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CBC greenlights drama The Council from René Balcer

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From a media release:

CBC has greenlit THE COUNCIL (working title), a compelling international thriller woven around a remote Canadian Arctic town from Emmy® Award-winning showrunner and writer René Balcer (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) with Lark Productions and Keston International Productions. THE COUNCIL is set against the unfolding drama of our changing planet and draws inspiration from the true-to-life fight over the vast and valuable resources of the Arctic. The series traces the journey of two cops who uncover a small-town murder that is at the heart of a global conspiracy. Production kicks off this summer, shooting in Resolute, Iqaluit, London, Copenhagen and Manitoba. THE COUNCIL will debut with 10 episodes on CBC-TV in fall 2016.

THE COUNCIL begins on the edge of the Arctic frontier during the endless days of the polar summer when a young woman, a renowned environmentalist, is found ritualistically murdered near the Canadian hamlet of Resolute. An investigation is mounted by the local RCMP inspector Mickey Behrens, an outsider and new-comer to the north who is running from a derailed personal and professional life, and her partner, officer Jo Ullulaq. A soulful counterpoint to Mickey, Jo is torn between the duty to his job and loyalty to his Inuit culture. The pair quickly discovers that the mystery extends far beyond the borders of the town and to the backrooms of Canadian parliament in Ottawa, the dark corridors of U.S. intelligence in Washington, D.C., the halls of European parliament in Brussels, the airbases of world powers, and the migrant conflicts at the border of Norway and Russia. Yet it all traces back to the Arctic, as they gradually expose a complex international conspiracy to control the vast natural resources at the top of the world.

Balcer is a 20-year veteran of the Law & Order franchise, beginning as a writer and rising to executive producer and showrunner. In 2001, he left the series to create the show’s spinoff Law & Order: Criminal Intent, which he developed with creator Dick Wolf. He is also the creator of the international drama JO. Balcer has been awarded with an Emmy® Award, Peabody Award, a Writers Guild of America Award and four Edgar Awards for his television work.

THE COUNCIL will be produced by Lark Productions (Motive), with executive producers Louise Clark and Erin Haskett, in partnership with Keston International Productions’ executive producers Trevor Walton and Denis Coyne. The series is a Canada/UK Co-Production, with Nick O’Hagan’s London-based Giant Films Ltd. NBCUniversal International Distribution retains all distribution rights.

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Industry News, Wynonna Earp

Link: Women Behind Canadian TV: Alexandra Zarowny

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Women Behind Canadian TV: Alexandra Zarowny
“I love the idea of setting stages where women and young girls can recognize themselves, and understand that they can build equally grandiose stages to play on that explore every facet of who they are, and that it’s OK to do that. You don’t have to compartmentalize who you are. You don’t have to be one thing at any given time. You can be everything all at once and sometimes – okay, most times – it’s going to be messy, but you know what? That’s what makes an amazing character. And, I think, an amazing writer as well.” Continue reading.

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Industry News

Creators of Hit Epic Meal Time Make the Jump to CBC

From a media release:

The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) is pleased to announce that Elebrity, a series by Montreal-based production company NextTime Productions and creators behind thesmash hit YouTube series Epic Meal Time, has been picked up for a development deal with the CBC. This deal was made possible through the inaugural Jumping Screens Comedy Workshop, Canada’s first-ever enhanced pre-development lab for online creators who want to migrate their talents to television and other screens. NextTime Productions will co-develop the series with Toronto-based independent content production company Aircraft Pictures, the official production partner of the program.

Elebrity explores the notion of becoming a celebrity overnight. It follows Herschel Bock, an eternal slacker, as he attempts to navigate his newfound celebrity status in the digital influencer world or risk losing it all to return to his regular life.

Brothers Darren and Harley Morenstein co-founded NextTime Productions in 2011. Since then, the production company has created and produced several web series, three YouTube channels and two cookbooks, and has amassed more than 7 million subscribers. Their flagship show, Epic Meal Time, has grown to be the number one online cooking show in the world.

NextTime Productions was selected for a TVseries deal out of three YouTubers/YouTube teams who participated in the inaugural Jumping Screens Comedy Workshop, including singer/songwriter and comedian Mikey Bustos, and the award-winning web series Convos With My 2-Year-Old, from creator and star Matthew Clarke and fellow star David Milchard. Mikey Bustos and the team behind Convos With My 2-Year-Old are currently pursuing various opportunities to develop their respective TVseries concepts developed through the Workshop with Aircraft Pictures.

The Jumping Screens Comedy Workshop was a five-month part-time program created by CFC Media Lab, in collaboration with the CBC and Aircraft Pictures, which experimented with a novel approach to series creation. From June to November 2015, the Workshop offered the three aforementioned digital creative teams the opportunity to refine their writing, story structure and characterization skills, and gain valuable experience navigating the Canadian entertainment ecosystem under the mentorship of CBC creative executives, the CFC Media Lab and its mentors, and the experts at Aircraft Pictures. The three YouTube teams debuted their individual series concepts at a VIP screening and reception in late November 2015.

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Awards, Featured, Industry News

Amazing Race Canada, Marilyn Denis topline Night 1 of Canadian Screen Awards

The Amazing Race Canada, The Marilyn Denis Show, Income Property and Still Standing were among the winners on Night 1 of the Canadian Screen Awards.

The non-broadcast fête from Toronto’s Westin Harbour Castle saluted the sports, factual, talk, documentary and news categories. The spectacle was hosted by comedian Seán Cullen, whose eclectic humour kept those in attendance on their toes from the start.

“I watch Survivorman because in this business you never know when you’re going to be eating grass clippings and ants,” he quipped in his opening monologue. Later, a cringe-worthy segment boasted Cullen singing to such Canadian celebrities in the audience as Ben Mulroney, CTV’s Michelle Dubé, Marilyn Denis and CBC’s Ian Hanomansing.

The big winners of the night were the crew of CTV’s The Amazing Race, which not only took home Best Reality/Competition Program or Series but the photography, picture editing and directing categories as well. The Marilyn Denis Show captured a win for Best Talk Program or Series.

“I’m so lucky to have a second chance, a second go-round with this show. Please go and watch TV, it’s worth it,” Denis said upon accepting the trophy. Other winners included HGTV’s Income Property starring Scott McGillivray and CBC’s road trip project Still Standing.

Here are the winners in some key categories from Night 1:

Best Lifestyle Program or Series
Income Property

Best Talk Program or Series
The Marilyn Denis Show

Best Reality/Competition Program or Series
The Amazing Race Canada

Best Documentary Program
Sol

Best History Documentary Program or Series
Vietnam: Canada’s Shadow War

Best Factual Program or Series
Still Standing

Best Live Entertainment Special
The JUNO Awards 2015

Best News Anchor, Local
Andrew Chang, CBC News: Vancouver at 6

Best News Anchor, National
Ian Hanomansing, CBC News

Best Local Newscast
CTV News Vancouver at 6

Best National Newscast
CTV National News with Lisa LaFlamme

Here’s the complete list of winners.

The Canadian Screen Awards gala airs Sunday at 8 p.m. on CBC.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Slice scores second season of original series First Dates

From a media release:

Shaw Media has greenlit a second season of Slice™’s scintillating series First Dates, with production and casting underway now. The First Dates matchmakers have begun an extensive search for a diverse mix of singles looking to be paired up on a blind date in hopes of finding that special someone. Produced by Force Four Entertainment and Remedy Canada Productions, in association with Shaw Media, First Dates is a docuseries that sets single men and women up on a first date with cameras capturing all their real and romantic moments. The second season of First Dates will air on Slice in 2016 and the entire first season can be watched online at slice.ca along with exclusive digital extras.

First Dates is looking for Canadians of all genders, orientations, ages, backgrounds, and professions who are single and actively looking, or at least open to the prospect of finding someone special. The series will be filmed in Vancouver this Spring, and all Canadians are welcome to apply. The casting site also allows people to nominate friends or family for the show through the same online application process. Online applications for First Dates can be filled out by visiting slice.ca/casting-call. Applicants must be 19 years of age or older, available for filming in the Vancouver area, and must provide a headshot of themselves.

Hailed as “wonderful” and “utterly beguiling” by The Globe and Mail, First Dates gives viewers a gripping look at the hope, charm, attractions, awkwardness, heartaches, connections, and the stakes of a first date. Each episode showcases a restaurant of singles who have been hand matched for a blind date with someone they’ve never met. The restaurant is fitted with 35 fixed-rig cameras capturing every moment, from potential sparks to awkward small talk, flirtatious glances, and sometimes forced smiles. In Season 1, the First Dates restaurant hosted over 300 first dates, which led to 50 smooches and 100 second dates.

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