showrunners and others, success of the project still is not guaranteed. Halpern highlighted the problems that ensued with The Firm, a TV show based on the film. She explained that the Canadian and American broadcasters ultimately wanted different things – and making matters worse was the fact that The Firm was a 22 episode buy for the first season.
“I never want to do that again. Even though the financing is great, because when you’re staring a partnership there’s give and take, and you’ve got figure out that both sides are getting what they want,” she said. “Ultimately one of the challenges was I think we were not good enough as the managers to bring the two broadcasters and what both of them needed to the same place.”
There may also be challenges with respect to air times, but they can be worked out. Hooper-White spoke about schedule issues for Mary Kills People, a co-production between Global and Lifetime. While the negotiations were tense, it all worked out and the two broadcasters were able to come to an agreement.
This highlights the need to have all parties on the same page and be open to discussing a range of issues.
This is critical, said Corrie Coe, senior VP of independent production at Bell Media. She noted that there is no faster way to sink a co-production than to have one party withhold information only to bring up later in the process in hope of securing some concessions or “finagle an end.”
“It always unravels,” she said. “It does totally work if the two broadcasters, the producer and the showrunner all see that same show. There may be little details, but they can see the same essence. You can work out the business side and then just move forward.”
