As new and ‘old’ media overlap and find their common ground, content producers are forced to find new ways to create their products and get them to audiences. The following are four projects that may be from wildly different genres, but what they have in common is an out-of-the-box approach to financing, whether that means looking beyond Canadian borders or embracing non-traditional distribution avenues.

FIDO

Making a film in a commercially viable genre, the producers sought cash from the usual suspects, but were also able to secure substantial foreign advances.

Who’s behind it: Cowriter/director Andrew Currie, producer Blake Corbet, Anagram Pictures; Robert Chomiak, cowriter; Dennis Heaton, story; Mary Anne Waterhouse, producer

The concept: Little Timmy Robinson wants a pet. Instead of a puppy, he gets a 60-year-old undead playmate named Fido (played by Scottish comedian Billy Connolly). Think of a zombie-infested Pleasantville.

Who financed it: With a $10.7-million budget and big ambitions, the film’s producers had to get creative. Financing partners include Telefilm Canada, the CTF, B.C. Film, tax credits, Corus Entertainment, TVA Films (Canadian advance), Lionsgate (U.S. advance), Entertainment Film Distributors (U.K. advance), Svensk (Scandinavia advance) and FIDEC (gap loan).

How it got out there: Heaton wrote a first draft in 1992 and was then joined by fellow Simon Fraser alums Currie and Chomiak. After two years roundtabling the script, Currie went to the Canadian Film Centre where it came to the attention of Mainline Productions, which optioned the screenplay.

The trio worked on other things through the years and then came back to Fido when the script rights reverted back to them because Mainline couldn’t get the project going. When Currie started up Anagram, directing Mile Zero and then The Delicate Art of Parking, they began revisiting the Fido script.

‘The cross-genre element caused a lot of fears in distributors,’ Corbet recalls. ‘The tone was very specific, the horror not too horror, and the potential of a falling between the cracks scared people.’

Deals: So far, Fido has been sold to 38 markets and counting, including presales to the U.K. and Scandinavia and sales to Italy, Portugal, France, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Thailand, China and Indonesia, to name a few.

The main marketing push prior to the theatrical release in Canada on March 16 involved targeting zombie fans looking for something original.

‘We were actually the number-one trailer for the week [of March 5] on MSN,’ says Corbet. ‘Anyone with a teenager knows what that means.’

Additional tie-ins include an online game and a Fido Zombie Madness contest through The Comedy Network.

A U.S. release from Lionsgate is set for June 15, as they wanted to position the film to take advantage of summer audiences by platforming out over several weeks. TVA had a different release plan – to go wider from the start, necessitating an earlier release date.

SANCTUARY

Seeing the Internet as the future content delivery platform of choice, the producers tapped private investors and launched on the web.

Who’s behind it: Damian Kindler and Marc Aubanel, executive producers and founders of Vancouver-based prodco Stage 3 Media

The concept: To create HD, series-based entertainment using the Internet as the pipeline to a global audience. The pilot project is a sci-fi series starring Amanda Tapping (Stargate SG-1) and Robin Dunne (Dick and Jane vs. The World).

‘Most TV networks were simply using the Net as a recycling tool for their products, hoping to draw audiences away from computers and back to their televisions, despite the fact that entertainment was evolving in exactly the opposite direction,’ says Kindler.

According to Kindler, in the three weeks since the Sanctuary site went live (www.sanctuaryforall.com), it’s had more than 1.8 million hits. And the first episode doesn’t even stream until the spring.

The revenue model: Pay per download. Given the worldwide appeal of sci-fi content, this is hoped to sustain production for a full season.

‘The beauty of making a multi-format series is there are many revenue streams to access: downloads, subscriptions, merchandising, TV broadcast and DVD distribution/licensing deals, and of course advertising,’ says Aubanel.

‘We have the benefit of possessing more data about our audience than Neilsen ratings could ever provide for a TV network. Once our audience is in place, advertisers will find that very attractive. We’ll be able to pick and choose which products we want to advertise and how – making the ad model for Sanctuary as clever, entertaining and unobtrusive as possible.’

The biggest challenge: ‘Making people understand the huge impact delivering high-end content on the Net will have on the media world – period,’ says Kindler. ‘Once we prove that millions of people truly want to access their entertainment via the Internet, we think everyone will be forced to reverse their traditional paradigm of TV/DVD first and Internet dead last – and then only as a promotional tool.

‘We want to be the first series to nail the web/TV/DVD trifecta – with all three formats pushing back and forth to each other.’

Who financed it: The two-hour pilot was entirely funded by seed money from Stage 3 Media founders as well as local private investors.

Deals: Apart from online, Stage 3 is exploring linear distribution deals (TV broadcast, DVD, iTunes, etc.).

‘There are still a large number of people who prefer to watch programming on a television rather than on a computer,’ says Kindler. ‘There are also people who don’t have access to a high bandwidth connection or have a much older computer that can’t play back HD video efficiently. We definitely want Sanctuary to be available to as many people as possible.’

CRACKED, NOT BROKEN

Finding it hard to nail down a broadcaster, the producers financed the film themselves and started selling it on DVD.

Who’s behind it: Paul Perrier, director; Tom Powers, executive producer, Open Door Productions

The concept: A vérité documentary that takes an unvarnished look at an upper-middle-class woman’s addiction to heroin. Shooting on miniDV, Perrier captured most of the footage with subject Lisa Binney during one afternoon in a hotel room in downtown Toronto.

Who financed it: ‘The film was entirely self-financed,’ says Powers. ‘We had no support from funding agencies. The budget was modest and we were extremely fortunate to have a number of very talented people donate their expertise and time because they believed in the power of the story.’

The producers have received development financing from CTV and the Canadian Television Fund for a follow-up film, Cracked Wide Open, centered on the media attention generated by the first film and its effect on Binney’s struggle to stay clean.

How it got out there: ‘The beauty of the democratization of the business brought on by technology is that there are no obstacles to a grassroots release of a film,’ notes Powers. ‘We decided to make the film without having a broadcaster or distributor on board, and started selling the film on DVD the moment it was finished.’

The filmmakers turned the traditional distribution model upside down by releasing a DVD version and then screening the film in theaters and local schools. An appearance by Binney and Perrier on the Oprah Winfrey Show led to a broadcast deal with HBO.

‘Our biggest ‘obstacle’ in Canada has been convincing broadcasters to pick the film up,’ says Powers. ‘It’s still being considered by a few broadcasters here, and we hope the HBO deal will help get us that deal.’

Deals: The film was to air on HBO on March 17. Powers pitched the film directly to HBO president of docs, Sheila Nevins, who made an offer within 24 hours of screening it.

In addition to the U.S., Cracked has been sold in the U.K. and Israel. International distributor Tricon has other territories pending, which they hope to close at MIPDOC.

The film has been reviewed in the Hollywood Reporter and the Los Angeles Times. There’s also a deal pending for DVD rights with a large U.S. distributor.

RICH BRIDE POOR BRIDE

Tying itself to Alliance Atlantis’ distribution muscle has resulted in international sales that have allowed the show to expand.

Who’s behind it: Buck Productions, Alliance Atlantis

The concept: Couples burn through wedding budgets at alarming rates on their way to the altar. Season two of the lifestyle series saw a format change from 30 to 60 minutes. AA recently commissioned a third season of 13 eps, complete with new wedding planners and some out-of-city travel plans.

Who financed it: Buck made a parent company investment and owns the property along with AA in an unspecified breakdown.

How it got out there: After debuting on AA’s Life Network, season two airs on the relaunched Slice brand, to be followed by season three. While Buck recently made its own sale to WE network in the U.S., with a season one airdate set for June, Alliance Atlantis Distribution has sold Rich Bride to more than 50 territories, including the U.K., Russia and the Netherlands.

‘AAD approached us as a separate entity from AA,’ says executive producer Sean Buckley. ‘Their presence at the markets and their new aggressive approach on reality makes it a great fit. They’re also very selective as to the properties they take to market, and the relationship strengthens Buck’s partnership with AA broadcasting.’

New media potential: A huge component of season three will be migration to new media platforms, working closely with Slice. Elements from the first two seasons will also figure into the cross-platform push, including potential DVD releases through AA.

‘We as a company wanted to concentrate on the show first and foremost,’ says Buckley on why they waited until season three for those initiatives. ‘A lot of time there’s a move to new media. It almost happens too quickly. We wanted to make the show as great as we could make it. What that has done is allowed us to gather an audience. Now that a brand has been built, we can explore new media and other opportunities.’