WHO WE ARE:

The Movie Network is a pay television service available in eastern Canada. With premiere access to Hollywood hit movies, new and exclusive HBO content, critically-acclaimed Showtime series and first-rate Canadian programming, this pay-television service presents Canadians with some of the best television entertainment available. The Movie Network service includes five 24-hour multiplex channels – M, HBO Canada, MExcess, MFun! and MFest – which deliver diverse and entertaining programs in an uncut and commercial-free television environment. The Movie Network also offers The Movie Network HD, HBO Canada HD, MExcess HD and MFun! HD, four dedicated high-definition channels providing hundreds of titles in HD; The Movie Network OnDemand, a Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) service, available in select areas across eastern Canada; and, TMN OnLine an Internet-based content streaming service available to BellTV subscribers. For more information, please visit www.themovienetwork.ca .

The Movie Network is a member of the Astral family. Astral is one of Canada’s largest media companies. It operates over 100 of the country’s most popular pay and specialty television, radio, out-of-home advertising and digital media properties. Astral plays a central role in community life across the country by offering diverse, rich and vibrant programming that meets the tastes and needs of consumers and advertisers. To learn more about Astral, visit www.astral.com .

OUR TEAM

Director, Original Programming: Aubie Greenberg
Manager, Original Programming: Kathleen Meek
Coordinator, Original Programming: Lisa Gotlieb

ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING

SERIES
We look for highly unique and entertaining dramatic and comedic storytelling. We are interested in character-driven material, both limited and on-going half-hour and one hour series with high production values and a cinematic visual approach. We are attracted to material with surprising and unpredictable characters with a fresh perspective on the world that they inhabit. We try to ensure every show we develop feels very distinct and typically won’t develop two shows in the same genre or milieu. We encourage you to have a look at our schedule before pitching us to familiarize yourself with our programming. Some of our recent original series include: Call Me Fitz, Good Dog, The Transporter, Less Than Kind, Durham County, Living in Your Car and Funny as Hell.

What we don’t want: We are not interested in conventional crime, legal and medical procedural shows, sitcoms or youth programming. We also are not interested in lifestyle programs, web (only) series or documentary series.

How to Pitch? Our preference is to receive an email with a 3-5 page pitch document attached that illustrates the world of the show and gives us a sense of the characters, their perspective and the tone of the series. We are happy to assess other developed material such as a bible or script but it is not necessary to include them. Please address your pitch document to Kathleen Meek kmeek@astral.com  or Lisa Gotlieb at lgotlieb@astral.com. Please include “Original Series Pitch” and the name of your project in the subject line.  Please also include the following information in the body of your email:  a brief summary of the material, a list of materials submitted, brief bios of the key creative team, and the sender’s contact information (including phone number and email address).

Review Process: We will respond to your proposal within 6 weeks of receipt (unless both The Movie Network and producers mutually agree to extend the deadline by an additional 6 week period). If we are interested in discussing your proposal further, we will typically set up a follow up meeting to discuss the creative material . If we are interested in pursuing your project into development, we will ask you to submit additional information such as budget and financing. 

What do we develop? Though the development process varies from project to project, we will usually develop one script (pilot) and bible or season arc document in the first phase of series development. We do not contract development directly with writers, so if you are a writer pitching, you will need to partner with an experienced independent producer before submitting.

CANADIAN FEATURE FILM LICENSING

The Movie Network is one of the largest pre-licensor and private investor in Canadian feature films in English Canada. We pre-buy approximately 40 films per year and acquire an additional 20 or so more.  We support films from across the country, from big budget theatrical feature films to low budget films from first-time directors, feature length documentaries and commercially driven made–for-television movies. 

PRE-LICENSE:
Licensors (Producers and/or Distributors) are encouraged to seek the support of The Movie Network (TMN) during the latter stages of development (i.e. polish and packaging phase) or no later than the start of principal photography. Licence fees will be negotiated on a title-by-title basis and will reflect TMN’s evaluation of the following elements:

• Strength of script;
• Strength of confirmed cast and other creative elements;
• Production budget;
• Skill and track record of creative team and producer(s);
• Level of committed financing;
• Confirmed distribution commitment from a recognized Canadian distributor (including minimum guarantee, P & A commitment, marketing plans, etc.);
• Appropriate fit with TMN programming strategy, scheduling requirements, and target audience.

Please note that this list is not exhaustive and we may elect to consider additional factors in evaluating your project.  Also as a premium service, we have a limited appetite for low budget films and typically don’t pre-commit to films with budgets below C$1.5M. We often prefer to relate to low budget films as acquisitions.

DOCUMENTARY:
We have a small appetite for documentary but do pre-buy and acquire a select number of feature length documentaries every year. We are specifically interested in highly entertaining pop culture docs with broad audience appeal and potential for theatrical release. We also have an interest in entertainment related docs about film and music. We have been involved in documentaries about such iconic subject matter such as Hugh Hefner, Rush and Harvey Weinstein. We are not interested in socio-political or current affairs style docs nor do we acquire 1 hour documentaries or documentary series.  Typically we do not develop documentaries so relate to them at licensing stage as per other pre-buys.

How to Submit A Film?
Please contact Lisa Gotlieb to get a copy of our submission guidelines: lgotlieb@astral.com  

FEATURE FILM DEVELOPMENT:
We do not develop feature films at The Movie Network. If you are looking for development support for your feature film, please note that Astral’s feature film development program is managed through the Harold Greenberg Fund. Please contact them directly to enquire about development.