TV, eh? | What's up in Canadian television | Page 1231
TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
Dragons' Den

Joe Fresh’s Joe Mimran joins Dragons’ Den

From a media release:

CBC announced today that Joe Fresh founder Joe Mimran will join the upcoming 10thseason of DRAGONS’ DEN. The new season of DRAGONS’ DEN will air in fall 2015.

Throughout his storied career, Joe Mimran has founded and built brands that helped define the industry landscape, including Joe Fresh, Club Monaco, Alfred Sung, Caban and—with his wife, Kimberley Newport-Mimran—Pink Tartan. With an intuitive design vision and a keen business sense, Mimran has been at the forefront of fashion and retail for over thirty years. As founder and former creative director of Joe Fresh for Loblaw Companies Limited, Mimran oversaw the brand’s design, merchandising and retail concepts. Under Mimran’s guidance, Joe Fresh has grown to become Canada’s second largest apparel brand, encompassing women’s, men’s, children’s, baby and beauty collections. Additionally, Mimran oversaw creative direction of Home and Entertainment brands for Loblaw, including PC Home, Life at Home, Everyday Essentials, Jump Kids World, Jogi and Tera Gear, among others.

Mimran is also a private investor in Canada-based businesses, ranging from steel to pharmaceuticals. Educated at York University and the University of Windsor, Mimran joined the family dress manufacturing business in 1977. The company marketed several labels, including its marquee Alfred Sung line. The business grew rapidly from a small rented factory to a 50,000 square-foot space on King Street and was renamed Monaco Group in 1981. A longtime collector and patron of the arts, Mimran’s wide-ranging philanthropic activities include support of the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards and Nuit Blanche. Additionally, he was co-chair of the 2014 Big Bang Bash benefiting Toronto’s popular Luminato Festival.

Big things are in store for the anticipated 10th season of DRAGONS’ DEN, which will feature top entrepreneurs, innovative business pitches and new Dragons. Further details about the 10th season of DRAGONS’ DEN will be announced in the coming weeks.

DRAGONS’ DEN continues to be the top-rated Canadian unscripted program this season, with an average audience of about 1 million Canadians each week.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Dragons' Den, X Company

Tonight: Hockey Wives, Dragons’ Den, X Company

Hockey Wives, W Network – premiere
Hockey Wives delivers a rare opportunity for fans to meet ten sexy, accomplished “captains” off the ice and explores the meaning of being married to the game. With an exclusive look into the high-stakes lives of WAGs (wives and girlfriends) of the NHL®, the series reveals that it takes an incredible woman to manage fulfilling personal careers and stick handle life off of the ice with some of today’s top pro athletes. There are incredible perks to being a hockey wife, but, make no mistake, balancing the pressure of trades, relentless travel, long periods of separation, injury, retirement and living for the game takes an extraordinary and self-sufficient woman. Though they are based in cities all over North America, the wives cross paths throughout the course of the regular NHL season and are deeply affected by one another. From wives who are new to the league, to those whose partners are Stanley Cup winning superstars or entering retirement, these women form a team of their own, supporting and encourage one another through personal and professional highs and lows.

Dragons’ Den, CBC
A company asks the Dragons to take a shot with their business; a brave entrepreneur hopes his product won’t put him on a razor’s edge; and a long-time entrepreneur hopes his bitter story helps him make a sweet deal. Plus, a married couple say they’ve got the perfect solution to a hot problem.

X Company, CBC – “Walk With The Devil”
Aurora and the team wrestle with whether to trust a Vichy Mayor, who offers rich intelligence in exchange for their help in discovering what has become of the town’s young women.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Industry News

Link: CRTC quest for quality set to shake up Canadian production

2 Comments

From  Susan Naokes of CBC News:

CRTC quest for quality set to shake up Canadian production
The federal broadcast regulator says its new rules on Canadian content are about creating better quality TV, but industry watchers are divided over whether the new regime will work.

In releasing new rules about Canadian content last week, CRTC chair Jean-Pierre Blais seemed to be posing the same questions Canadian TV consumers might ask — how can we be in the golden age of TV when Canada has not produced any shows with the stature of Downton Abbey or Game of Thrones? Continue reading.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured

Preview: Hockey Wives score for W Network

1 Comment

“If Brandon cheated on me, I would cut his balls off, cook them and make him eat them.” This is what would befall Montreal Canadiens right winger Brandon Prust if he ever cheated on his girlfriend, Marpier Morin.

Morin’s threat is just a sample of the various bon mots and personalities uncovered in the first episode of Hockey Wives, debuting Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on W Network. The reality show follows 10 girlfriends and wives of NHL hockey players and coaches who are shown doing the everyday things that other married women do, like shop, take care of kids or carry on a career. Unlike most married women, however, these gals live in an environment where an injury to their partner can mean the end to a steady paycheque or a trade equals picking up their entire lives and moving somewhere else.

For someone like Noureen DeWulf—betrothed to Vancouver Canucks net minder Ryan Miller—it equals a couple of unknowns. Pregnant with their first child, DeWulf is unsure whether to move to Vancouver to be with her man or stay in Los Angeles and continue her acting career.

For Brijet Whitney—wife of recently retired player Ray—it means a wholesale upheaval in her life. The mother of three has her husband home for the first time in over two decades and worries they’ll become a statistic of hockey couples who divorce after the player hangs up his skates for good. Brijet is clearly the most grounded of all the wives featured in Episode 1; she’s been through the ups and downs of an NHL career and knows it can be taken away in a flash.

Hockey Wives isn’t my cup of television tea, but I certainly see the allure. The opportunity to tune in and see how these ladies get on with organizing the home and kids while their pro athlete partners are away is fascinating stuff. Even the group get-togethers—which I’m sure were set up by producers and fuelled with booze in hopes of fireworks going off—are entertaining, if not a little tame.

Hockey Wives airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Uncategorized

Link: ‘Hockey Wives’ star Noureen DeWulf on why many NHL players marry young

From Bill Harris of the Toronto Sun:

‘Hockey Wives’ star Noureen DeWulf on why many NHL players marry young
Noureen DeWulf of Hockey Wives admitted to being “shocked” by the number of NHL players who get married really young. The subject came up while discussing Hockey Wives, a big-buzz reality series that debuts Wednesday, March 18 on the W network. Continue reading.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail