Boat Rocker consolidates factual units

Canada-based Boat Rocker Media is bringing its factual assets together as a new unit, Crooked Horse Productions.

To this point, Boat Rocker has produced unscripted programming under a Temple Street Factual moniker.

However, with Temple Street primarily focused on scripted shows such as Orphan Black, Crooked Horse has been established, with VP David Lerech leading the business.

A key element to Crooked Horse’s focus will be direct financing of premium programming, which will secure Boat Rocker’s distribution business more international rights.

The prodco will sit within the Boat Rocker Studios division, which also houses Temple Street, Jam Filled Entertainment and Radical Sheep, and has offices in Toronto, New York and LA.

Crooked Horse is launching with a pair of new shows on the slate. Late Night Eats is for Cooking Channel in the US, while History in the Making is billed as a Boat Rocker original. It went into production last month, while Late Night Eats is set to begin filming soon.

Boat Rocker Rights will sell both series internationally.

Crooked Horse chief Lerech will report to Boat Rocker Studios co-presidents and Boat Rocker Media co-executive chairman David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg.

“Crooked Horse is a factual production company re-imagined for the new and ever-changing media landscape, with a unique vision for creating popular and innovative content across all platforms,” they said in a statement.

“We are excited for our incredible creative team to expand on the current production slate, leveraging enhanced self-financing strategies and co-financing partnerships with global broadcasters.”

Boat Rocker came into existence last year when Temple Street restructured its operations after Fairfax Financial acquired it and refinanced the business.

This consolidated various assets, including Boat Rocker Studios, Boat Rocker Rights and Boat Rocker Animation.

Boat Rocker has since acquired the assets of Canadian toon studio Arc Productions (through subsidiary Jam Filled), the catalogue of Mountain Road Productions, and compatriot distributor Peace Point Rights.