Veteran unscripted exec Marnie Sugarman heads to VR prodco Dark Slope

Toronto-based virtual production company Dark Slope has brought on veteran unscripted production exec Marnie Sugarman to serve as executive producer for its HyperReality content banner. Sugarman, who previously served as senior ...

May 25, 2022

Toronto-based virtual production company Dark Slope has brought on veteran unscripted production exec Marnie Sugarman to serve as executive producer for its HyperReality content banner.

Sugarman, who previously served as senior director of unscripted development and production for Entertainment One, has over 20 years of experience in the factual and unscripted field, with production credits that include The Great Canadian Baking Show (CBC), Cash Cab (Discovery), Cook’d (YTV), Four Weddings Canada (Slice/TLC) and MasterChef Canada (CTV). In her new role at Dark Slope, she will combine her expertise in reality series development and management with the technological possibilities afforded by virtual production.

The HyperReality banner that Sugarman will be overseeing promises to deliver what the company calls “a new form of immersive, experiential television” that will “transform what were once considered limitations in factual and live-action content creation,” bringing traditional TV formats closer to the much-hyped Metaverse. To that end, Dark Slope recently announced a partnership with Insight Productions (Big Brother Canada, The Amazing Race Canada), with which it will be presenting a private showcase of HyperReality concepts in Hollywood next month.

“HyperReality television is such an innovative content offering, and every genre can only be enhanced by the addition of cutting-edge VR components,” said Sugarman in a release. “It’s not often that something truly ‘new’ comes across your desk, and I’m looking forward to spearheading production and helping the Dark Slope team realize the in-real-life aspects of their series.”

“We are excited to have Marnie join us at Dark Slope on our HyperReality television content,” added Dark Slope president Dan Fill. “Her decades of experience across diverse factual entertainment series will be highly advantageous in the development and production of our concepts, and we cannot wait to see how she brings our projects to life.”

Sugarman and the Dark Slope team will be in attendance for the first two days of the 2022 Realscreen Summit in Dana Point, California, which runs from June 6 to 9. Company founder Raja Khanna will be moderating the session “Future Factual: Tech Trends” at the event on June 7.

TAGS:

Big Brother Canada, Cash Cab, CBC, CTV, Dan Fill, Dark Slope, Discovery, Four Weddings Canada, HyperReality, Insight Productions, Marnie Sugarman, MasterChef Canada, Realscreen Summit '22, Slice, The Amazing Race Canada, The Great Canadian Baking Show, TLC

TAGS:

Big Brother Canada, Cash Cab, CBC, CTV, Dan Fill, Dark Slope, Discovery, Four Weddings Canada, HyperReality, Insight Productions, Marnie Sugarman, MasterChef Canada, Realscreen Summit '22, Slice, The Amazing Race Canada, The Great Canadian Baking Show, TLC

About The Author

Andrew Tracy joined Realscreen as associate editor in 2021, following 17 years as managing editor of the award-winning international film magazine Cinema Scope. From 2010 to 2020 he also held the position of senior editor at the Toronto International Film Festival, where he oversaw the flagship publication for the organization’s year-round Cinematheque programming and edited its first original monograph in a decade, Steve Gravestock’s A History of Icelandic Film. He was a scriptwriter and consultant on the first season of the Vice TV series The Vice Guide to Film, and his writing and reporting have been featured in such outlets as Cinema Scope, Reverse Shot, Sight & Sound, Cineaste, Film Comment, MUBI Notebook, POV, and Montage.

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