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Industry News

Production underway on original HGTV Canada series with Mike Holmes

From a media release:

When it comes to home renovation decisions, is it always ‘like father, like son’? HGTV Canada may have the answer. The network has proudly commissioned a brand-new, Canadian original series with Canada’s most trusted contractor, Mike Holmes, and his son Mike Holmes Jr. (MJ). Holmes and Holmes follows the unstoppable pair as they transform MJ’s modest bachelor bungalow into the perfect first home for MJ and his girlfriend Lisa.

Production is currently underway on the six, hour-long episodes and the series is scheduled to premiere this fall on HGTV Canada.

While Mike and MJ share a last name, a strong work ethic, and a desire to help others, they don’t always see eye to eye.  Their different approaches provide the foundation for unexpected moments of humour and drama – though they always vow to build it right. In addition to seeing the newest materials and building techniques in Holmes and Holmes, viewers will get a glimpse into the personal lives of the Holmes men.

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Children's Programming, Industry News

DHX Media Announces New Commissions for Three Series

From a media release:

DHX Media a global leader in kids and family entertainment content, is heading to this year’s MIPTV, the world’s biggest TV and digital content market, with new commissions for three series: Chuck’s Choice has been commissioned by YTV in Canada, and has already been licensed to Turner Broadcasting France; Space Ranger Roger is commissioned by Family Jr.; and season two of Inspector Gadget has been commissioned by TELETOON, in Canada. All three series are being produced at DHX Studios.

Taking place April 4-7, 2016, in Cannes, France, MIPTV gathers the world’s most successful distributors, buyers and producers to strike distribution and co-production deals. Please visit the DHX Media team at stand R7.A11, in the Riviera hall of the Palais des Festivals, to learn more about Chuck’s Choice, Space Ranger Roger, Inspector Gadget and other great DHX shows.

About Chuck’s Choice

Brand new original 2D animated comedy Chuck’s Choice (40 x 11′) is aimed at kids aged 6-11. Currently in production at DHX’s Vancouver studio, Chuck’s Choice is directed by Rob Boutilier, creator of the hit kids’ show Kid vs. Kat.

For Chuck McFarlane, life is all about making choices. But lucky for him, these aren’t just regular everyday choices! Through an intergalactic gift from the stars, Chuck is bestowed with what may be the greatest device in the universe…the U-Decide 3000, giving him the power to literally choose his next adventure!  Some choices turn out great, others, not so much. After all, being given the power of flight sounds amazing. But what if it came with a larva sac attached to your abdomen? Suddenly everyone’s looking at you like you’re a bit strange. Of course Chuck’s life choices are a bit more mind-blowingly awesome, since he is…the DECIDER! While most kids have very limited choices, this 10-year-old gets to control his destiny and go on one thrilling adventure after another without any boring ol’ adults telling him what to do, and with his best friends coming along for the ride!

About Space Ranger Roger

3D preschool series Space Ranger Roger (13 x 30′), from DHX Media’s Halifax Studio, is created by Jeff Rosen (Animal Mechanicals, Bo On the GO, The Mighty Jungle, Monster Math Squad).

Space Ranger Roger is a plucky little alien hero sent to help a strange, faraway world…Earth! No assignment is too big or too small. Roger’s motto is, “A friend in need is a mission for me!” Along with his trusty squad of Ranger bots, and his bot dog, Rover, Roger can always get the job done.

Each day, Roger scans the surface of our small blue planet from orbit aboard the Friend Ship. When he picks up a distress signal from an Earth creature, it’s his job as a Space Ranger to gear up with his team of rambunctious fix-it bots, find out what the problem is and save the day in a fun and creative way.

About Inspector Gadget

3D animation series, Inspector Gadget from the DHX studio in Halifax, returns for Season 2 (26 x 30′).

The new Inspector Gadget is back – again! The stakes are higher than ever in season two for Inspector Gadget, his niece Penny and their trusty dog, Brain. Will they be able to defeat Dr. Claw and his nephew Talon? Or will the MAD villains finally be victorious? Both sides are more determined than ever to come out on top…even if Inspector Gadget still hasn’t got a clue.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Production Underway on Discovery’s New Series Heavy Rescue: 401 from Highway Thru Hell producers

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From a media release:

Discovery announced today that production is underway on HEAVY RESCUE: 401, a new original Canadian series set to debut in 2017 based on the network’s hit series HIGHWAY THRU HELL. With the support of the OPP, Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, York Regional police, maintenance contractors, and several other organizations, the new documentary series follows the men and women who keep Ontario’s 400-series highways operating at any cost.

Spanning the Greater Toronto Area and southern Ontario, HEAVY RESCUE: 401 follows multiple major tow operators, rescue, and maintenance crews day and night along North America’s most intense stretch of highway. From Sarnia eastbound to Toronto and north to Barrie, the cast of heroes work diligently to keep Canada’s most important and busiest series of highways open through any weather condition. From monster snow storms creating kilometers of mayhem to trucks spilling their loads, these efforts safeguard the country’s most important trade route with the U.S. from grinding to a crippling halt through the worst of the winter driving season.

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Industry News

Link: Canadian TV is a place of squalor and neglect

From John Doyle of The Globe and Mail:

Canadian TV is a place of squalor and neglect
I’m surprised it took him so long to recognize that Canadian TV execs are extremely rich and don’t care much about fulfilling their mandated obligations to the Canadian culture. It’s a lucrative racket. If we see television as a landscape filled with a variety of buildings and edifices, then Canadian commercial TV execs are slum landlords, getting rich by bilking pitiful tenants. What they own and manage, in terms of Canadian content, is a place of squalor and neglect. A slum. Continue reading.

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Industry News

CBC greenlights drama The Council from René Balcer

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From a media release:

CBC has greenlit THE COUNCIL (working title), a compelling international thriller woven around a remote Canadian Arctic town from Emmy® Award-winning showrunner and writer René Balcer (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) with Lark Productions and Keston International Productions. THE COUNCIL is set against the unfolding drama of our changing planet and draws inspiration from the true-to-life fight over the vast and valuable resources of the Arctic. The series traces the journey of two cops who uncover a small-town murder that is at the heart of a global conspiracy. Production kicks off this summer, shooting in Resolute, Iqaluit, London, Copenhagen and Manitoba. THE COUNCIL will debut with 10 episodes on CBC-TV in fall 2016.

THE COUNCIL begins on the edge of the Arctic frontier during the endless days of the polar summer when a young woman, a renowned environmentalist, is found ritualistically murdered near the Canadian hamlet of Resolute. An investigation is mounted by the local RCMP inspector Mickey Behrens, an outsider and new-comer to the north who is running from a derailed personal and professional life, and her partner, officer Jo Ullulaq. A soulful counterpoint to Mickey, Jo is torn between the duty to his job and loyalty to his Inuit culture. The pair quickly discovers that the mystery extends far beyond the borders of the town and to the backrooms of Canadian parliament in Ottawa, the dark corridors of U.S. intelligence in Washington, D.C., the halls of European parliament in Brussels, the airbases of world powers, and the migrant conflicts at the border of Norway and Russia. Yet it all traces back to the Arctic, as they gradually expose a complex international conspiracy to control the vast natural resources at the top of the world.

Balcer is a 20-year veteran of the Law & Order franchise, beginning as a writer and rising to executive producer and showrunner. In 2001, he left the series to create the show’s spinoff Law & Order: Criminal Intent, which he developed with creator Dick Wolf. He is also the creator of the international drama JO. Balcer has been awarded with an Emmy® Award, Peabody Award, a Writers Guild of America Award and four Edgar Awards for his television work.

THE COUNCIL will be produced by Lark Productions (Motive), with executive producers Louise Clark and Erin Haskett, in partnership with Keston International Productions’ executive producers Trevor Walton and Denis Coyne. The series is a Canada/UK Co-Production, with Nick O’Hagan’s London-based Giant Films Ltd. NBCUniversal International Distribution retains all distribution rights.

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