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TORONTO – Former CBC executive Julie Bristow is taking Jamie Oliver‘s Fresh One Productions deeper into the North American TV market.
Bristow, who left the Canadian public broadcaster in June as head of unscripted programming, has launched her own production shingle, Bristow Global Media (BGM), to make next-generation content for traditional and new media platforms.
Fresh One Productions is a strategic partner of the new venture as it cements its programming ties with Bristow.
The non-exclusive deal will see new series or formats generated by Fresh One for the U.S. and Canadian markets possibly produced by Bristow. And Fresh One will have a first-look deal when it comes to producing series or formats coming out of BGM for the U.K. market.
“We are bullish about expanding our content beyond the U.K., especially in North America, and we see our relationship with BGM as a wise part of our strategy — taking our ideas into Canada, and co-producing BGM ideas in Europe,” said Roy Ackerman, managing director at Fresh One Productions.
Bristow said her production shingle aims to make more transformational TV like Oliver’s popular series, while also forging a new broadcast model that uses social media and digital content earlier in the production process to engage audiences across a range of platforms.
BGM aims to make multi-platform content across all genres, including scripted, lifestyle, reality, documentary and sports.
Bristow has also struck a strategic partnership with media agency conglomerate GroupM as it looks to create multiple branded entertainment series for global audiences.
“GroupM has global reach and their hands in creative content globally, and they’re looking for ideas that can travel and can be formatted in different countries,” Bristow told The Hollywood Reporter.
“Our goal is to co-create great content that brands want to be associated with and is made stronger by this partnership,” said Peter Tortorici, CEO of GroupM Entertainment.
Bristow’s unscripted TV credits at the CBC included Hockey Night in Canada, Dragons Den, Battle of the Blades and George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight.
Bristow also oversaw the run-up to the CBC’s broadcast of the 2014 and 2016 Olympic Games, which spawned immediate interest in producing live-event programming around sports properties with added digital content for more and longer audience engagement beyond TV.
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