Where are they now?

Each year at Banff a number of producers are chosen to bring their projects-in-development to the attention of the international television industry in the hopes of securing coproduction partners and/or broadcaster interest. Playback went back to the 1999 pitchers to find out whether any of their projects have been greenlit for production since last year’s Banff Market Simulation. Stories continue to p. B23.

At the time When Two Won’t Do co-producers and codirectors Maureen Marovitch and David Finch took part in the Market Simulation at the Banff Television Festival last year, they managed to make two do just fine.

Marovitch and Finch of Montreal’s Picture This Productions sold their documentary on issues of non-monogamy, polygamy and cheating to tvontario for a first window. Also, at the festival, they secured a second window through Access Alberta.

Although the pitch was highly successful, Marovitch cautions that the tvo deal wasn’t exactly spur of the moment.

‘We ended up selling it to tvontario partly from the pitch and partly [from a previous pitch to the broadcaster]. But I’m sure it didn’t hurt that we were pitching at Banff. And I think Rudy [Buttignol – tvo’s head of documentaries and science] just liked the chance to buy it in public. So that was fun,’ Marovitch says.

The Access sale, however, was all about Banff. ‘Access was completely a surprise,’ Marovitch begins. ‘The gentleman was on stage last year. He picked it up right on the spot. He said, ‘I’d buy that’ and did!’

The success at Banff aside, the development and production process for Finch, Marovitch and Picture This is still slow. She explains: ‘I guess we’re still in production. We’re still waiting to hear from Telefilm and we’ve applied to sodec. So we’re still hoping for some foreign broadcasters. We’re still waiting. We hope to start editing in the fall.’

Overall, Marovitch is sure the festival helped their business. Although she and partner Finch will not be attending this year’s festival, they look forward to participating in future simulation.

‘I think it helped [us for our] other projects,’ Marovitch says. ‘People who were there saw us, and said, ‘Oh yeah. You’re the guys who pitched that project. So I think it’s a positive thing.’

Marovitch also developed new business relationships while in Banff. Ellis Vision (a division of Toronto’s Ellis Entertainment Corporation) was attracted to the work Marovitch and Finch were presenting.

‘We’re developing a documentary series with them, and it came out of meeting one of their producers at Banff,’ Marovitch says.

Meanwhile, despite the success of the When Two Won’t Do pitch, Marovitch cautions against expecting too much from your trip to Banff: ‘I’m sort of unsure as to how much is show and how much the broadcasters are really seriously looking for projects. That’s the only question in my mind. But I do think it’s a very good experience to pitch out there. Everybody gets to see you. You have to really formulate your pitch very carefully.’

The production, operating on a budget somewhat smaller than the $425,000 pitched at Banff last year, has a tentative first window air date of winter 2001.