Everything about Industry News, eh?

CBC and Comedy Central greenlight new series from Mike Clattenburg

From a media release:

CBC in Canada and Comedy Central in the U.S. today announced that they have commissioned new comedy series CRAWFORD from Rabbit Square Productions, created by Mike Clattenburg (Trailer Park Boys, Black Jesus), executive produced by Laura Michalchyshyn (Trailer Park Boys, Chicagoland, The American West) and co-created by recording artist Mike O’Neill (Moving Day, Trailer Park Boys – Don’t Legalize It). The 13×30 series centers around a young man who, after a run of bad luck, moves back in with his parents and turns his natural ability to relate to raccoons into a successful business, all while navigating life with his eccentric family. Production will begin in Toronto in 2017. Content Media will handle international distribution for the series.

What happens when you fail your Bachelor of Arts and your record label drops your Metal band on the same day? For 28-year-old Don, it means moving back home with your polyamorous parents and finding a job that comes easily. Don has always thought differently – ‘thinking sideways’, as his Mom puts it. Following intuition rather than logic is the unique approach that turns Don’s compassion for and affinity for raccoons into a booming business – just as the town’s raccoon population explodes.

Commissioned by CBC in Canada and Comedy Central in the U.S., CRAWFORD is produced by Rabbit Square Productions, Laura Michalchyshyn and Mike Clattenburg’s company. Janice Dawe and Kathy Avrich-Johnson will also produce for Bizable Media. The series deal was negotiated by Maggie Pisacane of Frankfurt, Kurnit, Klein and Selz and Bizable Media. Mike Clattenburg is represented by The Gersh Agency and managed by Echo Lake Entertainment.

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HGTV Canada hits close to home in new original series Holmes + Holmes

From a media release:

This fall, HGTV Canada is putting two Holmes under one roof as Canada’s most trusted contractor, Mike Holmes, and his son, Mike Holmes Jr. (MJ), team up in Holmes + Holmes premiering November 10 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The brand-new, Canadian original series follows the father-son duo as they work together to renovate MJ’s modest bungalow into the perfect first home for MJ and his girlfriend, Lisa. Complementary digital content at HGTV.ca offers fans some of the Holmes’ top tips for renovating and a further glimpse into their relationship in several digital short series.

Mike Holmes has helped hundreds of homeowners over the years, but now the homeowner who needs his help is his son, MJ. In Holmes + Holmes, viewers learn more about the personal lives of the Holmes men as they experience the ups and downs of their most personal renovation challenge to date. While Mike and MJ share a last name, a strong work ethic, and a desire to help others, they don’t always see eye to eye. Their different approaches provide the foundation for unexpected moments of humour and drama – though they always vow to build it right.

HGTV.ca further enriches the Holmes experience for fans with three new digital short series featuring Mike Holmes, MJ and his girlfriend, Lisa. The first digital short series includes construction and how-to tips allowing fans to learn from the pros themselves. Lisa stars in her own digital short series, Lisa’s Healing Herbs, a garden and wellness series where she explores the benefits of herbs – garlic, ginger and mint. Additional rapid-fire questions between Mike, MJ and Lisa result in hilarious, candid responses in several short-form videos. Full episodes of Holmes + Holmes will also be available at HGTV.ca after each episode airs.

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Link: New digital taxes may be the future of Cancon

From Michael Geist of The Globe and Mail:

Link: New digital taxes may be the future of Cancon
Canadian Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly has energetically crossed the country emphasizing the economic benefits of the cultural industries. Yet as the government conducts a national consultation on Canadian content in the digital world, new digital taxes may ultimately play a starring role.

Ms. Joly has opened the door to an overhaul of Canadian cultural policy, but the million-dollar – or perhaps billion-dollar – question is how to pay for it. Internal government documents obtained through the Access to Information Act suggest that officials believe foreign sources of funding from international sales and joint productions could play a pivotal role in bringing new money into the system. Continue reading.

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Link: New funding rules for Canadian television draw ire

From Ian Bailey of The Globe and Mail:

Link: New funding rules for Canadian television draw ire
If new funding rules for the production of Canadian television were in place years ago, Simon Barry fears he wouldn’t have kept his job as executive producer on his made-in-Vancouver TV series Continuum, which ran for four seasons before ending last year.

“I would have been replaced immediately,” said Mr. Barry, now working in Vancouver on the series Van Helsing. “They would have said, ‘We’re going to spend all this money on a big sci-fi show with a big cast and it’s ambitious. We shouldn’t trust this to the guy who created it just because he’s Canadian.’” Continue reading.

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Link: Trudeau government OK’s tax credit for TV talk shows

From Elizabeth Thompson of CBC News:

Link: Trudeau government OK’s tax credit for TV talk shows
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has quietly moved to make talk shows eligible for a lucrative tax credit, CBC News has learned.

While her office can’t say how much the retroactive tax credit will cost Canadian taxpayers, Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly is praising it as a move that will create jobs. Continue reading.

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