All posts by Greg David

Prior to becoming a television critic and owner of TV, Eh?, Greg David was a critic for TV Guide Canada, the country's most trusted source for TV news. He has interviewed television actors, actresses and behind-the-scenes folks from hundreds of television series from Canada, the U.S. and internationally. He is a podcaster, public speaker, weekly radio guest and educator, and past member of the Television Critics Association.
Industry News

New West Coast production company Tyson Media hires Head of Development and announces national call for submissions

From a media release:

Tyson Hepburn, well known for his work in producing and directing Canadian original, unscripted series, has launched a new production company in Vancouver. The company will focus on the development and production of factual, unscripted content and has announced that Holly Brace-Lavoie has joined as Head of Development.

Currently working on ramping up their development slate, Tyson is seeking unique, new unscripted series ideas through the company’s call for submissions that will close on January 15th. People coast-to-coast with an interesting new concept for an unscripted TV series can pitch the Tyson Media team online at tysonmedia.ca. The winning entry will receive $10,000 in resources and support from the Tyson Media team to develop their idea further.

“When I first started out in the entertainment industry, I was lucky enough to partner up with really great people who helped me develop ideas into successful TV series. Now is my chance to give that opportunity to someone else,” says Tyson Hepburn, Founder and Executive Producer, Tyson Media. “We are looking for fresh, exciting new ideas from across the country. We’ll provide years of industry experience and financial support in helping to further develop the winning entries.”

Tyson Media is currently in development on two new projects. They are developing an 8-part series about the Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) in Richmond, BC, and are in development on an occupational-series about the new gold rush in the Caribou Gold Fields and the scrappy characters staking a claim there.

“We’re focused on developing character-driven series in both the occupational and lifestyle spaces. We want to make shows that capture a viewership and keep growing with them,” says Holly Brace-Lavoie, Head of Development, Tyson Media. “Tyson is a bit of a legend in the Canadian factual landscape. I’m thrilled to be joining him on this new adventure.”

Tyson Hepburn is Co-Creator and Executive Producer of several successful docu-series including global phenomenon Rust Valley Restorers (Netflix International and HISTORY), as well as The Dog Dudes (Amazon Prime, Apple Plus). He began his career selling projects to established production companies, beginning with Pyros (Omnifilm Entertainment) and Jacked (Pixcom) before partnering with academy award winning producer David Paperny on the successful Discovery Channel hit series Cold Water Cowboys.

Holly Brace-Lavoie began a career in factual television at Montreal-based CMJ Productions, where she developed over 10 greenlit series. She then moved to Pixcom as Director of Development leading the company’s international creative team. She created and directed the comedic web-series The High Note and recently toured the festival circuit with her short film The Catch which premiered at the Berlinale.

For more information on the company and call for submissions, visit tysonmedia.ca.

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Featured, Private Eyes

Nick Nurse, Mike Weir and Scott McGillivray hit the links on Private Eyes

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It was a hot September afternoon in 2019, back when set visits to the media were open and masks weren’t required. As we drove down the driveway to the main clubhouse of the Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto, it looked like anything but a set. Because if you’ve ever been to a charity golf tournament, well, that’s what it looked like, from the immaculate greens to the tents holding all kinds of swag. Which I suppose was the point — and exactly what is at the centre of this week’s episode of Private Eyes.

“There’s a mystery that takes Shade and Angie to a celebrity golf tournament,” says series star Jason Priestley. “It’s fun but it also provides us with a lot of logistical challenges.”

He should know; he directed the episode. “Shooting at a golf course and shooting an episode that revolves around a sporting event like this, it’s always a lot. It’s been interesting to deal with but it’s what we do on this show. We’re always looking for fun, sexy interesting worlds here in Toronto and this is the one we decided to delve into this week.”

In “Under Par-essure,” (we see what they did there), Shade (Priestley) and Angie (Cindy Sampson) are on the hunt for the stalker of a female golf pro. On the non-work side, sparks fly between Shade and actress Willow Marshall, while Angie decides it may be time to finally let her hair down and follow in her best friend’s fun footsteps.

“Mia’s always trying to get Angie out of her shell and this time, she’s ready to have some fun,” says Sampson of her workaholic character and her paramedic pal, played by Keshia Chanté. “But she has a case to work on.”

Enter Mia, who, Chanté makes clear, is not there to golf. “Mia wants to see what celebrities are here and get Angie to meet some people.” Ironic for the former ET Canada correspondent, who’s met her share of famous people. “She just wants them to have some fun.”

Speaking of which, who better to take part in a celebrity golf tournament than Mike Weir, who deadpanned, “It IS a golf-themed episode so I kind of fit in.”

The golfer was both nervous and excited when the show reached out to his agents. “Even though I’m out of my comfort zone, being in golf attire, at a course, in golf mode, helped,” says Weir who, up until this, had only ever appeared in golf commercials. Also by his side was his real-life girlfriend, reality star Michelle Money.

“They cast Mike for a small cameo, and then somehow I got written into the script,” says the Bachelor in Paradise winner. “We’re big fans of the show and Jason so we were honoured to have been included in this episode with this group.”

Weir wasn’t the only one there repping Canadian sports. Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse was approached to make an appearance, though he initially wasn’t sure. But once he told his executive assistant, Jenny, she insisted he sign up.

“It beats being in the office,” Nurse says of his surroundings. “It’s nice to get out of the basketball realm, seeing how other big-time things go down. So, yeah, it’s pretty cool.”

And he may have gotten bit by the acting bug. When I asked him if he’d consider making more cameos, he replied, “Uh, yeah, maybe.” OK, maybe more like a nibble but, still. Don’t count out future guest appearances by Nurse.

Scott McGillivray, on the other hand, hasn’t met a camera that can resist him. He doesn’t golf but that wasn’t going to stop him from beating his rival. That’s right, there’s a little competition between the HGTV star and Shade.

“Taking down Matt Shade in this tournament, that’s the plan,” says McGillivray of his on-screen persona, adding, “It’s fun to mix it up, get a little bit of exposure to something different.” Very different.

“Doing home reno shows isn’t hard but it’s also not easy — but it’s not as hard as this,” admits McGillivray. “For me, I’m like an animal in my natural habitat when I’m on my set. They kind of let me loose, and they film me in the wild and I just do stuff and whatever I say, I say.”

On the set of a crime show, not so much. “Here, I feel a bit like a caged animal that’s been trained to juggle and dance. Being a caged animal is nice, they feed you, you don’t have to hunt or fend for yourself. But at the same time, it’s a lot of juggling. This takes discipline.”

McGillivray does have something up his sleeve: return the favour and get Priestley on one of his shows. “He can come on set and help me renovate a house. And we’ll see how he does with a hammer in his hand instead of a golf club.”

Priestley’s game. “Some of my earliest jobs, before I was lucky enough to make it in the entertainment business, were in construction,” says the former 90210 star. “I was a house painter, I put up drywall, I did boat refinishing. I don’t think I’ll show him up but I can hold my own.

“I have no problem doing bad jobs on a construction site. And I’m sure that’s what he’s going to give me.”

Private Eyes airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global.

Image courtesy of Corus Entertainment.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

CBC docuseries Anyone’s Game to premiere January 15

From a media release:

CBC, BestCrosses Studios and Game Seven Media announced today that the new original docuseries ANYONE’S GAME (6×30, formerly ORANGEVILLE PREP) will premiere Friday, January 15 at 8:30 p.m. (9 NT) on CBC TV and the free CBC Gem streaming service. All six episodes will be available to stream on CBC Gem beginning January 15, while the series will broadcast weekly on CBC TV. The series follows the high school players on the 2019-20 Orangeville Prep team for the Athlete Institute in Orangeville, Ontario, as they pursue the excitement and experience the challenges of securing an NCAA Division 1 scholarship, seeking a career in basketball, and one day possibly making it in the NBA.

Orangeville Prep (OP) is the lead high school basketball team of the Athlete Institute, created in 2010 by Jesse Tipping. The coach is Tony McIntyre, one of the most highly respected figures in high school basketball. OP has now sent close to 40 graduates into coveted Division 1 NCAA programs, making it one of the most successful high school programs in the world. Seven of those graduates have made it into the NBA, the most recognized being Denver Nuggets’ sensation, Jamal Murray. Last year, four OP graduates made the NBA, which was tied with Oak Hill in Virginia (often considered the most legendary high school basketball program) for the most of any school. OP is the only Canadian team invited to the most coveted U.S. high school tournaments.

ANYONE’S GAME follows the highs and lows, and the inspirations and disappointments, of Orangeville Prep’s (OP) season journey. While the program is gaining in notoriety, the school often flies under the radar in the U.S., especially when the team plays in the invite-only The Grind Session – the only tournament of its kind which brings together the top high school basketball teams in North America. Close to 25% of the players in the NBA have played in The Grind Session and Orangeville Prep is the only Canadian team to ever be formally invited to play as a member of their circuit. OP also plays in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA,) where they are expected to win every year and have a target on their back as a result.

The production team was given remarkable access to this past year’s players, seven of whom have now signed with NCAA Division 1 schools. The most touted OP graduate and possible 2021 NBA draft pick is Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, who signed to play alongside Cade Cunningham (the Naismith National High School Player of the Year and the top recruit in the U.S.) at highly ranked Oklahoma State. Another highly touted OP graduate featured in ANYONE’S GAME is Jeff Ngandu (from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa), who signed with Seton Hall and is also expected to generate attention from the NBA.

At the centre of the team is Head Coach Tony McIntyre. Hugely admired on both sides of the border, Coach Tony truly loves all of his players and is focused primarily on their general well-being, not just basketball. Tony’s own family with his wife Suzette and their seven basketball-playing kids blends seamlessly with the OP players; Suzette is essentially “mom” to not just her own kids, but to Tony’s players as well, who are away from home and living in the dorm at The Athlete Institute. Tony and Suzette’s own son Tyler played at Syracuse University and was drafted in the NBA first round in 2014.

To connect with the youth and energy of ANYONE’S GAME, it was important for the production team to work with emerging musical talent on the series – music supervisor Everton Lewis, Jr. was determined to include musicians who are also in the early stages of their careers. Music from local artists like heavyweight Friyie, a musician who signed as an understudy to boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s recording label, and Patrik, who can be heard as the theme music for TikTok Canada and other advertisements, are just some of the new up-and-comers. LunchRoomPoetz, a hip hop crew of five deadly emcees, provide the series with an authentic emotional tone, while Young Smoke, Khem and Jason Packs provide the tone of Canadian streets and struggle.

These talented artists are elevated by the series composer and award-winning musician Tyler Armes (Post Malone’s Circles; Lil Baby’s My Turn). Armes brings a unique and fresh sound to ANYONE’S GAME that encompasses the symbiotic relationship shared by music and basketball.

The series is directed by Michael Hamilton (Nash – about two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, Facing Schwarzenegger, I am MLK Jr.) and executive produced by Kyle McCutcheon of Game Seven Media and Jack Sussman of BestCrosses Studios, as well as Game Seven Media’s Chris Koras and BestCrosses Studios’ Terence Richards. Vince Buda is Producer, Lisa Kim is Story Editor, and Quinn McCutcheon is Associate Producer. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual & Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; and Michelle McCree is Executive in Charge of Production.

ANYONE’S GAME is a CBC original series produced by BestCrosses Studios and Game Seven Media, in association with Tricycle Media, with the assistance of Rogers Cable Network Fund and Canada Media Fund.

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Industry News

CBC and BET+ greenlight The Porter (working title), an original drama about railway workers in Canada

CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster, and BET+, the preeminent streaming service for the Black audience, are partnering on original series THE PORTER (working title, 8×60) from Inferno Pictures and Sienna Films, which has been greenlit for 2021/22. Originated and created by Arnold Pinnock (Altered Carbon, Travelers) and Bruce Ramsay (19-2, Cardinal), with Annmarie Morais (Killjoys, Ransom, American Soul), Marsha Greene (Private Eyes, Ten Days In The Valley, Mary Kills People) and Aubrey Nealon (Snowpiercer, Cardinal), THE PORTER is set in the roar of the 1920s and follows the journeys of four ambitious souls who hustle, dream, cross borders and confront barriers in the fight for liberation – on and off the railways that crossed North America. Morais and Greene are writers/showrunners on the eight-part series, with Charles Officer (21 Thunder, Ransom, Coroner) and R.T. Thorne (Blindspot, Utopia Falls) set to executive produce and direct. Pinnock and Ramsay are co-executive producers.

The first season, set primarily in Montreal, Chicago and Detroit as the world rebuilds after the First World War, depicts another battle as it ripples through the Black community in Little Burgundy, Montreal – known, at the time, as the “Harlem of the North.” For the American and Canadian men working as railway porters, it’s a fight for equity and dignity. For the women in their lives, facing sexism and colorism, it’s a movement to claim their independence and identity. They’re young, gifted and Black, in an era that boasts anything is possible, and if change isn’t coming for them, they will come for it. By any means necessary.

Inspired by real events, THE PORTER is a gripping story of empowerment and idealism that highlights the moment when railway workers from both Canada and the United States joined together to give birth to the world’s first Black union.

A CBC and BET+ original series, THE PORTER is originated and created by Arnold Pinnock and Bruce Ramsay, with Annmarie Morais, Marsha Greene and Aubrey Nealon, and produced by Winnipeg-based Inferno Pictures Inc. and Sphere Media’s Sienna Films. Morais and Greene are showrunners and executive producers. Charles Officer and R.T. Thorne will direct the series, and are executive producers. Pinnock and Ramsay are co-executive producers. The series is written by Morais, Greene, Andrew Burrows-Trotman, Priscilla White, Pinnock and Ramsay, with R.T. Thorne participating in the writers’ room. The series is funded with the support of the Canada Media Fund and Manitoba Film & Music, and is distributed internationally by Abacus Media Rights (AMR) and Sphere Distribution. AMR and Sienna Films brokered the partnership with BET+.


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