EXCLUSIVE: U.S.-based Wonder Street and New Zealand-based Stripe Studios have struck a deal to team on a slate of unscripted TV series, kicking off the partnership with Snow Patrol as well as New Zealand Gold Diggers.
Snow Patrol, for Bravo New Zealand, will follow the lives of the staff and crew of The Remarkables Ski Field in Queensland as they welcome a new season of snow and guests and navigate life on the slopes. Now in prep, New Zealand Gold Diggers for Sky TV follows modern-day gold diggers who battle the rugged terrain in the South Island of New Zealand, fighting floods, landslides and blizzards.
Both series will air first in New Zealand with eyes on deals in additional markets.
Stripe is already behind Bravo New Zealand’s The Circus, an original series that follows the lives of a family who live, work and play together under the backdrop of a traveling circus. Season 3 of that series is now shooting. The company also is in production on Great Southern Truckers for New Zealand, Australia and the UK and Reunited for NZTV.
“Striving to build upon our success in New Zealand as one of the most prolific independent production companies, this exciting new partnership with Wonder Street opens the door to the U.S. market and allows us to lean into our shared goal of creating relevant global content for the widest possible audience,” Stripe CEO Alex Breingan said.
Wonder Street’s latest deal comes as it is shooting the CBS/WBTV pilot East New York starring Amanda Warren and Jimmy Smits. Recent credits include Self Made: The Madam CJ Walker Story, which earned star Octavia Spencer an Emmy nomination, and the Jodie Foster-Tahar Rahim pic The Mauritanian.
“Alex and his team at Stripe Studios have proven to be great curators of stories that spotlight today’s exciting and complex world,” Wonder Street partner Mark Holder said. “Not only do they find the thrill in non-scripted content, they also insist on locating the humanity of the people in their shows while giving us a glimpse into worlds we may not have had a front seat to otherwise.”