Everything about Featured, eh?

Featured, Web series

Ghosts, monsters and wooden ducks seek 2019 IPF funding

It’s been two years since TV, Eh? began our inaugural spotlight on web series seeking Independent Production Fund support, and the state of those series in Canada is booming. Projects like Save Me, Clairevoyant, How to Buy a Baby and Narcoleap are just a few of the many that received IPF support in the past and have gone on to full-blown web and television series.

Established in 1991 to provide financial support for dramatic television series, the IPF was expanded in 2010 to include financing drama series for the web. That mandate has been extended indefinitely. The result? Dozens of trailers for potential projects have been posted on YouTube. Check them out here.

With a deadline of March 31 approaching, creators are looking for support via views and comments about their potential projects before the IPF makes their decision. In 2018, the IPF approved funding for 17 scripted series (11 in English and six in French) including The Amazing Gayl Pyle, The Communist’s Daughter, Detention Adventure and Short Term Sentence. Here are a few projects that caught our eye, as well as the links to some honourable mentions. Watch, click, comment and help them all gain funding!

 

The Series: The Wait

The Creator: Matthew MacFadzean

The Idea: July (Keeya King) discovers she is a ghost left haunting a home after her family moves out. July is able to communicate with Melinda (Jessica Clement), the young woman who moves into the house. July realizes a figure named Dark John is on the hunt to collect her lost soul.

The Inspiration: “I had an image of a girl ghost looking at another girl and saying, ‘I see you,'” MacFadzean recalls. “I thought, ‘There’s something in that.’ There is something about the relationship between a ghost and a living person that maybe hasn’t been done to the extent that it could be.” A fan of what the horror genre is turning out now thanks to films like Get Out and the Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House, MacFadzean wanted to explore what is a tale of possession and, ultimately, consent.

The first season will explore the relationship between these two women; MacFadzean was explaining the premise to writer and producer Mika Collins, who suggested that in addition to being about a haunting The Wait is also an LGBT story. If the project is greenlit, July and Melinda’s tale will be told responsibly.

The Plan: Ten 10-minute web episodes to start, focusing on July and Melinda’s relationship. MacFadzean says that he has plenty of stories to tell and characters to introduce if The Wait becomes an hour-long drama.

 

The Series: It’s OK to Be Awesome

The Creators: Rebecca Tremblay and Anne Lebans

The Idea: A gaggle of brightly-coloured puppets named Tez, Skye and Pinkerton teach kids aged 6-9 about mental wellness and empowerment.

The Inspiration: Lebans, a life coach, found that self-worth was missing from the female entrepreneurs she was working with. Tremblay, a teacher and puppeteer, used her creations to build self-esteem with adults and children. The two teamed up in 2016 and provided an after-school program in New Brunswick; everything they taught in it has been put into It’s OK to Be Awesome.

“Whether you’re an adult or a child, self-worth and confidence can really stop you from succeeding and they’re not part of the school curriculum,” Lebans says. “I realized, ‘Holy moly, we need to teach this to people so that the world can look different, feel different and have a happy, healthy life.’” The duo, along with producer Jessica Jennings of Hemmings House Pictures, received financial support from the Telus Fund—it supports projects with a health focus—to film a pilot episode, and It’s OK to Be Awesome is endorsed by the Canadian Mental Health Association.

The Plan: A web series to begin with, but the team hopes a broadcaster follows.

 

The Series: Decoys

The Creator: David Pelech

The Idea: In this mockumentary, cameras follow a group of characters competing in the Northern Alberta Duck Decoy Carving Competition.

The Inspiration: The idea is close to Pelech’s heart: his father and uncle both participate in duck carving woodworking.

“The way that they are so into it, and their passion for something that is so fringe and so unique, I thought that world was ripe,” Pelech says. “And it’s not a parody or mocking. I think it can be quite beautiful art, but sometimes they do take themselves a bit too seriously. They do enter competitions, so it is nice to have that driving a show. I’m trying to draw the heart out of it as well.”

The Plan: If it receives IPF funding, Decoys will take the form of six 15-minute episodes on CBC Gem.

“Episode 1 is at the competition and at the end, we’ve heard the finalists,” Pelech explains. “Then we go back in time and start meeting the characters on the road to the competition, six months out, four months out, and then in the final episode, we find out who wins. Who is the best carver in Lloydminster.”

Honourable Mentions

Arties
A coming-of-age tale about a teenaged boy who partners with an Indigenous woman. Together they evade government forces on a journey to bring civil rights to androids.

Triggered
A former event planner-turned assassin seeks revenge on the health-care system who murdered her mother and frames it on the only person she’s ever loved.

Miikshi the Meek Sheep
A shy sheep scientist and her loudmouth journalist best friend (a chicken) solves a subway train mystery. The entire world of the show is handmade using puppets and model miniatures.

La Professoressa
A multilingual coming-of-age comedy about a failing jazz singer who adds new richness to her life, and voice, through teaching Italian to a variety of students in Toronto.

Late Night in the Studio
Archivist and host Moe delves into the catacombs of the CBC archives to dig up wacky (and totally fake) treasures.

Naked Nancy
Socially awkward Nancy is forced to face her greatest fear—the outside world—when her cat escapes from their apartment.

Bobby and Bogey
This project follows Bobby, a kid in Grade 4 that needs a lot of help with … well, everything. He finds that guidance one day when he discovers a crusty old booger living in his nose that doesn’t want to be picked. The booger, named Bogey, agrees to mentor him as barter for staying in his comfy little nose apartment.

Trouble and Strife
A dramatic comedy about loneliness and need and intimacy, and how it’s easier to be a hero to other people’s lives than it is to be a hero in your own.

Begin Again
Denise, Sarah and Toni discover adulthood is not at all what they imagined as children. Now they must hold on to each other before they each fall apart.

Kit & Kat
An unapologetic, thirtysomething slacker and her precocious 11-year-old stepdaughter navigate the conservative world of Vancouver’s upper class.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Dragons' Den, Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Arlene Dickinson helps Canadians invest in small businesses in CBC’s Under New Management

I’m a fan of Arlene Dickinson. Amid what seems like a cacophony of negativity on Twitter, she stands out with her positive vibes every morning. The outlook carries over to her latest television project as well.

Under New Management, bowing Friday at 8:30 p.m. on CBC, catches up with the venture capitalist and Dragons’ Den investor as she aids aspiring business buyers in their quest to find a great investment. In Friday’s debut, that’s NBA veteran Cory Joseph and his sister, Danielle. The pair are looking to buy a restaurant—he recognizes he won’t be on the court forever and wants to build a nest egg—but finding just the right place is difficult. That’s where Dickinson shines, not just with her advice but a property twist that throws the siblings for a loop.

We spoke to Arlene Dickinson late last year about Under New Management.

Under New Management is the way that I want to see Dragons’ Den go sometimes, to follow after the deal’s been done. I know it’s not like Dragons’ Den in that way, but I do like seeing you working on these deals. How did the idea come about? Was it an idea that was pitched to you?
Arlene Dickinson: It was an idea that was pitched to me, and it was pitched to me by a producer that I knew. He and I started talking about this. He said, ‘I really thought of you when I wrote this concept.’ He talked to me about it. I thought, ‘Man! This is just something I really relate to.’ And I loved the idea of it, which is understanding what people’s dreams are and then helping them realize it.

Was it you or the producers that decided the projects and the people that you were going to meet?
AD: People submitted their names and there were a lot of online applications. We went out and did a casting call and asked people if they were looking for businesses. I believe Corey and Danielle were found through somebody who knew about the show. They knew that Corey and Danielle were looking for a business and then suggested they apply, so they did.

Corey is so smart recognizing that he’s been in the NBA for a certain number of years and knows that at any time in sports anything can happen. An injury can take you out and he’s planning for the future.
AD: I think that a lot of athletes and people who count on their physicality in order to make a living can find themselves injured or their careers are very limited in terms of how long. Very few play past 40 unless they’re in golf. I know a lot of athletes, pro athletes who have no idea what they’re going to do. They hadn’t thought of the future.

It was really interesting to see them going through the process, going to the small restaurant, going to the large restaurant. It’s one thing for Danielle to say, ‘Oh, I really like this and I’m passionate about it,’ but it’s quite another to envision her running a small restaurant or a large restaurant. Restaurants go under all the time because people don’t have that business savvy.
AD: I’m glad that you picked up on that because I think that’s the nuance of the show, which is you really have to start to understand that these people that are on the show are going through a real journey. They’re going from, ‘I can’t wait to do this,’ to the reality of ‘Oh, I never thought about doing that every day. That’s what it means to own a restaurant or that’s what you have to do.’ I feel like they go on this amazing journey of highs and lows. Then they come out the other side with something that maybe not expect it. In their case, we showed them something that they didn’t expect.

When people tune in to watch these episodes, what do you want them to get out of it? Obviously, there’s the entertainment value but is there something you want them to learn and to consider in their own lives?
AD: I think at the heart of the show is this notion of hope and aspiration that we all have aspirations. We all want to do something interesting and meaningful in our lives. Many people in today’s world are thinking, ‘Well maybe I should start my own business. Maybe I should go and think about this differently.’ I want people to understand that the answer might not be obvious to you right now. Often, I get asked, ‘What should I do? I want to run a business but I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what I like.’

I say, pick something. Go through a process and make something. Just start. Just start. You can evolve into other businesses. You don’t have to get stuck with something. If you make a smart choice, you learn from it and you can go on and find exactly what it is you’re passionate about. I hope people feel inspired to go and try something they’ll love.

Under New Management airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem.

Image courtesy of CBC.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Podcast, Private Eyes, Second Jen

TV Eh B Cs Podcast 88 — Awards season with Samantha Wan

Samantha Wan is a Toronto-based actor and filmmaker. Samantha found her passion for film and acting at a young age in high school. From there, she was accepted into the country’s top theatre school, the National Theatre School of Canada, which boasts a number of notable of alumni including award-winning actress Sandra Oh.

Samantha Wan recently received a 2019 Canadian Screen Award nomination in the category of Best Comedy Series for her sitcom Second Jen.

Second Jen is a buddy comedy about two second-generation millennials making it on their own in the big city. Season 1 aired on the major Canadian network Citytv and Season 2 was later picked up by OMNI Television. The show was produced by Don Ferguson Productions, the production company famously known for creating the Royal Canadian Air Farce. Samantha developed the series with actress and screenwriter Amanda Joy. The two became the youngest televisions creators in Canada.

Samantha is also known for her role as Zoe Chow in the comedy-drama television series Private Eyes starring alongside Jason Priestley and Cindy Sampson.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Preview: VisionTV’s The Big Downsize is an emotional journey on the road to decluttering

1 Comment

Tidying up and decluttering isn’t a new thing—especially once spring arrives—and it’s reached new heights of awareness thanks to Marie Kondo and her Netflix series. I admit, I’ve used Kondo’s tip for folding t-shirts and it’s totally reorganized my dresser. But where it’s easy for me to clean up and get rid of my own stuff, the thought of doing it for someone else gives me the sweats and heart palpitations.

That’s where professional downsizer Jane Veldhoven comes in.

Premiering Monday at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on VisionTV, The Big Downsize follows Veldhoven as she helps two Canadian families as they seek to declutter, clean up and ship out.

For the MacNeil family, that involves going through 50 years of accumulated things and memories in their childhood home in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. With their mother passed away and their father living with one of his children, four of the five siblings have convened with thoughts of selling the family home. But to do that means a major cleanup.

It’s a daunting task, and not all of the MacNeil kids agree on how items should be divvied up. Throw in busy lives and nerves get jangled.

Meanwhile, Pam and Scott are on a different path. The Halifax couple is dissolving their marriage of over 20 years. The pair have a monumental task ahead: emptying a house full of items that were tied to them as a couple. Health issues have plagued Pam, adding another layer of stress to an already emotional situation. Things like key pieces of furniture are fairly easy to divide, but what about photos, clothing and the toys their son played with and, now, their grandkids?

“Even though downsizing seems like it’s just about getting rid of stuff, the stuff is usually a symbol of emotional chaos, something that’s happened in somebody’s life,” Veldhoven says during Episode 1. “In the end, that’s what we see physically but it doesn’t have a lot to do with that. People keep stuff for 20 different reasons.”

What sets the five episodes of The Big Downsize apart from other tidying-up television series or segments are the stories. This isn’t just about holding up a cracked old toy to the camera and wondering why it was kept. Tell Tale Productions, who previously made Growing Sense for AMI-tv, delves into the stories of these two families. The result is an emotional journey of togetherness, laughter, memories, tears and, ultimately, letting go.

The Big Downsize airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on VisionTV.

Images courtesy of VisionTV.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured

Comments and queries for the week of March 8

Will there be a Season 13 of Murdoch Mysteries and if so, when will it air? —Regina

Hi Regina. There has been no official word on Season 13 of Murdoch Mysteries. That should be in the coming weeks.

Season 12 is great, just like the 11 previous ones! This season has pleased the audience with a variety of plots, expansion of the subject of episodes and an increase in the number of interesting characters. The season finale is generally terrific without the heavy dramatic upheavals of the heroes of the show, but there are questions to investigate next season (we hope so much!). It is very good that there were no problems in the relationship of William and Julia. But in some episodes of Season 12, their roles were not prioritized. Of course, this made it possible to reveal other characters, but I believe that Detective Murdoch and Dr. Ogden should be in the centre of the plot! It was the charisma and talent of Yannick Bisson and Hélène Joy that ensured the super popularity of the show. I hope that Season 13 will take place and there are many wishes. I’d love to see a Christmas or New Year’s special. It is a pity that in the 12th season there was no such episode. Perhaps Dr. Ogden will again become the coroner instead of Miss Hart. Maybe William and Julia will expand the geographical scope of the show and conduct an investigation in another country. It will be very interesting to meet with James Pendrick and his new ideas, Terence Myers and even with Detective Fellows. Hopefully, George will meet his love, maybe Dr. Grace will come back to the show again. Finally, a lot of fans of the show want to see the baby Julia and William, this couple deserves to be happy. In general, the romantic storyline is very important in this show. Murdoch Mysteries is a unique show, really the best crime drama, not only in Canada but also outside. Thanks to everyone who creates it! —Lilia

Am I the only one who feels that Season 12 has taken a dive? Several episodes don’t know if they want to be a goofy comedy or some silly science fiction. Very disappointing to a show that has been superior. —Leslie

Loved Season 12 as well as the whole series. I do hope that it continues for many years to come. I just wish that they would make more per season. —Carol

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? Email greg.david@tv-eh.com or via Twitter @tv_eh.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail