Insight Productions and Ripley Entertainment Announce Co-Venture Agreement for Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Shockingly TRUE Stories

13. Oct, 2008 Comments Off

Cannes, France - (Oct. 13, 2008) – Leading television developer and producer Insight Production Company Ltd. and one of the world’s foremost entertainment companies Ripley Entertainment Inc., announced today a co-venture agreement for a new series based on one of the world’s iconic brands Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! The one hour series will be shot on location around the world with wireless, text and broadband components integral to the show.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Shockingly TRUE Stories is a white knuckle one-hour weekly “shockumentary” TV series that follows the field agents of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!’s seven international bureaus as they embark upon daring expeditions to obtain incredible artifacts from exotic, far-off lands and the shockingly true stories behind them – discoveries which have to be seen to be truly believed! If a three-armed monkey turns up in Sri Lanka, Ripley’s is there. If the mummified head from a lost ancient tribe that challenges the theory of evolution is unearthed on an Indonesian island, Ripley’s highly-trained team is on the move, cameras rolling, searching for the tale behind the treasure. It’s a race against time to retrieve the priceless discovery before it gets away and is lost forever.

“That passion for discovery, that same wonder of the world’s oddities that drove Robert Ripley across 200 countries over 70 years ago, will once again be experienced as our modern day explorers comb the globe for the marvels of our time and share the extraordinary stories behind them,” said John Brunton, President and CEO, Insight Production Company Ltd.

”This is a tremendous opportunity to team with Ripley Entertainment to create a series that embodies the amazement at the very core of Ripley’s globally-known brand,” added Barbara Bowlby, co-executive producer and EVP Insight Production Company Ltd.

What began almost a century ago as Robert Ripley’s personal quest to unearth the incredible – but proven – marvels of the world, has grown to become Ripley Entertainment Inc., a global leader in location-based entertainment, including 68 attractions operating in 12 countries with over 13 million visitors annually. New flagship “odditoriums” have recently opened in New York’s Times Square, Bangalore, India, and London’s Piccadilly Circus. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! cartoon still runs daily in 200 newspapers in 42 countries.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Shockingly TRUE Stories was developed by Insight Productions together with the Ripley Entertainment team. Produced by Insight Productions, Executive Producers are Insight’s John Brunton and Barbara Bowlby. The William Morris Agency is representing the series in the U.S.

“We wanted the unique Ripley’s Believe It or Not! brand to be realized on screen in a fresh and modern way, with television, wireless and broadband content delivery built in,” said Steve Glum, VP Marketing for Ripley Entertainment. “When I met with John Brunton and his team, I knew instantly Insight was the right partner. With their tremendous experience and great passion for storytelling, Insight is the perfect collaborator on a series that will turn heads.”

“We are very excited to be repping Insight Productions and Ripley Entertainment on this amazing new project,” said Mark Itkin Executive VP/Worldwide Co-Head of Television, The William Morris Agency. “They have taken an iconic brand and created a unique and fresh format that will sell all over the world. It is very compelling television.”

Insight Production Company Ltd, headed by John Brunton & Barbara Bowlby, is a recognized industry leader in the creative development, financing and production of highly rated television programs in every genre. Insight has created thousands of hours of groundbreaking television that continues to be broadcast over major networks worldwide and its reputation for quality has been recognized with numerous international awards. Recent hits include Canadian Idol, Canada’s homegrown version of the hugely successful international format, now in its sixth season; Are You Smarter Than a Canadian 5^th Grader? an exciting game show that takes adults back to the ‘classroom’; Project Runway Canada, hosted by International Supermodel Iman and Deal or No Deal Canada, the hit primetime game show, starring Howie Mandel, which delivered to Global Television Network its highest ratings of all time for a Canadian program. (www.insighttv.com)

Ripley Entertainment Inc., keeper of the venerable Ripley’s Believe It or Not! brand, is a global leader in location-based entertainment and is considered the worldwide authority on the weird, strange and bizarre. In addition to its 68 attractions, including 32 Believe It or Not! museums, the Orlando, Florida-based company has publishing, licensing and broadcast divisions that oversee projects including the globally syndicated Believe It or Not! television show, best-selling books and the popular syndicated cartoon strip, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, that runs daily in 42 countries. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the third-largest privately held company in Canada. (www.ripleys.com)