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WarnerMedia and the Canadian Academy join forces to provide opportunity for experienced Canadian writers from underrepresented communities

From a media release:

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (the Canadian Academy) and WarnerMedia announced today that the WarnerMedia x Canadian Academy Global Access Writers Program, a talent activation initiative focused on experienced Canadian writers from underrepresented communities, is now open for submissions through Friday, December 18, 2020 on Academy.ca/WMAccess_Writers.

The WarnerMedia x Canadian Academy Global Access Writers Program is offered in English and French to storytellers of all genders, abilities and identities from underrepresented communities in Canada, including members of Indigenous, Black, racialized groups, people with disabilities, LGBTQ2+ and Francophone minority communities. These creators are experts in their craft but may not have had the opportunity to reach their full industry potential, and whose individual voices and perspectives need to be heard and amplified. Over a period of roughly nine months, the eight to 12 applicants selected will have the opportunity to hone their artistry; gain deeper industry knowledge; and experience invaluable exposure to WarnerMedia executives, creators and established industry professionals, as well as workshop an unfinished script into a viable draft.

Following the closure of submissions on Friday, December 18, 2020, WarnerMedia and the Canadian Academy will conduct internal, peer, and juried reviews to determine the eight to 12 participants of the program. The inaugural class of the WarnerMedia x Canadian Academy Global Access Writers Program will begin in June 2021.

WarnerMedia and the Canadian Academy are jointly committed to elevating the voices of underrepresented Canadian creators on their path to achieving global success and exposure. Following the announcement of a multi-year partnership earlier this year, the WarnerMedia x Canadian Academy Global Access Writers Program is the first in a pair of programs focused on increasing representation and building a more inclusive and innovative industry both in front of and behind the camera. WarnerMedia will be launching several initiatives over the next several months for above and below-the-line talent across the country. The initiatives aim to nurture a sustainable pipeline of Canadian talent as the global demand for unique voices and authentic content grows.

The WarnerMedia x Canadian Academy Global Access Writers Program is a multi-year initiative sponsored by WarnerMedia and administered by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, in collaboration with Telefilm Canada.

Learn more about the WarnerMedia x Canadian Academy Global Access Writers Program and submit your application at Academy.ca/WMAccess_Writers.

For announcements and program details, subscribe to the Canadian Academy’s newsletter at Academy.ca.

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Industry News

Brightlight Pictures and Pier 21 Films in development on Fort Puleyne

From a media release:

Brightlight Pictures, a leading Canadian film and television production company, announced today the development of a new comedy series called Fort Puleyne. Toronto-based production company, Pier 21 Films, will join Brightlight in the development process, along with writer Evany Rosen (New Eden) and Bell Media.

Written and created by Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley, B Positive) and Humphrey Ker (Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet), Fort Puleyne follows the foppishly optimistic young officer, Major Fitzwilliam “Fitz” Gower, as he leaves behind the life he knows for Upper Canada to lead the most misfit militia that ever served in the British Army during the War of 1812. With the help of his men (or more often in spite of them), Fitz must find a way to survive in this backwater garrison, earn his stripes, and finally gain the respect of his superiors – who have all but forgotten they stationed him there in the first place.

Middleditch, who just finished a six-season run on Silicon Valley and is currently starring in Chuck Lorre’s B Positive, is repped by WME and Kirsten Ames Management. Humphrey Ker, who is writing and appearing on season 2 of Mythic Quest is repped by ICM Partners and Kirsten Ames Management.

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Bitten, Industry News, Orphan Black

Will Pascoe announced as showrunner in residence for the Pacific Screenwriting Program’s 2021 Scripted Series Lab

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From a media release:

The Pacific Screenwriting Program (PSP) is excited to announce that award-winning Writer/Producer/Director Will Pascoe will serve as Showrunner-in-Residence for the 2021 Scripted Series Lab. Pascoe will mentor six up-and-coming BC-based screenwriters selected to participate in the program. He will lead the Writer’s Room as they develop his original series in the PSP’s flagship training program starting in January.

Going into its third year, the lab will implement a hybrid-style Writer’s Room combining in-person and virtual meetings that reflect the current production protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants will still get the full PSP experience including mentoring on their original pilot, additional workshops and information sessions with other industry leaders to equip them with the skills, experience and connections necessary to help establish a sustainable career in the province’s dynamic screen industry. The Pacific Screenwriting Program is a collaboration between Netflix, CMPA, the Writer’s Guild of Canada and Creative BC.

Will Pascoe most recently wrapped Showrunning the third season of Amazon’s hit series, Absentia. Previous to that, he wrote for Fox’s The Finder, Bell/SyFy Channel’s, Bitten; NBC’s drama series Chicago Med; BBC Worldwide/Starz’s Da Vinci’s Demons and Hulu’s Shut Eye starring Jeffrey Donovan and Isabella Rossellini. While working as writer and co-producer on Bell/BBC America’s Orphan Black, his episode “Variations Under Domestication” earned Pascoe a Canadian Writer’s Guild Award and nominations for an Edgar Allan Poe Award and a Hugo Award. A graduate of the Writer’s Guild of America’s prestigious Showrunner Training Program, Will has also developed television series for Twentieth-Century Fox, Playtone, and Universal Studios.

The Scripted Series Lab is a 15-week intensive training program providing support and career-advancement opportunities for active and aspiring screenwriters from across British Columbia, where they receive the necessary support to expand their portfolio and pursue opportunities in the evolving TV marketplace. Throughout the program, participants hone their craft, strengthen their collaboration and presentation skills, and obtain a deeper understanding of the global television industry and how to market themselves within it. As the Scripted Series Lab showrunner, Pascoe will mentor the six selected participants within a real-world story room over 10 weeks, breaking stories and writing scripts for the original project he brings to the room and will subsequently be pitching to streamers and networks around the world.

For more information, please visit the Pacific Screenwriting Program website.

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Industry News

New production company Big Time Decent Productions launches in Vancouver

From a media release:

Producer and director Matt Shewchuk has launched a new Vancouver-based production company, Big Time Decent Productions, which will focus on developing and producing unscripted and scripted series, feature films and digital content. The company is in development on a number of new projects with Corus Entertainment, has partnered with finance executive Pricilla Hui to run business affairs, and has brought industry veteran René Brar on board as Head of Development.

Big Time Decent Production’s first series, Backroad Truckers, produced in partnership with Mayhem Entertainment and distributed by Corus Studios, will premiere on HISTORY® in Winter 2021. The unscripted series follows the crazy world of “hot-shot truckers” as they tackle some of the most harrowing roads and dangerous off-road locations in northern British Columbia in their custom ‘monster’ trucks.

Rene Brar

The company has also secured strategic partnerships including post-production services with producer and editor Bridget Durnford (Chicago Med, Fargo), a development deal with showrunner Tommy Blacha (Metalocalypse) for a new half-hour animated comedy series, as well as a talent deal with social media sensation Larry Enticer. They are currently in development on a new series featuring the much-loved internet star.

Company founder, Matt Shewchuk, is Executive Producer for the hit factual series Rust Valley Restorers, which airs domestically on HISTORY and internationally on Netflix as one of the streaming service’s most viewed car shows. Shewchuk recently produced the OUTtv series Dog Dudes which is distributed internationally by Cineflix and directed the hit Discovery Channel series Highway Thru Hell and Heavy Rescue: 401. He was also a producer on the romantic comedy feature film, Three Night Stand, starring Meaghan Rath and Emmanuelle Chriqui.

Larry Enticer

Bringing 20 years of scripted and unscripted experience to the team, Head of Development René Brar was formerly an independent producer with Soshefeigh Media, where he co-created and executive produced The Algorithm (TV3 Ireland) and Battle Cats (Blue Ant & Channel 4 UK), and was previously a development executive for director Ridley Scott on feature films such as Hannibal and Black Hawk Down. He also developed a range of unscripted docs and formats for Stone & Company Entertainment, including Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style (Bravo) and The Mole (ABC).

For more information on the company, visit bigtimedecent.com.

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