Cineflix Media at 25: Glen Saltzman on Growth and ‘Property Brothers’

In 1998, Glen Salzman and Katherine Buck launched Montreal-based Cineflix Media with considered one of its first collection, “Canines with Jobs.” Unable to safe Canadian financing, they pitched the collection on the Banff World Media Competition to worldwide broadcasters throughout a market simulation session.

From there, the corporate produced 5 seasons of the factual collection, which continues to promote internationally. Extra impressively, it was the start of Cineflix rising from an organization with three factual exhibits into considered one of Canada’s largest impartial producers, with artistic, manufacturing and distribution arms in Montreal, Toronto, New York, London and Dublin.

Over time, Cineflix has introduced marquee expertise and exhibits like “Property Brothers,” “American Pickers” and “Mayday: Air Catastrophe” to world audiences. Right now, the group consists of Cineflix Productions, Cineflix Rights, and Cineflix Studios, in addition to three way partnership firms Buccaneer, Connect3 Media, Husk Media and Shiny Screens Leisure.

It boasts greater than 5,500 catalog hours, employs 141 company staff (and a mean of 150 on manufacturing in any given week), and has launched 4 FAST channels.

“We’re making ready for extra progress, we’re making some key hires and diversifying, and we see a number of alternatives coming,” Salzman tells Selection. “We see our energy as we’ve diversified the corporate during the last 25 years, beginning with a small group in Montreal and constructing that up step by step.”

Forward of the corporate’s twenty fifth anniversary social gathering at this 12 months’s Banff World Media Competition, Selection sat down with the CEO to debate the corporate’s spectacular progress, discovering key expertise and companions, and the challenges forward within the ever-changing movie and tv panorama.

While you based the corporate, did you image ultimately rising and diversifying the way in which you’ve gotten?

Katherine got here from an actual property and building background, and after a couple of years, we needed to open a distribution firm. We solely had 100 hours to do it with. After we went to see a lawyer, they mentioned we shouldn’t do it, we have been too small. Katherine mentioned, “Properly, in the event you’re going to construct a giant firm, you want a powerful basis. In any other case, the constructing will fall over when it will get actually tall.” In order that was the message: we have been going to construct a giant firm. It wasn’t clear how massive, and we’ve develop into a mid-sized firm, however our measurement is considered one of our benefits proper now.

Why was entering into distribution such an important early step for you?

After we launched “Canines With Jobs” we couldn’t discover sufficient cash in Canada. Telefilm Canada, which it was on the time, or the Canadian Media Fund now, mentioned it wasn’t culturally important and wouldn’t qualify for Canadian content material. We appealed it and misplaced, so we appeared for cash internationally. Not getting the simple cash was the most effective factor that occurred to us. We went to England, discovered the cash, and made the collection. That constructed the corporate. The lesson was to go worldwide, don’t depend on Canadian cash. It got here from necessity. We realized we might do it and promote exhibits internationally.

Discovering worldwide companions is extra customary when placing the financing puzzle collectively in Canada nowadays, however was it that approach again then?

Most producers relied on the Canadian system to finance their exhibits. Again then, within the late Nineteen Nineties, you needed to line up exterior the CMF constructing along with your envelopes, and it was a first-come, first-serve foundation. Individuals would pay others to face in line so they might get their firms and tasks to the highest of the pile. And you’d nonetheless have to attend to get funding in April and go into manufacturing in June, July, August, September. That was a dumb system and never a really wholesome solution to do enterprise. So we determined to skip that and discover companions.

Again then, you grew a wholesome slate of factual collection—what was the key sauce?

Our timing was actually good; it’s lots more durable now. Again then, the cable networks in Canada have been simply beginning, and there was a giant demand as a result of they have been rising shortly. They wanted content material. So we supplied that content material. It was simpler to do then. Today, beginning an organization might be powerful for younger producers. Our timing wasn’t genius; it was lucky. We have been in the correct place on the proper time with good concepts.

What makes it more durable at the moment?

The networks are extra risk-averse. Cash is tighter. They’re trying to take much less danger by specializing in long-running manufacturers or rebooting previous exhibits that have been profitable. It’s much less dangerous than constructing a present from scratch and changing into a recognizable model. Networks are placing more cash into commissioning returning collection which have already been established as manufacturers. We’ve got a few these. We constructed “Property Brothers” from zero. “American Pickers” has been round for 15 years, and we simply acquired a reorder of that for 40 episodes. And we’re in our twenty fourth season of “Mayday,” which is unbelievable.

You’ve just lately gotten into scripted programming with collection like “Coroner,” “Marcella” and “Wynonna Earp.” Why was it necessary to increase the enterprise into that area?

Initially, we constructed the corporate on unscripted and constructed a distribution firm to assist that enterprise. However as the corporate developed, distribution turned lots larger and extra necessary than we thought it could be. Now we’re extra of a studio and scripted began when (president) Peter Emerson joined the corporate. He got here from eOne Tv Worldwide, knew learn how to do it, and had the experience. We each realized some classes alongside the way in which about what to not do as a result of you’ll be able to blow up fairly shortly in scripted by making the unsuitable bets. However there gave the impression to be a number of streamers coming; it was time to get into that enterprise.

What have been a few of these learnings?

Our first scripted collection was in 2012 with BBC America and International referred to as “Copper.” It was good however went approach over price range, and we didn’t have the distribution energy to do it but. We solely went for 2 seasons. We realized we wanted deeper pockets and stronger administration to make sure exhibits stayed on price range. You even have to have the ability to stroll away from exhibits and never do all the things that comes your approach. After they get too costly to provide, you stroll away, say no thanks, and let another person take the chance. We’ve walked away from many issues but in addition taken some good swings, like after we discovered an Israeli present, which turned “Tehran” with Apple TV+. There was a giant deficit after we acquired concerned, and we put up 50% of the price range, so it was a giant swing. However budgets in Israel aren’t fairly as massive as elsewhere. And it turned a giant, worldwide success and is now taking pictures its third season.

How necessary is it to pursue joint ventures and partnerships to provide aggressive and financially stable tasks?

We began that mannequin about seven years in the past as a result of we needed to develop our scripted enterprise, and it was a key transfer. We invested fairly a bit of cash. There are some nice fashions of how we are able to co-finance a undertaking and sew the financing collectively, like “So Lengthy, Marianne,” the upcoming Leonard Cohen undertaking. Buccaneer led the undertaking creatively, and Bell Media and a few Canadian cash got here in. Then Cineflix Rights stepped in as a distributor. We’re actually enthusiastic about that collection.

How do you see Cineflix’s mid-size as a bonus?

It’s our energy. A few of our rivals as a distributor have 100,000 or 150,000 hours of their catalogs. And lots of producers don’t need to be in that catalog as a result of they really feel they are going to get misplaced or their present buried. So producers come to Cineflix as a result of they get a number of consideration; we’re investing cash in them. We’ve got belongings and monetary energy, however we’re not too massive but, so we are able to make choices shortly and be nimble whereas nonetheless taking dangers and adapting to market situations.

What challenges are forward, and the way are you addressing them?

Among the largest challenges are rising prices. Due to inflation, manufacturing prices are exhausting to handle proper now, and demand for crews has been robust. Protecting the prices in keeping with licensing charges is one other problem. We’ve introduced within the subsequent technology, like J.C. Mills (president and head of content material for Cineflix Productions) and Tim Mutimer (CEO Rights). We’ve made key hires to take the corporate to the following degree and place it for achievement so we are able to continue to grow and be robust — in order that we’re not ageing out as some firms do. We’ve positioned the corporate for progress and for the following technology to steer it.

Are there different firm strengths you see, given the present trade developments?

We’ve realized that our older manufacturers have a number of worth. Some might be repurposed, and we’re taking a look at how to try this. Diversifying is the opposite factor, so we are able to pivot if one factor turns into the flavour of the month or 12 months. For the previous few years, it has been scripted programming. Now factual is coming again. Perhaps FAST channels are scorching. We’re throughout all of these issues. Having that variety is our largest benefit and why I feel we are going to do nicely going ahead.