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Awards, Industry News

The 14th Annual ACTRA Awards in Toronto Nominees

From a media release:

ACTRA Toronto is delighted to announce the nominees for the 14th Annual ACTRA Awards in Toronto. The ACTRA Awards in Toronto will take place at The Carlu on Saturday, February 20, 2016.

Nominees for Outstanding Performance – Voice:

  • Christian Distefano (Artie) Creative Galaxy, “Christmas Memories” (9 Story Media Group)
  • Andrew Jackson (Buford) Numb Chucks, “Flock of Steven Seagulls” (9 Story Media Group)
  • Julie Lemieux (Granny Butternut) Numb Chucks, “Tough Love” (9 Story Media Group)
  • Bryn McAuley (Quills) Numb Chucks, “Quills and Present Danger” (9 Story Media Group)
  • Adrian Truss (Armand the Sasquatch) Camp Lakebottom, “The Abominable Dr. Squatch” (9 Story Media Group)

Nominees for Outstanding Performance – Female:

  • Torri Higginson (Natalie Lawson) This Life, “Gut Punch” (Sphere Media Plus)
  • Christine Horne (Jennifer) Hyena Road (Rhombus Media)
  • Tatiana Maslany (various) Orphan Black, “History Yet to Be Written” (Temple Street Productions)
  • Catherine O’Hara (Moira Rose) Schitt’s Creek, “Wine and Roses” (Not A Real Company)
  • Shailyn Pierre-Dixon (Young Aminata) Book of Negroes, Episode 1 (Conquering Lion Pictures)

Nominees for Outstanding Performance – Male: 

  • Nigel Bennett (Giles) Murdoch Mysteries, “What Lies Buried” (Shaftesbury Films)
  • Kevin Hanchard (Detective Art Bell) Orphan Black, “Formalized,
  • Complex and Costly” (Temple Street Productions)
  • Dylan Harman (Eugene) The Rainbow Kid (Other People’s Films)
  • Christopher Plummer (Zev Guttman) Remember (Serendipity Point Films)
  • Rossif Sutherland (Ryan) Hyena Road (Rhombus Media)

Sarah Gadon will pick up the 2016 ACTRA Toronto Award of Excellence. The Award of Excellence recognizes an exceptional body of work and a commitment to advocacy on behalf of all performers. The show will be hosted by comic Martha Chaves.

ACTRA Toronto is the largest organization within ACTRA, representing over 15,000 of Canada’s 22,000 professional performers working in recorded media in Canada.  As an advocate for Canadian culture since 1943, ACTRA is a member-driven union that continues to secure rights and respect for the work of professional performers.

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Industry News

Harper legacy spells trouble for Canadian TV

From a media release:

A first-of-its-kind independent economic forecast shows regulatory changes espoused by the Harper government and adopted in last year’s CRTC Let’s Talk TV announcements will likely lead to the loss of more than 15,000 Canadian jobs and take $1.4 billion from the Canadian economy annually by 2020.

Co-authored by the economic and media consulting firm Nordicity and Peter H. Miller, the 100-page study – Canadian Television 2020: Technological and Regulatory Impacts – also forecasts the CRTC decisions will likely result in a $400 million annual drop in spending on Canadian programs by 2020 and accelerate the impact of technological change while weakening Canadian broadcasters.

The study’s authors have advanced proposals to reduce the negative economic impact of the CRTC’s decisions by as much as 75%: “This would not, in our view, require ‘turning back the clock’ on all the Let’s Talk TV decisions. It would merely require relatively minor ‘tweaking’ that recognizes Canadians as broadcasting policy has always recognized them – not merely as consumers, but as creators and citizens too.”

The study found the CRTC’s decisions regarding unbundling, over-the-top (OTT) TV and the predominance of Canadian programs are the primary drivers of this erosion.  Not yet implemented, these changes are scheduled to take effect starting in March.

Canadian Television 2020: Technological and Regulatory Impacts was commissioned by ACTRA, the Canadian Media Guild, Directors Guild of Canada, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting and Unifor.

The full report can be read here.

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Industry News

First Look at VICELAND Features World Premieres of Cyberwar and Best of VICE Canada on City

From a media release:

Rogers and VICE present a first look at the programming available on upcoming Canadian specialty channel VICELAND, with the world premiere of original, documentary series Cyberwar on Sunday, Jan. 31 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on City.

A 16-part, half-hour documentary series, Cyberwar centres around the conflicts being waged on the world’s newest battlefield – the Internet – and the federal agencies, activists, (para-)militaries and corporations fighting them. Hosted by VICE News’s Ben Makuch, each episode focuses on one case study, investigation, or hypothetical scenario of geopolitical significance, explored through conversations with experts shot in unexpected locations, curated historical archives, and sophisticated animation and effects.

In addition, viewers can catch the Best of VICE Canada every Sunday night at 10 p.m. ET/PT beginning January 3 on City. Never before aired on television, Best of VICE Canada will premiere VICE’s Canadian-made, digital-first documentaries, including in-depth investigative pieces The New Era of Canadian Sex Work, Canada’s Waterless Communities: Nekastanga, and Cloning the Woolly Mammoth.

The newest addition to the Rogers Media specialty portfolio, VICELAND will launch in Winter 2016, featuring hundreds of hours of new, exclusive programming, including Gaycation with Ellen Page (Freeheld) and friend and co-host Ian Daniel, and Black Market with Michael K. Williams (The Wire). Also a proud home to Canadian content, VICELAND will feature many series produced out of the VICE Canada studio, including Terror with VICE Media Co-Founder Suroosh Alvi.

 

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Industry News

Link: Melanie Joly says the CBC should take more Vice-like risks

From CBC:

Melanie Joly says the CBC should take more Vice-like risks
Canada’s new heritage minister Mélanie Joly says the Trudeau government will increase funding to “battered” arts and cultural institutions — including the CBC.

“I really believe a public broadcaster is relevant and important, but it needs to be adapted to our times,” she told q host Shadrach Kabango in a wide-ranging conversation about the importance of the arts, and a broader ecosystem that supports them.  Continue reading and listen to the interview.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Jade Fever, Mayday and Cold Water Cowboys return to Discovery

From a media release:

Fresh on the heels of December’s “Holiday Bash” schedule filled to the brim with premiere programming, Discovery today unveiled the network’s 2016 winter schedule. Canada’s most-watched primetime entertainment specialty network rings in the New Year with an abundance of fresh hit programming, including the season premieres of ALASKAN BUSH PEOPLE (Jan. 4), RAILROAD ALASKA (Jan. 5), and MAYDAY (Jan. 15) right out of the gate, along with HOW IT’S MADE (Feb. 22), JADE FEVER (Feb. 23), and COLD WATER COWBOYS (March 8),  premiering through the winter. Also set to debut in January is a slew of new episodes from current seasons of hit series, including GOLD RUSH (Jan. 5),MOONSHINERS (Jan. 6), and ALASKA: THE LAST FRONTER (Jan. 10). Viewers can also catch up on full episodes of Discovery series live and on demand on the Discovery GO app and at Discovery.ca.

Also in January, Discovery raises a glass for a special goodbye toast to Co-Hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage as they stage their final gonzo experiments during the concluding season of the perenial favourite, MYTHBUSTERS, beginningSunday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. ET. Additionally, Discovery’s jam-packed winter schedule also features the  previously announced “Future Tech Week” on DAILY PLANET(Jan. 4-8), followed by returning Canadian turbo favourites VEGAS RAT RODS andMEGASPEED headlining Thursday nights,beginning Jan. 7.

Discovery’s full suite of top entertainment brands also features extensive winter schedule highlights and happenings beginning Jan. 5, including:

Free Previews:

Viewers are invited for an extended stay in Animal Planet’s backyard jungle to explore the extraordinary relationship between humans and animals. Viewers are also welcome to park in Discovery Velocity’s lot – Canada’s only home for Factual Turbo programming – for all things automotive, as well as diverse travel, survival, and cultural world content. In the holiday spirit of giving, Discovery today announced a nationwide 36-day free preview from Jan. 20 – Feb. 24 of both Animal Planet andDiscovery Velocity, available to subscribers of participating television service providers.

Animal Planet winter highlights:

Animal Planet brings in the New Year with an all-star, all-adorable cast returning on Super Bowl Sunday for Animal Planet’s pup-culture phenomenon PUPPY BOWL. Viewers can expect a winning combination of terrier tackles, canine touchdowns, puppy penalties, and Fido first downs on Sunday, Feb. 7 at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT. The canine entertainment continues with live coverage of WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB 140TH ANNUAL DOG SHOW, Feb. 15 and 16 at 8 p.m. ET. New series 100 MILES FROM NOWHERE (Jan. 24) and AFRICA (Feb. 14), make their debut. Returning favourites ALASKA MONSTERS (Jan. 5), RUGGED JUSTICE (Jan. 5),NORTH WOODS LAW (Jan. 7), ICE LAKE REBELS (Jan. 8) premiere. TANKED(Jan. 6), REDWOOD KINGS (Jan. 6), TREEHOUSE MASTERS (Jan. 6), FINDING BIGFOOT (Jan. 7), and PIT BULLS AND PAROLEES (Jan. 8) return with all-new episodes.

Discovery Velocity winter highlights:

Discovery Velocity buckles up, leaves last year in the dust, and takes off to Scottsdale, Arizona for BARRETT-JACKSON, the world’s greatest collector car auctions, Jan. 26-31. Additional turbo programming takes a spin with all-new seasons of HOW IT’S MADE: DREAM CARS (Jan. 5), BITCHIN’ RIDES (Feb. 4), GEAR HEADS (Feb. 5), CAR FIX (Jan. 4), WHEELER DEALERS USA (Jan. 4), and new episodes of CHASING CLASSIC CARS (Jan. 4).

Investigation Discovery winter highlights:

New Year’s resolutions for 2016: less crime and more justice? Investigation Discovery’s fresh start includes new seasons of FATAL ENCOUNTERS (Jan. 5),TRUE NIGHTMARES (Jan. 9), DISAPPEARED (Jan. 13), HOUSE OF HORRORS: KIDNAPPED (Jan. 14), NIGHTMARE NEXT DOOR (Jan. 15), and new episodes of HOMICIDE HUNTER: LT. JOE KENDA (Jan. 5).

Discovery Science winter highlights:

Questioning everything in the New Year, Discovery Science dives deep into 2016 with new series ALL-AMERICAN MAKERS: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (Jan. 4), season premieres of HOW THE UNIVERSE WORKS: EXPANDED EDITION (Jan. 5), MONSTERS INSIDE ME (Jan. 22), STRIP THE CITY (Jan. 27), STRIP THE COSMOS (Feb. 15), and new episodes of HOW DO THEY DO IT? (Wednesdays) and GHOST STALKERS (Fridays).

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