The new kid on the block in Playback’s ranking of indie prodcos is E1 Entertainment. Well, sort of.

E1’s chief Darren Throop was named Playback’s Person of the Year in ’08 after his Toronto company – backed by the U.K.’s Marwyn Investment Management – built its business on recorded music and home video distribution, then catapulted itself to the forefront of Canadian production with an acquisition spree that included Barna-Alper Productions and Blueprint Entertainment.

E1’s 2008 slate combines diverse carry-over projects from Barna-Alper (including sitcom ‘da Kink in My Hair and venerable doc series Mega Builders) and Blueprint (the college drama The Best Years and the animated The Dating Guy). With a few of those prodcos’ 2007 projects out and some new ones in, E1’s 2008 production and development volume totals $94 million – same as the two former companies’ combined total for 2007.

Blueprint’s John Morayniss, now CEO of E1 Television, says that E1 will continue its growth curve despite the recession.

‘We fully expect our 2008 volumes to grow throughout 2009,’ Morayniss tells Playback. ‘A big part of this growth is going to be due to our ramp-up of multiple one-hour drama series which we’re producing for both the Canadian and U.S. markets.’

E1’s drama slate includes no less than three police drama series: The Bridge (to air on CTV and CBS), Copper (Global and ABC) and Shattered (Showcase), and smart money has the prodco leading the pack in 2009.