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CBC greenlights new original drama Feudal, created by Sheri Elwood

From a media release:

CBC today announced new original one-hour series FEUDAL (8×60, Six Eleven Media and eOne), created by Sheri Elwood (Call Me Fitz, Lucifer). FEUDAL tells the tale of the Finley-Cullens, a dysfunctional clan of adult half-siblings battling for control of their family business, The Moonshine, a ramshackle summer resort on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. The series is produced by Halifax-based Six Eleven Media and eOne, and production is now underway on location in Nova Scotia for broadcast on CBC in 2021.

FEUDAL is an epic tale of lust, legacy and lobster, set against the backdrop of financial hardship, small town intrigue and a long-buried secret that threatens to annihilate the Finley-Cullens once and for all. Corrine Koslo (Anne with an E) and Peter MacNeill (This Life) play Bea and Ken Finley-Cullen, the heads of the family and owners of The Moonshine, their own little slice of paradise that is starting to become a nightmare – if only they could decide which of their flawed brood is fit to take over the business. 

Jennifer Finnigan (Salvation) plays Lidia, an architect and the eldest sibling who wants to redevelop and exploit the valuable coastal property, giving her an opportunity to shine and overcome past disappointments, and Anastasia Phillips (Reign) plays her often-overlooked younger sister Rhian, who sees The Moonshine as her own chance to shine. 

Other family members include Lidia’s sister Nora, the sexy local DJ, who knows all the family secrets and is played by Emma Hunter (Mr. D, Fridge Wars); Alexander Nunez (Avocado Toast) as Sammy, Lidia’s musically gifted adopted brother who holds secrets of his own; and Tom Stevens (Wayward Pines) as aging party boy Ryan, Rhian’s twin, who is running his own (illegal) business out of the resort. Allegra Fulton (The Shape of Water) plays Jill LeBlanc, an old family friend with some nefarious motives and secrets of her own. Jonathan Silverman (Weekend at Bernie’s) plays Daniel Bennett, Lidia’s husband and a star architect, suffering through his own mid-life crisis.

A CBC original series, FEUDAL is produced by Six Eleven Media and eOne. Created by Sheri Elwood, who is also showrunner, and executive producer alongside Six Eleven Media’s Charles Bishop. Jocelyn Hamilton serves as executive producer for eOne. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual & Sports; Trish Williams is Executive Director, Scripted Content; Helen Asimakis is Senior Director, Scripted Content; and Sarah Adams is Executive in Charge of Production. The series writers are Sheri Elwood, Matt MacLennan, Kate Spurgeon, and Josh Saltzman. The pilot is directed by Scott Smith with additional episodes directed by Smith, James Genn, and Sheri Elwood. The series is produced with the assistance of the Government of Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Film & Television Production Incentive Fund. Additionally, funding comes from the Canada Media Fund, Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit and the Canadian Film or Video Tax Credit. eOne distributes the series internationally. 

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marblemedia heads to camera on new unscripted series, Race Against the Tide

From a media release:

marblemedia, leading global entertainment producers of numerous award-winning TV series such as Netflix’s “Blown Away” and “Restaurants on the Edge” announces today that production is now underway on location in New Brunswick on a new CBC original Canadian competition series, RACE AGAINST THE TIDE (10×30), hosted by actor and comedian Shaun Majumder. The first of its kind, the show is slated for broadcast in Canada on CBC and the CBC Gem streaming service in 2021.

The half-hour competition series features 10 teams of two world class, highly skilled sand sculptors competing to create extraordinary works of art made entirely out of sand while avoiding elimination. Not only are these best-in-show duos competing against each other, they are competing against Mother Nature’s unstoppable ticking clock and the world’s highest tide at New Brunswick’s iconic and beautiful Bay of Fundy. The stakes have never been higher in the world of sand sculpting as the competitors’ creations – no matter how impressive – are all destined to be washed away the same day by the tide.

In the end, only one team whose skill, creativity and tenacity leaves a lasting impression will be crowned the RACE AGAINST THE TIDE “Champions.”

RACE AGAINST THE TIDE is executive produced by Matt Hornburg and Mark Bishop of marblemedia; series producer and writer is Carly Spencer and Donna Luke of marblemedia serves as Co-Executive Producer. Produced with the participation of the Province of New Brunswick and Co-produced with Hemmings House. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual and Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; Alexandra Lane is Senior Director of Production; and Ann-Marie Redmond is Executive in Charge of Production.

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2020-21 Canadian TV season renewal scorecard

Well, things are just a little bit different this time around. With COVID-19 wreaking havoc on television production around the world, the Canadian networks—like others—have been a little late in announcing their primetime schedules.

But they’re gradually doing that, so we’ve put together a handy list of what will air between the summer of 2020 and the end of spring in 2021.

Check back often to see if your favourites have been renewed; we’ll be updating this list as we get more information.

Renewed

APTN
Tribal
Tribal Police Files
The Other Side

Tribal

CBC
Still Standing
Murdoch Mysteries
Frankie Drake Mysteries
Workin’ Moms
Baroness Von Sketch Show (final season)
Heartland
The Nature of Things
Marketplace
The Fifth Estate
Battle of the Blades
Family Feud Canada
Just for Laughs: Galas
Ha!ifax Comedy Fest
You Can’t Ask That
Coroner
Kim’s Convenience
Tallboyz
Dragons’ Den
22 Minutes
The Great Canadian Baking Show
Diggstown
Burden of Truth

Tallboyz

Citytv
Hudson & Rex

CTV
Corner Gas Animated
JANN (renewed for Season 3)
The Amazing Race Canada
Transplant
MasterChef Canada: Back to Win

Crave
Letterkenny
Canada’s Drag Race

Discovery
Heavy Rescue: 401
Disasters at Sea
Highway Thru Hell

Nurses

Food Network Canada
Big Food Bucket List
Carnival Eats
Wall of Chefs
Great Chocolate Showdown 
Junior Chef Showdown 
Fire Masters
The Big Bake 

Global
Nurses 
Private Eyes
Big Brother Canada
Departure

Backyard Builds

HGTV Canada
Backyard Builds 
Island of Bryan 
Property Brothers: Forever Home 
Scott’s Vacation House Rules  
Save My Reno 

History
Vikings (final season)
Rust Valley Restorers  
History Erased 
Salvage Kings 

Netflix
Another Life

Omni
Second Jen
Blood and Water

T+E
Hotel Paranormal
Haunted Hospitals

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First UK-Canadian co-production programme for immersive storytelling launches

From a media release:

A new immersive talent development and co-production fund for UK and Canadian artists, filmmakers and creators is set to launch with its first cohort in November 2020. It is the first exchange programme dedicated to immersive storytelling between the UK and Canada, and it will have a total co-production fund of CAD 510,000 (GBP 300,000) on offer. The programme, which is now open for applications until September 17, will establish international collaborations to pioneer new forms of immersive storytelling by bringing together a wealth of backgrounds and experiences from theatre, performing and visual arts, games, TV, film, and other forms of digital and interactive media.

The year-long programme is supported by a newly formed international collaboration between StoryFutures Academy (run by the National Film and Television School and Royal Holloway, University of London), Arts Council England, the Canada Media Fund, The Canadian Film Centre’s Media Lab (CFC Media Lab) and the Canada Council for the Arts.

The UK-Canada Immersive Exchange, which begins in November, will support and champion an international cohort of artists, filmmakers and creators from Canada and the UK aiming to be future leaders of immersive storytelling. They will work with emerging technologies, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR). Mentors and experts from across the UK and Canadian creative landscape will support the programme, including those highly skilled in brokering international co-productions.

A total of 24 creatives will be selected to participate, comprising six ‘creative leads’ and six ‘creative producers’ from each country. Creative leads will be a mixture of artists, filmmakers, theatre directors and visionaries who can drive the creative direction of a project, while creative producers will bring the business skills and immersive production experience needed to make these projects a reality. The programme will then provide the cohort with creative development opportunities, business and sector-specific knowledge, understanding of a new international market, key industry contacts, and an opportunity to apply for a dedicated fund to support collaborative international co-productions. All participants will receive a fixed development grant of CAD 3,400 (GBP 2,000) to contribute towards their time spent on the initial talent development stage of the programme. In a later stage, the participants can pitch for co-production financing, with a total fund of CAD 510,000 (GBP 300,000) available between the countries. This will fund a mixture of projects between CAD 42,500 (GBP 25,000) and CAD 170,000 (GBP 100,000). The programme will conclude with final projects delivered by November 1, 2021.

Applicants are encouraged to apply now for the UK-Canadian Immersive Exchange at immersive-exchange.com. The deadline for applications is 12 p.m. EDT / 5 p.m. BST on Thursday, September 17, 2020. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the programme will run sessions remotely. Pending the lifting of travel and working restrictions in 2021, opportunities for in-person workshops and exchanges between Canada and the UK will be explored.

The programme was founded following an international immersive research and innovation symposium and cultural exchange organized by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Canada Media Fund’s CFC Media Lab (CMF).

The programme marks the first international co-production for StoryFutures Academy, a UKRI Audience of the Future-funded initiative. Arts Council England previously developed the accelerator programme CreativeXR, for the creation of immersive experiences, in partnership with Digital Catapult, which is currently in its third consecutive year with 20 new projects recently announced. CFC Media Lab is a leader in the development of transformational technologies, entertainment and businesses. Since its founding in 1997, CFC Media Lab has produced or collaborated on dozens of groundbreaking interactive digital media properties, and accelerated dozens of digital media and entertainment companies.

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Link: Petition looks to bring Story Coordinator under Writers Guild of Canada

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Link: Petition looks to bring Story Coordinator under Writers Guild of Canada
“On a Canadian show, the story coordinator is the ‘entry-level’ job through which many TV writers break into a writers’ room. Currently, the position is not protected by the Writers Guild and as writers, that’s where we want to be.” Continue reading. 

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