From the Toronto Star Editorial Board:
Link: The CBC’s president should focus on being different, not just bigger
Every Canadian has two jobs, goes the old joke, their own and running the CBC. Catherine Tait, who has just been handed the task of actually leading CBC/Radio-Canada, will hardly lack for advice as she takes the helm of the country’s leading cultural institution. Continue reading.Â
From a media release:
The Independent Production Fund and its 40-member Pre-Selection Committee have selected 30 projects which are now eligible to advance to Phase 2 of the application process and apply for Production financing. These include 20 projects in English and 10 in French. Four web series previously funded by the IPF are eligible to apply for funding for second or subsequent seasons.
The IPF received 170 proposals for web series funding from across Canada, in English and in French. Applications included 2-minute proof-of-concept trailers, creative material and audience engagement strategies. Development opportunities for new talent and mentorship by experienced creative and business web series professionals were evaluation factors. All of these criteria were reviewed, scored and discussed by the Pre-Selection Committee members, who are industry professionals and advanced media students.
Producers of the selected shortlisted projects are now invited to submit complete Production Applications by May 1, 2018. Â An international Jury will evaluate these proposals and the Board of Directors of the IPF will make final funding decisions in June.
“The 2018 “IPF Trailer Season†as dubbed by the industry, has exposed online viewers to great Canadian talents and teased them with terrific stories that have been watched, liked and shared by hundreds of thousands of fans during the past month.  “Our Canadian production community is certainly not lacking in imagination and diversity†noted Andra Sheffer, CEO of the IPF. “ The efforts that have gone into creating the content and engaging audiences will ideally provide invaluable feedback to all those who have participated in this process.†Continue reading for a list of the projects receiving funding.
From John Doyle of The Globe and Mail:
Link: A message to new CBC president Catherine Tait: Commit to great TV, not the ordinary
Far be it from me to join the lineup of pundits offering advice and analysis to Catherine Tait, the incoming CBC president. But, in the matter of CBC English-language TV, there’s an issue: Where’s the great stuff?
This week the legal drama Burden of Truth was renewed by CBC. Why? Seriously, why is this mediocre, generic drama going to go on and on, sucking up money resources and airtime on our public broadcaster? I’m all for fun and entertainment, but this workmanlike series is just that — bland, ordinary stuff. Continue reading.
From Vinay Menon of the Toronto Star:
Link: A Street Legal reboot is in the works — cue the sax solo
In this TV age of nostalgia and reboots, Street Legal is coming back.
A revival of the CBC drama, which earned water-cooler status in Canada between 1987 and 1994, is now in development at the CBC. Sources say there will be six new episodes, to be executive produced by veteran Bernie Zukerman (Net Worth, Conspiracy of Silence, Remedy). Continue reading.Â
From a media release:
In advance of MIPTV, leading content company Shaftesbury, in partnership with WexWorks Media, have acquired the rights to The Weather Girl Knows, a popular Japanese format by TV Asahi.
The Weather Girl Knows is a quirky procedural with weather being the key to unlocking puzzling crimes, with clues as unpredictable as next week’s forecast. Partnering an oddball weather girl (who’s also a brilliant climatologist) with a rookie detective, each week they investigate mysteries of murder and ball lightning, hurricanes and hijacking. These strange bedfellows might just make the perfect pair to solve the most tempestuous crimes.
“The Weather Girl Knows is a procedural crime drama, with real-world science at its core. The format has been a huge success in Japan and we are thrilled to bring these characters to new audiences,†said Christina Jennings, Chairman and CEO, Shaftesbury.
“I knew TV Asahi had created something special the minute I saw The Weather Girl Knows. I’m sure it will resonate with audiences around the globe and I couldn’t be more excited to be working with Christina and her team,†said Matthew Wexler, CEO and Executive Producer, WexWorks Media.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to work with Shaftesbury and WexWorks Media on bringing The Weather Girl Knows to the worldwide audience. The script is unique yet universal and is bound to capture the hearts and imaginations of the global audience,†said Yuka Kakui, Head of Format Development and Sales, TV Asahi.
