BossaNova Media

BossaNova’s Bespoke Approach: Curated Slates & Producer Returns

The third edition of BossaNova Media’s successful Development Day initiative is taking place this week, convening buyers and producers to talk out projects, matchmake and get a clear sense of what commissioners are actually looking for.

“Development Day has been instrumental—it’s the key tool for how we built our slate,” says Tatiana Grinkevich, head of sales (alongside Holly Cowdery) of BossaNova Media, founded by Heaney and part of the Night Train Media group. “We had over 300 submissions this year.”

Grinkevich, Cowdery, acquisitions chief Claire Runham, Heaney and others on the team have been diligently reviewing every submission. “We need to be sure about every project that we bring onto the list,” Grinkevich says. “The number of submissions has doubled from the first year. But we’re still as careful in the way we approach the task, as always.”

The team at BossaNova has been firmly focused on tailoring its offering to meet buyers’ needs, continuing to roll out the types of shows the company has become known for: “History and mystery, tough jobs, blue light, etc.,” Grinkevich says.

On that front, Ancient Autopsy, with Professor Suzannah Lipscomb, leads off the MIPCOM highlights, with Grinkevich expecting several presales to be concluded by the time the team arrives in Cannes. Lipscomb uncovers the truth behind the deaths of four legendary ancient figures using cutting-edge digital technology, original sources and reconstructions.

BossaNova also likes to surprise, adding to its lineup the types of pieces that it has not historically been known for. Ahead of MIPCOM, the outfit expanded its slate of personality-led series. Martin Compston Living Las Vegas is one of the company’s signature launches. ”We need feel-good projects coming through, especially when we see so much darkness happening around us in the world,” Grinkevich says. “It’s a slightly different genre for us. It’s a travelogue-lifestyle, cross-genre hybrid.”

True crime remains a firm fixture of the BossaNova offering, with two high-end productions in that space this MIPCOM: Ed Gein: Original Psycho and Heist: Robbing the Bank of England. The former, available in time for Netflix’s drama about the notorious serial killer, delivers “cinematic use of AI,” Grinkevich says. “It’s true crime where it’s almost a drama. AI gives it this cinema-style feel to it.”

BossaNova has also been scaling its portfolio of long-running franchises, among them Borderforce USA, and has added a slate of Christmas documentaries to its lineup, among them Alpine Train at Christmas.“We’re always thinking, what else can we do?” Grinkevich says. “What’s the new angle? Every time, we’re surprised by our producers.”

BossaNova Sounds the Trumpet on Growth & Gains

BossaNova Media was set up four years ago as a company that provides agency—financial, creative or otherwise—to build successful long-running brands and noisy short-run series. “Now, all the hard work is very much starting to pay off,” says Tatiana Grinkevich, head of sales. “Our key launches at MIPCOM this year reflect what we think are not only safe bets in terms of all cultures and demographics but are also enduring, universally themed shows with fresh perspectives.

“We have just become the U.K.’s fastest-growing distributor for the second year in a row,” Grinkevich continues. “And as with any success, it never comes without taking risks—you can’t really explore true success without leaving your comfort zone, can you? Looking at the industry wearing my international distributor’s hat, I can say buyers have been cautiously positive this year as they finally see advertising revenues stabilizing in their markets, but perhaps too early to say where we are heading—let’s hope it will be out of the woods!”

The company has been staffing up as well to accommodate this growth. Grinkevich, for one, has been at BossaNova for over three years and says it has been “so fulfilling to see the company grow—we are now a team of ten brilliant experts all working together. Earlier this year, we welcomed three lovely new colleagues who joined the team to reflect the needs of our growing business: Alex Pye has been appointed to the newly created role of marketing manager, Sarah Postlethwaite has taken on the role of acquisitions executive, and Kristina Giulalieva has joined us as a contracts management coordinator. With the growing slate, these new roles will help us manage the business in a more streamlined and efficient way, enhance the experience of working with us for all of our partners and support what is already an excellent team.”

A key piece of BossaNova’s success is its Development Day, a pitching concept created by CEO Paul Heaney. “This year, it is a one-day event that will gather broadcasters and producers under the same roof with the aim to bridge the commissioning gap by putting the right projects in front of key factual buyers,” Grinkevich says. “We will use a new digital data tool to collect insights from buyers and provide the ground for greenlighting projects based on the editorial strength and international appeal.”

Grinkevich adds that BossaNova works to ensure it is constantly improving and tweaking the Development Day each year to be as on point as possible for both producers and buyers. “This year, we have received over 210 submissions, which is about 20 percent more than what we had when we just started back in 2021. One of the best examples of the shows that have come out of our Development Day is The Flight Attendant Murders, which won at the True Crime Awards earlier this year.”

She says that the Development Day is one of the company’s most powerful tools for discovering new content and building its slate. “With its next edition just around the corner (October 17), we are looking forward to welcoming buyers and producers—of course, there is a lot of hard work happening behind the scenes, but I am sure it will be a success as in other years,” Grinkevich adds. “Viewers have never been pickier in their viewing habits, and I think there is no surprise here—with such an enormous variety of content on offer, I often get confused about what to watch myself! We approach building our slate in a forensic way; it’s no longer enough to just take a show to market and hope it sells, and that is the reason behind the Development Day being instrumental in our acquisition strategy.”

At MIPCOM, BossaNova is launching Mysteries Of… and Tsunami: The Day the Wave Hit, both commissioned by Channel 4, as well as Airport Security: USA and Seized at Sea, both produced by Stampede, which is also behind the top-selling Borderforce USA. The slate also features Greatest Escapes of World War 2 and Ancient Greece by Train with professor Alice Roberts. Returning series include Mysteries of the Ancient Dead and Paramedics: On the Front Line.

“This MIPCOM lineup perfectly reflects our strategy to represent a variety of key quality shows—from long-running returning series to short-run, noisy documentaries,” Grinkevich says.

The company will continue its focus to build up the slate with strong, long-running brands, standout one-offs and miniseries and supercharging more projects to get over the line using its strategic model that counts Development Day at its core.