WildBrain, a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, is set to expand its distribution slate of compelling live-action drama for tweens and teens, coming on board to handle global sales (excluding Ireland and Belgium) for the brand-new 8×24’ series Louise Lives Large, commissioned by Ireland’s RTÉ, Canada’s Family Channel and Belgium’s Ketnet. WildBrain will be launching sales of Louise Lives Large at Kidscreen Summit this February.
Aimed at 9–13-year-olds, Louise Lives Large is produced by Tailored Films (Ireland), Storyhouse (Belgium), and Vérité Films (Canada). Filmed on location in Ireland, it features a cast of emerging young stars, including Beth Fallon as Louise and Aimee Kennedy as Jess.
The series follows the inspiring journey of newly cancer-free teen Louise Edgar as she embarks on a mission to make up for lost time, completing the items on her ‘Live Large List’. With the help of her new pal and school outsider, Jess, Louise starts to tackle her list one item at a time and, whether experiencing triumphs or setbacks, she truly starts to live large.
Created and written by Carol Walsh, Louise Lives Large is produced by Tailored Films’ Julianne Forde and Mairtín de Barra, Maarten Schmidt of Storyhouse, Vérité Films’ Virginia Thompson and Jeremy Prober, and co-produced by Xavier Rombaut of Polar Bear. The series is set for delivery in March 2024.
Caroline Tyre, VP Global Sales & Rights Strategy at WildBrain, said: “As we’re seeing with shows like Malory Towers and I Woke Up a Vampire, live action tween series with strong ‘coming of age’ themes remain extremely popular with global audiences and buyers alike. A thought-provoking and heart-warming show that tackles a serious subject with an uplifting message and spirit of hope, Louise Lives Large is an ideal addition to our slate of multi-layered, character-driven live-action content. We’re looking forward to introducing buyers to Louise and friends starting at Kidscreen Summit in February.”
Julianne Forde of Tailored Films said: “Who hasn’t felt like they were on the outside at some stage? It’s part of the school experience. We wanted to create a show based around this concept of feeling left behind and counteracting that with a protagonist who wanted to take control of her life. Show creator Carol Walsh personally experienced being out of school for a prolonged period of time due to illness. From this starting point we developed this series, which has an empowering message about resilience.”
Maarten Schmidt of Storyhouse said: “Storyhouse’s focus has been on youth content for several years now and the powerful content of Louise Lives Large is totally in coherence with our mission statement: to empower and inspire future generations through stories with purpose. The series relates what could been seen as a rather delicate subject in such a refreshing way with lots of humour, creativity and witty dialogues enabling the audience to not only have a good time while watching it but also to feel genuinely touched by Louise’s strength and positive attitude to deal with life and its challenges.”
Virginia Thompson, Producer and President of Vérité Films, added: “From the first time I read Louise Lives Large, I was immediately drawn in by Louise’s journey of resilience and the authenticity of this series. It’s been incredibly rewarding to bring it to life alongside Julianne Forde, Maarten Schmidt, and the teams at Tailored Films and Storyhouse. We’re excited to share this special series with the world.”
Louise Lives Large is financed with the support of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán, Rialtas na hÉireann/the Government of Ireland, Creative Europe, the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF), the Belgian Tax Shelter, the Flanders Tax Shelter, Ontario Creates, and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit.