Serial Maven Studios, the Toronto-based unscripted development, financing, production and distribution house launched last year by former Blue Ant Media execs Solange Attwood and Asha Daniere, is merging with fellow Canuck outfit Cantina Media.

According to a release, the new company will focus on delivering a bespoke 360-degree approach to co-financing, coproduction and distribution of unscripted projects for the international marketplace. Cantina Media co-founders Michael Kot (pictured left) and Betty Orr (centre) will join Serial Maven CEO Attwood (right) and COO Julie Chang on the studio’s leadership team as president and managing director of production, respectively.

“This merger underscores our optimism and forward-thinking drive to tell stories with global relevance,” said Attwood. “By combining the creative and production expertise of our production label Cantina Media with our global financing and distribution capabilities, we are positioned to deliver even greater value to our platform partners and audiences worldwide.”

Kot and Orr launched Cantina Media in 2024 after previously heading Blue Ant-owned label Saloon Media, where they delivered award-winning productions for such outlets and platforms as Amazon’s Prime Video, Bell Media’s Crave, CBC, History Channel, The Smithsonian Channel, Investigation Discovery, UKTV and Channel 5, among others. Their credits include such titles as Canada’s Drag Race (Crave), Hoarders (A&E), Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer (Prime Video), Life Below Zero (National Geographic/Cottage Life) and See No Evil (Discovery ID).

After opening its doors in January 2024, Serial Maven subsequently launched its distribution arm last fall with an initial 12-title slate. The company also recently established a London-based international sales outpost with the hire of former Keshet International executive Fleur Wheatley.

This story originally appeared in Realscreen

Images courtesy Serial Maven Studios