Produced by Camel Thorn Films, the film explores how three rival Big Cat families strive to secure their own safe space, in one of the wildest places in Africa
Special to roll out on The WNET Group’s Nature series on PBS in the U.S., on Love Nature globally and on Sky Nature in the UK and Italy
Blue Ant International oversees licensing and pre-sales of the special
(Washington DC – June 19) – The WNET Group’s Nature series produced for PBS, Terra Mater Studios, and Love Nature, a wildlife and nature brand with linear and streaming channels available in over 145 countries, announced today the greenlight of a new original commission, Big Cats, Small World (1 x 60’). Produced by Camel Thorn Films, the one-hour program follows the fascinating lives of three iconic big cat species, lions, leopards, and cheetahs, as they raise their families while coexisting in a fiercely competitive world.
“Three majestic cat species sharing the same habitat in Africa is a nature fan’s dream,” said Fred Kaufman, Executive Producer for Nature. “Our partners on the project provide the best in wildlife filmmaking and we’re excited to be working with them.”
“The stunning visual storytelling in Big Cats, Small World offers a captivating account of the fierce competition and delicate balance that exists among Africa’s most magnificent predators,” says Carlyn Staudt, General Manager, Love Nature. “We’re excited to be partnering with The WNET Group on this stunning program and working with the talented team at Camel Thorn Films, and Terra Mater Studios.
“Cats, cats, cats – Big Cats, Small World is all about lions, leopards and cheetahs, their strategies and daily struggles to survive in one of Africa’s wildest places,” says Sabine Holzer, Head of Specialist Factual at Terra Mater Studios. “We’re delighted to announce this special and look forward to working together with the teams from The WNET Group, Love Nature and Camel Thorn Films.”
“It’s wonderful to be working with our friends from Nature and Terra Mater Studios again, and we’re excited to have Love Nature onboard for the first time,” says Robyn Keene-Young, Creative and Development Lead at Camel Thorn FIlms. “We had an incredible 15 months living alongside the cats and we can’t wait to share their stories.”
Combining powerful storytelling with the latest scientific research, Big Cats, Small World delves deep into the lives of three rival species, lions, leopards, and cheetahs, to reveal the strategies each has evolved to coexist in their shared world. Brought together by the changing seasons, their distinctive skill sets are put to the test as they strive to raise their cubs and avoid conflict. While all three are at the top of the food chain, they must compete for prey and territory in one of the wildest places in Africa.
Big Cats, Small World is a production of Camel Thorn Films and The WNET Group in co-production with Terra Mater Studios and Love Nature. It will premiere in the U.S. on PBS, as part of the Nature series, and globally on Love Nature in 2024. The program will also air on Sky Nature in the UK and Italy as part of Love Nature and Sky’s expanded content partnership. Blue Ant International oversees pre-sales and licensing outside of commissioning territories.
The special is produced by Adrian Bailey and written and directed by Robyn Keene-Young, from Camel Thorn Films. Executive Producer for The WNET Group is Fred Kaufman, and Series Producer is Bill Murphy. Executive Producers for Terra Mater Studios are Andrea Gastgeb and Sabine Holzer. Alison Barrat executive produces the documentary on behalf of Love Nature. Blue Ant International handles pre-sales and licensing opportunities in other available territories.
The WNET Group is the nonprofit parent company of New York’s THIRTEEN – America’s flagship PBS station – WLIW21, THIRTEEN PBSKids, WLIW World and Create; Long Island’s only NPR station WLIW-FM; ALL ARTS, the arts and culture media provider; and FAST channel PBS Nature. The WNET Group also operates NJ PBS, New Jersey’s statewide public television network, and newsroom NJ Spotlight News. The WNET Group’s award-winning productions include signature PBS series Nature, Great Performances, American Masters and Amanpour and Company and trusted local news programs MetroFocus and NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi. Through these channels and streaming platforms, The WNET Group brings arts, culture, education, news, documentary, entertainment and DIY programming to more than five million viewers each month.
Love Nature, headquartered in Washington D.C. with offices in Los Angeles, London and Toronto is a premium global natural history brand that delivers high-quality, captivating stories about wildlife and nature on all its platforms. Love Nature is a destination for award-winning natural history series and documentaries. It is available on top-tier pay-TV platforms and streamers in over 145+ countries.
Terra Mater Studios were founded January 1st, 2011 and are based in Vienna, Austria. The full-blown production unit is a subsidiary company of Red Bull and specializes in premium factual programming for TV, multimedia platforms and theatrical release. Terra Mater Studios are committed to the highest production values regarding visual excellence, innovative technology and amazing storytelling. Core genres are nature, science and history presented in blue-chip primetime series and specials.
Camel Thorn Films is a new natural history producer based in the UK whose creative team includes the award-winning partnership of Robyn Keene-Young and Adrian Bailey. They produce heartfelt wildlife films that unveil the intimate stories of their characters’ lives and homes.
Blue Ant International is a leading global, multi-genre distributor of high-quality, creative content that engages audiences worldwide and across multiple platforms. The company offers a full-service approach to production partners with sales operations in the U.S., the UK and Canada. Blue Ant International’s premium slates includes distinctive series and formats in five key content categories, including factual entertainment, specialist factual, high-impact documentaries, kids and family and scripted. Blue Ant International also has one of the world’s largest offerings of 4K natural history content. Blue Ant International is a division of Blue Ant Media.