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CTV partners with Netflix to premiere milestone SCTV reunion event special to Canadians

From a media release:

CTV announced today it is joining Netflix to become the exclusive Canadian broadcast partner of the upcoming, yet untitled, SCTV comedy special, which explores the enduring legacy of the iconic, EMMY® award-winning Canadian series SECOND CITY TELEVISION (SCTV). As previously announced, Academy Award®-winner Martin Scorsese directs and pays homage to the iconic Canadian sketch series that reunites past SCTV members Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Andrea Martin, Martin Short, Dave Thomas and, confirmed today, Rick Moranis.

The reunion special is set to make its debut in 2019. Under the partnership, Netflix will premiere the title globally in all territories, with the exception of Canada, where it will premiere exclusively on CTV. Following CTV’s airing, the SCTV comedy special will be available exclusively on Netflix in Canada and worldwide.

This Sunday, May 13, the original SCTV cast members will gather in front of a live audience at Toronto’s iconic Elgin Theatre. Dubbed “An Afternoon With SCTV”, the taping features Jimmy Kimmel moderating a panel conversation, as the comedic actors recount their various experiences about the making of the influential and legendary series.

Dubbed by Entertainment Weekly as one of the “100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time,” SCTV aired for six seasons between 1976 to 1984, becoming a pop culture touchstone. With 13 EMMY AWARD® nominations, SCTV was one of the first television series to consistently skewer television itself and chronicled the characters – both in front of and behind the camera – of a critically underfunded television station in Melonville.

The SCTV reunion special is produced by longtime SCTV Producer Andrew Alexander of Second City Entertainment, Emma Tillinger Koskoff of Sikelia Productions and in partnership with John Brunton and Lindsay Cox of Insight Productions (THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, THE LAUNCH), and is directed by Martin Scorsese for Netflix and CTV.

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Industry News

Link: Is Super Channel up to its old tricks again?

From Barri Cohen of POV Magazine:

Link: Is Super Channel up to its old tricks again?
Super Channel not only wants a 5-year licence; they want to buy less Canadian content, not pay for any drama development and stick to the same business practice of not paying up front for any of it. All interveners are fighting that and demanding not a five-year but a three-year licence, with strict oversight on business practices (usually something the CRTC is loath to do, though the Broadcasting Act does give them power to do it). Continue reading.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Corus Entertainment renews eight Canadian series for its 2018-2019 programming slate

From a media release:

Corus Entertainment continues its commitment to investing in Canadian original content with renewals of fan-favourite series across its suite of networks, including HGTV Canada’s Backyard Builds, Love It or List It Vancouver, Property Brothers, Property Brothers: Buying and Selling, $ave My Reno and Worst to First; Food Network Canada’s Carnival Eats; and Global Television’s Border Security: America’s Front Line. Today’s renewals follow Corus Studios’ recent MIPTV greenlight announcement of new Canadian series slated for launch in 2018/2019. Additional series renewals and greenlights for Corus’ roster of networks will be announced at a later date.

Newly greenlit returning Canadian original series include:

Backyard Builds – Season 2 (14×30)
Backyard Builds showcases the endless opportunities outdoor areas can provide. Contractor Brian McCourt and designer Sarah Keenleyside work with homeowners to extend their living area outdoors by creating one-of-a-kind structures and clever designs. Backyard Builds is produced by Frantic Films in association with Corus Studios for HGTV Canada.

Love It or List It Vancouver – Season 5 (26×60)
Love It or List It Vancouver showcases families in B.C. who are struggling with homes that no longer suit their needs. Whether they’ve outgrown the home they once loved or the luster has worn off, homeowners are faced with the dilemma of whether they should love it or list it. Each episode features interior designer Jillian Harris pitted against West Coast realtor Todd Talbot as they implement their plans to battle it out for the homeowners’ allegiance. Love It or List Vancouver is produced by Big Coat Media in association with HGTV Canada.

Property Brothers – Season 7 (18×60)
Canadians Drew and Jonathan Scott have become household names in real estate and home renovation. In Season 7, Drew and Jonathan help out couples in Calgary and Las Vegas to find, buy, and transform extreme fixer-uppers into incredible dream homes. First, real estate specialist Drew tracks down hidden gems with untapped potential, and then it’s up to identical twin brother and contractor Jonathan to expertly overhaul these ramshackle properties. Convincing homebuyers to take a radical risk is their first challenge, then they’ve got to deliver ambitious renovation projects on time and on budget. Property Brothers is produced by Cineflix in association with HGTV Canada.

Property Brothers: Buying and Selling – Season 6 (8×60)
In Property Brothers: Buying and Selling, Jonathan and Drew Scott help homeowners take their next step up the real estate ladder. Jonathan renovates the family’s home for a successful sale, while Drew hunts down the best options for their next property and oversees the selling and buying. Property Brothers: Buying and Selling is produced by Cineflix in association with HGTV Canada.

$ave My Reno – Season 2 (14×30)
Cash-conscious homeowners catch a break when Sebastian Clovis, the savvy contractor, and Sabrina Smelko, the resourceful designer, toss out overpriced reno quotes and make dreams come true. Sebastian and Sabrina save through smart spends, upcycling, DIY and putting homeowners to work. With their contagious energy, together they give homeowners the reno they want, on a budget they can afford. $ave My Reno is produced by Great Pacific Media in association with Corus Studios for HGTV Canada.

Worst to First – Season 2 (10×60)
Worst to First sees best friends, professional contractors and brothers-in-law Sebastian and Mickey take on the challenge of transforming the most undesirable house on the block into a stunning forever home. Worst to First is produced by Great Pacific Media in association with Corus Studios for HGTV Canada.

Carnival Eats – Season 5 (13×30)
Hosted by Noah Cappe, Carnival Eats gives audiences an inside look at the mouth-watering and outrageous foods famously found at fairs and carnivals, the wacky characters who create them and the culinary thrill seekers who devour and delight in them. Carnival Eats is produced by Alibi Entertainment in association with Food Network Canada.

Border Security: America’s Front Line – Season 2 (20×30)
Securing the longest border in the world is the work of the men and women of US Customs and Border Protection. Season 2 of Border Security: America’s Front Line follows CBP officers as they search for illegal travelers, weapons, and contraband. Guns, drugs, money and more – it’s all in a day’s work. Border Security: America’s Front Line is produced by eOne Entertainment (eOne) in association with Global Television.

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Industry News

The WGC announces new president, council

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From a media release:

The Writers Guild of Canada is pleased to announce that showrunner Dennis Heaton is the WGC’s new president, elected by WGC council to serve the 2,200 members of the Guild from May 1, 2018 to April 30, 2020. Dennis is an award-winning screenwriter based in Vancouver; currently showrunner of the upcoming Netflix show, The Order.

“We’re very excited to work with Dennis,” says WGC Executive Director Maureen Parker. “His showrunning experience will hold us in good stead as we go into Independent Production Agreement bargaining within the next year.”

Dennis has been a member of the WGC since 2001 and has served on the Guild’s council since 2012. He was showrunner of the internationally renowned police procedural Motive (CTV/ABC seasons one and two), and has written for The Listener and Blood Ties, among other shows.

“It’s great to be the new WGC president,” says Heaton. “I’m looking forward to building on the Guild’s past successes, as well as facing the challenges ahead.”

In addition to electing a new president, the Guild also has a new council, responsible for setting policies and overseeing Guild activities. The 2018-20 WGC council is made up of experienced screenwriter members from across the country: Vice President Andrew Wreggitt (Mayerthorpe), Treasurer Mark Ellis (X Company), Marsha Greene (Mary Kills People), Alex Levine (Orphan Black), Anne-Marie Perrotta (Max & Ruby), and Michael Amo (Pure).

The WGC’s new council, along with Executive Director Maureen Parker, is ready to move ahead in a time of industry flux, and to continue the Guild’s ongoing work on behalf of Canadian screenwriters.

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Industry News

White Pine Pictures snags rights to newest novel “The Showrunner” by acclaimed author Kim Moritsugu

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From a media release:

White Pine Pictures has secured the rights to the next novel by Toronto author Kim Moritsugu with assistance from the OMDC From Page to Screen Program. The darkly humorous novel was optioned from independent book publisher Dundurn Press and is a work of suspense fiction set in contemporary Los Angeles about three strong-willed women: two co-creators of a hit TV show locked in a battle to destroy each other, and the actress who comes between them. This is the first novel by Moritsugu to be optioned and the intent is to develop the property into a scripted television series.

V.P. Scripted Development at White Pine Pictures, Karynn Austin was drawn to the novel’s spot-on portrayal of inside Hollywood and its quick writing: “I could instantly see this being adapted into a riveting dark TV drama that would take viewers behind the curtain of the industry, while also engaging them with relationship-based storylines of strong leading women; something we’re finally seeing come to the forefront of production.”

Author Kim Moritsugu was born and raised in Toronto and holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Business Administration degrees from the University of Toronto. The Showrunner, set to be published in June 2018, is her seventh novel to-date. Previous works include the romantic comedy Looks Perfect (shortlisted for the Toronto Book Award), the domestic comedy Old Flames, the literary mystery The Glenwood Treasure (shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Best Crime Novel Award), the domestic novel The Restoration of Emily (serialized on CBC Radio’s Between the Covers), the Rapid Reads short novel And Everything Nice, and The Oakdale Dinner Club.

White Pine Pictures is the producer of the award-winning TV dramas The Border (38 x 1hr) and Cracked (21 x 1hr) and are in development with CBC on a dramatic series penned by Drew Hayden Taylor in addition to four new documentary projects slated to release in 2018, including a feature length film about rock ‘n roll legend Robbie Robertson.

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