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Bria Mack Gets a Life, Featured, Industry News

New Metric Media strikes exclusive multi-year first-look deal with creative talent Sasha Leigh Henry

From a media release:

Award-winning producer New Metric Media has signed a multi-year first-look deal with rising creative talent Sasha Leigh Henry to produce new original projects across multiple mediums including television, film and theatre.

“We’re delighted to expand on our collaboration with Sasha, an exceptionally talented and visionary creator,” commented Mark Montefiore, Founder and CEO, New Metric Media.  “Supporting unique and gifted voices like Sasha’s is at the core of our mission, and we’re excited to partner with her in bringing more compelling stories to life.”

New Metric Media previously partnered with Sasha who created the Crave Original series Bria Mack Gets a Life, which recently won Best Comedy Series at the Canadian Screen Awards. The series received five Canadian Screen Award nominations, including Best Writing. In addition, the series garnered critical acclaim, with NOW stating it as “a comedy phenomenon where Black girl magic meets the harsh reality of everyday life” and Shifter praising it as “funny, well-written and pretty much perfect.”

“Working with New Metric to bring Bria Mack to life was an incredibly bonding experience,” added Sasha Leigh Henry.  “As creative collaborators, I think we are a good match, and share a similar appetite for experimenting and shaking things up with the kind of comedic stories we want to tell and the way we put them out into the world. I’m elated to be continuing our partnership. If Bria Mack Gets A Life was just the beginning, I can only imagine what comes next.”

Recognized by The Hollywood Reporter as a rising Canadian talent to watch, Sasha Leigh Henry is a writer, director and producer. She was also highlighted as Playback and Variety’s 10 to Watch for 2022. Sasha’s film Sinking Ship, penned by her creative partner Tania Thompson, debuted at TIFF 2020 and was the winner of the 2021 Vimeo Staff Pick Award at Aspen Shortsfest. Her film Bitches Love Brunch screened at festivals internationally before being acquired by CBC Gem. As a producer, Sasha has helped bring numerous films to screen including Randall Okita’s Canadian Screen Award winner The Lockpicker, Kelly Fyffe-Marshall’s award-winning short film Black Bodies and Fyffe-Marshall’s debut feature When Morning Comes, which premiered at TIFF 2022. Bria Mack Gets A Life is Sasha’s most recent debut as series creator and showrunner. A frequent panelist and speaker, Sasha is also an alumni of POV 3rd Street, Black Women Film!, 2020’s TIFF Filmmaker Lab, a TIFF Netflix Talent Accelerator Fellow, and is Chair of the Board of the Reelworld Film Festival.

New Metric Media is a comedy-focused entertainment studio that aggregates and amplifies premiere global comedy brands through a vertically integrated, franchise-building eco-system across Content Creation, Talent Development & IP, Distribution, Live Entertainment and Merchandise and Licensing. With a growing global demand for comedy on and off screen, New Metric Media is committed to partnering with top tier talent across all mediums to build comedy brands to a scale that rivals major entertainment franchises.  Most recently, the company partnered with Crave on an exclusive overall content deal with award-winning creator Jared Keeso for all new series and to expand the world of popular hit series, Letterkenny.

About New Metric Media

Based in Toronto, New Metric Media is an award-winning independent entertainment studio specializing in building comedy brands across tv production, live entertainment, distribution, merchandising and licensing. Recipient of Playback’s 2022 Production Company of the Year award and the Banff World Media Festival’s 2018 Innovative Producer Award, the company’s slate of programming includes the hit Crave/Hulu original comedy Letterkenny, the Crave/Hulu Letterkenny spinoff series Shoresy, the CTV/CW/Roku half-hour comedy series Children Ruin Everything, as well as the new half-hour Crave comedy series Bria Mack Gets A Life.

New Metric Media is recognized as a leader in 360 degree brand marketing and its success with Letterkenny off-screen extensions, including beer, collectible merchandise and Letterkenny LIVE!, a sold-out North American theatre tour featuring the stars of the series.

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Featured, Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Big Time Decent Productions in production on four new unscripted originals, launches new scripted division Bread & Better Films

From a media release:

Vancouver-based production company Big Time Decent Productions has announced that it is in production on four new docuseries and is expanding its unscripted slate to include a feature documentary, an IMAX nature documentary, and a new automotive vertical for YouTube including flagship channels Rust Bros and Wildman Garage. The company has also shared details on the launch of its new scripted division, Bread & Better Films, and a new partnership with Verve Talent and Literary Agency out of Los Angeles.

Big Time Decent Productions is currently in production on new docuseries with Corus Entertainment, as well as Bell Media. Underdog Inc., which has been greenlit by AMI, is a new docuseries following the life of Dale Kristensen, a little person raising a child while running a trucking business in small town BC. The company has also had a fourth docuseries recently greenlit by a Canadian broadcaster with a formal announcement coming soon.

“After a lot of hard work from our talented team, we are thrilled to be announcing some major company milestones. Since our launch in 2020, we have had the incredible opportunity to share fascinating stories of remarkable characters with global audiences through our unscripted content. Off the heels of this success, we look forward to continuing to expand our unscripted offering while ramping up our scripted development slate with Bread & Better Films,” said Matthew Shewchuk, Founder and Head of Production, Big Time Decent Productions. “Despite the overall state of the industry, we’ve experienced steady growth in our first four years and will continue to build on that foundation to position ourselves as a key Canadian content producer.”  

Bread & Better Films, Big Time Decent Production’s new scripted division will focus on developing and producing feature films and scripted series. The new arm launched in partnership with Big Time Decent’s René Brar and Jeff Kinnon. The company is also bringing in industry veteran Robert Vroom as Producer. Vroom has produced a wide range of feature films including Blood Quantum (2019), You Can Live Forever (2022), and several TV movies. Bread & Better Films also welcomes writer, producer, and actor Juliana Wimbles to serve as Development Producer for the new label. Bringing 20 years of industry experience, Wimbles appeared as a regular on ABC’s The Good Doctor (2019) and is a familiar talent with the Hallmark Channel, having written six feature films for the broadcaster.

“We’re incredibly excited to announce the launch of Bread & Better Films and to have Rob and Juliana joining us. Our team has deep roots in the scripted world, and we look forward to expanding that side of the business and building a robust scripted slate together,” said René Brar, Head of Development, Bread & Better Films.

After building a successful foundation in unscripted television, Big Time Decent Productions is diversifying their unscripted offering, producing a feature documentary that will take part in a festival run in the fall, as well as their first IMAX nature documentary targeting a 2025 distribution. Following the enormous success of their highly acclaimed show Rust Valley Restorers (above), the production company is finding innovative ways of bringing automotive programming to a loyal fanbase with a collection of talent-driven YouTube channels, including Rust Bros and Wildman Garage, among others. Together these channels have accumulated over 100 million views across platforms in the first half of 2024.

The company has also signed with Verve Talent and Literary Agency, one of the fastest-growing and most-reputable talent agencies in Los Angeles.

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Featured, Industry News

Bomanizer ventures into television with new Crave original series Made For TV with Boman Martinez-Reid, streaming July 12

From a media release:

Can celebrated Canadian comedian, actor, and recent Variety Power of Young Hollywood Impact Report honouree Boman Martinez-Reid successfully make the jump from social media star to television icon? In the all-new, six-episode Crave Original series MADE FOR TV WITH BOMAN MARTINEZ-REID, Boman embarks on a hilarious and slightly awkward quest for television fame as he explores various TV genres. With the guidance of real-life renowned celebrity advisors, he puts his skills to the test, hoping to discover the one that will propel him to television fame. Created by two-time Canadian Comedy award-winning comedian Natalie Metcalfe and produced by Alibi Entertainment in association with Bell Media, all six episodes of the series drop on Crave on Friday, July 12.

Featuring a lineup of esteemed celebrity guests representing a wide spectrum of television genres, Boman’s advisors include: reality star and influencer Francesca Farago (TOO HOT TO HANDLE); Chef Lynn Crawford and Audrey MacKinnon (JUNIOR CHEF SHOWDOWN); news anchors Nathan Downer and Sandie Rinaldo; Toronto Raptors broadcaster Jack Armstrong, former Canadian NBA star Jamaal Magloire, Canadian basketball coach Tamara Tatham; renowned drag queens Priyanka and Lemon; and THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF POTOMAC star Ashley Darby.

Known for parodying “Slice of Life” Reality TV, Boman assumes this genre will be a walk in the park, but is thrown for a loop when his advisor, Real Housewives of Potomac star Ashley Darby expects more than Boman is willing to give.

MADE FOR TV WITH BOMAN MARTINEZ-REID is produced by Alibi Entertainment, in association with Bell Media’s Crave. Bell Media distributes the series internationally. For Alibi Entertainment, James Hyslop is President and Executive Producer, Natalie Metcalfe is Creator, Executive Producer and Showrunner, Jo Virgo is Executive Producer and Boman Martinez-Reid is Executive Producer.

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Featured, Industry News

Writers Guild of Canada ratifies new agreement

From a media release:

Canadian screenwriters and producers have a new collective agreement governing English-language screenwriting in Canada. The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) announced today their members have ratified the new Independent Production Agreement (IPA), which will come into effect on May 22, 2024. This agreement sets the terms, conditions, and rates for writers, story editors, and story consultants until January 31, 2027.

As part of the newly ratified agreement, live action script fees will increase by 5 per cent, 4 per cent, and 3.5 per cent over the next three years. Animation script fees will increase by 5 per cent, 11.5 per cent, and 3.6 per cent over the same period. A minimum staffing provision was negotiated, requiring two Story Editors to be engaged during the bulk of principal photography on productions commencing on or after January 1, 2025, for one-hour productions with budgets over $2.5M per episode and half-hour productions with budgets over $1.5M per episode. Artificial Intelligence (AI) protections were also negotiated, requiring producers to disclose and contract under the IPA when providing writers with AI-generated materials, as well as no reduction in existing writer credit or compensation. Expanded protections against discrimination and harassment in the workplace were also negotiated.

“We are pleased to have negotiated meaningful protections and fee increases for our members,” says WGC Executive Director Victoria Shen. “These achievements would not have been possible without the solidarity demonstrated by our membership. Special thanks to the Negotiating Committee, who volunteered months of their time, passionately represented the interests of screenwriters, and stood their ground to reach this deal.”

“Bargaining this agreement was extremely challenging but it has resulted in a more united and engaged membership,” says Bruce Smith, President of the WGC. “Our work will continue on many fronts, including fighting for equal compensation and protections for animation writers, advocating for a better funding system to address the needs of feature film writers, and ensuring our industry can flourish.”

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Featured, Industry News

TSN mourns the passing of Darren Dutchyshen

From a media release:

Following the passing of beloved Canadian broadcaster and longtime host of TSN’s SPORTSCENTRE Darren Dutchyshen, TSN has released the following statement:

“Darren Dutchyshen was a legend of Canadian sports broadcasting, a great teammate, and an essential part of TSN for the last three decades,” said Stewart Johnston, Senior Vice President, Sales & Sports, Bell Media. “A larger-than-life personality, Darren’s incredible sense of humour and magnetic energy made him a natural broadcaster who connected easily with viewers. His enthusiasm reminded us every day of why we love sports. Most significantly, Darren was a friend to all of us at TSN, and we will miss him dearly. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with his loved ones.”

“He passed as he was surrounded by his closest loved ones,” the Dutchyshen family said. “His sharp wit remained until his final moments, classically delivering plenty of jokes – most of them pretty good and all of them inappropriate.”

One of Canada’s most popular and engaging sports personalities, Dutchyshen began his TSN career in 1995, hosting weekend editions of SportsDesk and CFL Live.

Dutchyshen became a beloved mainstay on TSN’s flagship news program over the next three decades, often hosting late-night editions of SPORTSCENTRE alongside co-anchor Rod Smith and later with Jennifer Hedger.

Dutchyshen played a key role in the Kraft Celebration Tour, taking SPORTSCENTRE on the road across the country for several consecutive summers, and was the co-host of the boxing show In This Corner with Canadian trainer and cut man Russ Anber. He also hosted Olympic Prime Time on TSN during the London 2012 Olympic Games and Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Born in Regina and raised in Porcupine Plain, Sask., Dutchyshen’s first job as a sportscaster was with STV in Saskatoon, followed by a stint with IMTV in Dauphin, Man. He also spent seven years as the host of ITV’s Sports Night in Edmonton.

Viewers can watch TSN’s tribute to Darren Dutchyshen at TSN.ca.

Tonight (Thursday, May 16) in SPORTSCENTRE at 6 p.m. ET, TSN features a series of tributes to Dutchyshen, including a discussion of memories from some of his closest colleagues.

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