The fruition of a hit primetime drama series is buoyed by a strong relationship between the broadcaster and creative team, says Susanne Boyce, who stresses that putting creative before business is key to the success of Flashpoint and other CTV series.

The network’s long and rewarding relationship with TV vet Bill Mustos, a former CTV exec, and veteran producer Anne Marie La Traverse has played a crucial part in Flashpoint’s many achievements, including its renewal by U.S. caster CBS.

Playback recently spoke with Boyce, CTV’s president, creative, content and channels, about what drives a strong Canuck drama, and the importance of surrounding Flashpoint’s rookie creators with an expert producer team.

How did the series come to be?

Flashpoint was a project that came from CTV’s Writer-Only Drama Development Program, and the writers were Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern, [the latter] who also acted in the pilot.

They’re wonderful new writers who came to pitch the pilot. Tecca Crosby [former CTV director of dramatic programming] took it to Anne Marie La Traverse because she had produced movies for us.

We shot four pilots last summer, and when the pilot [for Flashpoint] was completed, we picked it up in December. Bill Mustos, who worked with us for 11 years, joined forces with Anne Marie to make a very solid team.

What was special enough about Flashpoint that lent itself to a series this big?

The writers. When Mark and Stephanie spoke and pitched, they really knew these characters and they had a passion. Also, the cast is magical… Hugh Dillon and Enrico [Colantoni], who acts as a mentor, I gather, to the other actors. We’ve got the right team and cast together. And again, for [CTV] it’s about doing creative first and business deals second. We back the creative team.

How would you characterize CTV’s relationship with Anne Marie and Bill?

They’re extended CTV family – that’s how I think of them.

How do their combined strengths help the creative process?

They have a history… they can finish each other’s sentences. They… are professional and [pay] attention to detail. Bill and Anne Marie work 24/7 on this… they’re not doing 75 other things.

When you’ve got emerging writers, you have to make sure they have the expertise to help them grow.

Let’s talk about the deal with CBS, which is CTV’s first with the U.S. network since Due South in the mid-’90s.

The difference is [Due South] had already been in the works with CBS. CTV commissioned Flashpoint; we had a pilot. CBS picked it up after, when they saw the pilot, and then agreed to the series. This is a reverse simulcast, so it’s a Canadian series playing in simulcast with the U.S. [The deal] allows the series to be exposed to a North American audience, and helps sell the show around the world.

How did CBS first hear about it?

Programmers are always talking to programmers. Because there’s a mutual respect we yak about things. And then there was also the [U.S.] writers strike…

Do you think the writers strike had an impact on CBS picking up the show?

It probably was helpful. Everything added up. They acted very quickly [on Flashpoint]. We had a couple of other shows [i.e. The Listener], but CBS did the deal for Flashpoint first. The other thing to keep in mind is the writers strike is over and the easiest thing would be not to renew, but CBS has picked it up for a second season.

How has Flashpoint upped the bar for Canadian drama?

Everyone sets out to make a fantastic show. Your chances are greater if you’ve got funding, which is a given, but also if you have the story ideas that are flushed out, the right creative team in place… and then throw in passion and luck.