From Daniel Leblanc and Mayaz Alam of The Globe and Mail:
Link: Canada’s new cultural policy: The 10 key takeaways
On Thursday, the Heritage Minister unveils ‘Creative Canada,’ the first major overhaul of the cultural funding regime in more than 25 years. Here’s what you need to know. Continue reading.Â
Here’s a link to a transcript of today’s speech.
From Catherine Cullen of CBC News:
Link: Netflix to commit $500M over 5 years on new Canadian productions: sources
Internet streaming service Netflix will spend at least half a billion dollars over the next five years to fund original Canadian productions, CBC News has learned.
The funding will officially be announced tomorrow by Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly as part of a speech unveiling her vision for Canadian content and cultural industries in the digital world. It comes after months of public consultations, which were held last year. Continue reading.
From Susan Krashinsky Robertson of The Globe and Mail:
Link: A look at what’s on the line for Canada’s cultural industry
Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly is set to unveil her vision for the future of Canada’s $48-billion broadcasting, media and cultural industries in a much-anticipated speech on Thursday. The scale of coming upheaval – potentially touching everything from publishing to the music and gaming industries to arts funding – hasn’t been seen in more than 25 years. Continue reading.
From a media release:
Industry leader Joan Lambur is launching a new production company, Lambur Productions, with Sinking Ship Entertainment taking a minority interest. As President of the new company, Lambur will continue to create globally successful children’s and family programming. Joining Lambur Productions as COO is Suzanne Wilson.
Lambur is a highly respected and well-established executive producer whose most recent work includes the award-winning series of three movies, Lucy Maude Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, starring Martin Sheen, Sara Botsford and Ella Ballentine for PBS in the US and Corus Entertainment in Canada. Other series Lambur has executive produced include the British co-production RIDEand buddy comedy Max & Shred, both for Nickelodeon. Working with broadcasters, agents, writers and other creative talent to create internationally successful product, Lambur will establish Lambur Productions as a major player in children’s and family programming for television, SVOD and licensing.
As COO, Suzanne Wilson will be responsible for developing strategy and handling the company’s business affairs and financing activities. She will report to President Joan Lambur.
Prior to forming Lambur Productions, Lambur was Executive Vice-President, Family Entertainment for Breakthrough Entertainment and was the Executive Producer for all animation and kids’ live action and family programming. Lambur handled acquisitions of projects in these areas while overseeing the creative development and financing. She also managed all licensing and merchandising activities for the company tied to their television programming. Prior to working at Breakthrough, Joan founded Lambur & Associates, a Toronto-based television development, distribution and brand management company specializing in children’s and family programming.
Lambur was also President of On-Screen Entertainment for New York-based The itsy bitsy Entertainment Company, where she managed the company’s entertainment divisions, including international television distribution, television and film acquisitions, development and pre-sales.
Prior to the launch of Lambur Productions, Suzanne Wilson most recently held the role of Vice-President of Family Entertainment at Breakthrough Entertainment, working on all aspects of the development, financing and production of Breakthrough’s animation, kids’ live action and family programming. Before joining Breakthrough, Wilson handled children’s media acquisitions for Ontario broadcaster TVOKids. She previously worked with Joan Lambur at The itsy bitsy Entertainment Company and Lambur & Associates, and worked with Breakthrough’s Legal & Business Affairs department.
The company will be based in Toronto at the Sinking Ship headquarters.
From a media release:
CraveTV, Canada’s premium TV streaming service, announced today that it has partnered with Just For Laughs on three CraveTV Original Stand-Up comedy specials for its streaming audiences in Canada. This marks CraveTV’s first commission of original stand-up comedy, which will stream on CraveTV in 2018 and anchor the streaming service’s popular Stand-Up Comedy Collection. Showcasing homegrown talents Debra DiGiovanni, Darcy Michael, and Graham Chittenden, the specials taped yesterday and today at Toronto’s Berkeley Church during the JFL42 Festival. Now in its sixth year, JFL42 is a pass-based interactive comedy Festival and has established itself as one of the world’s most successful and cutting-edge comedy events. This year’s Festival runs until September 30.
Bell Media and Just For Laughs have a long history of joining forces to bring audiences hilarious hits, such as five seasons of the original stand-up series JUST FOR LAUGHS: ALL ACCESS (Season 5 premieres Saturday, September 30 at 9 p.m. ET on The Comedy Network); six seasons of FUNNY AS HELL hosted by Jon Dore; and numerous original specials like ELLIE KEMPER: UNBREAKABLE COMEDY GALA, NEIL PATRICK HARRIS: CIRCUS AWESOMEUS, JUST FOR LAUGHS PRESENTS: WHITNEY CUMMINGS BLEEP SHOW, SETH ROGEN’S HILARITY FOR CHARITY, and more.
A mainstay of the Canadian comedy scene for 15 years, Debra DiGiovanni is known for her hilarious stand-up comedy and appearances on television series like VIDEO ON TRIAL, Just For Laughs ALL ACCESS, and The Comedy Network original series, MATCH GAME. She was also a finalist on Season 5 of LAST COMIC STANDING. Currently based in Los Angeles, DiGiovanni is a three-time Canadian Comedy Award-winner.
Vancouver-based Darcy Michael has appeared at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montréal for five consecutive years. He also co-starred in two seasons of the CTV original comedy series SPUN OUT.
A familiar face at the Just For Laughs Festival, Graham Chittenden is also a writer on the hit comedy series MR. D. Known for his fresh and clean, but still relentlessly funny style of humour, the Canadian Comedy Award-nominee has also appeared on television series like MATCH GAME, COMEDY NOW!, and MTV SHOWTOWN.
Co-produced by Just For Laughs Television and Counterfeit Pictures, in association with Bell Media’s CraveTV. Executive producers are Bruce Hills and Gilbert Rozon from Just For Laughs and Dan Bennett, Shane Corkery and Anton Leo from Counterfeit Pictures. The specials are directed by Shelagh O’Brien.
