EXCLUSIVE: Canada’s Waterside Studios and UK-based podcast producer Blanchard House are teaming up.
The pair has signed a multi-podcast deal, which will comprise for titles that will be adapted for TV.
The first is Black and Blue: Behind the Badge, a a true crime podcast centering around the experiences of Black officers in what one of them calls “the biggest gang in America”: law enforcement.
Presented by journalist Seren Jones, it follows the story of Michael Morrison. Synposis reads: “After joining the police force to serve and protect, he faces racism, violence and hostility. Michael’s life in policing will make him question everything he thought he knew about justice, community, and himself. This is a story about being torn in two. Torn between being a police officer and being Black. Can you ever really separate who you are from what you do?”
The series will launch on Curiouscast on October 17.
“From the very beginning, our goal at Curiouscast has been to partner with and elevate exceptional creators and storytellers,” said Curiouscast Director of Streaming and Podcasting Chris Duncombe.
“We are thrilled to launch our new multi-platform partnership with Blanchard House and Waterside Studios, furthering that goal to bring compelling stories and unique perspectives to global listeners.”
Curiouscast is the podcast network of Canadian media giant Corus Entertainment, which also backs Waterside, the Canada-based producer that launched last year and has been building a slate of IP. We revealed news of its first drama, YTV and Netflix teen series Geek Girl, earlier this year and told you about the wider slate in an interview with company founder Jeff Norton later in June.
“It’s an exciting time to be partnering with the first-class team at Blanchard House, alongside the global platform Curiouscast, to develop four amazing podcasts for TV.” said Norton, Head of Waterside Studios. “The podcasts are utterly riveting, and I have no doubt that the TV adaptation will take the storytelling to new heights.”
“Black and Blue is such a timely and provocative story, but most importantly it’s a story about a group of people who are often talked about, but not spoken to. It’s extremely rare to hear the voices of Black police officers in the mainstream media and we’re thrilled to be able to bring their stories to light,” added Rosie Pye, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Blanchard House.
“It’s been fantastic working with the team at Curiouscast and Waterside Studios to bring this story to listeners and set up this incredible story for development for international TV audiences.”
