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CraveTV and Just For Laughs Partner to Create Three Original Stand-Up Specials

From a media release:

CraveTV, Canada’s premium TV streaming service, announced today that it has partnered with Just For Laughs on three CraveTV Original Stand-Up comedy specials for its streaming audiences in Canada. This marks CraveTV’s first commission of original stand-up comedy, which will stream on CraveTV in 2018 and anchor the streaming service’s popular Stand-Up Comedy Collection. Showcasing homegrown talents Debra DiGiovanni, Darcy Michael, and Graham Chittenden, the specials taped yesterday and today at Toronto’s Berkeley Church during the JFL42 Festival. Now in its sixth year, JFL42 is a pass-based interactive comedy Festival and has established itself as one of the world’s most successful and cutting-edge comedy events. This year’s Festival runs until September 30.

Bell Media and Just For Laughs have a long history of joining forces to bring audiences hilarious hits, such as five seasons of the original stand-up series JUST FOR LAUGHS: ALL ACCESS (Season 5 premieres Saturday, September 30 at 9 p.m. ET on The Comedy Network); six seasons of FUNNY AS HELL hosted by Jon Dore; and numerous original specials like ELLIE KEMPER: UNBREAKABLE COMEDY GALA, NEIL PATRICK HARRIS: CIRCUS AWESOMEUS, JUST FOR LAUGHS PRESENTS: WHITNEY CUMMINGS BLEEP SHOW, SETH ROGEN’S HILARITY FOR CHARITY, and more.

A mainstay of the Canadian comedy scene for 15 years, Debra DiGiovanni is known for her hilarious stand-up comedy and appearances on television series like VIDEO ON TRIAL, Just For Laughs ALL ACCESS, and The Comedy Network original series, MATCH GAME. She was also a finalist on Season 5 of LAST COMIC STANDING. Currently based in Los Angeles, DiGiovanni is a three-time Canadian Comedy Award-winner.

Vancouver-based Darcy Michael has appeared at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montréal for five consecutive years. He also co-starred in two seasons of the CTV original comedy series SPUN OUT.

A familiar face at the Just For Laughs Festival, Graham Chittenden is also a writer on the hit comedy series MR. D. Known for his fresh and clean, but still relentlessly funny style of humour, the Canadian Comedy Award-nominee has also appeared on television series like MATCH GAME, COMEDY NOW!, and MTV SHOWTOWN.

Co-produced by Just For Laughs Television and Counterfeit Pictures, in association with Bell Media’s CraveTV. Executive producers are Bruce Hills and Gilbert Rozon from Just For Laughs and Dan Bennett, Shane Corkery and Anton Leo from Counterfeit Pictures. The specials are directed by Shelagh O’Brien.

 

 

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Industry News

Reverend David Mainse, Founder of Crossroads/100 Huntley Street, dies at 81

From a media release:

Crossroads Christian Communications Inc. (Crossroads) announces with sadness the death of its founder, the Reverend David Mainse.

Rev. Mainse passed away on September 25, 2017, at 81 years old after a five-year battle with MDS leukemia. Rev. Mainse lived the last years of his life (even while he fought the disease) as he’d lived his entire life: proclaiming the Good News – to any and all who would listen – that Jesus loved them.

Under Rev. Mainse’s leadership and direction, what began in 1962 as a weekly black-and-white, 15-minute broadcast that aired after the nightly news on a small Pembroke, Ont., TV station grew to become an expansive family of not-for-profit ministries that included international multimedia programming, an international relief and development organization, a broadcast school (that trained communicators from more than 80 countries around the world) and a national prayer centre that staffs more than 100 volunteers to field 30,000 calls each month, providing 24/7 telephone prayer support to Canadians.

It was as a result of Rev. Mainse’s vision (which was motivated by a desire to see Christian programming in primetime) and his team’s arguments before Canada’s broadcast regulator in the early 80’s, that the CRTC determined there was merit to the idea of allowing religious groups to own and operate broadcast stations, an opportunity that had not existed in Canada for 50 years. The CRTC subsequently amended the Broadcasting Act and later called for applications for religious channels.

Rev. Mainse subsequently founded this country’s most-watched religious broadcaster YES TV (formerly CTS) consisting of television stations in Burlington, Calgary and Edmonton. Numerous spin off ministries were also launched by Crossroads, including the Circle Square Ranch children’s camps (which Crossroads gifted to Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship in 2011).

Crossroads Emergency Response and Development Fund (formerly ERDF now “Crossroads Relief and Development”) was established in 1982. Since then, it has disbursed more than $37 million to humanitarian projects worldwide.

Crossroads will honour the life of Rev. David Mainse with special programming all week on 100 Huntley Street.  The website davidmainse.com has been created to honour Rev. Mainse.  It includes a guestbook to offer condolences to the family, as well as information regarding visitation and funeral arrangements.

David was a beloved husband to Norma-Jean for 59 years (as of September 19th) and also leaves behind four children, daughter Elaine and her husband Bruce Stacey, daughter Ellen and her husband Nizar Shaheen, son Reynold and his wife Kathy, and son Ron and his wife Ann, as well as 16 grandchildren with many spouses, and 13 great-grandchildren.

For a complete biography and additional media assets, please visit website davidmainse.com

About Crossroads Christian Communications Inc.
For more than 55 years, Crossroads has been a leader in providing faith and values media content for people of all ages. 100 Huntley Street, the flagship television program of Crossroads, was founded by Rev. David Mainse and is the longest running daily television talk show in Canada. Crossroads provides relevant messages of faith and inspiration for millions of people in this country and, through the internet, around the world.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

OutTV acquires three seasons of Go Button Media’s Mom vs Matchmaker

From a media release:

Go Button Media announces that three seasons of their original television series Mom vs Matchmaker has been acquired by OUTtv. Season one (6 x 30’) and season two (12 x 30’) will air later this year on OUTtv. Season three (12 x 30’) has been commissioned to air in 2018. OutTV has acquired 30 episodes in total.

In an age where dating is dominated by apps and social media, Mom vs Matchmaker instead brings a new, fun twist to traditional matchmaking.” In Mom vs Matchmaker, sassy professional matchmaker Carmelia Ray goes head-to-head with an opinionated mom to see who can handpick and train the most suitable suitor for mother’s precious offspring. One single, two potential mates and two battling forces of nature. In the time of Tinder, can these titans of love generate game changing sparks for the single using whatever means necessary? Only one, mother or matchmaker, can make the winning match. The final twist, the single won’t know which date is a ringer for which cupid until the end.

Season one and two of Mom vs Matchmaker air in the United States on MyxTV. Season three will air on MyxTV in 2018. The series has been sold to Australia (E!), Middle East (Fox), North Africa (Fox), Discovery Latin America. Season one of the series previously aired on iChannel, FTV, and GSN in Canada. Season two will air on OUTtv and ZTV. Season three has been commissioned as a co-first window on OUTtv and Rewind. The series is licensed internationally by Electus International.

 

 

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Industry News

Canadian Screenwriters and Producers Extend Agreement

From a media release:

Canadian screenwriters and producers have agreed to extend the current agreement governing English-language screenwriting in Canada. The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC), the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), and the Association Québécoise de la Production Médiatique (AQPM) announced today that all parties have ratified an eighteen-month extension to the Independent Production Agreement (IPA), which will come into effect Jan. 1, 2018. This agreement maintains the current terms of engagement, with an increase of minimum script fees, and now expires on June 30, 2019.

All parties agree that screenwriters and producers are best positioned to face a time of industry flux by continuing to work under the terms of the current IPA in order to focus on issues that impact the entire industry. The extension includes a one per cent script fee increase in 2018.

WGC President Jill Golick says, “From contentious CRTC decisions to the government’s Canadian Content in a Digital World policy review, there’s a lot of uncertainty in our industry, making it a less than ideal time for labour negotiations. For now, our top priority is ensuring a healthy future for Canadian screenwriters. We are hopeful that in 18 months the situation will have improved significantly.”

CMPA Senior Counsel and Vice-President of National Industrial Relations Warren Ross says, “Today’s announcement means Canada’s independent producers and the country’s talented writers can continue to focus on what they do best — bringing compelling stories to life on screen that entertain audiences here at home and around the world.”

AQPM President and CEO Hélène Messier says, “The AQPM is confident that the agreement reached by the associations and the Guild will allow for the continued success of Canadian writers and producers. Canadian writers, with their remarkable ideas and distinct sensibilities, are an integral part of the Quebec television and film industry and the AQPM is glad to count on their continued services for the foreseeable future.”

 

 

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Industry News

Link: Arnold Amber was CBC TV’s behind-the-scenes mastermind

From Fred Langan of The Globe and Mail:

Link: Arnold Amber was CBC TV’s behind-the-scenes mastermind
Most viewers never knew his name, but Arnold Amber, who died in Toronto on Labour Day at the age of 77, was the brains behind TV programs that millions of Canadians watched. For a decade and a half, he was the man in charge of special news broadcasts at the CBC, covering elections, leadership conventions, the first Quebec referendum and the Meech Lake crisis. He was also a passionate union leader, representing fellow journalists at the CBC. Continue reading.

 

 

 

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