Los Angeles, California & Toronto, Ontario – Los Angeles based MarVista Entertainment, independent producer and distributor of features and family entertainment programming, and Toronto based CCI Entertainment, announced a strategic partnership on March 27, under which MarVista will co-distribute approximately 200 hours of CCI’s extensive programming library worldwide, including lifestyle and factual series, as well as movies and documentaries. The two companies will also explore co-production opportunities on a range of entertainment projects.
“MarVista is always exploring new opportunities to increase its content pipeline with quality programming, which appeals to a broad and diverse global audience,” said by Fernando Szew, CEO, MarVista Entertainment. “CCI’s programming spans all genres, from contemporary lifestyle to science and travel, engaging game shows, telefilms and documentaries, and we believe our buyers will be very interested in the CCI library. We’re very happy to be partnering with our good friends at CCI and look forward to collaborating with them on the development of new programming concepts.”
“We are really excited to be working with MarVista and feel like it is a really great fit with our development and distribution strategy,” said CCI Co-Chairman and CEO Arnie Zipursky. “I have a long-standing relationship with the founders of the company as colleagues and great friends. We know the CCI library will be well represented by their team, and we are looking forward to further additional initiatives that have sprouted from the partnership.”
MarVista will debut CCI’s newest documentary series, Cubicle to the Cage, at MIPTV. In the series’ first season consisting of 12 x 30’ episodes, a group of seemingly ordinary people — students, a barista, nurse and even a dentist — go on an extraordinary personal and physical journey as each commits a year of their life to becoming Mixed Martial Arts fighters. Individuals are challenged with arduous nutritional plans, rigorous strength and conditioning training while also learning what it takes to be the best at wrestling, grappling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, boxing and Muai Thai. MarVista will also offer Cubicle to the Cage as a format at MIPTV.
Additionally, MarVista will introduce programme buyers to the diverse CCI library with series such as:
Ancient Clues (Season 1: 8 x 30’; Season 2: 6 x 60’): an innovative science documentary series that explores ritual human sacrifice, cannibalism and mass burials and uses state-of-the-art medical technology to piece together and disclose the astounding stories of life and death in another time.
Avventura (26 x 30’): a hybrid travel-food series that celebrates Italian culture and cuisine in a fun-filled road trip through the heart of Italy.
Cooking for Love (56 x 30’): a hybrid cooking-dating game show that moves blind dating into the kitchen.
In Dreams (13 x 30’): a contemporary lifestyle series in which a team of experts use dramatic re-enactments to delve into the deeper meaning of individual dreams.
Pet Project (78 x 30’): where host Kevin Frank and Boston Terrier Daisy explore the profound and often bizarre relationships between people and their pets.
Stylin’ Gypsies (26 x 30’): featuring a band of travelling, irreverent and entertaining Gypsies, who are also the best hair, makeup and wardrobe stylists ever and puts a fun and fascinating spin on glamour and what it takes to be a gorgeous woman.
The company will also present Failing Better Now (1 x 90’), a quirky indie romantic comedy about a flakey failed writer with a penchant for lying who loses her perfect sister’s cat, falls for an aspiring rock star and struggles to live her own life. The film stars Lindsey Michelle Nader (The Messenger), Joyce Dewitt (Three’s Company), Julie McNiven (Mad Men, Supernatural) and Justin Allen.
