In one of its first major international sales, RTE has sold one of its original commissions from Big Mountain Productions – ‘Genealogy Roadshow’, hosted by Derek Mooney – to PBS in the US.
A new version of the show, where a team of travelling experts piece together ordinary people’s family histories, will go on air in the US in September.
The show, in which a team of travelling experts piece together ordinary people’s family histories, will go on air in the US in September.
The company’s US agent Pat Quinn negotiated the deal with PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) in the US, making it the first international license for the format with a number of other territories also in negotiation.
RTE Commissioning Editor Ray McCarthy said it was RTE’s strategy to support and facilitate Irish companies in developing and exporting ideas that have international potential.
“It makes us particularly proud to have developed this format with Big Mountain,” he said. “It effectively blends historical detective stories with real emotional reaction from the participants, and has really struck a chord with our audience and we are confident it will do so in the US.”
Big Mountain Executive Producer Philip McGovern was overjoyed by the news and said the show hit a nerve as everybody wants answers to questions about their own histories to help make sense of their lives today.
Creator Jane Kelly said they had been developing shows with universal values to connect with audiences anywhere.
“We’re delighted to be the first to break into the US with an Irish format,” she added.
The format aired on RTE in summer 2011 and a second season is in production.
The US version will be produced by Krasnow Productions (‘The Weakest Link’, ‘Average Joe’) and will focus on participants from Nashville, Austin, Detroit and San Francisco.
Big Mountain Productions is run by husband-and-wife team Jane Kelly and Philip McGovern, former BBC/RTE executive producers whose credits include ‘The Tenements’, ‘Life in the Big House’, ‘Craftmaster’ and ‘Dúshlán – Living the Eviction’.