Discovery ID Commissions True Crime Doc Series from Story House Canada

TORONTO -- A true-crime doc series for Discovery ID and OWN Canada is the first series to come out of U.S. producer Story House Media Group’s new Canadian operation.

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Toronto-based Story House Canada, unveiled at MIPCOM and to be run by former truTV exec Robyn Hutt and ex-Red Apple president Rachel Low, is at work on 12 half hours of Addicted to the Life, which reveals the human drama behind criminals who can’t break the habit.

The Canadian office is also producing a one hour documentary with the working title The Gay Revolution: From Pride to Power, to air on the CBC in Canada in 2013.

The doc special will explore how gay men and women have gone from being outsiders and outlaws to fill prominent positions in cultural, political and social circles.

Washington, D.C.-based Story House earlier expanded into Germany with offices in Berlin and Munich.

Now Hutt and Low, as head of the Canadian office, are tying up through Story House to major TV markets in the U.S. and Germany.

Hutt, who becomes president of Story House Canada, said the collaboration between Story House offices on both sides of the Atlantic aims to spawn unscripted and scripted series that work with international broadcasters looking to reduce their programming costs while acquiring quality product for their brand.

“Given our international partnerships, there’s a lot of room for a creative exchange, and the programming, while different at times, has striking similarities,” Hutt said.

Low will serve as general manager of Story House Canada.