Everything about Industry News, eh?

Industry News

AMI’s Kelly and Ramya debuts January 9, 2023, on AMI-tv

From a media release:

New name. New platform. Same great hosts. Today, Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) pulls back the curtain on Kelly and Ramya.

Beginning Monday, January 9, 2023, Kelly and Ramya launches on AMI-tv while continuing to be a staple of AMI-audio and podcast platforms, where over 1,500 episodes have been broadcast as Kelly and Company.

Airing weekdays from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern from AMI’s state-of-the-art new production studio in Toronto, Kelly and Ramya gives a dynamic and compelling voice to the disability experience in Canada.

On Kelly and Ramya, viewers join hosts Kelly MacDonald and Ramya Amuthan for the latest on lifestyle and entertainment, community events across the country and thoughtful discussion on issues that impact the disability community. Joining the duo are over 30 contributors, who share expert advice on everything from assistive technology to human rights, employment, health and wellness, all through a disability lens. Additionally, eight community reporters from across the country—all from the blind and partially sighted community—share local events and happenings viewers and listeners should be aware of.

“I look forward to being able to smile at our audience every day and share with them the joy I feel about coming into their homes,” Kelly MacDonald says. “I can’t wait for new viewers to meet our amazing contributors, learn from them and to see how diverse and inclusive Kelly and Ramya is.”

“Moving to TV directly involves us with the conversations, and actions, around descriptive video and accessible TV experiences,” Ramya Amuthan says. “I’m very opinionated and vocal about my own TV-watching—what makes good descriptive video, where it can be improved, how we can make experiencing TV better and easier for people with disabilities—so I’m thrilled that I have a full-on opportunity to voice my lived experience and thoughts through this transition to TV.”

Kelly MacDonald
Kelly MacDonald’s radio career began in the dorms of the W. Ross MacDonald School for the Blind in Brantford, Ontario, with a Mr. Microphone and an FM transmitter. His love for radio only grew, earning himself a HAM radio ticket and call sign (VE3ONA) at the age 14, and later attending Fanshawe College’s Broadcasting program. Kelly has been a part of AMI since the company’s fledgling days as VoicePrint, where he joined as a studio producer. A ubiquitous presence in the blind and partially sighted community, Kelly launched Kelly and Company in 2016 to share a wealth of information, entertainment and thoughtful discussion on disability issues. His jovial persona makes every minute of Kelly and Ramya fun and inclusive!

Ramya Amuthan
An alumna of Seneca College’s Broadcasting – Radio program, Ramya Amuthan is a second-generation broadcaster following her mother, an acclaimed Tamil radio and TV personality. Ramya is also a talented jazz vocalist, voice over artist and avid volunteer. Her efforts in the community as Board Member of PAL Reading Services and Co-Chair of Fighting Blindness Canada’s Young Leaders Program have created programs that connect people with disabilities across the country. Soon after becoming an intern at AMI in 2017, Ramya joined Kelly and Company as a contributor in the early days of the show. Ramya began mentoring Kelly and Company’s team of contributors and took up the co-host seat a year later, where she has offered blind and partially sighted audiences her unique brand of quick-witted humour and insightful perspectives as a woman of colour with low vision.

Beginning Monday, January 9, 2023, Kelly and Ramya airs weekdays from 2-4 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv and AMI-audio. Download the podcast version of Kelly and Ramya on demand from your favourite podcasting platform.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Industry News

Tales from the Rez heads into production for APTN Lumi

1 Comment

From a media release:

Blackfoot Nation Films announced today that their latest project Tales from the Rez from writer/director Trevor Solway (Kaatohkitopii: The Horse He Never Rode, CBC Gem), has gone to camera in Siksika, Alberta.

Tales from the Rez is a horror-comedy anthology series which adapts popular Blackfoot traditional tales and urban legends to the screen. The film stars a remarkable cast of Indigenous talent including Eugene Brave Rock (Dark Winds, Wonder Woman), actor and experimental pop/rock band Ghostkeeper frontman Shane Ghostkeeper (Parallel Minds), Shayla Stonechild (Siren), Michelle Thrush (Prey), Joel Oulette (Trickster), Nathan Alexis (Trickster), Cody Lightning (Echo, Four Sheets to the Wind) and introducing Charles Duck Chief.

Each episode features Blackfoot urban legends and twisted traditional tales. Uncle Randalf, an Elder with one foot in the living world and one foot in the spirit world will introduce the story to unfold in each episode. He speaks directly to the audience with dark humour and a lust for good stories. The initial season takes place in the traditional territories of the Blackfoot confederacy also known as Southern Alberta, Treaty 7. Subsequent seasons will travel to other Indigenous communities around the globe.

Tales from the Rez is written and directed by Trevor Solway (Kaatohkitopii: The Horse He Never Rode), Produced by Colin Van Loon (Blackfoot Nation Films), executive produced by Julian Black Antelope (Secret History of the Wild West) and associate produced by Jessica Matten (Dark Winds), Director of Photography is Aaron Bernakevitch (True West: The John Scott Story).

Tales from the Rez was made possible with the support of the Bell Fund, Indigenious Screen Office and APTN Lumi. The series is currently in production and will air on APTN Lumi.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Industry News

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television appoints Tammy Frick as CEO

From a media release:

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (the Canadian Academy) announced today the appointment of Tammy Frick as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective Monday, October 31, 2022. Frick joins the organization following a search led by the Board of Directors of the Canadian Academy, succeeding Beth Janson who left the organization in April 2022.

With 27 years of experience as Executive Director of Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, Frick will assume leadership for the largest non-profit professional media arts organization in Canada and will oversee both the National and Quebec branches of the Canadian Academy. Her dedication to innovation and the growth of the Canadian screen-based industries, along with her passion for developing creative works and opportunities for talent both in front of and behind the camera, will bring a unique perspective to the Canadian Academy’s ongoing mission to foster industry growth, knowledge, inclusion, and mentorship.

“After an extensive search, we are extremely confident that we have found a fantastic candidate to lead the Canadian Academy,” said John Young, Chair, Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. “Tammy’s experience and knowledge of the industry will be extremely beneficial to advancing our hard work towards developing, recognizing, celebrating and advocating for Canadian talent in Canada’s screen-based industry. On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire organization, I’d like to offer a sincere thank you to Louis Calabro for guiding us through the last six months and leaving the Academy in a great place for Tammy to step in and continue to help us make impactful change.”

“I am honoured and thrilled to enter this chapter as the Canadian Academy’s next CEO. It is a privilege to be granted this opportunity to further develop my passion for the Canadian content industry as the leader of such an important organization,” said Frick, incoming CEO, Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. “While I will certainly miss my family at Cinéfest Sudbury and am incredibly proud of all that we have achieved, I am elated to bring my years of knowledge and experience, along with a fresh perspective, to this organization to help further develop our country’s world class industry.”

Frick has always been an integral part of the vibrant arts community in Northern Ontario and beyond. In addition to her  tenure as Executive Director of Cinéfest Sudbury,  she has served on the  board  of directors of several organizations, including as a founding member of Music and  Film in Motion (MFM), which transitioned to Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION) in 2014. A strong believer in the mission of the organization, which seeks to promote and foster the ongoing expansion of the media arts sector in Northern Ontario, Frick took on a secondary role as CION’s Associate Executive Director in addition to her responsibilities with Cinefest. Frick was honoured with a Crystal Award for Outstanding Achievement in Business by Women in Film & TV (WIFT-Toronto) in 2019.

With Frick’s appointment, effective October 31, 2022, Interim CEO, Louis Calabro, will resume his key leadership role at the Academy executive level.

About the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television
The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is the largest non-profit professional arts organization in Canada. We are dedicated to recognizing, advocating for, and celebrating Canadian talent in the film, television, and digital media sectors. Our more than 4,000 members encompass industry icons and professionals, emerging artists, and students. Collectively, we deliver professional development programs and networking opportunities that foster industry growth, inclusion, and mentorship. The organization also produces the Canadian Screen Awards, bringing together the screen-based industries annually to celebrate the country’s top talent at Canadian Screen Week.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Industry News

Animated Beachcombers series in development on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast with industry veterans

1 Comment

From a media release:

As Canada’s beloved television series The Beachcombers marks its 50th anniversary, industry veterans Blair Peters and Nick Orchard have teamed up to bring an animated version to life. Created by L.S. Strange and Marc Strange, the CBC show was the most successful drama series in the history of Canadian television with 387 episodes over 18 seasons.

Peters, who lives on BC’s Sunshine Coast, and Orchard, who worked on the original series and brings over 30 years of experience to this new project, have inked a deal with the show’s original creators. The team is fleshing out designs and concepts in the coming months with a plan to pitch the series to Canadian, US and European broadcasters in Spring 2023.

The Beachcombers is one of the most successful Canadian television series of all time. The half-hour family adventure show ran on CBC Television for 387 episodes over 18 seasons, from 1972 to 1990, and is Canada’s second-longest-running scripted television series. An audience favourite, it was named one of Canada’s all-time best television series in a 2017 poll conducted by the Toronto International Film Festival.

Watched by more than 1 million Canadian viewers per episode in its prime, Beachcombers played a pivotal role in the development of film production in British Columbia and provided an early template for uniquely Canadian content on television. Ahead of its time, the series featured Indigenous characters and storylines, and often dealt with subject matter involving preservation of the land.

The original Beachcombers has been licensed to over 35 countries worldwide and versioned into numerous languages.

Blair Peters loved cartoons as a kid and was lucky enough to find his way to Sheridan College in Oakville, after completing high school at White Pines in Sault Ste. Marie. From there, he took his first job at Crawley Films in Ottawa before moving to Vancouver to start up Studio B Productions with his colleague, Chris Bartleman. The studio went on to produce over 1000 half hours that sold to over 100 countries worldwide on networks such as Disney, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Teletoon, YTV and the BBC. After 20 years in business that saw the Studio receive numerous awards, the pair sold the company to media giant DHX Media in 2007. Blair stayed with the company until 2011. He now consults for creators and develops series of his own.

Nick Orchard has been in the film and television business for over half a century, beginning as a child actor on stage, radio and TV, and later producing hits like “The Beachcombers” (CBC), “Eastenders” (BBC) and “Brookside” (Channel 4). For the past 30 plus years, as head of Soapbox Productions Inc., Nick has produced network series such as the popular teen drama “Northwood” and produced and directed award-winning documentaries and comedy series such as the iconic “Double Exposure” for CTV and the Comedy Network.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Pamela Anderson returns to her roots in Corus Studios’ Pamela’s Garden of Eden

From a media release:

HGTV Canada welcomes global icon Pamela Anderson to the network with the highly anticipated debut of Pamela’s Garden of Eden (8×60), premiering on Thursday, November 3 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The Corus Studios Original series follows Pamela as she takes a break from her Hollywood life and embarks on a massive restoration of her grandmother’s legacy property on Vancouver Island. A project this scale tests Pamela’s patience and her personal life as she tries to remain focused on her dream for the property: to embrace her family’s past and fulfill her vision for the future.

Pamela’s passion for design and gift for renovating spaces has inspired her to redevelop the expansive six-acre waterfront property she purchased from her grandmother 25 years ago. The property encompasses three main areas: The Roadhouse, The Boathouse and The Cabin; and Pamela has major plans for each. Pamela has an ambitious timeline and hopes to finish the “crown jewel” of the property, The Boathouse on the shoreline, before the Christmas holidays and make it into an architectural masterpiece. Pamela enlists a team of contractors, an architect, a designer, and input from her parents and son to execute her romantic and glamorous vision. Over the course of the season, they work alongside Pamela through the stresses, struggles, budget and time constraints of this extraordinary renovation.

In the premiere episode, “I Love Laundry!”, Pamela and her dream team start with a small but essential project, transforming the unfinished Roadhouse basement into a charming laundry area, pantry and mudroom. As they prepare for demolition, Pamela takes a trip down memory lane, going through archival designer clothes and shoes from her Hollywood life that have been stored in her basement for years. 

Pamela’s Garden of Eden is produced by Fireworks Media Group with Marni Goldman as Executive in Charge of Production for HGTV Canada.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail