From Nancy Tartaglione of Deadline:
Link: Hulu acquires CBC crime drama ‘Pure’
In their first SVOD deal, Cineflix Rights and Hulu have pacted on Cineflix Media’s new Canadian crime drama Pure. Under the agreement, the series will air exclusively on the streaming service in the U.S. The Michael Amo-created Pure launched at MIPTV earlier this month and recently premiered on the CBC, winning its timeslot and becoming the network’s top new drama. Continue reading.
From You’ve Been Hooked:
Link: 5×5 With The Hook: Kate Drummond
“It’s been particularly interesting to be part of the industry at a time when there are more opportunities for females in terms of writing and directing. I am inspired to be part of the movement that creates enriching stories that celebrates our very rich Canadian diversity.” Continue reading.
From a media release:
Women in Film & Television – Toronto (WIFT-T) announced today that they have partnered to create a new mentorship opportunity. The Meridian Artists Agency Mentorship is open to a woman with at least two years’ experience, but not more than five, in the screen-based media industry. It is a full three-week immersion at Meridian Artists, a premiere literary agency and leading entity in the Canadian entertainment industry, founded by Glenn Cockburn.
The mentee will learn, through job-shadowing, how a select roster of the most talented writers, directors, and producers in North America are represented and managed; learn more about client management and development, generating ideas, preparing pitches and selling shows; tap into the youth and animation markets; get a glimpse into the world of publishing; see how clients are “pitched†for roles; and experience the bullpen.
The inaugural Meridian Artists Agency Mentorship will take place from October 23 to November 10, 2017. The mentee will also receive a cash honorarium and on-stage recognition at the 2017 WIFT-T Crystal Awards Gala Luncheon in December. Deadline to submit is May 31, 2017. For more information on the submission process, visit wift.com.
About WIFT-T: Women in Film & Television – Toronto (WIFT-T) is a member-based organization of women and men working in screen-based media that supports the development and advancement of women in the industry. Membership in WIFT-T enables women to be capable, confident, connected and successful in their careers. For more information, visit www.wift.com.
About Meridian Artists: Founded in 2005, Meridian Artists is a premiere full service e-literary and talent agency and a market leader in the Canadian entertainment industry. With principal offices in Toronto and Los Angeles, Meridian Artists is an established leader in the representation of actors, authors, screenwriters and directors. www.meridianartists.com
From a media release:
The Toronto Screenwriting Conference (TSC) today announced the five winners of the first annual Magee TV Diverse Screenwriters Mentorship Award, a mentorship and bursary program that was created to help emerging and mid-level screenwriters from diverse backgrounds to be mentored, network with other Canadian television professionals and be exposed to other leaders in the field of screen-based writing.
To achieve this objective – each of the five winners including Anil Kamal, Mackenzie Sinclair, Marsha Mason, Maya Bastian and Nadia Alam will receive a complimentary registration for the highly anticipated two-day conference that takes place in Toronto over the weekend of April 22-23. The winners will also join Al Magee, founder of Magee TV, a producer, writer and story editor with a long history of mentorship, for a pre-conference meet up in addition to each receiving a three-month mentorship with Canadian screenwriting professionals that include Alejandro Alcoba, Desmond Sargeant, Duana Taha, Pat Mills and Renuka Jeyapalan. Click HERE to see the bios for the winners and click HERE to see the bios for their chosen mentors.
The winners were chosen by their mentors based on submissions that included the following four criteria: one concept for an original series or feature film, one writing sample, a letter of interest and intent and a letter of reference.
The TSC also announced today the official selection of participants who will join co-creators Ins Choi and Kevin White of CBC’s runaway hit, Kim’s Convenience, in support of this years WGC Writing Room Intensive. Amy Cole, Elize Morgan, Gillian Muller, Jennifer Siddle, Marcia Johnson, Richard Clark, Lisa Rose Snow and Derek Robertson will all work alongside Ins and Kevin in a mock writers room on Thursday, April 20th. The team will then reconvene on stage at the conference for a special session on Saturday, April 22nd where they will finish the process of breaking story in the room in front of the TSC delegates. Click HERE to see the bios for each participant.
The Writing Room Intensive participants were selected through a juried process and all who entered for consideration were required to meet certain qualifications including relevant experience (either past or present) working on a television series as either a story coordinator, staff writer, story editor, producer, executive producer, creator and/or showrunner.
The Toronto Screenwriting Conference runs April 22-23, 2017. Get the latest information—including events and how to register—on the official website.
At first glance, one would assume Canadian web series Forgotten Corpses is just another addition to the zombie genre. And, in some ways, it is. In the pilot episode, there is a farmhouse, a lot of mist, a guy and girl walking quietly, speaking in hushed tones … and then doing battle with a gaggle of undead brain-eaters.
But where shows like The Walking Dead and Z Nation are showing signs of serious wear, Forgotten Corpses sets itself apart not only for how professional it looks but the scope of the series. Don’t believe me? Watch the pilot episode below. These folks have lofty plans for their web series and seem to be on the right track. Their supporters are certainly insatiable: they blew past their Kickstarter goal and are plotting the filming of 13 episodes this summer.
“Caine Chow filmed the pilot episode and is the only original person to come over to the web series,” says writer Whitney Kitchur. “Everyone else is new.” Megan Laursen, who played a zombie in the pilot, has joined Chow as a producer and director on Forgotten Corpses. The duo had writers lined up by last December, including Kitchur, story editor Candice Wong, executive story editor Brandon Laraby and writers Michael Lake and Jessica Peng.
Forgotten Corpses focuses on Joyce (Lee Lawson) and James (Greg Willmot), two strangers who meet after the zombie apocalypse. They’re together, but only because they need to be. James is timid and not ready to fight anyone, let alone a zombie. James hasn’t adapted to the post-apocalyptic world yet. Joyce, however, is ready to kick some butt. In the world of Forgotten Corpses, we already know you take the undead down by a headshot and Joyce does it with aplomb.
“There are some twists that I can’t reveal,” Kitchur says of upcoming scripts in the 13-part web project. “But one of the biggest differences between this and other zombie shows is that we’ve taken modern science [into consideration]. There are some recent scientific developments and testing that will really scare people.” The other angle being explored? The mental health of folks ranging around a world inhabited by zombies. Season 1 will focus on the characters’ mental health and how they’re dealing, or not dealing, with this situation.
“We thought that eight-minute episodes were perfect,” Kitchur says. “We didn’t want to have a lot of filler story. We wanted to really focus on these two characters because we think that character-driven story is a lot better in this sort of situation.” Joyce and James will encounter other survivors during their Season 1 cross-country travels. Episode 1 begins with a survivor radio broadcast that launches the pair’s journey. Forgotten Corpses really is a guerilla project surviving on a shared love with everyone involved. Kitchur says almost everyone is currently a student, has a daytime job or a family; story breaking and writing was done after work hours or on weekends.
Next steps for Forgotten Corpses is a table read on April 15 with filming in May and release date on—fittingly—Halloween. A second season is also in the cards.
You can find out more details about Forgotten Corpses on their website.
Check out the pilot episode of Forgotten Corpses!
