Insight Productions, which produces The Amazing Race Canada and Big Brother Canada has been sold to Boat Rocker Media, the producers of Orphan Black and Killjoys. It doesn't sound like any immediate changes are planned as they are keeping the current Insight staff in place, but who know what this might mean down the road.
http://deadline.com/2018/05/amazing-race-and-big-brother-canada-producer-insight-sells-stake-to-boat-rocker-media/‘Amazing Race’ And ‘Big Brother’ Canada Producer Insight Sells Stake To Boat Rocker MediaBoat Rocker Media, home to Orphan Black and Killjoys, among other shows, has acquired a majority stake in television producer Insight Productions, which handles the annual JUNO awards and has Amazing Race Canada and Big Brother Canada in its portfolio.
Terms were not disclosed. The deal is effective immediately and enables Insight to increase and diversify its content offerings while moving more aggressively into digital content, while adding to Boat Rocker’s continued growth in the Canadian market and around the world.
John Brunton, Insight’s founder, chairman and CEO, will continue to run all aspects of the company. The senior management team and showrunners remain in place, as does the entire Insight team. COO and president Barbara Bowlby is transitioning into retirement this year, but will remain a senior advisor and shareholder of the company.
Under the new structure, Insight will operate as an independent business unit, with Boat Rocker providing capital investment in addition to business and strategic support.
“John and Barb have built an incredible business over the last four decades, and we are proud to become partners with such pillars of the Canadian production industry,”said a statement from John Young, CEO, David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg, co-executive chairmen of Boat Rocker Media. “We are equally excited to collaborate with some of the best showrunners and producers in Canada, as Insight’s incredible team continues to raise the bar with domestic and international broadcasters alike.”
A statement from Brunton and Bowlby added, “We’ve had the great pleasure of counting John, David, and Ivan as friends and respected colleagues for many years, so we’re delighted to join forces with them and Boat Rocker. Boat Rocker’s investment in our company and our team amplifies our ability to expand and diversify Insight’s development slate and allows us to plunge more aggressively into the digital world.”
Insight has produced some of Canada’s highest-rated programming, including The Amazing Race Canada, Big Brother Canada, and The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration, as well as 24 years of The JUNO Awards.
Most recently, Insight and Bell Media partnered on The Launch, an original Canadian music format, currently in production on its second season, which has been placed with Sony Pictures Television to exploit the format worldwide. Insight is partnering with Second City Entertainment and Netflix to produce the SCTV comedy special.
Boat Rocker Media creates, produces and distributes media content globally for all platforms. Under its banner are Boat Rocker Studios (which includes Temple Street, Crooked Horse, Proper, Jam Filled Entertainment and Radical Sheep); Boat Rocker Rights (which includes Boat Rocker Brands); and Boat Rocker Ventures (which includes investments in Industrial Brothers, MarcoPolo Learning, Serial Box, The Outline, and CAA Creative Labs).
A selection of its recent projects includes Orphan Black (BBC AMERICA, Space), Killjoys (Syfy, Space), X Company (CBC), Being Erica (CBC, SOAPnet), Masterchef Canada (CTV), Canada’s Worst Driver (Discovery), The Next Step (Family Channel), Lost & Found Music Studios (Family Channel, Netflix), Recipe to Riches (CBC, Food Network, Global) and many others.
