Cannell buyout

Vancouver: It’s confirmed. Vancouver will become l.a.-based New World Entertainment’s primary production center following the purchase of Cannell Entertainment (which includes Stephen J. Cannell Productions in l.a. and Cannell Films in Vancouver) by New World Communications Group.

Steve Sassen, vp and general manager of Cannell Production Services, the newly formed Canadian subsidiary of New World, says the move spells millions of new production dollars for Vancouver.

‘New World will be sending all of their product here except that which is geographically undesirable to shoot in Vancouver, so there’ll be a healthy increase in workload here,’ he says.

Sassen says New World chose Vancouver as its primary production center because ‘the mechanism was in place to continue the production of quality, cost-effective television. This ability is one of the principal reasons why they purchased Cannell.’

He predicts production dollars brought into Vancouver through New World will increase by 30% to 50%, although he qualifies that these figures will be contingent on the success of the new projects. Under Cannell Films, annual production figures ranged between $40 million and $55 million.

The first New World series to shoot in Vancouver will be Strange Luck, picked up by Fox as the lead-in show to The X-Files on Friday nights. The series follows the trials and tribulations of a man who is the sole survivor of a plane crash and all the luck – good and bad – he encounters on a daily basis.

Produced by John Kousakis and executive produced by Karl Scheifer, the pilot for Strange Luck was shot by Cannell Studios in l.a. The series stars D.B. Sweeney, Pamela Gidley and Frances Fisher (Unforgiven).

Another new series, Profit, about a corporate anti-hero wheeling and dealing his way up the ladder at a large mergers and acquisitions firm, was also picked up by Fox for a mid-season replacement and begins production here in September.

Cannell’s The Commish, canceled by abc as a series earlier this year, will be back in production in Vancouver this fall as three two-hour mows for the network. Cannell’s Wiseguy series is also being exhumed and brought back to life in the form of a two-hour movie with star Ken Wahl.

In addition, Sassen says he is juggling another seven two-hour mows in various stages of preproduction. ‘Our long-form department is definitely going to expand significantly,’ he says.

The possibility of coproduction opportunities between Cannell Production Services and local producers will become ‘more likely than in the past,’ says Sassen. ‘Right now we’re more focused on the transition issues so there have not been any discussions regarding coproductions, but I don’t believe it would be out of the question. New World is a more broad-ranging organization than the Cannell company was.’

As for the impact on the local post-production sector, Sassen says, ‘New World does not intend any major changes. We currently have good established relationships with several post facilities in Vancouver and we expect to enhance those relationships.’

Sassen adds the position of head of post-production at Cannell has changed and has yet to be filled. Post policies will not be determined until that person is up to speed and has evaluated the various opportunities that present themselves both here and in l.a.

Vancouver’s North Shore Studios, owned by Stephen J. Cannell, Michael Dubelko and Paul Bronfman’s Comweb Group, was not included in the New World deal. However, Peter Leitch, the new general manager of nss, expects the facility to benefit by the increased production activity at Cannell resulting from the New World deal.