Global film and TV studio FIFTH SEASON has inked a new strategic partnership with the Vancouver-based production company Front Street Pictures to represent international rights across its slate of leading TV movies. The partnership extends FIFTH SEASON’s long-term collaboration with Blink49 (Wild Cards, Sight Unseen, Queen of the Castle) – the global content venture backed by FIFTH SEASON and majority owner of Front Street Pictures – as well as marking the distributor’s expansion into a new genre of programming.
FIFTH SEASON’s strategic partnership for Front Street Pictures’ TV movie slate will encompass its Christmas, romance, mystery, action and horror titles produced for a range of North American Networks including Hallmark, Lifetime and Tubi. Initial titles represented by FIFTH SEASON will include “The Groomsmen” romantic comedy trilogy for Hallmark, which stars B.J. Britt (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Being Mary Jane), Jonathan Bennett (Mean Girls) and Tyler Hynes (Three Wise Men and a Baby) and debuts on Hallmark this Autumn; “Family Affair”, a film inspired by Mary J. Blige’s hit song of the same name and executive produced by Blige, set to premiere on Lifetime in 2025; “Family Practice Mysteries: Coming Home”, a medical mystery starring Amanda Schull (Center Stage) which premiered earlier this year on Hallmark; and “Scouting For Christmas”, a holiday romance starring Tamera Mowry-Housley (Sister Sister), debuting on Hallmark this Christmas; alongside many others.
Blink49 Studios acquired a majority stake in Front Street Pictures in 2023. Under the deal, Blink49 expands its operations to Western Canada and will accelerate growth in the Movie-of-the-Week business, while Front Street increases its production slate and can fund new investments in content and global distribution capacity. Front Street Pictures has operated for more than two decades in production services, and recently expanded its operations to Alberta. The company has produced more than 300 movies and 150 episodes of television.
Prentiss Fraser, President, TV Distribution at FIFTH SEASON, said: “As we continue to integrate with our strategic investment companies and their partners, coming on board to represent Front Street Pictures’ leading TV movie slate is a natural extension of our strong partnership with Blink49. Front Street Pictures are an ideal partner for us to build out this new vertical for the television distribution business and with confirmed volume, allows us to secure long term partnerships with broadcasters and platforms internationally.”
”FIFTH SEASON’s leading global distribution capabilities made FIFTH SEASON the ideal partner for Front Street Pictures’ TV movie slate,” said Charles Cooper, President of Front Street Pictures. “We look forward to continuing the expansion of Front Street Pictures’ content and production footprint through this partnership with FIFTH SEASON.”
“One of our key strategic initiatives with our investment in Front Street Pictures has been the development of a robust international distribution strategy for MOW content,” said Nelson Kuo-Lee, Chief Operating Officer, Blink49 Studios. “This partnership with FIFTH SEASON is a significant step forward in achieving that goal, reinforcing our commitment to bringing Front Street’s exceptional TV movie slate to global audiences.”
