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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.

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Industry News

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

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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.

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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.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Entertainment One bolsters Canadian unscripted creative team

From a media release:

Entertainment One (eOne) announced today the addition of Christine Diakos, who joins the company as Vice President, Development, Unscripted – Canada, Television. In her new role, Diakos will be responsible for the development, creation and pitching of non-scripted content, with a focus on lifestyle, reality and competition series.

Prior to eOne, Diakos was Senior Vice President of Production and Development at Big Coat Media, where she served as a Supervising Producer on such series as Love It or List It (HGTV), Love It or List It Vancouver (HGTV) and Jillian and Justin (W Network). She’s also served in a variety of senior production and development roles at Shaw Media and Peacock Alley Entertainment, working on content as varied as A Users Guide to Cheating Death (VisionTV) and Hockey Wives (W Network), among others.

Working alongside Diakos is Scott Boyd, who has been elevated to VP, Development, Unscripted and will oversee factual, true crime, and docuseries content. Boyd joined eOne in 2017 as a Development Producer, following eOne’s acquisition of Paperny Entertainment, and quickly progressed to Director of Development, steering such projects for eOne as Make it to the Moon (Discovery) and two-time Canadian Screen Award-winning Arctic Vets (CBC). Prior to eOne, Boyd worked as a Producer and Director across multiple unscripted genres and on several hit series such as Dragons’ Den (CBC) The Big Decision (CBC) and Undercover Boss Canada (W Network)

Both Diakos and Boyd report to Jocelyn Hamilton, President – Canada, Television.

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Industry News, Motive, Slasher

Incendo & Tubi announce continued partnership at Content Canada with two additional horror films slated for production in 2022

From a media release:

Incendo is thrilled to announce two additional horror films slated for production in 2022, in conjunction with FOX-owned streaming giant, Tubi as part of their continued content initiative. Driven by the success of the genre and consumer demand for themed content, the projects include Marry F*** Kill, an original film written by Ian Carpenter and Aaron Martin (Terror Train), as well as The Amityville Curse, an adaptation of Hans Holzer’s iconic novel from the successful franchise, scripted by Dennis Heaton (Motive).

Incendo is in pre-production in Montreal on the films and will also represent distribution on a global scale; Tubi is the commissioning U.S. licensee for both projects.

Marry F* Kill sees five estranged college friends reunite to attend their friend’s funeral after her shocking suicide. Scarred by a past betrayal that led to the ultimate demise of their friendship, an innocent game of Marry F* Kill spawns into something far more sinister than they could have imagined.

Led by an exceptionally talented Canadian cast, the film stars Jedidiah Goodacre (Descendants), Maxine Denis (Party of Five), Robbie Graham-Kuntz (Utopia Falls), Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks (From), Deanna Jarvis (Beauty and the Beast), and Devin Cecchetto (The Craft: Legacy). Marry F*** Kill has attached multi-award nominated director Caroline Labrèche (Rule of 3) and will be produced by Graham Ludlow and Kaleigh Kavanagh; Executive Producers are Graham Ludlow, Brook Peters, and Shari Segal.

Based on the book of the same name, the new adaptation of The Amityville Curse will take on a different perspective than the 1990 direct-to-video released film. With Incendo securing the underlying rights to the original novel from the estate, fans can look forward to an authentic approach to capturing the gripping story of Hans Holzer’s book.

Incendo partners for the second time with Éric Tessier (You Will Remember Me) to direct the film. Producers are Graham Ludlow and Kaleigh Kavanagh; Executive Producers are Graham Ludlow, Kaleigh Kavanagh, Brook Peters, and Shari Segal, as well as fellow author and Hans Holzer’s daughter, Alexandra Holzer, whose contribution to the film pays tribute to continuing the authenticity and legacy of her father’s work. Casting for the film will commence in the coming months.

Incendo and Tubi initially partnered earlier this year for the collaborative remake of cult classic film Terror Train, which will premiere October 21st in the U.S. as a part of Tubi’s annual month-long Halloween inspired genre celebration, ‘Terror on Tubi’.

From classic slashers to thrills from the paranormal, Incendo’s talented production team are dedicated to bringing these original and reimagined stories to life while staying true to the core fundamentals of the genre and homage to horror fans. The company also has collection of multi-genre series and films in various stages of development for 2023 and beyond.

About Incendo

Incendo is a Canadian company that specializes in the production and international distribution of high-quality television programming for the worldwide marketplace. Since its inception in 2001, the company has produced compelling movies, television series as well as documentaries that have been sold throughout the world. Incendo is the leading television distribution company in Canada and also handles theatrical distribution in Québec for Paramount Pictures. For more information, visit www.incendo.ca.

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