Everything about Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary, eh?

Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

OUTtv and Fuse announce premiere date and cast for Shine True

From a media release:

OUTtv, the world’s first and Canada’s only LGBTQ2+ television network and Fuse, the leading Latino-owned and managed media brand, announced today the premiere date and cast for new original series, Shine True.

Previously announced (with the working title Clothes Minded), Shine True is a co-production from OUTtv, Fuse Media and VICE Studios (Flee, Dark Side of the Ring, 1994). The series tracks the journeys of trans and non-binary young adults leading up to a big life event. Shine True is hosted by Canadian transgender musician, artist, activist and life-coach Lucas Silveira (The Cliks) and gender non-conforming influencer, activist and model Richie Shazam. Gender expression can be challenging to navigate for trans and non-binary young adults. In each episode, Lucas Silveira and Richie Shazam, along with mentors and role models, guide someone who is trans or gender non-conforming as they explore their inner identity and passions, which they convert into authentic self-expression and the ability to “Shine True.”

The half-hour series premieres on OUTtv in Canada and on Fuse in the U.S on Monday, March 22 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

The first season cast is made up entirely of young people from Canada and the U.S. They are (listed in alphabetical order, with their pronouns):

  • Azul (they/them) — confronts generational trauma and finds the “punk mariachi” within before their big art show.
  • Fran (they/them) — connects with their inner skaterboi, their Filipinx heritage, and surprises their girlfriend with a romantic date night for their first anniversary.
  • Jaden (they/them) — discovers ways to dress their new silhouette after recent top surgery, and then throws a New Moon party in Toronto to release the past.
  • Juan (they/them/he/him) — learns about queerness and gets in touch with his feminine side with a little help from the Latinx community in Georgetown, Ontario.
  • LaDon (he/him/she/her) — finds his inner diva on the south side of Chicago for a glamorous photoshoot with help from a drag legend.
  • Prism (they/them) — meets an inspiring fat activist in and surprises their friends with a name change party.
  • Ronnie (they/them) — gains a confidence boost and style upgrade to coincide with a new life chapter, inviting their Caribbean parents along for the ride.
  • T (he/him/they/them) — steps out of the bedroom studio in Toronto and onto the stage after conquering their fears of shopping and performing with a gender-bendy makeover.

To promote the series and drive viewers to tune-in via linear, the first episode will also be made available for free starting March 17 in Canada on OUTtvGo (outtvgo.com) and the U.S. on video-on-demand (VOD), as well as on select digital platforms including Fuse.tv.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Flat Out Food highlights Saskatchewan food, farmers and chefs

From a media release:

A new, made-in-Saskatchewan docuseries is putting homegrown ingredients, and everyone from local farmers, chefs and foragers, to Indigenous food sovereigntists in the spotlight.

Flat Out Food is a six-episode documentary series that traces unique Saskatchewan ingredients from the field (or forest) to the plate, hosted by journalist and author Jenn Sharp. Flat Out Food is based on her 2020 book, Flat Out Delicious: Your Definitive Guide to Saskatchewan’s Food Artisans.

The docuseries visits a regenerative grain farmer, a beekeeper and even mushroom foraging chefs in an adventure that spans the province while exploring Saskatchewan’s diverse agriculture and local food scene. Each episode ends with a stunning meal created using the highlighted ingredient.

Saskatoon chefs Jenni Lessard (Wanuskewin Heritage Park) Thayne Robstad and Beth Rogers, owners of Hearth and Regina’s Milton Rebello (Skye Café & Bistro) are a few of the local chefs that join Sharp on her quest to gain a deeper appreciation for ingredients like lentils, chanterelles, fiddleheads, nettles, bison and more.

Flat Out Food is produced by Regina-based HalterMedia, owned by Adrian Halter. The series was filmed in over a dozen locations all over the province. Nearly the entire production and post-production team are from or are living in Saskatchewan.

The first episode airs February 24 at 10 pm CST on Citytv Saskatchewan and streams online at citytv.com. The timing couldn’t be more perfect as food-lovers across the country celebrate Canada’s Agriculture Day and food producers on February 23.

Flat Out Food is produced by HalterMedia Inc. in association with Citytv Saskatchewan and Rogers Media Inc. with assistance from the Canada Media Fund and Creative Saskatchewan.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Rezolution Pictures’ GESPE’GEWA’GI: The Last Land, set in Mi’gmaq fishing community, debuts February 11 & 13 on APTN

From a media release:

Rezolution Pictures has announced the debut of the first season of APN’s original series GESPE’GEWA’GI: The Last Land, a 13-part half-hour documentary series about the Mi’gmaq fishers of Listuguj, Que., who make their living on the nearby waters harvesting salmon, crab, lobster and shrimp. While the series takes a lighthearted approach to life in Listuguj, it also provides a First Nations perspective on how a commercial fishing industry – one that was born out of violence and defiance – grew to be a key economic and cultural support for the community. Shooting began in the fall of 2018, but the subject has become topical as the conflict between Nova Scotia’s Mi’gmaq and non-Indigenous commercial fishers continues in southwest Nova Scotia.

The series will premiere in Mi’gmaq on Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. CT on aptn n and on Feb. 18 at 7 a.m. ET on aptn e/hd and 7 a.m. MT on aptn w.
The English premiere will be on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. ET on aptn e/hd, 7 p.m. CT on aptn n and 7 p.m. MT on aptn w.

Set against the beautiful backdrop of Canada’s world-renowned Gaspé Peninsula region in Quebec, GESPE’GEWA’GI: The Last Land is fast-paced, funny and intimate. Experience a devotional journey with the fishers of Listuguj as they battle long days and nights on the water. The community of Listuguj is a small but feisty reserve on the border of Quebec and New Brunswick. Their success has been hard won over the years: clashes with police, raids and court cases all played a role in the birth and development of the humble fishery that is now a multi-million-dollar enterprise. Everything here has a connection to fishing, from self-governance and environmental sustainability, to bringing back the annual powwow and the Mi’gmaq language to younger generations.

GESPE’GEWA’GI: The Last Land is a character-driven documentary series that explores the intergenerational sacrifice, dedication, and the heart of the Mi’gmaq fishers on the east coast of Canada. Tune into this compelling and dynamic series that glimpses into a region and culture rarely seen on television, in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

APTN has confirmed the development of the second season of GESPE’GEWA’GI: The Last Land.

GESPE’GEWA’GI: The Last Land is co-executive produced and co-directed by Ernest Webb and Greg Lawrence, produced by Lisa M. Roth. It also introduces director trainee Heather Condo, who directed the Wapikoni short film, “My Father’s Tools” which screened at Sundance and festivals around the world.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Preview: Discovery’s Mud Mountain Haulers is a dangerous good time

There are a ton of documentary series on TV that spotlight men and women toiling in obscure and interesting careers. From vacuuming up gold underwater to digging for jade in the north, casting for tuna in the Atlantic or king crab off the coast of Alaska, to towing trucks in British Columbia or Ontario, the choices are plentiful. There’s already a series about logging called Big Timber over on History. So, do we need another program about logging?

Heck, yes.

Debuting Monday at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Discovery, Mud Mountain Haulers follows Craig and Brent Lebeau, third-generation loggers who run separate companies. But where Big Timber mainly shows the cutting of trees, Mud Mountain Haulers tracks the trucks and drivers who take the logs off-site. Produced by Great Pacific Media—the folks behind Highway Thru Hell and Heavy Rescue: 401—Mud Mountain Haulers is worthy third act.

Within the first three minutes of Monday’s debut, “Mud Man Down,” there is drama. A fully-loaded rig has gone off the road, trapping its driver inside. Before viewers learn his fate, we’re taken back 30 hours and introduced to Craig Lebeau (pictured above), a feisty 25-year veteran of logging the hills of B.C., who describes the danger involved in this job and the pressure he’s under to deliver the high-quality timber around the world.

Weather plays a huge part in the Lebeau’s business. The extreme winter chill means the ground is firm enough for heavy equipment, including the trucks that take the wood away. It’s here we meet Mike, Dan and Theron, three drivers who make sure the loads get where they’re going quickly and, hopefully, safely before the spring thaw—and the mud—arrives.

The success of a documentary series always rests on the characters and if you care about them. Great Pacific Media knows how to tell human stories and tell them well.

The result? Discovery has got another hit on its hands.

Mud Mountain Haulers airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Discovery.

Image courtesy of Bell Media.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Saloon Media announces start of production on Hotel Paranormal Season 2

From a media release:

Saloon Media, a Blue Ant Studios company, announced today ahead of the Realscreen Summit 2021 that it has started production on Season 2 of Hotel Paranormal (10×60’). As part of this announcement, Saloon Media also confirms that Emmy® Award winner and Oscar®-nominated actor, Dan Aykroyd, will return as narrator, joining production efforts in Toronto, Canada this spring. The 10-part documentary series provides dramatic recreations and paranormal expert insights during its bone-chilling tales of paranormal encounters at 4-star hotels, highway motels and inns around the world. Originally commissioned by T+E in Canada, the second installment of this series is available for licensing, in the U.S. and globally, by Blue Ant International.

Filming for Season 2 will take place across Ontario, Canada, under strict, new COVID-19 provincial guidelines, with a delivery date of summer 2021. No stranger to keeping production going during a pandemic, Saloon Media had completed one in-person narration with Dan Aykroyd for Hotel Paranormal, Season 1, when Canada went into lockdown last March. Saloon Media moved forward by recording the remaining narration virtually. Aykroyd recorded in a remote studio in Ontario, Canada, with Executive Producer Michael Kot and Series Producer Sarah Zammit directing via video call.

Hotel Paranormal is produced by Saloon Media, a Blue Ant Studios company. Michael Kot and Betty Orr serve as Executive Producers. Sarah Zammit is the Series Producer. Dave Tebby and Simone Stock are Directors and Josh Pelham is the Director of Photography.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail