Everything about Industry News, eh?

Andrew Younghusband returns with Discovery’s Canada’s Worst Driver and Tougher Than It Looks?

From a media release:

Notable host, creative producer, and writer, Andrew Younghusband is taking over primetime television Monday nights! Discovery, Canada’s most-watched entertainment specialty network, continues rolling out its biggest-ever fall lineup with the season premiere of CANADA’S WORST DRIVER, airing Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT followed by the network’s newest original Canadian series, TOUGHER THAN IT LOOKS? at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT, beginning Oct. 24.

Discovery introduces TOUGHER THAN IT LOOKS? starring Younghusband as he delves into the toughest jobs, attempts to tackle terrifying heights, extreme sports, small spaces, and strange hobbies. Shot in ultra-vivid 4K UHD, each 30-minute episode finds Younghusband on a mission to tackle wildly different experiences with minimal training, including working as a window cleaner on a dauntingly high skyscraper, wing walking on a bi-plane in mid-air, barefoot water skiing, setting world records, and even racing lawnmowers. Nothing is too scary – or obscure – for Younghusband to try … at least once.

But first, Younghusband is back at the Driver Rehabilitation Centre in Dunnville, Ont., for CANADA’S WORST DRIVER as eight disastrous Canadian drivers take on various challenges behind the wheel in Season 12. CANADA’S WORST DRIVER was Discovery’s most-watched series last season and ranked as the #1 Canadian series on entertainment specialty television among the key adult demos (A25-54 and A18-49). The series also saw a double-digit audience growth among the A25-54 (+15%) and A18-49 (+18%) demos, when compared to its previous season.

This year’s reckless and irresponsible drivers hail from Winnipeg, Edmonton, Hamilton, Ont., Kitchener, Ont., and beyond. Each nominated by a friend or family member, these truly terrible drivers are put through driving challenges in a controlled environment and evaluated by a panel of driving experts: CP24’s Cam Woolley, traffic expert and former OPP sergeant; Philippe Létourneau, a professional high-performance driving instructor; expert driving instructor Tim Danter; and registered psychotherapist Shyamala Kiru.

A first for CANADA’S WORST DRIVER this season, Younghusband examines and compares Canadian driving laws with the customs and driving cultures of other countries, all while administering the series’ trademark tried-and-tested challenges designed to push this year’s driver participants to their limits. Week by week, one driver graduates from the training centre, and merges back on to the open road with their head held high.

The season finale sees the remaining three drivers face the last challenge before one finalist is ultimately named this year’s “Worst Driver”. Viewers can catch up on all previous season finales of CANADA’S WORST DRIVER online now at Discovery.ca. Previous seasons of CANADA’S WORST DRIVER are streaming now on Discovery GO and CraveTV™.

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AJ Buckley, Ryan Robbins, Peter Outerbridge and Rosie Perez to star in CBC drama Pure

From a media release:

CBC, Two East Productions and Cineflix Media Inc. today announced casting details for the highly anticipated dramatic series PURE (6×60), about a Mennonite pastor battling drug trafficking within his community. Inspired by true events, the series stars Ryan Robbins (Arrow, Continuum, The Killing), Alex Paxton-Beesley (Murdoch Mysteries, Copper), AJ Buckley (CSI: NY, Justified, Narcos), Peter Outerbridge (Orphan Black, Bomb Girls, ReGenesis) and Oscar® and Golden Globe® nominee Rosie Perez (White Men Can’t Jump, Fearless). Commissioned by CBC and produced by Two East Productions and Cineflix Media, PURE is shooting in Nova Scotia until mid-November and will premiere on CBC in winter 2017.

PURE tells the story of Noah Funk (Robbins), a newly-elected Mennonite pastor, who is determined to rid his community of drug traffickers by betraying a fellow Mennonite to the police. But instead of solving the problem, Noah’s actions trigger an ultimatum from mob leader Eli Voss (Outerbridge): in order to protect his family he must get involved in the illegal operation. Noah decides that if he must work for the mob, he will secretly gather enough evidence to dismantle the organization.

Noah finds his beliefs and principles challenged every step of the way. Struggling to save his soul and complete his mission, Noah receives help from an unlikely source: his high school nemesis, local cop Bronco Novak (Buckley). With his law-enforcement career hanging by a thread, Bronco sees the case as his ticket to redemption. Rounding out the cast, Perez plays DEA Agent Phoebe O’Reilly, who’s made it her personal mission to take down Voss.

Commissioned by CBC and produced by Two East Productions and Cineflix, PURE is created and written by Michael Amo (The Listener) and directed by Ken Girotti (Orphan Black, Vikings). The executive producers are Amo, Brett Burlock, Peter Emerson, Girotti and David MacLeod (Call Me Fitz, Haven). Cineflix Rights has the exclusive worldwide distribution rights to PURE.

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The age of abundant consultation

Originally published in the summer 2016 issue of Reel West magazine:

We live in an age of abundance. So says the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), and apparently they don’t mean an abundance of public consultations that have little hope of engaging the public.

From 2014’s Talk TV hearing to this year’s Discoverability Summit by the CRTC, plus the federal government review on how to bring Canada’s cultural industries into the digital age, everyone wants to know how best to get Canadian content in front of consumers. The task would be easier if the CRTC and the government could speak the same language as consumers.

Talk TV proved to be a disastrous miscommunication between what the public wanted and what the CRTC mandated in terms of skinny basic, for example. Cable companies are offering packages that conform to the letter of the law, with extra fees that go beyond the $25 irate consumers feel they were promised. Now the CRTC is examining the offerings prior to renewing broadcaster licenses, but given the regulations specify a very limited number of channels and did not specify that cable boxes or package discounts needed to be part of the deal, the result will likely be a public relations exercise that has no hope of placating the public.

Recent CRTC/National Film Board Discoverability Summit events aimed to find ways to help consumers discover Canadian content in this “age of abundance.” Even though I created a website 10 years ago to help Canadians hear about Canadian content, I didn’t manage to hear about the event taking place here in Vancouver. The main event took place in Toronto in mid-May and looking at the list of speakers, seems to have been another example of industry people talking to industry people about how to reach the audience, the same kind of groupthink that has led to futile branding exercises ignored by the public such as Eye on Canada.

Now, Minister of Canadian Heritage Mélanie Joly is leading public, stakeholder and online consultations on “Strengthening Canadian Content Creation, Discovery and Export in a Digital World.” If you work in the television and film industry, hopefully you completed the pre-consultation questionnaire which will be used to frame the consultations on possibly overhauling the Broadcast Act and the CRTC, among others. Important work, long overdue. But …

The first question was whether you were a consumer or a stakeholder. If you answered as a consumer, the questions were in many cases identical to those asked of stakeholders, including “What are the most urgent challenges facing the culture sector in the creation, discovery and export of Canadian content in a digital world?” and “What are the most significant barriers facing the culture sector in the creation, discovery and export of Canadian content in a digital world?”

I have a question: in governmentese, what is the difference between “urgent challenges” and “significant barriers”? In any case, the provided responses assume a level of knowledge of the industry the average Canadian doesn’t have – tax credits, how funding is allocated, co-production treaties — leading me to believe the government is not actually trying to get the opinions of average Canadians.

One of the response choices was “dealing with disruptive digital intermediaries.” If anyone can even parse what they’re talking about (hi Netflix), how is that not a biased way to describe the concept? Two questions asked what other countries are doing that could help with content creation and discovery, and two of my answers had to be “I have no idea.” If you have the attention of Canadian consumers, why would you waste it on questions better answered through a competitive analysis?

Not that anyone has asked, but I discover new shows through recommendations by real-life and social media friends, newspaper and web-based critics, and Netflix’s recommendation engine. I have ideas on how those might be leveraged to better serve Canadian content, and I sent them to the Discoverability Summit blog, where they entered the black hole that is the Canadian television and film industry public consultation process.

The focus of these consultations is important. The outcomes could change the definition of Canadian content, the funding models, the mandates of the CBC and the CRTC. It could create new laws and agencies governing our cultural industries. Done right, it could strengthen our industries and job market and make it easier for audiences to watch our content. Done wrong, it could put the Canadian industry further behind in a Netflix world.

Given the last major overhaul of Canadian content regulations was in 1991, the dawn of the world wide web, it’s time. But if public consultation is just lip service – with those lips speaking jargon – there’s little hope that the needs of the industry will meet the needs of the public.

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Link: CRTC Survey: Canadian TV showrunners & writers on new CanCon requirements

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Link: CRTC Survey: Canadian TV showrunners & writers on new CanCon requirements
t’s been a little over a month since the CRTC (Canada Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) handed down a ruling they claim will give more “flexibility” to producers, but one that many creatives in the Canadian television industry are very upset about. Responsible for regulating and supervising broadcasting and telecommunications in Canada, the CRTC’s ruling in late August to reduce the number of points reserved for Canadians on productions has stirred up quite the controversy. It’s a move that many have interpreted as the CRTC saying Canadian TV needs international help to succeed. Continue reading.

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Gusto’s first original design series The Search for Canada’s Next Designers premieres Oct. 16

From a media release:

Grab your allen keys, Canada! Gusto debuts its first original design program with the premiere of THE SEARCH FOR CANADA’S NEXT DESIGNER. From Bell Media In-House Productions, the six-episode, 30-minute series airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET, beginning October 16 on Gusto.

Hosted by THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW’s design expert Tommy Smythe, the series sees six competitors vie for a coveted design contract with IKEA Canada as they face weekly challenges and eliminations. THE SEARCH FOR CANADA’S NEXT DESIGNER encores on CTV Two, Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET, beginning Oct. 20.

For a group of up-and-coming Canadian design experts, the opportunity of a lifetime is about to begin! THE SEARCH FOR CANADA’S NEXT DESIGNER pits six individuals against one another in a series of high-stakes décor challenges. The lucky grand prize winner nabs a coveted design contract with IKEA Canada and a dream trip to Sweden.

Each week, designers work with IKEA Canada products to showcase their innovative design skills. From DIY-themed challenges to dealing with dated décor on a budget, the challenges reference both IKEA’s current line of products as well as the brand’s history. With the threat of elimination hiding behind every challenge, it’s up to each designer to put their skills to the test and show what they’ve got. Also in the blueprints are game-changing twists and fast time turnarounds! There’s a lot at stake in this competition, and only one designer can come out on top.

In addition to Smythe, THE SEARCH FOR CANADA’S NEXT DESIGNER features IKEA Canada judge Alicia Caroll and a cast of top-tier guest judges, including celebrity chef Roger Mooking, THE SOCIAL co-host Lainey Lui, Canadian home renovation guru Sebastian Clovis, winner of THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW’s search for their next designer expert, Andrew Pike, and more.

The six competitors competing in THE SEARCH FOR CANADA’S NEXT DESIGNER are:

  • Christopher, Interior Designer
  • Joey, Owner of Joey Vogel Interior Design
  • Marcy, Entrepreneur and YouTube personality
  • Martha, Engineer and Lead Designer at Hedgeford & Berkley
  • Natalie, Owner of Nest Design Studios
  • Victoria, Television Art Director

In the premiere episode of THE SEARCH FOR CANADA’S NEXT DESIGNER (Sunday, October 16 at 9 p.m. ET on Gusto) the competition is on! Host Tommy Smythe dishes out the first-ever challenge for six up-and-coming design experts: a dining space transformation. Working with a limited budget and tight deadline, the designers soon find out that every little detail matters – and for one of them, the journey is about to come to an end. The episode features special guest judge, Roger Mooking.

THE SEARCH FOR CANADA’S NEXT DESIGNER is executive produced by Michelle Crespi. John Simpson is co-executive producer.

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