Maramedia's 2019 Christmas blog

2019 has been a whirlwind of craziness and our fantastic team at Maramedia have been busier than ever producing many hours of wildlife and childrens programmes.

We broadcast our 10 part “Born to Be Wild” series on both BBC Scotland and BBC 2. The series showcased the amazing work of the dedicated staff at the SSPCAs wildlife hospital and the incredible journeys of individual animals as they made their journeys back to the wild!

Our blue chip wildlife specials “Wild Shetland” and “Wild Way of the Vikings” also broadcast on BBC Scotland and BBC2 in the UK and internationally on PBS Nature, ORF and Nat Geo with award nominations at Jackson Hole and other festivals. We have greatly enjoyed working closely with the people of Shetland, Iceland and Norway - countries which also feature in our next big project!

In production we were thrilled to be filming with a new commission and partnership between Blue Ant Media, Smithsonian, Love Nature, Arte France, BBC Scotland and the Screen Scotland broadcast content fund. We launched the commission to great interest at this year’s Sunnyside festival! This 3 hour blue chip series will follow the amazing drama of the species that inhabit the north and is due for delivery next year 2020. The series has allowed us to work with some brilliant scientists in some stunning locations across the Nordic world.

In fact the series illustrates the importance to us of partnerships both in broadcast and with scientists and nature conservation teams and the way we must work together to safeguard the future of our natural world.

We thank all our broadcast partners and funders and distributors who we have worked with. We were also thrilled to announce another partnership with our friends in Europe which we launched at MIP in March with Skylander in a joint venture alongside our ongoing relationships with ITVG and ORF-E.

Closer to home we have also been proud to work closely with many wildlife charities highlighting their work and are thrilled to have produced an important campaign film for Scottish wildlife and countryside link highlighting Scotlands amazing and important wildlife and how little nature conservation funding it receives.

And finally it’s the next generation who most importantly care for the planet and its wildlife and we are pleased that our children’s programming slate through our Marakids brand has really blossomed this year. Our Gudrun series 1 and 2 are now being sold around the world and we have been excited to branch out in partnership with some new creatives to launch a quality animation series Hushaby Lullaby coming 2020. We are also thrilled to be starting work on another new production for 2020 featuring Michael Bond’s cheeky guinea pig character – Olga da Polga!

We would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has worked with us this last year and wish you all the best of seasons greetings and a very happy new year! We look forward to working with you next year.

The team at Maramedia

Maramedia secures the rights to bring Michael Bond’s loveable guinea pig character to the screen!

Glasgow: 9th October 2019

Maramedia is very excited to have the opportunity to expand their Marakids brand by acquiring the rights to develop the amusing Olga da Polga children’s series by the wonderful Michael Bond, author of the classic character, Paddington Bear.

© Vitalinka Shutterstock

Olga da Polga is a loveable and highly imaginative guinea pig who loves boasting about her wild adventures to her animal friends who find that life with Olga is certainly not dull!

Jackie Savery, co-founder and Creative Director of Maramedia says, “We are thrilled for Marakids to take on this new children’s project to bring Michael Bond’s lively and humorous stories of Olga da Polga to life on the screen.”

More details of this brand new project to follow soon….

Press Release: ANIMATION SERIES HUSHABYE LULLABYE FOR PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN UNDER ITS MARAKIDS BRAND

Maramedia, the Glasgow-based Indie specialising in top-end natural history documentaries announces an exciting new addition to their MARAKIDS brand - HUSHABYE LULLABYE is a super soft quirky animation series for pre-school children for CBeebies.

HUSHABYE LULLABYE has been created to incorporate the powerful benefits of lullabies in a way that is both loving and playful for young children.  This delightful series of short animations is a Scottish collaboration that has been created, written and directed by Glasgow-based Sacha Kyle, an established television and theatre director; together with animators Once Were Farmers of Stirling and Maramedia delivering the series with executive producer Simon Parsons.  Composer is Giles Lamb and 3D animation is by Will Adams.   Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Julia Bond and the series is for delivery by year end.

This new pre-school animation series is super soft quirky, full of music, lullabies and cuddles providing a sense of calm before quiet time and sleep.  Join the loveable little alien Dillie Dally in each of 10 x 3minute episodes as he climbs aboard the Hushabye Rocket on an interactive and relaxing musical journey of exploration and discovery to Planet Dream, a wonderfully soft and cosy place.  The soothing power of lullabies is charming and totally captivating. 

 “Hushabye Lullabye has been created to incorporate the powerful benefits of lullabies in a way which is both loving and playful, and I am passionate about bringing the tradition of lullabies to contemporary early years’ audiences,” said Sacha Kyle, Creator/Writer of Hushabye Lullabye.

Maramedia, co-founded by Nigel Pope and Jackie Savery, has had a string of natural history documentary successes and was joined by former head of BBC Scotland children’s production – Simon Parsons to expand their children’s output with exciting new innovative children’s programming for its Marakids brand.

“We are delighted to be embarking on our first pre-school children’s animation series, an exciting addition to Marakids following the launch of previous series “Gudrun the Viking Princess” for CBeebies”, added Nigel Pope, Co-Founder and Creative Director, Maramedia.

Commissioning Editor for CBeebies, Julia Bond said, “We’re thrilled to be in production on this exciting new animation series. The magical and enchanting world of Hushabye Lullabye brings lullabies, and the connections created by them, to our young audience and the grown-ups in their lives”.

“Once Were Farmers are thrilled to be part of this charming CBeebies commission. We've really enjoyed helping Sacha realise her vision for Hushabye Lullabye and think young audiences will love the unique and tactile style of animation," said Will Adams, Director, Once Were Farmers.

Maramedia and Once Were Farmers are also two of the first recipients of the Screen Scotland broadcast content fund specifically created to develop new television content produced by home-grown Scottish talent. 

Hushabye Lullabye

10 x 3mins episodes for broadcast on CBeebies 

Production of the New Blue-Chip Natural History Trilogy Series Stormborn with Maramedia

Produced in association with Smithsonian Channel, ARTE, BBC Scotland, and Screen Scotland

Blue Ant International oversees licensing of Stormborn and will feature the 4K three-part series at Sunny Side of the Doc 2019

(La Rochelle, FR – June 24, 2019) – Love Nature 4K announces the greenlight and start of production of the new blue-chip natural history series Stormborn (working title) (3 x 50’; 4K and HD), produced by Scotland-based Maramedia, and in association with Smithsonian Channel, ARTE France, BBC Scotland, and Screen Scotland. Stormborn tells the story of one dramatic breeding year in the wildlands of countries on the edge of the North Atlantic. Stormborn will have its world broadcast premiere on Love Nature 4K’s linear and streaming video platforms internationally in 2020, followed by premieres on Smithsonian Channel, BBC Scotland, and ARTE in France and Germany. Blue Ant International will oversee the licensing of Stormborn, which is now available for pre-sale.

“Love Nature is committed to bringing viewers closer to nature, through heartfelt storytelling and stunning 4K cinematography. Stormborn helps us deliver on all fronts,” says Carlyn Staudt, EVP, Love Nature 4K. “Also, we are thrilled to co-produce this high-end, blue-chip series with such an amazing roster of partners. The final product will no doubt have global appeal.”

“Creating animal drama is our speciality here at Maramedia. Showcasing these unusual and charismatic species as they battle the wild climate of the North will help us a build a narrative that’s alive with beauty, danger, and savage drama,” says Nigel Pope and Jackie Savery, Directors, Maramedia. “The team at Maramedia is thrilled to be working with Love Nature and all of our partners on this exciting new series.”

Stormborn is a three-part series with a unique approach to storytelling. This natural history trilogy follows animals that survive on the northern edges of the Atlantic Ocean. Against a backdrop of ice-carved rock, towering seas and fierce storms, otters, arctic foxes, and reindeer, struggle to make homes, find mates, and raise their young, the Stormborn.

Production of the series will continue from now until November 2019 in various locations including Norway, Iceland, and the Shetland Islands, Scotland.

Stormborn is created by Maramedia. The series is produced and directed by Jackie Savery and Nigel Pope. Executive producers for the Smithsonian Channel include Tria Thalman and David Royle. Alison Barrat, VP, Development & Production will executive produce the series on behalf of Love Nature. Blue Ant International handles the series licensing.

Love Nature is a modern 4K natural history content brand that is platform agnostic. Love Nature reaches viewers and lovers of wildlife on whatever platform they use, from linear, OTT, VOD, YouTube, and more. We go where the consumer is watching. As such, Love Nature continues to grow and expand while offering viewers a chance to get closer to nature through both powerful stories about the natural world and stunning 4K and HDR footage. Our goal is to foster a deeper understanding of and connection to the planet we call home through our content, which is one of the largest libraries of 4K natural history programming in the world. Love Nature is a joint venture between Blue Ant Media and Smithsonian Networks. Engage with us at lovenature.com / Twitter / Facebook / YouTube / Instagram

Based in Scotland UK, Maramedia create award-winning world-class Natural History content for broadcast across a variety of platforms for international clients, including the BBC, Blue Ant Media, ITVG, PBS, National Geographic, France Televisions, Arte and ORF, working with key talent like David Attenborough, Ewan McGregor and David Tennant. Multi award-winning, Maramedia’s productions have a hallmark of quality – showcasing the natural world in a spectacular way, as well highlighting the issues it faces. We like to be social! Follow us: www.maramedia.co.uk / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram

Smithsonian Channel™, owned by Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between Showtime Networks Inc. and the Smithsonian Institution, is where curiosity lives, inspiration strikes and wonders never cease. This is the place for awe-inspiring stories, powerful documentaries and amazing factual entertainment, available in HD and 4K Ultra HD across multiple platforms. Smithsonian Channel, winner of Emmy® and Peabody awards for its programming, combines the storytelling prowess of SHOWTIME® with the unmatched resources and rich traditions of the Smithsonian, to create programming that shines new light on popular genres such as air and space, travel, history, science, nature and pop culture. Among the network’s offerings are series including Aerial America, America in Color, The Lost Tapes, Mighty Ships, Million Dollar American Princesses, The Pacific War in Color and Air Disasters, as well as critically-acclaimed specials that include The Coronation, The Mountain Lion and Me, Earth from Outer Space and Titanoboa: Monster Snake. Smithsonian Networks also operates Smithsonian Channel Plus™, a subscription video streaming service delivering over a thousand hours of the Channel’s stunning and diverse library of documentaries and series in HD and 4K Ultra HD. Smithsonian Channel is also available internationally in Canada, Singapore, Latin America and the UK. To learn more, go towww.smithsonianchannel.com, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

ARTE
A French-German channel that showcases Europe’s rich cultural diversity. Founded by an interstate treaty signed by France and Germany in 1990, ARTE is a public service television channel and its mission is to strengthen understanding and ties amongst people in Europe with culture and inspiring innovative programs. The ARTE Group is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg based European Economic Interest Grouping ARTE GEIE plus two member companies acting as editorial and program production centres, ARTE France in Paris and ARTE Deutschland in Baden-Baden. These two companies provide three-quarters of ARTE’s programming in equal proportion, the remainder being provided by ARTE GEIE and the channel’s European partners. 65 % of the programs are documentaries, which represents 91 hours a week. ARTE is available in six languages, so 360 million Europeans can watch in their mother tongue. All the programs go out in French and German, and hundreds of hours of factual programming are subtitled in English, Spanish, Polish and Italian. More information on arte.tv

Screen Scotland is the dedicated partnership for screen in Scotland. With funding from Scottish Government and the National Lottery, Screen Scotland is driving the cultural, social and economic development of all aspects of the sector in Scotland, through enhanced funding, services and support. Screen Scotland sits within Creative Scotland and is a partnership with Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, Scottish Funding Council, working in close collaboration with the sector to ensure its success. www.screen.scot @screenscots