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Children's Programming

DHX Media’s Make It Pop Commissioned by Nickelodeon for Season 2

From a media release:

DHX Media Ltd. (“DHX” or the “Company”) (TSX: DHX.A, DHX.B), a key player internationally in the creation of content for families and children, has been commissioned by Nickelodeon to produce a second season of its hit live-action, tween series, Make It Pop. The 20-episode order will be filmed at DHX’s Epitome Studio, in Toronto, Canada. Make It Pop season one will debut on Nickelodeon’s international channels beginning this summer.

Make It Pop is Nickelodeon’s #1 show with K6-11 and G6-11. The series ranks as the most-watched long-form content on Nick.com and on the Nick App.

Make It Pop is co-created by Thomas W. Lynch and Nick Cannon and produced by DHX Media. Lynch and Cannon also serve as executive producers with DHX Media’s Steven DeNure and Anne Loi. DHX Media also handles global distribution and brand management for Make It Pop, as well as merchandising and licensing through appointed agency, Copyright Promotions Licensing Group Ltd. (CPLG). Music supervision is by Peter Coquillard and Pilar McCurry of Silva Music Publishing, and the show’s band XO-IQ, is managed by Bill Silva Entertainment.

The show is a half-hour comedic, music-infused daily scripted series that follows three unique girls – social-media maven Sun Hi (Megan Lee), bookish Corki (Erika Tham), and fashion-forward Jodi (Louriza Tronco) – who come together with DJ hopeful Caleb (Dale Whibley) over their love of music to form their own K-pop inspired band. Each episode features original songs and performances with a K-pop twist and an EDM beat from the show’s band, XO-IQ.

Filled with new songs, lots of laughs and heart, season two sees Sun Hi, Corki, Jodi and Caleb continue their coming-of-age journey.  After their triumph with the school musical, the band XO-IQ is called upon to represent Mackendrick Prep at a high stakes battle of bands and a new musical rival emerges.

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Children's Programming, Featured

Jonathan Torrens scores comedy touchdown with Samantha Bee on Game On

Jonathan Torrens never expected he’d be the hero of the Nova Scotia film and television industry. But he sprang to its defence when the government announced they’d be cutting the province’s tax credit in the newest budget, effectively killing a burgeoning community of creative people. A recent full day of rallies in Halifax—with Torrens addressing the crowd from on-stage—led to the Liberal government backing off on some of its proposed changes. There is still a lot of talking between sides to take place, but things aren’t as dire as they were a few short weeks ago.

“I have so many things that I’d rather be doing, I did not want to take this on,” Torrens tells TV, Eh? “But I said from the get-go that I would not be speaking up if I didn’t know in my heart and see in my town that it’s working.”

When he’s not fighting for the future of the craft he loves, Torrens is starring in one of several projects. He’s set to return to Trailer Park Boys to play J-Roc next month, followed by Season 5 of Mr. D, and is one-half of the hit podcast Taggart and Torrens with former Our Lady Peace drummer Jeremy Taggart.

His latest TV project—Game On, debuting tonight on YTV—finds Torrens in a familiar setting, portraying a sports commentator named Bob opposite The Daily Show‘s Samantha Bee as Geri. The duo serve as offbeat play-by-play reporters for the life of Toby Martin (Grayson Gurnsey, The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell), an awkward 14-year-old whose most embarrassing moments and personal triumphs are noted in Game On.

“I feel like I’ve done the ‘guys in sport coats’ thing, so that it was a woman, and that it was Samantha Bee specifically, and that it was directed by Jacob Tierney, was the neapolitan of flavours that brought me to the table,” Torrens says with a smile. A long-standing respect for what Bee has done in her professional and personal life was a major draw, and he hoped they’d mesh during filming scenes in Montreal. The pair provide what Torrens calls “traffic copping” with dialogue describing Toby’s movement and interaction with friends Seth (Jamie Mayers) and Jessica (Alice Morel-Michaud), sister Mel (Teale Bishopric) and parents Erica (Rebecca Croll) and Jeff (Marcel Jeannin), with the opportunity to riff during the intros and extros.

The chance to ad-lib provides hilariously uncomfortable moments; in Monday’s first of 20 episodes, “Small Change,” it’s hinted Geri and Bob may have been in a relationship that fizzled because one of them “closed their borders” to the other. Having that creative space to play, Torrens explains, came via Game On‘s executive producer and director, Tierney (The Trotsky), who encouraged going off script.

“Sam is every bit as funny, cheeky and acerbic as you’d hope,” Torrens says. “But it takes somebody in the driver’s seat to say, ‘Yeah, take five seconds and pan for gold.”

Game On airs Mondays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on YTV.

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Children's Programming

Link: Jonathan Torrens scores with new YTV series with Daily Show’s Samantha Bee

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From Jim Slotek of Postmedia Network:

Jonathan Torrens scores with new YTV series with Daily Show’s Samantha Bee
“Are you a fan of the Norwegian original?” Jonathan Torrens says, straight-faced, before breaking into a smirk.

I’m guessing virtually no one who’s not Norwegian has seen Kampen, the show that inspired YTV’s live-action series Game On with Torrens and Samantha Bee. In it, a 14-year-old boy (Grayson Gurnsey) has play-by-play delivered on his life by an unseen male-female anchor team. Continue reading.

 

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Children's Programming

Link: GTA police searching for teen Family Channel actress and friend who’ve been missing since Monday

From the Canadian Press:

GTA police searching for teen Family Channel actress and friend who’ve been missing since Monday
Police in Oakville, Ont., continue to search for two teenage girls who’ve been missing since Monday.

One of them is 14-year-old actress Abigail Bergman, who has appeared on The Next Step television program on The Family Channel about a group of teenage dancers.

Halton Region police say Bergman, and 15-year-old Polinah Ouskova, are believed to be together and are concerned for their safety. Continue reading.

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Children's Programming

Sinking Ship and DHX partner for preschool Playdate

From a media release:

Sinking Ship Entertainment , recent recipients of three Daytime Emmy® Awards, and DHX Television are pleased to announce the start of principal photography on the new preschool series Playdate. A mix of live-action and the skilled puppeteering of Dina and Frank Meschkuleit, the series showcases the unexpected adventures Jacob and his friends’ stuffed animals encounter when they leave them alone. Playdate’s first season will see 13 half-hour episodes and is slated to premiere on DHX Television’s preschool channel which will be rebranded to Family Junior in Fall 2015.     

Every child believes their toys come to life when they’re not around and on Playdate, they really do! Meet Mac, Sammy, Priscilla and Buckie – the beloved stuffed animals of Jacob and his friends who venture out on their own playtime adventures when the children are away. They do their best to complete the kids’ playtime adventures but usually end up causing some kind of mess or chaos along the way. Since the kids can never know their toys come to life, Mac, Sammy, Priscilla and Buckie have to finish their escapades before the kids come back and make sure they’re exactly where they started off. Luckily, Norman, the family dog, makes the perfect fall guy for any of their hijinks.

Playdate stars Millie Davis (Odd Squad, Orphan Black) as Molly; Scarlett Dovey (This is Scarlett and Isaiah) as Gwen; and newcomers Aidan Wojtak-Hissong as Jacob and Nirvaan Kwan as Enzo.

Commissioned by DHX Television, Playdate was created by Dina and Frank Meschkuleit. Frank is one of Canada’s premier puppeteers with a wealth of knowledge having worked on popular kids programs including Fraggle Rock, Toopy and Binoo and The Mighty Jungle. The series was developed by J.J. Johnson and Christin Simms and is produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment. Sinking Ship recently won three Daytime Emmy® Awards for children’s series including Outstanding Pre-School Series for Dino Dan: Trek’s Adventures.

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