From Jim Bawden:
Why Dr. Jennifer Gardy Deserves Her Own TV Series
It hasn’t been the best of TV seasons for the CBC.
Big new series have flopped badly, I’m afraid to say. What’s needed is an influx of new shows that can guarantee sturdy ratings. Which is why I’m proposing CBC-TV hire Dr. Jennifer Gardy to front a second science show –she’s been excelling for years on occasional specials for the venerable The Nature Of Things. Continue reading.Â
From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:
Women Behind Canadian TV: Alexandra Zarowny
“I love the idea of setting stages where women and young girls can recognize themselves, and understand that they can build equally grandiose stages to play on that explore every facet of who they are, and that it’s OK to do that. You don’t have to compartmentalize who you are. You don’t have to be one thing at any given time. You can be everything all at once and sometimes – okay, most times – it’s going to be messy, but you know what? That’s what makes an amazing character. And, I think, an amazing writer as well.” Continue reading.
From a media release:
The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) is pleased to announce that Elebrity, a series by Montreal-based production company NextTime Productions and creators behind thesmash hit YouTube series Epic Meal Time, has been picked up for a development deal with the CBC. This deal was made possible through the inaugural Jumping Screens Comedy Workshop, Canada’s first-ever enhanced pre-development lab for online creators who want to migrate their talents to television and other screens. NextTime Productions will co-develop the series with Toronto-based independent content production company Aircraft Pictures, the official production partner of the program.
Elebrity explores the notion of becoming a celebrity overnight. It follows Herschel Bock, an eternal slacker, as he attempts to navigate his newfound celebrity status in the digital influencer world or risk losing it all to return to his regular life.
Brothers Darren and Harley Morenstein co-founded NextTime Productions in 2011. Since then, the production company has created and produced several web series, three YouTube channels and two cookbooks, and has amassed more than 7 million subscribers. Their flagship show, Epic Meal Time, has grown to be the number one online cooking show in the world.
NextTime Productions was selected for a TVseries deal out of three YouTubers/YouTube teams who participated in the inaugural Jumping Screens Comedy Workshop, including singer/songwriter and comedian Mikey Bustos, and the award-winning web series Convos With My 2-Year-Old, from creator and star Matthew Clarke and fellow star David Milchard. Mikey Bustos and the team behind Convos With My 2-Year-Old are currently pursuing various opportunities to develop their respective TVseries concepts developed through the Workshop with Aircraft Pictures.
The Jumping Screens Comedy Workshop was a five-month part-time program created by CFC Media Lab, in collaboration with the CBC and Aircraft Pictures, which experimented with a novel approach to series creation. From June to November 2015, the Workshop offered the three aforementioned digital creative teams the opportunity to refine their writing, story structure and characterization skills, and gain valuable experience navigating the Canadian entertainment ecosystem under the mentorship of CBC creative executives, the CFC Media Lab and its mentors, and the experts at Aircraft Pictures. The three YouTube teams debuted their individual series concepts at a VIP screening and reception in late November 2015.
From Jim Bawden:
Is TV Becoming A Drag?
Is it just me or has TV become a drag? No, I’m perfectly serious about this after sampling the new series Delmer & Marta.
I mean every week I’m watching Mrs. Brown’s Boys (starring Brendan O’Connor) on BBC Canada. And there’s Dame Edna from times back who keeps making farewell tours.
And now it’s APTN’s Delmer & Marta which premieres Wednesday night at 10 p.m. Continue reading.Â
From Martin Knelman of the Toronto Star:
I, Pedophile dares to empathize
Matthew Campea knew it wouldn’t be easy to persuade viewers to welcome pedophiles into their living rooms. Yet I, Pedophile is so riveting and enlightening, you can’t stop watching it. It premieres Thursday at 9 p.m. on CBC’s doc series Firsthand.
Camp’s goal, bound to be controversial, was to bring empathy to troubled men who rarely get any. Continue reading.Â
