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Industry News

CFC and Netflix announce new partnership

From a media release:

The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) and Netflix proudly announced at the CFC Annual BBQ Fundraiser today the start of their new five-year partnership in support of Canadian talent. Using a model of three distinct program accelerators, the initiative will amplify these voices and stories so that they resonate globally, showcasing Canadian talent within and beyond its borders.

The Netflix-CFC Global Project partnership will foster and accelerate a broad scope of diverse Canadian creators and their film/TV projects, and will advance Canadian talent and opportunities in the international marketplace through one of three accelerators:

  • The Calling Card Accelerator: Expands opportunities for new creators to showcase their talent through a produced calling card and realize the potential of their feature film or TV series project through a produced proof of concept.
  • The Project Development Accelerator: Bolsters the international reach of dramatic feature films or TV series from mid-level diverse creators, by offering them enhanced and tailored access to development support and inspired global perspectives.
  • The Marketplace Accelerator: Strengthens the festival/market preparedness of diverse creators with exciting projects and/or produced content looking to attract and secure international attention and investment.

Each accelerator will adopt a bespoke approach based on the select creator’s needs and project.

Through their multi-year partnership, CFC and Netflix will deliver this suite of complementary, essential opportunities for these vibrant talent pools to flourish, shining a spotlight on their stories in an evolving global marketplace.

In recognition of Netflix’s generous commitment to our creative community, Netflix will become the Presenting Sponsor of CFC’s Annual Gala & Auction, CFC’s Annual BBQ Fundraiser, CFC’s Annual Garden Party and CFC’s Annual Reception in L.A. In addition, a restored cottage on the CFC campus will become the newly named Netflix House, enabling all the different groups of talent to mingle, connect and collaborate in a shared central hub of creative activity.

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Children's Programming, Industry News

Teletoon bolsters its position as Canada’s animation station with four new original series

From a media release:

TELETOON continues to deliver the best in animated programming with a stacked fall schedule featuring four brand new Canadian original series: Bravest Warriors, Cupcake & Dino: General Services, Chop Chop Ninja, and Total Dramarama, as well as the debuts of Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS, Super Dinosaur, and Transformers: Cyberverse. Additionally, new episodes of The Amazing World of Gumball, We Bare Bears, Wishfart, Teen Titans Go! and many more, round out the fall slate. Plus, fans can catch full seasons of the animation station’s favourites and new episodes of hit series the day after the broadcast on TELETOON On Demand.

New Canadian Original Series

Starting off the fall season, follow the larger-than-life antics of Cupcake, a pastry with a Napoleon complex, and his fun-loving brother, Dino as they try to make a name for themselves in the super competitive general services business in Cupcake & Dino: General Services debuting Monday, September 3 with back-to-back episodes at 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. ET. Following the premiere, the series will air Saturdays at 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. ET.

Then, the incredibly successful and popular digital-first series Bravest Warriors blasts onto TELETOON on Monday, September 3, launching with back-to-back episodes at 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET. Produced by Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana and created by Pendleton Ward ofAdventure Time, the animated comedy set in the far future follows the adventures of teenaged heroes-for-hire as they warp through the universe to save adorable aliens using the power of their emotions. After the premiere, the series will air Monday to Friday at 8 p.m. ET starting on Tuesday, September 4.

Plus, straight from the dojo, the sensei approved action-packed series Chop Chop Ninja kicks off on Saturday, October 6 at 11:30 a.m. ET. The new show packs some serious punch as Iro, an exuberant young ninja, along with his three friends – fellow classmates at the Ninja Academy – protect his island home from a steady onslaught of treacherous and not so treacherous villains, in hopes of proving that he deserves the legendary title of Chop Chop Ninja.

Also, this fall beginning, Sunday, October 7 at 6:30 p.m. ET, Total Dramarama is the outrageous, unexpected and totally random prequel to Total Drama Island. The series re-introduces Total Drama Island cast members as four-year-olds in a daycare centre. While they might be small, their personalities aren’t. Inside these pint-sized bodies are hilariously familiar characters Duncan, Harold, Leshawna, Owen, Beth, Noah, Izzy, Jude, Cody, Bridgette, and Courtney, and they are not going down for their naps without a fight. Left in charge of this feisty bunch of four-year-olds is Total Drama Island’s scary but loveable Chef.

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Industry News

Just For Laughs and CraveTV partner on three new original stand-up specials

From a media release:

Just For Laughs and CraveTV announced today that they will once again partner on three hour-long CraveTV Original stand-up comedy specials, exclusively for the premium streaming service. Showcasing Canada’s own Robby Hoffman, DJ Demers, and Mark Forward, the new stand-up specials will be taped in front of a live audience at Toronto’s Longboat Hall as part of JFL42, Toronto’s Just For Laughs comedy festival, before landing on CraveTV later this year.

Heading into its seventh edition, JFL42, running from September 20-29, 2018, is a pass-based interactive comedy festival allowing comedy fans to access more shows than ever before, establishing itself as one of today’s most successful and innovative comedy events.

The new stand-up specials join the long list of projects that Just For Laughs and Bell Media have partnered on in the past, including six seasons of JUST FOR LAUGHS: ALL ACCESS and HOMEGROWN COMICS HOSTED BY K. TREVOR WILSON (premiering on Monday, September 3 at 9 p.m. ET on The Comedy Network). CraveTV’s first three original stand-up specials taped at JFL42 in 2017: DARCY MICHAEL GOES TO CHURCH, DEB DIGIOVANNI: HERE’S THE THING, and GRAHAM CHITTENDEN: RELUCTANT ADULT, which are all currently streaming on CraveTV.

Robby Hoffman is a writer and performer who just wrapped writing for TruTV’s THE CHRIS GETHARD SHOW. This year, she was named one of Comedy Central’s ‘Up Next’ comedians. She was recently a writer on the CBC shows WORKIN’ MOMS, and BARONESS VON SKETCH SHOW, and won an Emmy for her work on PBS’ ODD SQUAD. As a comedian, Hoffman has performed in many renowned festivals, including the Montréal Just For Laughs Comedy Festival, Bridgetown, and Denver’s Crom Festival.

DJ Demers is an award-winning stand-up comedian. Demers appeared on Season 11 of NBC’s AMERICA’S GOT TALENT, and has performed stand-up on TBS’ CONAN. Winner of the 2014 Homegrown Comics Competition at the prestigious Montréal Just For Laughs Comedy Festival, Demers has also performed as part of Toronto’s JFL42 Comedy Festival. Winner of the 2013 Toronto Comedy Brawl, and finalist on NBC’s STAND-UP FOR DIVERSITY, Demers also won ‘Best Breakout Artist’ at the 2015 Canadian Comedy Awards. In 2018, his album, [Indistinct Chatter], was nominated for a JUNO Award for Best Comedy Album.

Mark Forward is a multi-award-winning comedian. He has performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and made his 10th return to the Montréal Just For Laughs Comedy Festival this summer. He’s been on Comedy Central’s JOHN OLIVER’S NEW YORK STAND-UP SHOW and has made a number of appearances on CBS’ THE LATE LATE SHOW. An accomplished actor, Forward was featured in the third season of FX’s FARGO, was a writer and cast member on IFC and The Comedy Network’s THE JON DORE TELEVISION SHOW, and is a series regular on CraveTV’s LETTERKENNY. Loved for stealing almost every scene he is in, Forward has also self-distributed a phenomenal comedy special- and it’s only 99 cents!

The CraveTV Original stand-up specials are co-produced by Just For Laughs Television and Counterfeit Pictures in association with Bell Media’s CraveTV. Executive producers are Bruce Hills from Just For Laughs and Dan Bennett, Shane Corkery, and Anton Leo from Counterfeit Pictures. The specials are directed by Shelagh O’Brien.

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Industry News

CRTC requires the production of Canadian original content

From a media release:

The CRTC responded today to the government’s Order-in-Council to reconsider its decisions regarding large television groups by imposing conditions of licence on them to ensure the continued support of the Canadian creative sector. The government asked the CRTC to re-examine original Canadian French-language programs, programs of national interest in the English-language market and short-form programming, including music. These changes were made to preserve the viability, stability and competitiveness of the creative sector and the Canadian television market.

For the French-language market, the CRTC now requires each group to make significant investments in the creation of French-language programs, representing 75% of its Canadian programming expenditures for original French-language programs starting in 2019-2020. The percentage in 2018-2019 will be 50%, which will enable the groups to adjust to the new requirements and ensure sufficient support for the production of original French-language content for the French-language market.

The CRTC is also increasing expenditure requirements for programs of national interest in the English-language market. The percentage will now be based on historical expenditures, to ensure sufficient investment in the production of these programs and financial contributions according to each group’s financial resources. Therefore, the requirements are increasing from 5% to 7.5% of previous years’ revenues for Bell, and from 5% to 8.5% for Corus, while requirements for Rogers remain at 5%. The CRTC believes this approach will ensure the Canadian production sector continues to play an essential role in the Canadian economy and offer high-quality content to viewers in Canada and abroad.

The CRTC determined that the groups in both language markets will be required to allocate an average of $5.5 million per year to support the production of musical programs (FACTOR and MUSICACTION). These expenditures will be imposed from 2019 to 2022, and will ensure regulatory uniformity among the groups. Continue reading.

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Industry News

Vice and Bell Media join forces for innovative new partnership in Canada

From a media release:

Bell Media and VICE Media announced today a new, long-term, far-reaching agreement that delivers the best of VICE programming, original VICE productions, and a new media sales relationship.

The arrangement sees Bell Media become the exclusive Canadian broadcast home to new original programming from VICE’s U.S. linear network, VICELAND, along with hundreds of hours of library VICE programming, all debuting on multiple Bell Media platforms, including CraveTV, in the fall of 2018.

New VICE programming such as the upcoming THE HUNT FOR THE TRUMP TAPES WITH TOM ARNOLD and MUNCHIES GUIDE TO will exclusively air on television on Bell Media channels. Bell Media has also acquired the TV, digital, and SVOD rights to more than 650 hours of VICE library programming, including the Emmy®-nominated GAYCATION, WHAT WOULD DIPLO DO? starring James Van Der Beek, MOST EXPENSIVEST starring Grammy Award-winner 2 Chainz, SLUTEVER, F*CK THAT’S DELICIOUS with Action Bronson, VICE GUIDE TO FILM, MY HOUSE, KING OF THE ROAD, HAMILTON’S PHARMACOPEIA, and ABANDONED.

Both companies will also explore co-production opportunities for Bell Media platforms in Canada and VICE platforms around the world. It was announced today that The Movie Network (TMN) has commissioned the sequel to the acclaimed VICE documentary DOPESICK, entitled DOPESICK2: THE FUTURE OF ADDICTION.

The two companies will also utilize their respective expertise by forming an advertising sales relationship that will see VICE and Bell Media combine their capabilities to bring innovative, multi-platform solutions to clients.

VICE programming will also be available on the upcoming CTV Super Hub and in a VICE-branded collection on CraveTV. SnackableTV, Bell Media’s new short-form video app, will become home to VICE videos like SMOKE SHOW and TEENAGE EXORCISTS.

Bell Media has previously showcased VICE programming on HBO Canada, including the Emmy-winning documentary series VICE (Fridays at midnight ET) and Emmy-winning weeknight series VICE NEWS TONIGHT (Monday-Thursday at midnight ET). VICE special reports like A WORLD IN DISSARAY are available on HBO Canada On Demand.

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