Local production company adds L.A. television arm

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This article was published 28/01/2025 (595 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Buffalo Gal Pictures has added a new TV-loving member to the herd.

Last week, the Winnipeg production company announced the launch of Fiasco Global Media, an international sister enterprise devoted to finding and developing new television series.

Fiasco is the brainchild of Jennifer Beasley, who has been Buffalo Gal’s vice-president of development since 2016.

“That role was across features and television, but I found I was gravitating toward and my heart was lying a lot more in television,” says Beasley, who has worked in many areas of the industry, from craft services to executive producing to writing for television.

“I know what I’m looking for and I’m really excited about working with writers, because they’re my people.”

Over the last year, Beasley and Buffalo Gal president and founder Phyllis Laing met frequently at a local coffee shop to workshop the format of Fiasco, which aims to fill a niche during a time of industry upheaval following the recent actors and writers strike, and while traditional broadcasters are competing with streaming services for eyeballs.

“The one thing that’s always consistent, though, is the need for content and for great stories, so the more we can focus on that the better,” Laing says. “We’ve built years of trust; I know what (Jen’s) taste is and I know how well she does, so it’s really a win-win.”

Fiasco — named for the behind-the-scenes chaos of film shoots — is headquartered in Winnipeg and Los Angeles.

The cross-border collaboration enables the company to cast a wider net to find and commission original projects to pitch to networks and streamers, which, if greenlit, will then move into Buffalo Gal’s production queue.

“It allows Jen to ensure the development pipeline and the pipeline of intellectual property and content doesn’t stop,” Laing says. “It makes it far more seamless for us both.”

“It’s basically no rest for the wicked,” Beasley adds.

While the Los Angeles wildfires have wreaked havoc on Hollywood, Fiasco’s work has, so far, been unaffected.

As company president, Beasley — whose credits include The Spencer Sisters, Acting Good and Guy Maddin’s Rumours — is focused on immersive, character-driven stories that offer audiences a sense of escapism. Fiasco already has several projects in development, including a workplace comedy from Garry Campbell (North of North, Kids in the Hall) and a comedic police procedural from Hollis Ludlow-Carroll (Wong & Winchester).

Fiasco launches during Buffalo Gal’s 30th anniversary. Beasley says “it’s amazing” to have the backing of an established local production company.

“The amount of experience I’ve picked up working here adds that credibility to the venture I’m starting,” she says. “Buffalo Gal was creating female-led projects before it was the ‘in thing’ — that’s a legacy I’m really proud to continue.”

Laing founded the company in 1994, when a shift to digital broadcasting was spurring a need for more television programming. Over the last 30 years, she has overseen the production of thousands of hours of film and television, including documentaries on iconic Manitoba authors Margaret Laurence and Gabrielle Roy, as well as feature-length projects My Winnipeg, Siberia and Flag Day.

The launch of Fiasco is the latest expansion for Buffalo Gal, which also partnered with Tina Keeper in 2010 to create Kistikan Pictures, a production outfit focused on developing Indigenous film and TV content.

“Right from the very beginning, we’ve always looked at what the content is, who the creators are and who the directors are — the hallmark of Buffalo Gal is the creative underpinnings of the storytelling,” Laing says. “We look forward to continuing to work with passionate voices and continue growing in different ways.”

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com