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Link: Remembering Canadian factual TV pioneer Ralph C. Ellis

From Barry Walsh of RealScreen:

Remembering Canadian factual TV pioneer Ralph C. Ellis
Ralph C. Ellis, a Canadian independent television production pioneer, has passed away at the age of 91.

The founder of Ellis Entertainment began his career with the National Film Board as a field rep in Halifax, and then in Toronto, Ottawa and New York. In 1955, he partnered with Paul Talbot and Saul Turell to open Fremantle of Canada, and then in 1964, set up a shop with partners Jerry Kedey and Dan Gibson, known as KEG Productions. Soon after, he established his own distribution business, Ralph C. Ellis Enterprises. Continue reading. 

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

W Network’s Masters of Flip Returns for Season 2

From a media release:

W Network’s #1 rated reality series Masters of Flip is back at it again with higher stakes, massive flips, and even bigger drama when Season 2 premieres Tuesday, June 7 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on W Network. The series follows Canadian born, Nashville-based house-flipping couple Kortney and Dave Wilson (CMT Canada’s Meet the Wilsons, Kortney & Dave: By Request) as they transform “Music City” one property at a time.

In the second season, Kortney and Dave continue to grow their business as they hunt for new properties, take big chances, and deal with the chaos that comes with major renovations. With tight timelines Kortney and Dave use their house-flipping expertise to transform each real estate disaster into a stunning family dream home. The rollercoaster of buying, renovating, and staging each house all hinges on that final sale as Kortney and Dave debate how big a risk to take in order to garner the most profit.

Masters of Flip is produced by Rhino Content and developed in association with W Network. The series is also part of a growing slate of properties for international distribution from Corus Entertainment.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Rezolution Pictures begins production for Season 2 of Indians + Aliens

From a media release:

Rezolution Pictures has begun production on the second season of the original APTN series Indians + Aliens; a 13-episode, half-hour documentary series revealing where ancient Indigenous legends and cutting edge science converge to explore the unknown, from UFO’s and Alien Abduction to Sasquatch, Little People, Lake Monsters and Thunderbirds. Principal shooting begins this week, the first week of May, 2016.

In Season Two, show creator and host Ernest Webb will travel across the continent through Canada and the United States, including North Dakota and New Mexico to unearth these encounter stories. New experts, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, will shed light on the events offering traditional Indigenous explanations as well as theories rooted in newly emerging science. With the new collection of stories, the audience will be transported across Indigenous cultural and geographic landscapes while being exposed to the most remarkable accounts of sightings.

Experts and Knowledge Keepers from Indians + Aliens, Season One, including Chris Rutkowski and Matthew Mukash, are eager to return. Rutkowski, science-writer and head of the Canadian UFO Survey, has said that Season One was “the best show he’s ever worked on.” Mukash, former Grand Chief of the Cree and spiritual advisor for the series, commented that Season One “got it right.”

Indians + Aliens, Season Two promises to be as rich and varied as the communities from which they originate. Detailed accounts of hovering craft, mythical creatures of legend, alien abduction and military conspiracy will keep viewers riveted and push the boundaries of tangible belief. These stories come from credible and respected community members who will share Aboriginal concepts of spirituality and existence – a rich legacy of traditional myths and explanations that shed light on these bewildering events.

Season One of Indians + Aliens is one of the most popular shows on APTN.  It also won “Best UFO Short Film” at the 2013 EBE Film Festival. Building on this success and incredible fan feedback, and created by a team of award-winning documentarians, Indians + Aliens, Season Two will be led by Showrunner Greg Lawrence.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Hitler has his revenge in Hell Below

Watching X Company, I was reminded of the Battle of the St. Lawrence, when German U-boats patrolled the Gulf and mouth of the river during the Second World War in search of Allied ships to sink. In Tuesday’s new episode of Hell Below, attacks are ordered along the east coast of the United States in an attempt to threaten the war effort.

In “Hitler’s Revenge,” airing at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel Canada, the German Commander of U-boats, Karl Dönitz, wanted to follow up the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor—which caused the U.S. to enter the war—with a full-scale assault along the eastern seaboard. With men like Kapitanleutnant Reinhard Hardegen at the helm of U-123, Dönitz hoped Hardegen and the captains of four more Type 9 submarines would get the job done via Operation Drumbeat. There’s a ton of interesting facts revealed in the episode, including background into Hardegen’s pre-submarine war career, the truly awful conditions inside the U-boats and the lengths crews would go to make 80-day missions aboard them somewhat livable.

There are plenty of action and tense moments. The plan to attack off the coast of New York City is so rushed no accurate maps of the water depth are available and Hardegen has to resort to a city guide and map to figure out what The Big Apple looks like. As with past episodes of Hell Below, stunning recreations, CGI and real war footage bring these harrowing tales to life.

Is Hardegen’s mission a success? Tune in to find out.

Hell Below airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel Canada. You can watch past episodes via Smithsonian Channel Canada’s website.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Proper Television shifts into Season 3 of Vegas Rat Rods on Discovery

From a media release:

Proper Television announced today that Vegas Rat Rods Season 3 is in production with ten new, one-hour episodes for Discovery Canada and Discovery US. The third season of the internationally acclaimed series continues to follow Steve Darnell and his merry band of misfits as the Welderup gang creates 10 more killer vehicles that are bold, bitchin’ and badass. Production of Season 3 begins after a successful year of international sales with Seasons 1 and 2, now airing in over 180 territories across the globe.

Having spent the past two decades scouring the desert around Vegas for cars, parts and rusty inspiration, Steve is starting to realize many of his reliable stomping grounds have been picked dry. With more clients seeking out Steve’s expertise, Season 3 finds him venturing further and further afield to find his rusty relics, which means he needs to trust the rest of the Welderup crew to look after the shop. The crew must adapt to a new way of doing business in order to stay on schedule and on budget while taking the creativity of the builds to the next level.

Produced by Proper Television, Guy O’Sullivan (Canada’s Worst Driver) serves as Executive Producer and Barry Davis (Canada’s Smartest Person) as Series Producer. Vegas Rat Rods is an original production produced for Discovery Canada and Discovery US. For Discovery Canada, Bruce Glawson is Executive Producer and Edwina Follows is Director of Production. For Discovery US, Mitchell Rosenbaum and John Slaughter serve as Executive Producers. Proper Rights oversees international distribution on Vegas Rat Rods.

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