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How was the west(ern Canadian TV industry) won? Nominate your picks

For their 30th annivesary issue, Reel West Magazine is celebrating how the west was won with a look at the movies and TV shows that made the western Canadian industry real – and they want your help.

Which films and TV shows had the greatest impact on the western Canadian industry? Which launched careers or studios or locations or… fill in the blank.

This isn’t a “best of” or a “critic’s choice” list – they’re looking for productions that had a lasting impact. Productions can be 100% made in western Canada or they might be Hollywood hits.

TV shows will likely focus on series BUT if there’s a one-off TV movie or special or live event that had an impact on the industry, make a case for it. Hit them with your top ten lists – or just make a case for the one production you think matters or mattered most.

All nominations will be reviewed by an industry advisory panel who will determine which 30 movies and which 30 shows will be featured in the anniversary issue, which hits newstands and appears online in March.

By midnight February 9, send email nominations, post to their Facebook page, or Tweet at them. Include your name and contact info so they can quote you or let them know if you’d prefer not to be quoted.

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Disney XD Canada greenlights Season 2 of Gaming Show

Disney_XD

From a media release:

Disney XD Canada announced today a season two order for its innovative original series Gaming Show (In My Parents’ Garage) from Banger Films’ kids division, B-Minors. Ten new 30-minute episodes of the Canadian Screen Award nominated, live-action show brings the series total to 20, with production set to begin in Toronto next month. The series, which debuted in November with a six-episode run, currently ranks as the network’s #1 series for boys aged 6-12.1

The commissioning decision comes as the remaining new episodes from Gaming Show (In My Parents’ Garage)’s first season bow in its new timeslot Sundays at 7:30 p.m. ET, starting February 8. Among the four all-new episodes are special appearances by Raptors’ NBA baller Jonas Valančiūnas, Billy Talent’s Ian D’Sa and Aaron Solowoniuk, and Olympian Patrick Chan. In addition to the series return, new TV and online content will be available weekly leading up to season two’s launch, which is slated for summer 2015.

Gaming Show (In My Parents’ Garage) stars newcomers and real-life video game addicts Jesse Sukunda, Julia Schwartz and Ian Duchene, a trio of quirky young teens who aspire to create a popular and inventive YouTube channel devoted to gaming. The series takes place in Jesse’s parents’ tricked out garage; this is where they hang out, debate the virtues of video games and shoot cool and informative field segments. Among those spots are reviews on the latest games, head-to-head competitions and visits to prominent gaming headquarters. Plus, the gang often receives surprise visits from high profile YouTube, sports, music and gaming celebs. Gaming Show has been recognized for its innovative format with a 2015 Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Children’s or Youth Non-Fiction Program or Series.

Commissioned by Disney XD Canada, Gaming Show (In My Parents’ Garage) is executive produced by Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen of Banger Films’ kids division, B-Minors (Big Ticket Summer Concert, Grizzly Cup) and was created by Jesse Shamata (Grizzly Cup, George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, Long Story Short). Banger Films is an award-winning film and television production company based in Toronto. In its first 10 years, Banger has produced feature documentaries, TV series, live concerts and kids programs, broadcast worldwide.

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History greenlights Proper Television’s Brett & Cliff Go to Hell

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From a media release:

After a successful pilot, HISTORY has greenlit six, one-hour episodes of Brett & Cliff Go to Hell with production starting in Roatan Island, Honduras.

The series follows adventurers Brett Rogers and Cliff Quinn as they re-live actual historical worst-case scenarios in six locations around the world. Filming the entire journey themselves, each one-hour episode will chronicle Brett and Cliff’s treacherous voyage as they pit themselves against history’s toughest men. Broadcast details will be announced at a later date.

The six episodes will be shot over six months, with each expedition being shot over seven days. Production began on Roatan Island, travelling back in time to 1723, with Brett and Cliff on the run from pirates. Dressed in authentic period clothing, with period tools and little food, they must survive a full seven days amongst the hordes of jungle insects, alligator-like caimans, and venomous coral snakes.  Brett and Cliff will also travel to Arizona, Louisiana, Manitoba and Newfoundland.

The pilot, which was filmed last year and premiered in December on HISTORY, captured Brett and Cliff as they put themselves in a worst-case scenario from 1885 – as two gold prospectors who stayed deep in the Yukon wilderness late into the season, only to have their camp burn along with most of their belongings. Using only authentic clothing and tools, their goal was to make a punishing trek to the safety of the Yukon River in seven days, while staying one step ahead of hunger, plunging temperatures and sheer exhaustion.

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Lynn Crawford and Noah Cappe team for Food’s Great Canadian Cookbook

Food_Network

From a media release:

Two of Shaw Media’s most dynamic hosts are heading across the nation and into Canadians’ homes and communities on a revolutionary mission to define, document and celebrate Canadian Cuisine. Shaw Media is proud to announce that celebrity chef Lynn Crawford (Chopped Canada) and funny man Noah Cappe (Carnival Eats) have been named the faces of the colossal multi-phase project, Food Network Canada’s Great Canadian Cookbook. The multi-platform venture launches later this year with the ultimate online experience for food fans. The website launch will be followed by an explosive four-part docu-series, which starts production today in association with Alibi Entertainment.

The highly entertaining four-part television series sees Crawford and Cappe travel the country stopping along the way to meet and eat with Canadian food lovers and makers. With a richness in diverse cultures, an abundance of deliciously home-grown ingredients and multi-generations of beloved family recipes to draw from, each episode of Food Network Canada’s Great Canadian Cookbook takes a look at Canada’s cultural food mosaic by capturing kitchen conversations and chronicling culinary quests with everyday Canadians.

Food Network Canada’s Great Canadian Cookbook four-part television series is an original production produced by Alibi Entertainment for Shaw Media and Food Network Canada. The digital component is designed and produced by Toronto-based agency Digital Howard in collaboration with Alibi Entertainment,Shaw Media and Food Network Canada.

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RTR Media rolls on HGTV’s Open House Overhaul

RTR_media_logo

From a media release:

RTR Media is excited to announce the start of production on the new HGTV Canada series OPEN HOUSE OVERHAUL with designer/writer Samantha Pynn (Pure Design, Summer Home).

In Open House Overhaul, Sam and her crew overhaul houses on the real estate market in order to sell them fast and make top dollar. Production on the new 14×30’ series has started in Toronto and will premiere on HGTV Canada this spring. The program will be distributed by Distribution360, making it their first RTR Media property to represent after the recently announced first-look deal.

Samantha Pynn is a writer, decorator, stylist and TV host.  She’s the Contributing Design Editor for Chatelaine magazine and a columnist for the National Post.  Samantha Pynn’s first series with RTR Media was the HGTV Canada hit Summer Home.

Open House Overhaul is produced by RTR Media in association with Shaw Media, HGTV and with the assistance of the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit Program.

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