Everything about Industry News, eh?

From a media release:

Cineflix Productions has begun development on a gripping new crime series based on the Vancouver-born author Sam Wiebe’s critically acclaimed Wakeland Novels—Invisible Dead, Cut You Down, and Hell and Gone.

The rain and blood-soaked mysteries feature Wakeland, a 29-year-old ex-cop turned P.I. as a modern-day Marlowe, fighting for justice, his clients, and the soul of Vancouver.

“Sam is one of the most exciting writers in Canada, and the Vancouver-noir world he’s created is an incredible foundation for an original series. I believe Wakeland and the gritty world he inhabits is primed for a global audience,” said Jeff Vanderwal, Executive Producer, Cineflix Productions.

“Sam’s fast-paced novels are cinematic in scope with complex stories driven by strong characters whose deep flaws only make them more seductive. We’ve been fans of Sam’s work for years,” said Lisa Baylin, Director of Development, Cineflix Productions.

“I’m thrilled to partner with Cineflix Productions and I’m excited to bring my characters to the screen while also shining a light on one of the most dynamic cities in the world,” said Sam Wiebe.

Cineflix Productions’ slate of scripted crime content continues to expand with the recent addition of movies Stolen By Their Father with Sarah Drew and Left for Dead: The Ashley Reeves Story starring Jennie Garth and Anwen O’Driscoll, along with the critically acclaimed, award-winning Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey and I Was Lorena Bobbitt.

Cineflix Productions brokered the TV rights deal with Michael Levine at Westwood Creative Artists for Chris Casuccio.

Industry News, Robyn Hood

Global greenlights new original scripted series Robyn Hood

January 27, 2022 Greg David

From a media release:

Today, Global announced it has greenlit a new original scripted series Robyn Hood (8×60). Created by prolific Canadian music director and renowned TV director and filmmaker Director X, and written by award-winning screenwriter Chris Roberts (Orphan Black, Frontier), the new near-fi action drama is a contemporary re-imagining of Robin Hood. The eight-episode scripted series, produced by Boat Rocker, is slated to begin production this summer in the Toronto and Hamilton area and will premiere on Global in the 2023 broadcast year. Additional information including casting and start of production for Robyn Hood will be announced at a later date.

In this modern take on the Robin Hood legend, Robyn is a fearless young woman who is not just another superhero, with abilities normal people don’t have. She is a Gen Zer driven by the injustices of today who embraces the heroic, hopeful and playful elements of the world’s most recognizable folk hero. She learns to fight for what’s right, to care for and lead her followers. And like all Robin Hoods since the first ballad, Robyn holds those in power to account by using their greed against them to help her community.

Robyn Hood follows Robyn Loxley, a young woman whose masked hip-hop band, The Hood, is known for their inventive videos and anti-authoritarian message. She lives in Sherwood Towers, a cluster of rental high-rises in a working-class corner of New Nottingham, a near-fi city where the cost of living has skyrocketed, leaving an ever-widening gap between the rich and everyone else.

When Robyn finds herself fighting for her home and her family against local property developer John Prince and The Sheriff of New Nottingham, Robyn and her band The Hood decide to fight back, righting the wrongs of the corrupt elite to give back to the people who are living under their regime.

Robyn Hood is produced by Boat Rocker in association with Corus Entertainment. The series is executive produced by Director X (Superfly, Mister Tachyon), Chris Roberts (Orphan Black, Frontier), Kerry Appleyard (Orphan Black, X-Company) for Boat Rocker Studios, Jill Green (Alex Rider, Magpie Murders) for Eleventh Hour Films, and Luti Fagbenle (Maxxx) for Luti Media, with Boat Rocker Rights handling distribution.

Industry News

Blink Studios acquires the rights to Canadian author Charlene Carr’s upcoming novel ‘Hold My Girl’ for television series adaptation

January 20, 2022 Greg David

From a media release:

In a competitive situation with multiple bidders, BLINK STUDIOS, the recently launched content venture backed by global film and TV studio Endeavor Content, has acquired the rights to “Hold My Girl”, the upcoming novel from emerging Canadian author Charlene Carr. BLINK STUDIOS will serve as the studio for the television adaption, which marks the company’s first project since launching in November 2021. Academy Award® and Emmy® nominated producer Michael London and Shannon Gaulding of Groundswell Productions (Snowfall, The Magicians) will executive produce the series together with Carolyn Newman and Virginia Rankin for BLINK STUDIOS.

“Hold My Girl” is a heart-wrenching, dual narrative women’s fiction novel about two women whose eggs are switched during IVF, only to be revealed over a year later when one of them has been raising the wrong daughter, and the other has been grieving a stillborn child that wasn’t hers. Centred around a moral question, the emotional story features themes of motherhood, racial identity, betrayal and ultimately hope and healing. The premise of the novel was very much inspired by Charlene’s own life – a Black woman who gave birth to a visibly white child via IVF – and stemmed from her own fears of a mix-up, that one day she too would receive a call to say her daughter wasn’t hers. “Hold My Girl” will be published by Welbeck Publishing in the UK and Harper Collins in Canada, set to release in 2023.

“We are committed to working with and discovering great Canadian voices which is why we are delighted to partner with an emerging and brilliant talent like Charlene to help bring her novel to television. Her exceptional storytelling is authentic and universal, while also embracing her Canadian roots,” commented Carolyn Newman, Executive Vice President, Global Scripted and Virginia Rankin, Executive Producer, BLINK STUDIOS. “We’re thrilled to team with Michael and Shannon, who are truly passionate about this material.”

“I am beyond thrilled to have Blink Studios and Groundswell Productions working on the screen adaptation of ‘Hold My Girl’,” commented Carr. “I was blown away by their enthusiasm, emotional connection to the story, and clear desire to keep as true to the book as possible. It is an honour to have such vastly experienced, skilled and passionate producers championing this story!”

“Charlene Carr has written the rare novel that is both a page-turning ride and a moving piece of literature that explores issues of motherhood and race in a hugely relevant way. We’re thrilled that Blink shared our passion for the material and moved so quickly and aggressively on our behalf,” Michael London, Founder/CEO Groundswell Productions.

Charlene Carr is a lover of stories. Pursuing this life-long obsession, she studied literature at university, attaining both a BA and MA in English, including a study program at Oxford. Still craving more, she attained a degree in Journalism. A bit of a nomad, she’s lived in four countries and seven Canadian provinces. After travelling the globe for several years and working as a freelance writer, editor, facilitator, and running her own Communications business, she decided the time had come to focus exclusively on her true love – novel writing. She currently lives in Nova Scotia, Canada, where she splits her time between writing, building relationships with her readers, and trying to keep up with the energy and antics of her young daughter. Recently awarded a writing grant by Arts Nova Scotia, “Hold My Girl” is Carr’s first agented novel.

BLINK STUDIOS is a newly launched content venture with Endeavor Content as its anchor investor and lead strategic partner. Focusing heavily on a creative-first approach, BLINK STUDIOS is dedicated to partnering with best-in-class writers, creators and producers, as well as aggressively pursuing IP in Canada and throughout the world. The indie studio is committed to applying significant resources to support new and diverse Canadian voices.

Charlene Carr is represented by Hayley Steed and the deal was brokered by Hannah Ladds, Dramatic Rights Agent at the Madeleine Milburn, Literary, TV & Film Agency.

Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Corus Studios unites HGTV’s Scott McGillivray and Bryan Baeumler in new original series Renovation Resort

January 12, 2022 Greg David

From a media release:

Corus Studios kicks off the new year with its latest greenlight, Renovation Resort (7×60), bringing together two of HGTV Canada’s biggest names in real estate and construction, Scott McGillivray and Bryan Baeumler, for the first time in one show. The seven-part competition series, produced by McGillivray Entertainment, is slated for production this summer and set to premiere on HGTV Canada in Spring 2023. Corus Studios will distribute the series internationally.

In Renovation Resort, Scott McGillivray enlists builder and longtime “frenemy” Bryan Baeumler to help get his recently purchased, total wreck of a lakeside resort into shape. Although they won’t be getting their hands dirty this time, instead, they’re calling in four expert contractor/design duos who will battle it out against each other as they bring this forgotten fishing resort back to life in a frenzied, fun, action-packed competition series. Each of these super-skilled teams will design and renovate one of four waterfront cabins in just six weeks, attempting to transform them into gorgeous one-of-a-kind vacation rentals ready to receive flocks of guests. Armed with good advice, and a few quick jokes, Scott and Bryan will oversee the full process, guiding these four teams through the renovation, setting up tricky challenges and, alongside their guest judges, critiquing the results with a critical eye. As the clock ticks down to the big launch for the high season, these teams will go all out to turn their cabin into a complete show-stopper. Only one cabin will be crowned the best and that team will go home with a game-changing reward.

For Corus Studios, Colin Bohm is Executive Vice President of Content and Corporate Strategy, Lisa Godfrey is Senior Vice President of Original Content and Corus Studios, Krista Look is Vice President of Original Lifestyle Content and Debbie Brown is Executive in Charge of Production. For McGillivray Entertainment, Scott McGillivray is CEO, Angela Jennings is President, Jeff Baker is Head of Production and Kelly Wray is Executive Producer.

Renovation Resort is currently looking for experienced contractors and designer duos to participate in the series. For casting details, visit https://renomem.castingcrane.com/.

Industry News

The Banff World Media Festival appoints Bron’s Brenda Gilbert as Vice Chair of the board

December 16, 2021 Greg David

From a media release:

The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) announced today Brenda Gilbert (above left), President of BRON Media Corp has assumed the role of Vice Chair of the Board. Lionsgate’s Kevin Beggs was recently announced as Board Chair. In addition, Justin Stockman (above, right), Vice President of Content Development and Programming, Bell Media has joined the Foundation’s Board of Directors, while long-standing members of the Board of Directors John Brunton, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Executive Producer Insight Productions Ltd; Ira Levy, Executive Producer, Breakthrough Entertainment; and Blair Miller Managing Partner, TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good are stepping down.

“We’re delighted to welcome BRON’s Brenda Gilbert as Vice Chair of the Board and Bell Media’s Justin Stockman to our BANFF family,” said BANFF Board Chair and Lionsgate Television Group Chair Kevin Beggs. “Brenda leads one of today’s premier production companies and shares our passion for impactful storytelling. Her business expertise and creative vision make her the perfect addition to the Board, and Justin’s strong programming background and relationships will contribute greatly in continuing to make BANFF an amazing event.”

“BANFF continually raises the bar in fostering creativity and business development throughout the industry,” said Gilbert. “I am incredibly honored to have been appointed Vice Chair of the Board and look forward to working with Kevin and the team to further enrich and diversify the global marketplace.”

“It is my distinct honour to join the esteemed Banff World Media Festival Board of Directors,” said Justin Stockman, Vice-President, Content Development and Programming, Bell Media. “I look forward to collaborating with Kevin, and my fellow board members as we expand the conversation around content creation and diversification and look toward to shaping the future of our industry in Canada and around the world.”

Additional members of the Banff Television Festival Foundation’s Board of Director’s include:

Kevin Beggs
Chair, Lionsgate Television Group, Lionsgate

Colin Bohm
EVP, Content and Corporate Strategy, Corus Entertainment Inc

Sally Catto
General Manager, Entertainment, Factual and Sports, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Sean Cohan
Chief Growth Officer and President, International, Nielsen Company

Tom Cox
Executive Producer, SEVEN24 Films

Valerie Creighton
President & CEO, Canada Media Fund

Sandra Dewey
Most Recently President, Business Operations and Productions HBO Max, TNT, TBS & truTV

Scott Henderson
Communications Executive

Jeniffer Kim
Senior Vice President, International Originals, HBO Max

Stephen MacDonald
President, Global Content Licensing & International, A+E Networks

Lisa Meeches
Founder and Executive Producer, Eagle Vision

Robin Mirsky
Executive Director, Rogers Group of Funds, Rogers Communications Inc.

About Brenda Gilbert
Brenda Gilbert is the President of BRON Media Corp, a company she co-founded and leads with her husband, Aaron L. Gilbert. The Vancouver based parent company has offices in Los Angeles, New York, London and Toronto. BRON Media Corp. is the parent company to operating units BRON Studios, BRON Releasing, BRON Digital, and BRON Ventures (holds an interest in a portfolio of 10 content companies). The BRON group of companies are industry leaders in production, finance and the sales and marketing of film, series television and animation.

Brenda has a special focus on BRON’s non-scripted arm BRON Life, and is currently an Executive Producer on several projects, including the Untitled Nicki Minaj series with HBO Max. Over her 20+ years in the media space, Brenda has produced, or executive produced more than two-dozen projects, including the recent animated film The Willoughbys, which premiered on Netflix in 2020.

Founded in 2010, BRON has been behind more than 100 productions and is proud to have been part of 27 Academy Award nominations and 6 Academy Award wins for the films: Fences, Joker, Pieces of a Woman, Greyhound, Bombshell, Roman J. Israel Esq., and Judas and The Black Messiah.

In addition to her role on BRON’s Board of Directors, Brenda sits on the board of Film Independent, she was the track chair for mentoring initiatives with Woman in Animation, is an Advisor to the Vancouver Film School and La Salle College, plus has volunteered her time with Vancouver Community College.

About Justin Stockman
As VP, Content Development & Programming, Justin Stockman is responsible for English TV programming including CTV, Crave, and Bell Media’s English-language specialty channels Discovery, MTV, E!, Much, CTV Drama, CTV Life, CTV Comedy, CTV Sci-Fi with a focus on developing groundbreaking new content.

Stockman’s role includes the ongoing negotiation and development of Bell Media’s Original Production programming content for all platforms with local producers and international studios.

Stockman also leads Bell Media’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, both internally as a member of the organization’s Diversity Leadership Council and with external partners like HireBIPOC, the definitive and ubiquitous industry-wide roster of Canadian BIPOC creatives and crew working in screen-based industries.

Formerly Vice-President, Brand Partnerships and Client Strategy on the Bell Media Sales team, Stockman role included oversight of the Sales team in leveraging Bell Media’s competitive advantage in content, production, data and platforms with clients, agencies, and internal stakeholders while driving new revenue opportunities through strategic brand integrations and data-driven client strategies.

Previously Vice-President, Premium SVOD and OTT, Bell Media, Stockman was responsible for strategy, management, programming, content licensing, merchandising, and marketing partnerships for Bell Media’s premium subscription video on demand (SVOD) services, Crave, Crave + Movies + HBO, and STARZ as well as driving direct-to-consumer revenue including customer acquisition and retention. Additionally, Stockman’s portfolio included oversight of English and French customer care centres for Crave, and Bell Media’s over-the-top (OTT) services including TSN Direct, RDS Direct, and STARZ, as well as Much Studios

Prior to this, Stockman worked as Vice-President, Specialty Channels, where he oversaw all brands and day-to-day activities affecting Entertainment Specialty Channels Much, MTV, Gusto, E!, Bravo, Space, The Comedy Network, and their complimentary digital networks, as well as Pay channels TMN and HBO Canada.

Stockman was previously Executive Director, Marketing, Specialty Channels, where he oversaw all brand-positioning, consumer and trade marketing, social media marketing, and social media communities for Bell Media’s Specialty properties.

Stockman has worked at Bell Media for more than a decade in various capacities including creative services and production as creative director, supervising producer, producer, writer, editor, and web designer.

In 2015, Stockman was recognized with the 2015 Digital Play of the Year by Playback.

Stockman graduated in 1996 from York University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with Specialized Honours in Visual Arts Studio. In 2009 he earned his MBA through a joint program at Cornell University in New York and Queen’s University in Kingston.

Located in Banff, Alberta, Canada, BANFF is a premium marketplace and conference, an intimate space where unparalleled access, creative inspiration and expert insight combine to launch fresh content and new business strategies. Celebrating its upcoming 43rd year in 2022, the festival has grown into a must-attend annual event where media moguls, producers, creatives and industry stakeholders along with broadcasters and digital media companies tackle issues and trends, forge relationships and nurture partnerships in one of the world’s most stunning landscapes.