From Victoria Ahearn of the Canadian Press:
Bruce McCulloch’s teen years in Alberta inspire Young Drunk Punk
Kids in the Hall alum Bruce McCulloch has been returning to his hometown of Calgary every year since he moved away over 30 years ago. But it wasn’t until he started filming his new TV comedy series, Young Drunk Punk, that he went back to the community where his childhood home still stands. Continue reading.
From a media release:
FACET4 Media is excited to announce its development slate of original television series to be produced in Canada for the Canadian and international marketplace. A home-grown business founded and steered by Stephen Greenberg of the Canadian entertainment family with a legacy of excellence, FACET4 has developed and acquired concepts in both the reality and dramatic arenas.
Based in Montreal with offices in Toronto, FACET4 Media is deep in the development process on projects including BUSINESS BOMBSHELLS: PALM SPRINGS, THE ONLY WAY TO TRAVEL, NO SILLY QUESTIONS, THE FOOD DIARIES, DRINK DETECTIVES, COMBAT CHALLENGE, HOW NEW ORLEANS GOT ITS GROOVE BACK, and scripted series ODD MAN RUSH.
With a television distribution deal and servicing arrangement already in place with Fox/Incendo, Canada’s largest television distribution company, FACET4 in poised to meet the demands of clients looking to make a big splash in the Canadian industry. Fox/Incendo will handle delivery, sales and back office support for all content produced and represented by FACET4 Media.
In Development at FACET4 Media:
BUSINESS BOMBSHELLS: PALM SPRINGS – 13 x 30’ Lifestyle Docu-Series
Business Bombshells: Palm Springs is an exciting new lifestyle docu-series based on the lives of five dynamic, feisty, self-made Palm Springs millionaires. This group of highly successful, beautiful, tough women have made it to the top of the business world, and Palm Springs society, through hard work, without leaning on men. Queen Bee Graison Stemper will introduce you to her friends behind the elite social setting of Palm Springs where these women have battled the storms and have come out on top of their fields. The Bombshells will welcome you into their lives, and share both their success and the drama it took to get there. This series will give you an in-depth look into worlds generally reserved for men where these women have risen, stumbled, and ultimately succeeded, in their quest for success.
THE ONLY WAY TO TRAVEL – 13 x 30’ Formatted Competitive Travel Series
What’s the best way to experience new places? In the five star luxury of sumptuous hotel rooms, Michelin starred restaurants and chauffeur driven limos? Or by taking a back to basics approach with budget hostel accommodation, street food and local transport? Best friends, Tommy and Randal, will be joined by a wildcard traveller who will judge each itinerary (high end vs. backpacker) on five criteria, and there will be an ultimate winner each episode. Join Tommy and Randall as they compete to see who can entice an unsuspecting stranger for bragging rights as to which way is The Only Way to Travel!
NO SILLY QUESTIONS – 13 x 30’ Family Oriented Interactive Game Show
Kids have a million questions and parents don’t always have the right answers. That’s where The NSQ Network comes in! No Silly Questions is a weekly half hour TV show that allows children of all ages (including a few parents) the opportunity to video record and upload any questions that come to mind and have it answered on the show!
THE FOOD DIARIES – 13 x 30’ Culinary Adventure Docu-Series
The Food Diaries is not your average food show. This food series will showcase a culinary travelogue where you’ll feast your eyes on the gorgeous scenery of each country visited, take in the sights and smells of local producers and learn about their artisan food and pick up great tips. Then watch as a top American chef reinvigorates each old world dish by spicing it up with some new world culinary artistry.
DRINK DETECTIVES – 13×30’ Docu-Series
In the new adventure docu-series Drink Detectives, take a trip to discover the secrets of the hidden world of booze. Our two genuinely colourful explorers, master sommelier John Szabo and rough-edged, irreverent and grouchy international wine expert Bill Zacharkiw, are armed with an authentic depth of knowledge and fuelled by an unquenchable thirst for more. They will travel the globe to track down the origins of legendary drinks they’ve heard about. Their aim is a common one, but their approach may not be. Expect sparks and even fireworks as they negotiate the rapids and bends that lie between them and the source of their quest.
COMBAT CHALLENGE – 13X30’ Competitive Paintball Series
Can a team of amateur paintball players be trained to become top-notch competitors on the playing field and challenge some of the best paintball players in the world? Two teams of amateur paintball players, led by one of our two professional players Wolf and Lady Hawk, go head-to-head each episode in an epic three-part paintball battle. Each episode will produce a winning team of amateurs who will not only win the newest paintball swag but will qualify for the semi-final. The last show of the season will feature the best teams competing in the World Cup of Paintball, in Orlando, Florida.
HOW NOLA GOT IT’S GROOVE BACK – 10 x 30 Cultural Docu-Series
Jazz is America’s music. And much of its evolution stems from the city of New Orleans. When Katrina hit, a huge number of New Orleans’ population was displaced. Among those people were her musicians, an important and vital part of New Orleans and American culture. This is a series about their journey, their city and most importantly their music and how it’s been influenced by the devastation of Katrina. We will delve into the lives and experiences of various musicians and hear their story of why and how they left behind their beloved city and what drew them back home.
ODD MAN RUSH – 13 x 30’ Scripted Dramedy Series
Odd Man Rush gives us a look at professional sports like we’ve never seen them before. At the heart of our show and experiencing it all for the first time is Chris Rush. After witnessing his humbling fall from grace in the pilot’s opening minutes, our hero heads to a world of hockey unknown to him: The Coastal Hockey League.
FACET4 Media will be participating in The 2015 Realscreen Summit; the world’s foremost conference and market for the non-fiction and unscripted content industry.
The days are getting longer, but they’re still pretty damn short. Spring with its warmer weather feels like a distant mirage. And there’s always something to complain about in Canadian television. But there are some hopeful signs this winter season:
From David Berry of the National Post:
In the first episode of Young Drunk Punk, the (fittingly) punk-era sitcom about a pair of kids trying to make a go of life after high school, the guidance counsellor asks Ian McKay (Tim Carlson), obviously a frequent visitor to the office, what exactly he wants to be. He’s got no answer: “I only know what I don’t want to be,†he shrugs.
“I think, sometimes, you have to start your disdain for people around you before you can actually look at yourself,†says Bruce McCulloch, Kid in the Hall and creator of the City series. “It’s a person admitting that they’re searching, that they’re lost, and they’re starting with everyone else, but the fun is going to be watching them get inside themselves.†Continue reading.
Sunnyside, City – “Baxter”
Viola (Kathleen Phillips) suspects her dog, Baxter, is cheating on her. Quennel (Kevin Vidal) suffers from an acute case of smartphone withdrawal. Rookie Kerri (Alice Moran) finds it hard to run a RIDE program once Peter (Rob Norman) falls madly in love with her.
Doc Zone, CBC – “Roboticize Me”
How about a robot that does household drudge work – or cuddles up next to you? Interested? Intrigued? Well it’s not too far away. A robot revolution is upon us. And it’s guaranteed to change the way we see ourselves. Robots have become our colleagues, even our companions. Some look like animals or toys. But others look disturbingly like us. All of them have been developed to act like us, feel and think like us. Why? What’s driving our need to develop intelligent and emotional machines?
