"WE OFFER INVOLVEMENT AND SUPPORT FROM START TO FINISH"

NATALIE LAWLEY, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT ESCAPADE MEDIA, DESCRIBES THE ADVANTAGES OF WORKING WITH THE AUSTRALIAN PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION COMPANY AND LISTS THE THREE NEW PROJECTS THEY WILL SHOWCASE AT MIPTV.

Australian production and distribution company Escapade Media attends MIPTV with three global titles: the drama "Grassroots," the series "Whisky Trails," and the natural history documentary "Hacking Evolution: Lionfish." Señal News spoke with Natalie Lawley, Managing Director of the company, who described these new launches.

How could you explain the production and distribution landscape in Australia?

"There is currently a lot of production being carried out in Australia. It's a mix of local and overseas production. It's a very buoyant time across many genres. The distribution landscape in Australia is seeing many amalgamations at the moment, with only a few independent distribution companies left."

What are the main advantages of working with Escapade Media as a producer and distributor?

"The advantage of working with Escapade is that we offer involvement and support of a project from start to finish. For many of the projects we are involved in, Escapade has an EP position on the project to ensure that it appeals globally and can maximize revenue. We can support a project's financial model through commission and pre-sales and then continue into the straight distribution model for the project's life. The company is also small and nimble so that we can employ different strategies depending on the best needs of the project."

Are you involved in the production of any new content?

"Escapade is currently involved in eight new scripted projects and five non-scripted projects. Our involvement level varies from project to project. We have joined forces with Story First UK on two dramas and Starlings Television US on a further two dramas. The development side of Escapade's business has certainly increased over the past five years, and because we are small and experienced across various strategies, we can modify our approach depending on the needs of a project."

What are the main titles that you will showcase at MIPTV?

"'Grassroots' is a drama about community, triumph over adversity, and hope for a better future. Moreover, 'Whisky Trails' takes us on a globe-trotting journey following our sagacious and everinquisitive guide, Luke McKenzie, on his adventure from the New World: Australia, Japan, India, and the USA, back to the Old World of Ireland and Scotland on a personal quest to taste all the colors of the whisky rainbow. Finally, in 'Hacking Evolution: Lionfish,' commissioned by PBS Nova and narrated by Danni Washington, the invasive lionfish symbolizes how one unintentional action can cause unimaginable havoc on the evolutionary balance of our natural world."

Why could those shows appeal to international buyers?

"All three projects we are launching at MIPTV are very appealing to global buyers. 'Hacking Evolution: Lionfish' is a premium natural history documentary examining the global issue of this predatory fish impacting our oceans' ecosystems. Co-produced with Orange Frame for PBS US, the brand new drama from StoryFirst and created by John Godber, 'Grassroots' is Yorkshire's new Friday Night Lights. At its core is the importance of community, which resonates around the world set against a women's rugby league team. Finally, 'Whisky Trails' is a unique positioning on whiskey. Whiskey is one of the world's most consumed drinks, and this series explores the old and the new by traveling to Australia, NZ, Japan, India, America, and France."

By Romina Rodríguez

Mistco has entered a new business era and created its own IPs with a coproduction business model. The first project of this new era is 'Bahar," designed as a daily drama that offers all the formulas of the highly demanded Turkish dramas and keeps the traditional Turkish storytelling. "We moved one step ahead and, as a result of Mistco's expertise in Turkish content distribution, we have decided to create our IP with a co-production with Us Yapim, which is the creator of internationally known titles such as 'Hold My Hand,' 'Melek,' 'The Blackboard,' and 'Between Us.' The two companies combined their experiences and created 'Bahar' for the international market. We already sold the show to Romania and Israel, and others will be announced soon," Aysegul Tuzun, Managing Director at Mistco, stated.

"Bahar" is the story of a young girl struggling to keep the goodness inside despite all darkness around. After witnessing the murder of her father, she is trying to prove that Aysun, her stepmother, committed the murder. On the other hand, the love between Bahar and Demir, who met just days before the murder, grows daily but becomes even more impossible since Aysun is obsessively attached to Demir and determined to win Demir at any cost.