SNYDER HANDS OVER SHOWS
New company will produce series
Productions J, the production company of Julie Snyder, will end its TV activities and its former vice-president, Benoît Clermont, will take over production of series such as La Voix and Vol 920 with a new company, Productions Déferlantes.
The new company was announced through a statement issued Monday afternoon, two weeks after Snyder announced that she is reluctantly stepping away from producing TV shows. She said she was forced to make this decision because she no longer had access to tax credits reserved for independent producers. She’s the partner of Québecor majority owner Pierre Karl Péladeau, and Québecor owns the TVA network, where most of her productions are broadcast.
Clermont, who worked with Snyder for almost a decade at Productions J, will become the sole shareholder of the new production house. Clermont, who is a lawyer, said he wants to produce large- scale projects for broadcasters in Quebec and internationally.
He did not specify if other potential buyers expressed interest in taking over Productions J’s TV productions.
Productions Déferlantes will take over productions such as La Voix and Vol 920 that were launched by its predecessor. But it’s unclear what happens to other shows formerly produced by Productions J.
Productions J and Snyder refused interviews on the subject. Clermont was also unavailable for an interview, his new company said.
In a statement, TVA said it has “taken note” of the news, recognizes Clermont’s experience and the “talent” of the team that will work with him. Management also thanked Snyder for her years of service.
In the last Quebec budget, the Couillard government modified admissibility criteria for the tax credit for independent TV producers to exclude cases like Snyder’s, reversing a change made quietly by the Marois government a year before.
Snyder openly denounced the Couillard government for the move, which she called “discriminatory.”
Her soon-to-be husband, Péladeau, is also leader of the Parti Québécois.