Vancouver-based production companies Omnifilm Entertainment and Reality Distortion Field this week announced they have formalized their agreement to jointly develop and produce original scripted television projects for global markets.
“Across their shared slate, Reality Distortion Field (RDF) will provide creative oversight while Omnifilm will provide physical production, post-production, production administration and financing, resulting in a fully integrated content pipeline,” an RDF press release says.
RDF is the production company behind Netflix’s 2020-2022 series Warrior Nun as well as Fakes (Netflix, CBC Gem), the latter being a coproduction with Omnifilm. Omnifilm has previously produced content for Netflix, Disney+, Discovery, BBC, UKTV, BritBox and ITV, as well as all of Canada’s private broadcasting groups and public broadcaster CBC.
The two prodcos said they will blend their scripted development slates with the support of international scripted consultant Alexandra Finlay, who brings more than 20 years of experience at organizations including Channel 4, UKTV and A+E Global Media. She was most recently vice president of scripted international coproductions for A+E, and previously worked with Shaftesbury as vice president of creative and coproductions. Based in London, Finlay provides expertise to the U.K. and international markets with a focus on scripted development, coproductions and acquisition strategy.
“This partnership with Omnifilm allows us to combine creative and production forces in a way that expands what both companies can achieve,” said Simon Barry, RDF co-founder and principal, in the press release. “Together, we can shepherd scripted projects from the first spark of an idea all the way through to delivery at the highest level of quality.”
Stephen Hegyes, RDF co-founder and principal, added: “By pairing RDF’s creative development and deep relationships with top writing talent with Omnifilm’s production infrastructure, we’re setting the stage for a truly dynamic collaboration.”
“Building on almost a decade of close collaboration between our two companies, we see this agreement as a natural extension of our relationship that further leverages the strengths that we each bring to the table,” said Omnifilm partner and CEO Brian Hamilton, in a statement.
Consultant Finlay added: “Omnifilm and RDF’s partnership strategically merges creative development and deep production expertise. At a time when partnerships are key to reaching global audiences, I’m excited to be collaborating with Simon, Stephen and Brian to drive the slate forward.”
RDF and Omnifilm announced two projects already on their coproduction slate: Time of Death, created by Simon Barry, which follows a haunted detective who, after a decade spent chasing Britain’s most elusive serial killer, relocates to Vancouver only to become convinced his old nemesis has resurfaced there; and My Homicide, created by Bruce Ramsay, which is a procedural about a brilliant detective haunted by his wife’s unsolved murder who teams up with an AI version of himself to solve impossible crimes and unravel the mystery that could tear them both apart.
RDF’s press release said distribution for the individual projects on the slate will be handled by a select list of Canadian and international partners on a per-project basis.
RDF also announced the departure of its head of creative affairs, Bhavika Mantri, who will be staying on as an executive producer for select projects.
Since joining RDF in 2020, Mantri has overseen a slate of more than 20 television and film projects. She was instrumental in expanding RDF’s domestic and international footprint, forging key coproduction partnerships, securing deals across Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Europe and other international territories, and shepherding multiple series and features into development and production, RDF’s press release said.
“Bhavika’s vision and creative instincts have been integral to RDF’s success,” Barry said. “Her ability to shape stories and support talent has elevated our slate, and we’re thrilled she’ll remain involved in a producing capacity.”
