How a largely unknown distributor got two Canadian specials on 34 US channels
EXCLUSIVE: Focusing on American public TV stations might seem old-fashioned, but EPS is helping Vérité Films' Jeremy and Jazzy IP make a splash.
By Ryan Tuchow
October 30, 2025
Originally from Kidscreen
How do you get two Canadian holiday specials into the stateside market? Vérité International Distribution was able to ink deals with 34 TV stations across the US—with a little help from a specialist distributor called Executive Program Services.
EPS sold It’s Halloween! with Jeremy and Jazzy (pictured, 26 minutes) to 27 channels, while It’s the Holidays! with Jeremy and Jazzy (26 minutes) was picked up by 31. Some of these outlets include KVCR (California), KBDI (Denver), KTTZ-KCOS (Orlando) and WMTJ (Puerto Rico). Most are airing the Halloween title on October 31, and the winter holiday one-off will start running in December.
Toronto-based Vérité Films delivered both 2D-animated specials to the CBC last fall, but these EPS deals mark their first international outing, says Virginia Thompson, president of both Vérité Films and its distribution arm. Vérité secured non-exclusive distribution for the specials on Amazon Prime Video in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand.
EPS was founded in 2001 by two PBS TV veterans. Its slate primarily consists of live-action documentaries and comedies, including The Red Green Show and Vérité’s series Corner Gas, which sold particularly well stateside. This success is what led Thompson to reach out to Adams about getting Jeremy and Jazzy into US households, too. At present, it’s the only children’s property in the company’s catalogue, says CEO Jerry Adams.
Local US affiliate stations get the bulk of their programming from PBS, but they also have some room for programming of their choosing, and EPS has built a niche business around filling those slots. Though public media channels at large are struggling because of funding cuts in the US, EPS says they are still on the hunt for high-quality kids TV content that blends education with entertainment. “As many parents will tell you, the best way for children to learn is when they are having fun and not realizing that they are learning at the same time,” Adams says.
While others look at platforms like FAST and YouTube, EPS’s traditional approach of focusing on securing deals with linear broadcasters might seem outdated. But it’s a strategy that’s clearly still working, Thompson says. “In this disruptive time in the media business, these are old-fashioned but still legitimate ways to get your content out there.”
Thompson adds that Vérité is currently working on more than a dozen new specials, and the plan is to replicate the same distribution strategy for them.