From Bill Brioux of Brioux.tv:
Link: All eyes on Blais, Joly at Prime Time in Ottawa
The 22nd annual Prime Time in Ottawa industry conference — a good place to take Canada’s TV temperature — kicked off Thursday. Bell Media’s least favourite CRTC chair, Jean-Pierre Blais, managed to duck in and out without a single question about those Super Bowl ads. Continue reading.Â
From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:
Link: Women Behind Canadian TV: Karen Walton
“All of my experience has been in male-dominated rooms, with two exceptions: Straight Up, and Suzette Couture’s The City. Some were awesome experiences, some were not. In hindsight, I dealt with the inherent challenges of the Not Awesome poorly. The key to any success was to ‘be cool’, be ‘pleasant to work with’, be ‘one of the boys’; I usually did that well. I did not realize I was fulfilling some fucked-up fantasies on that front, in certain situations.” Continue reading.Â
From Etan Vlessing of Cartt.ca:
Link: CMPA Prime Time: Talking points take centre stage; Can Cancon still thrive?
As the CMPA’s Prime Time conference debated the economics behind who’s making and buying content in a rapidly-changing global media business, attention turned Thursday to 6 out of 10, 8 out of 10 and 10 out of ten.
No, delegates weren’t talking judging for Olympic figure skating.
The conference held a debate over Canada in the emerging digital age, and specifically whether or not the current Canadian-content points system should be retained or revamped to ensure innovation and growth. (Readers will remember this has been a serious bone of contention between the CRTC and producers through 2016) Continue reading.
From Nico Franks and Jonathan Webdale of C21Media:
Link: Kew Media snaps up six companies
KMG has secured a private placement of US$20m from current shareholders and new investors ahead of its IPO, with the price of the acquisitions pegged at US$104.1m. The business expects to bring in revenue of US$218.3m in the 2017 fiscal year.
KMG is set to take full ownership of London- and LA-based CMC and in Architect Films, Bristow Global Media, Media Headquarters Film & Television and Our House Media – all of which are based in Toronto – plus Alex Gibney’s Frantic Films in Winnipeg. Continue reading.Â
From a media release:
CBC premieres six-part docu-series TRUE NORTH CALLING on Friday, February 17 at 8:30 p.m. (9 NT). Produced by Proper Television in association with CBC, the series follows the lives of six resourceful Canadians living across the far North as they share what it takes to survive and thrive in Canada’s toughest terrain.
From The Northwest Territories to the Yukon and Nunavut, TRUE NORTH CALLING follows a group of hardy and determined Canadians who navigate unforgiving terrain, unpredictable weather and unexpected challenges to earn a living and make a life for themselves in the far North.
In Iqaluit, Franco Buscemi’s goal is to run for public office and gain the power he needs to lead his community into the 21st century – while still holding down a day job and hunting daily to provide for his family and community. Whitehorse farmers Kate Mechan and Bart Bounds dream to create a sustainable farm and achieve food security in the North – while raising their two small children off the grid in a tiny yurt. As a struggling tour operator in one of the most remote regions of the North, Kylik Kisoun Taylor has to marry old world traditions with modern day business savvy. This year he has a new idea – a big gamble – that, if it pays off, could change everything. Shawn Buckley, a fourth-generation fisherman in Yellowknife, battles the raw elements to fish through two distinctly different seasons and meet the demand for wild, fresh fish while balancing life as a single parent. And Iqaluit based TV producer Stacey Aglok MacDonaldfights to preserve her culture by making a wild comedy series entirely in the language of Inutituk. Each of these rugged Northerners has the same goals most of us have – to parent
Each of these rugged Northerners has the same goals most of us have – to parent well, and to make ends meet – but they often have to do it in unrelenting sub-zero temperatures. Yet, as hard as it can be to succeed in the North, they find life there deeply rewarding and wouldn’t want to live any other way. TRUE NORTH CALLING is a journey into the unexpected and an intimate look at what it really takes to not only survive – but thrive – in Canada’s farthest reaching regions.
