C21: Magnify Media expands into premium docs

UK-based factual and format distributor Magnify Media has expanded into premium documentaries for the first time, adding three such titles to its sales slate.

A Baby Reindeer’s First Christmas, World’s Longest Covid Survivor and Saving the DeLorean Time Machine will all be shopped internationally by Magnify, which was set up in 2015 by Andrea Jackson and bought by Plimsoll Productions in 2020.

A Baby Reindeer’s First Christmas follows a community of herders in the Scottish Highlands as they prepare young reindeers for their first Christmas, including an orphaned reindeer calf battling to survive.

A coproduction between UK indies Maramedia and Flicker Productions, the doc premiered on local broadcaster Channel 4 on Christmas Eve last year. The finished programme has been sold to Network 10 (Australia), DPG Media (Belgium), TV2 (Norway) and TV2 (Denmark).

Building on this relationship, Magnify will launch Flicker Productions’ World’s Longest Covid Survivor. The ITV1 doc charts the emotional story of TV presenter and journalist Kate Garraway, whose husband Derek has been hospitalised by Covid-19 for over a year, having spent many months in a coma. He is now severely affected both physically and mentally by the aftermath of the illness.

Magnify has also acquired the rights to recent Discovery Channel doc Saving the DeLorean Time Machine from US producer Cricket Pictures. The film chronicles the year-long restoration of the original DeLorean car used in the Back to the Future film trilogy.

Andrea Jackson, CEO of Magnify Media, said: “As Magnify continues to expand, we are looking to prioritise new genres, including the popular genre of premium documentary. These three titles, although starkly different, are perfect examples of the dynamic premium content that we remain committed to distribute from fearless producers like Maramedia, Flicker Productions and Cricket Pictures.”