Portfolio Entertainment will serve as both Executive Producer and Distributor of Cubicle to the Cage, a new one-hour docu-series in development, being produced by Hemmings House Pictures
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Cubicle to the Cage received the 2026 Banff World Television Award for Best Short Pilot.
The series, which highlights the growing international popularity of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), follows ordinary people and avid MMA fans as they shed their suits and go through the grueling training necessary to prepare for their first cage match as a Mixed Martial Arts fighter.
Each episode of Cubicle to the Cage (26 x 60') follows one nine-to-fiver as they leave behind the safety and security of their cubicle to be thrust punching, kicking, and screaming into the often-dangerous world of mixed martial arts. Under the eagle eye of seasoned MMA Fighter and pro-trainer Peter Martel, these regular 'joes' are transformed from spectators into cage fighters. Hundreds of men and women attended a casting call at Martel's training camp to audition for the series, but only some proved to have the physical stamina and mental strength needed for the six to eight months of daily 3-hour, bone breaking training.
Martel guides the 'cubes' - as they affectionately come to be known - through an exacting nutritional program while training them in the art of wrestling, grappling, Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, boxing and Muay Thai. Exhaustion becomes a way of life, pain a constant companion, and serious injury a regular occupational hazard - the real struggle however comes in keeping their personal lives together throughout the process, as the changes the trainees go through both physically and emotionally have a drastic effect on their relationships. At the end of each episode our newly built MMA fighter will have the chance to win a substantial cash prize in their first pro fight, and prove their brawn and resilience in the cage. What they have discovered about themselves along the way often proves to be the most rewarding.
"This show is going to change the face of MMA for mainstream audiences, and I look forward to accomplishing this alongside our friends at Portfolio," commented Greg Hemmings, President & CEO Hemmings House Pictures.
"Our participation as both Executive producer and distributor furthers our strategy to be an integral part of the success of a project from its development through to international distribution," said Joy Rosen, Co-President, Portfolio Entertainment, "We are delighted to be working with Hemmings House Pictures on a series that will have international audiences cheering for these determined individuals who reach exceptional goals."
ABOUT PORTFOLIO ENTERTAINMENT
Portfolio Entertainment is one of Canada's leading independent producers and distributors of bold, award-winning content for kids, tweens, teens and adults. Portfolio International represents a catalogue of over 2,000 episodes of high-quality animated, factual and lifestyle programming. Portfolio Entertainment holds established relationships with both leading broadcasters and emerging new players around the world.
ABOUT HEMMINGS HOUSE PICTURES INC.
Hemmings House Pictures Inc. is an award-winning film and photography production house with offices in Saint John, New Brunswick, and Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. As a full service visual and audio media company, Hemmings House specializes in motion capture (TV, film & video), still capture (advertising & commercial photography) and sound production (commercial audio recording & editing). Hemmings House Pictures offers a wide range of film services from shooting television series and documentaries to concert tours and corporate ads.