Hot Picks: Red River Gold

This series – acquired off the back of a nascent relationship between BossaNova Media and producer 3 Story Pictures forged at World Congress of Science and Factual Producers – features many of the factual-focused distributor’s calling cards: it blends history with adventure, includes a likeable host, dovetails with series already in its catalogue, and has volume.

BossaNova is selling the series, which is already airing on Canada’s first nations indigenous broadcaster APTN, as two 12 x 60-minute or 26 x 30-minute seasons.

The show’s jumping-off point is 1870, when a trove of gold coins disappeared on route to fund a military force marching across Canada to confront Louis Riel and his fellow indigenous Métis during the Red River Resistance – a key conflict in the timeline of Canada’s political history. The gold has never been recovered, and the UK’s Royal Mint still considers it lost or stolen. Now, a group led by Métis musician and podcast host Ross ‘Memphis’ Pambrun are out to find it.

Pambrun is joined by Laurie ‘Goldie’ Gagne, a treasure hunter, metal detector expert and self-proclaimed explorer, alongside local Métis guide Bill ‘Moose’ Marsh. The trio travel the Old Dawson Trail on the hunt for the missing gold, retracing the historic and abandoned ‘highway’ that once connected the Canadian east with the west.

Travelling through the traditional homeland of the Métis, analysing clues as to the lost gold’s location, the team uncover more than just a gold bounty by revealing truths about the culture and history of the area, from a Métis perspective, informed by historians and long-time locals.

BossaNova head of acquisitions Claire Runham says while it has a slightly “different feel” to some of the company’s other recent factual titles, the team can place it with established shows in its library such as Adventure Gold Diggers and a further two acquisitions “in the digging space” – currently under-wraps – which she says can play foil to Red River Gold.

“It has its own identity, but it scratches the adventure and gold fever itch a little bit, and we have other content that complements it,” she explains. “History content does very well for us, so it’s that genre mash – you get the history fix and the dig fix, which makes it slightly different.”

The show has “that cultural depth”, Runham says. “It’s a historical story but there’s mystery in it, and we know audiences are keen for that. It’s still character-led, but it’s much softer and ticks the boxes audiences want ticked for shows in the space.”

BossaNova’s projections for the title include mature European and global markets such as the UK, Australia, France and Germany, Benelux and other parts of EMEA. There are also strong hopes for AVoD acquisitions.

On the company’s broader slate, Runham says considered bets are being placed. “We’re being careful about what we acquire and invest in,” he explains. “I don’t think we’re picking up things that are too much of a wild card for us. We continue to offer a broad range of commercial popular factual content, making sure we maintain our identity but taking risks where it feels like the content is a good fit.”