This week, Greg and Amy go through debuts and returns on the Canadian TV calendar and CBC’s renewal of Strays, Run the Burbs and Son of a Critch.
Then, the duo discusses the 2022 Canadian Screen Award nominees for Best Drama, Best Comedy and Best Reality/Competition Program or Series.
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From a media release:
Secrets of the past continue to haunt Bridgeport and layers of mystery are revealed in the second season of The Hardy Boys (10x60min), premiering Monday, April 4 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on YTV. New episodes will roll out every Monday at 8 p.m. and will be available to stream live and on-demand on STACKTV. Based on the beloved books by Franklin W. Dixon and nominated for a Daytime Emmy® Award and three Canadian Screen Awards, the popular mystery series is developed and produced in Canada by Nelvana, a world-leading international producer, distributor, and licensor of children’s animated and live-action content, and Lambur Productions, in association with Corus Entertainment.
The second season picks up six months after the events of Season 1, building on the mystery and drama of the inaugural season and welcoming new friends and suspects. In Season 2, when a Bridgeportclassmate mysteriously disappears, Frank (Rohan Campbell) and Joe Hardy (Alexander Elliot) drop their new normal routine to get back to detective work. But when they discover the mystical relic they destroyed last year is still in play, it becomes clear their simple missing person case is actually part of something far more sinister. The Hardy boys and their friends must quickly learn who they can and can’t trust as they race against time to unravel the truth, and ultimately realize that no one is safe from their past.
Filmed in Toronto and Southern Ontario, the series features an all-Canadian cast and crew. The Hardy gang is back in action with returning cast Rohan Campbell (Virgin River) as ‘Frank Hardy,’ Alexander Elliot (Locke and Key) as ‘Joe Hardy’, Keana Lyn (The Yard) as ‘Callie Shaw’, Adam Swain (A Million Little Things) as ‘Chet Morton’, Cristian Perri (A Simple Favor) as ‘Phil Cohen’, and Riley O’Donnell (Big Top Academy) as ‘Biff Hooper’. Joining the cast this season are Canadian actors Krista Nazaire (Before We Crash) as ‘Belinda Conrad’ and Sadie Munroe (Workin’ Moms) as ‘Lucy Wayne’.
The first season of The Hardy Boys received industry-wide recognition, recently earning three Canadian Screen Award nominations for Best Children’s or Youth Fiction Program or Series, Best Direction, Children’s or Youth and Best Photography, Drama, in addition to a Daytime Emmy® Award nomination for Outstanding Young Adult Series, two DGC Award nominations for Outstanding Directorial Achievement and Best Picture Editing, and a CSC Award nomination for Best Cinematography in TV Drama. The Hardy Boys also secured the #1 program spot last spring on YTV* and is currently the #2 streamed YTV show on STACKTV**.
YTV can be streamed via STACKTV, available on Amazon Prime Video Channels, Rogers Ignite TV and Ignite SmartStream. The network is also available through all major TV distributors, including Shaw, Shaw Direct, Rogers, Bell, Videotron, Telus, Cogeco, Eastlink and SaskTel.
*Source: Numeris PPM Data, Total Canada, SP’21 (Jan 4 – May 30/21) confirmed data, 3+ airings, Ind. 2+ AMA(000), YTV
**Source: Amazon Video Central Reporting
From a media release:
Viveka Melki is proud to announce the launch of her new film, television and visual arts company, Melki Films Inc. The company, of which Viveka Melki is Founder and President, is based in Montreal.
“I’m thrilled to announce the birth of Melki Films Inc.”, said Melki. “As I have done previously while an independent filmmaker, my new company, Melki Films Inc., will create high-quality documentary and drama programming for Canadian and worldwide audiences, as well as curatorial work for art galleries and museums worldwide. Our projects will focus on the powerful human, emotional stories that emerge from dramatic social, economic, political and historical events and situations.”
Viveka Melki was born in The Gambia, West Africa, to a Lebanese and Indigenous Brazilian family, before completing her education in the UK and then immigrating to Canada, her adopted homeland. Melki identifies as a racialized settler to Turtle Island. She brings her experience of having lived, and worked, in repressive regimes to her storytelling, often incorporating feminist themes and perspectives. She is multilingual, speaking English, French, Spanish, Arabic and Wolof (one of the languages of West Africa).
Melki Films Inc.’s initial slate of productions include:
“Branded” (working title) – for CBC The Passionate Eye. TV-hour & Festival/Theatrical versions. A powerful, candid documentary about the domestic sexual trafficking across Canada. Currently in production, for release in 2023.
“Butterfly Hunters” (working title) – for Telus in British Columbia and Alberta. TV-hour & Festival/Theatrical versions. An inside look at the shadowy world of sexual trafficking in Western Canada. In production in 2022 for release in 2023.
“The Eric Brunt Collection” (working title) – in partnership with the Canadian War Museum, this project is a collection of compelling one-on-one conversations by filmmaker Eric Brunt with some of the few surviving Canadian veterans of World War II. The collection, comprised on 416 filmed interviews already completed and another 68 being filmed in 2022, will be a highlight of the CWM’s major new database called “In Their Voices”, to launch in 2024.
“Alouette” – docu-animation. An 11-minute film funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, New Chapters Program, featuring WW2 Hong Kong POW camp veteran Douglas Rees. In production, for completion in 2024.
“The Himalayan Blue Poppy/ SākrƏd” – Melki is creating, curating and producing this major international touring visual arts exhibition, launching in 2024. The exhibition, presented by Les Jardins de Métis/Reford Gardens in partnership with the Montreal Botanical Garden, will innovatively celebrate the stunningly beautiful, magical flower of legend, the Himalayan Blue Poppy, known as Meconopsis, on the centenary of its cultivation by gardeners worldwide.
Melki Films Inc. also has numerous other projects in active development, including:
“Roadside Heroes” – Eric Brunt & Viveka Melki will co-directing this feature-length documentary. In search of purpose and identity, an LGBTQ+ filmmaker crisscrosses Canada, recording the untold stories of other outsiders: marginalized BIPOC Canadian veterans who served in World War Two.
“Gene d’Espoir (Gene of Hope)”, a French-language original, based on the life of Audrey-Ann Bélanger. It tells a remarkable tale of hope and determination.
Melki has assembled a talented production team at her new company, including Pierre P. Cardinal, CPA, Finance Director; Inga Sibiga, Production Coordinator; Emma Frattasio, Researcher & Digital Media; Roupen Markian, Production & Technical Assistant; Debra Kouri (Producer for Melki Films: Branded and Butterfly Hunters); Eric Brunt, Director & Editor, EB Collection and Roadside Heroes; and Jeremy Katz, Communications & Publicity Consultant.
Melki and the late Adam Pajot Gendron founded Rimouski-based Tortuga Films in 2006. Melki sold her interest in 2014 but continued to make films for Tortuga until 2020 as an independent filmmaker. For Tortuga, her films, some of which were made as English-language originals and others in French, include After Circus; Carricks, dans le sillage des Irlandais (Carricks, In the Wake of the Irish); and the FENCE.
Melki also created, curated and produced the highly acclaimed WAR Flowers: A Touring Art Exhibition/ Fleurs D’ARMES: une exposition d’art itinérante, an innovative, multi-sensorial exhibition exploring human nature in the landscape of war, through ‘floriography’, sculpture and scent. The exhibition moved audiences at every stop on its three-year tour, from its opening at Les Jardins de Métis/Reford Gardens in Grand-Métis, Quebec, to the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Campbell House Museum in Toronto, the Visitor Education Centre of the Canada National Vimy Memorial in Vimy, France, Château Ramezay Historic Site and Museum in Montreal, the Borealis Gallery in the Alberta Legislative Assembly Visitor Centre in Edmonton, and the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga.
Viveka Melki belongs to ARRQ, DOC Quebec, DOC Canada, and The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.
Melki Films is a supporter of, and contributor to, the organizations Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders and Not Just Tourists/Plus que touristes.
Melki Films has also just launched its own website, www.melkifilms.com, with information about the company and its projects, as well as regularly updated news about Melki Films Inc. and its activities.
From a media release:
The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is thrilled to announce plans for this year’s event to safely return in-person with an exciting lineup of Summit Series keynote speakers, topical panel discussions and celebrity master classes as well as networking opportunities to connect the global media industry to ignite new projects and support business development. The 43rd edition of the Festival will take place in-person June 12-15, 2022 at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada.
Chairman of Universal Studio Group (USG), Pearlena Igbokwe (top left), is confirmed to participate in a Summit Series keynote conversation at the Festival on Tuesday, June 14. Igbokwe leads four powerhouse studios: Universal Television, UCP, Universal Television Alternative Studios and Universal International Studios that produce over 3,000 hours of programming currently airing or streaming around the globe.
An exclusive ‘In Conversation With’ session is confirmed with leading global health and pandemic expert Dr. Ashish K. Jha (top middle) and renowned philanthropist and entrepreneur Frank Giustra (top right) to discuss the impact of mis/disinformation on public awareness and the responsibility of the media and entertainment industry to combat it.
“BANFF is back, bigger and better than ever,” said BANFF Board Chair and Lionsgate Television Group Chair Kevin Beggs. “We couldn’t think of more fitting speakers to kick off the festivities than the head of Brown University’s School of Public Health, Dr. Ashish Jha, a visionary leader who has given useful and politics-free advice to millions during the pandemic; Frank Giustra, founder of Lionsgate which has grown from a start-up in 1999 to a leading content, distribution, and platform studio today, and who was recently named Co-Chair of the Crisis Group; and Pearlena Igbokwe, Chair of Universal Television Group, one of the most prolific television studios operating in Hollywood today.”
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome the industry back in the Canadian Rockies this June,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director, Banff World Media Festival. “The BANFF Board of Directors, Content Advisory Board and our team are working to bring you the best edition of BANFF yet, and we’re thrilled to be launching this year’s content slate with the announcement of keynote conversations featuring global leaders Pearlena Igbokwe, Dr. Ashish Jha and Frank Giustra.”
Igbokwe and her team support a slate of ambitious storytellers, including Jordan Peele, Sam Esmail, Nahnatchka Khan, Tina Fey, Seth MacFarlane, Julie Plec, Amy Poehler, Tanya Saracho, Michael Schur, Alan Yang, David Heyman, Selwyn Hinds, Tarell McCraney, Lorne Michaels, Gareth Neame, Debra Martin Chase, Nick Antosca and Dick Wolf, among numerous others. She currently oversees 129 projects across 29 platforms worldwide, including the major broadcast networks, streamers and numerous cable outlets. Notable USG projects under her purview include “Hacks,” “Never Have I Ever,” “Girls5eva,” “Young Rock,” “The Umbrella Academy,” “Dr. Death,” “Gaslit,” “Joe vs Carole,” “Made in Chelsea,” “Clickbait,” “We Are Lady Parts,” “Making It” and longtime NBC favorite “Hollywood Game Night.”
The timely conversation between Dr. Ashish Jha and Frank Giustra will discuss the impact of mis/disinformation on public awareness and the responsibility of media and entertainment platforms to combat it.
The renowned Rockie Awards International Program Competition is one of the world’s largest program competitions of its kind, with participation from more than 55 countries annually including an international jury of 150 industry professionals. Category winners, including the Grand Jury Prize, the Francophone Prize and other special prizes, will be announced during the Festival on June 13th.
Now in its 43rd year, BANFF is the international conference and marketplace where new business partnerships are forged and new TV, film and digital media projects are ignited. With delegates from 50+ countries, the Festival attracts the world’s top creators, producers, showrunners, talent, networks, studios, streamers, press and media companies. In addition, BANFF continues to deliver important fellowships and initiatives including The BANFF Spark Accelerator for Women in the Business of Media, supported by the Government of Canada which empowers and trains Canadian women entrepreneurs to launch and grow their own sustainable businesses within the screen-based industries as well as the Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative, a program that jumpstarts and accelerates the careers of up to 100 Black, Indigenous and People of Colour producers and creators.
ABOUT PEARLENA IGBOKWE
Pearlena Igbokwe is Chairman, Universal Studio Group (USG), where she leads four powerhouse studios: Universal Television, Universal Content Productions (UCP), Universal Television Alternative Studios and Universal International Studios that produce over 3,000 hours of programming currently airing or streaming around the globe. Igbokwe reports directly to Jeff Shell, CEO NBCUniversal.
In her capacity as Chairman, Igbokwe and her team support a slate of ambitious storytellers, including Jordan Peele, Sam Esmail, Nahnatchka Khan, Tina Fey, Seth MacFarlane, Julie Plec, Amy Poehler, Tanya Saracho, Michael Schur, Alan Yang, David Heyman, Selwyn Hinds, Tarell McCraney, Lorne Michaels, Gareth Neame, Debra Martin Chase, Nick Antosca and Dick Wolf, among numerous others.
Igbokwe currently oversees 129 projects across 29 platforms worldwide, including the major broadcast networks, streamers and numerous cable outlets. Notable USG projects under her purview include “Hacks,” “Never Have I Ever,” “Girls5eva,” “Young Rock,” “The Umbrella Academy,” “Dr. Death,” “Gaslit,” “Joe vs. Carole,” “Made in Chelsea,” “Clickbait,” “We Are Lady Parts,” “Making It,” and longtime NBC favorite “Hollywood Game Night.” Universal Studio Group also houses NBCUniversal Formats, the original podcast platform, USG Audio, and its graphic novel imprint, USG Graphic.
From 2016 to 2020, Igbokwe was President, Universal Television, where she oversaw creative development, casting and production and led the division to new heights with record production output. Some of her development highlights include “Russian Doll,” “The Good Place,” “New Amsterdam,” “The Bold Type,” “Good Girls,” and Dick Wolf’s successful new franchise, among numerous other notable projects. In a highly competitive landscape, Igbokwe was able to secure pickups for her projects on every major streaming service, a variety of premium cable outlets and every broadcast network.
Before her studio role, Igbokwe served as Executive Vice President, Drama Programming, for NBC Entertainment, where she developed the top-rated new broadcast dramas for three out of her four years in the role (“The Blacklist,” “Blindspot” and “This Is Us”). Previously she worked at Showtime for 20 years, where she was involved in developing the pilot and overseeing the first five seasons of “Dexter,” Showtime’s most popular series ever. She also developed and supervised the Emmy Award-winning and critically acclaimed original series “Nurse Jackie” and developed the pilot for “Masters of Sex,” starring Michael Sheen. In addition, she shepherded Tracey Ullman’s “State of the Union,” Damon Wayans’ “The Underground,” Kirstie Alley’s “Fat Actress” and the television adaptation of the hit feature film “Barbershop.” She was also instrumental in the five-season run of the hit Showtime series “Soul Food,” a two-time NAACP Image Award winner for Best Drama Series.
She currently serves on the boards of the Hollywood Radio and TV Society (HRTS), National Association of TV Programming Executives (NATPE), Television Academy Executive Committee and the Friends Board of the Saban Community Clinic.
Igbokwe has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University and an MBA from Columbia University. She was born in Nigeria and resides in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.
ABOUT DR. ASHISH K. JHA
Ashish K. Jha, M.D., M.P.H., is recognized globally as an expert on pandemic preparedness and response as well as on health policy research and practice. He has led groundbreaking research around Ebola and is now on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response, leading national and international analysis of key issues and advising state and federal policy makers. Dr. Jha has published more than two hundred original research publications in prestigious journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA and the BMJ, and is a frequent contributor to a range of public media. He has extensively researched how to improve the quality and reduce the cost of health care, focusing on the impact of public health policy nationally and around the globe. Dr. Jha is currently the Dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University. Before that, he was a faculty member at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School since 2005. He was the Director of the Harvard Global Health Institute and also served as the Dean for Global Strategy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
ABOUT FRANK GIUSTRA
Mr. Giustra is President and CEO of the Fiore Group, a private firm managing a broad portfolio of private investments and companies, focussing on natural resources, entertainment, art, food and lifestyle.
Frank Giustra shares the love of film. In 1987, he co-founded the International Movie Group and was executive producer of a number of films including the 1988 hit “Buster”, starring Phil Collins. By 1997, Frank’s entrepreneurial success also included the founding of Lionsgate Entertainment, now one of the world’s largest independent film companies. Today, Mr. Giustra is a major shareholder of Thunderbird Entertainment, a creative-driven, pure-play content production studio that creates and owns global and award-winning scripted, factual and animated programming.
Mr. Giustra brings an entrepreneurial approach to philanthropy to catalyze new ideas and innovations that can be scaled and shared. He co-founded Acceso, a social business builder that brings entrepreneurial solutions to global poverty. Acceso manages agribusinesses in Colombia, El Salvador, and Haiti.
For over two decades the Giustra Foundation has supported innovative solutions to some of the most pressing humanitarian and economic challenges — focussing on women and children, homelessness and refugee resettlement. The Giustra Foundation is a founding partner in the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative.
In 2020, he became co-chair of the International Crisis Group, an independent non-partisan source of analysis and advice to policymakers on the prevention and resolution of deadly conflict.
Frank is passionate about philanthropy, quantum physics, and the odd wild adventure.
About BANFF
The Banff World Media Festival and the Rockie Awards host one of the world’s most important gatherings of entertainment industry executives and creators, dedicated to content development, production, broadcast and distribution within the screen industries. BANFF provides a platform for the evolving global media industry to develop its creative and business objectives. It serves as a leading destination for co-production and co-venture partners and is an unparalleled marketplace for international decision-makers to connect with new partners, learn from industry leaders and execute new business deals.
From a media release:
The Alberta shot talk show Face to Face with David is returning to SLICE on March 14 with a new season. The thirteen-episode season was filmed entirely at The RimRock Resort Hotel in Banff, Alberta and features a star-studded line up of guests. David Oulton returns as host, with his infamous Versace bathrobe and glass of wine, to welcome his guests as they discuss their career highs and lows, hilarious anecdotes, and sage life advice.
Kicking off the season premiere is actress Raven Symone (Disney’s That’s So Raven, The View) and her wife Miranda as they discuss life as a married couple in the spotlight. Other notable guests on the upcoming season include actress Miriam Margolyes (Harry Potter), musician David Archuleta, comedian Jimmy Carr, actress Catherine Reitman (CBC’s Workin’ Moms), Gretchen Rossi (The Real Housewives of Orange County), Sandy Yawn (Below Deck Mediterranean), actor Robert Picardo (Star Trek: Voyager, Stargate SG-1), comedian Lisa Lampanelli, actress Amber Marshall (CBC’s Heartland), RuPaul’s Drag Race star Alaska, actor DingDong Dantes and many others.
“I am beyond excited to have the opportunity to bring another season of our little show to TV screens”, series host and executive producer David Oulton shares. Oulton adds, “we are incredibly fortunate to be able to do this many episodes and speak with all of these amazing guests.”
Initially filmed as a low budget project in Oulton’s living room during the Covid lockdown, the series quietly premiered in the summer on 2020. It has gone on to become one of the most aired Canadian daytime television series, currently airing on Slice, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, Showcase, OUTtv, MovieTime, Lifetime, and others. The series also streams on OUTtvGo, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and various other networks and platforms domestically and internationally.
The new season begins 9:30am EST Monday, March 14 on SLICE.
Face to Face with David is produced by Calgary based production house L&C Style Inc. with Candace Schmidt directing, and Luis Gonzales serving as cinematographer. The series is co- produced by, and airs daily, on OUTtv.
