Sphere Media and Paul Barbeau Team Up to Bring TV Drama Work to Quebec

Sphere Media and Montreal producer Paul Barbeau have formed a partnership to bring international TV drama production to Quebec.

The deal runs through Barbeau's Fairmount Films, the company banner he works under. Together the two sides will look for scripted television projects to make in the province. "Scripted" means fictional series built on written scripts, as opposed to reality or documentary shows.

Barbeau will bring new scripted projects to Sphere. On some of them he will also work as line producer, the person who runs the day-to-day logistics and budget of a shoot. Sphere will supply the corporate and administrative side for productions launched under the partnership, handling the company structure and the paperwork that keeps a production legally and financially in order.

Bruno Dubé, Sphere Media's CEO and president, said the partnership will strengthen the company's service production offer. Service production is work hosting shows made by outside companies, often from other countries, that use local crews, studios and locations. Dubé said the deal will position Quebec for Canadian, American and international scripted television productions.

Sphere's recent drama credits include Cardinal and Netflix's Wayward, which stars Mae Martin. The company also part-owns Sphere Abacus, the distributor of Heated Rivalry. A distributor sells a finished show to broadcasters and streaming services in different countries.

Barbeau is a Montreal-based producer. His credits include To Catch a Killer, Pieces of a Woman and Arrival, and his producer credits listed on the Fairmount Films website also include Woman of the Hour, Novocaine and Splitsville. He is listed as the founder of Nufilms, Les Enfants and Fairmount. He describes his work as spanning Canada, Europe, Asia, South Africa and the Americas.

What this means on the ground is simple to picture. A drama series can employ a large crew for months, from camera and lighting teams to set builders, costume makers and drivers, and the writers who shape the scripts. A production company that can keep those jobs in one place is one that stays busy. Neither company has said yet which projects will come first, or when filming might start.

The announcement was published on 28 October 2026.