‘Thunder Bay’ Creator Ryan McMahon Signs Development Deal With Canada’s Attraction

EXCLUSIVE: Thunder Bay creator Ryan McMahon has signed a first-look development deal with Canadian production house Attraction.

The partnership will see Attraction and McMahon — an investigative journalist, director, host and producer — developing a slate of “original, thought-provoking and impactful content across multiple mediums,” including film and TV.

McMahon’s work often explores complex narratives and amplifies marginalized voices, with a strong emphasis on Indigenous issues, identity and experiences. He is best known for his doc series Thunder Bay, which recently won two Canadian Screen Awards. The investigative program, which launched on streamer Crave in February 2023, was adapted from McMahon’s 2018 podcast Canadaland, and explored the deaths of indigenous teenagers in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

His other series include Teepee Or not Teepee, also for Bell Media’s Crave, CBC Gem’s Stories From the Land, several radio docs and the likes of Ryan McMahon – UnReserved, which he made back in 2012 for pubcaster CBC.

For Toronto-based Attraction, the deal is a first step in a strategy to push into talent-led unscripted content that showcases content creators from Canada and the international spaces. It also helps push into English-language content across a variety of genres and formats. The company is known for films such as C.R.A.Z.Y. and Murder Inc., plus series for the likes of Prime Video, Netflix, Parampunt+ and Warner Bros Discovery, and recently won Innovative Producer of the Year Award at Banff.

“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Ryan McMahon into the Attraction family,” said Nicole Hamilton, EVP, Unscripted Content at Attraction. “His vision and ability to craft narratives that are both powerful and authentic align perfectly with our goal of developing content that reflects a wide range of experiences and voices. This deal represents our continued mission to expand our slate of impactful projects that engage and inspire.” 

“I’m incredibly excited about this partnership with Attraction, a company that shares my passion for telling stories that challenge, inspire, and provoke thought,” said Ryan McMahon. “Together, we’re aiming to create content that goes beyond entertainment, resonating deeply with audiences by exploring stories that often don’t get the platform they deserve.”