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TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
Sort Of, The Hardy Boys, The Porter

Winners announced for 21st annual DGC Awards

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From a media release:

The DGC is delighted to announce the winners of the 2022 DGC Awards. The Guild received over 450 submissions this year for both film and television categories.

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN FEATURE FILM
David Cronenberg – Crimes of the Future

ALLAN KING AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN DOCUMENTARY
Madison Thomas – Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On

DGC JEAN-MARC VALLÉE DISCOVERY AWARD
Anthony Shim – Riceboy Sleeps

BEST SHORT FILM
Hayley Gray – Send the Rain                              

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – FEATURE FILM
Tamara Deverell – Nightmare Alley

BEST PICTURE EDITING – FEATURE FILM
Cam McLauchlin – Nightmare Alley

BEST PICTURE EDITING – DOCUMENTARY
Sarah Peddie – Unloved: Huronia’s Forgotten Children    

BEST SOUND EDITING – FEATURE FILM
Nathan Robitaille, Jill Purdy, Dashen Naidoo, Josh Brown, Nelson Ferreira, Kayla Stewart, Craig MacLellan, Kevin Banks – Nightmare Alley

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMATIC SERIES
Charles Officer – The Porter, Episode 101, Episode 1

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY SERIES
Fabrizio Filippo – Sort Of, Episode 101, Sort of Gone

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN FAMILY SERIES
Melanie Orr – The Hardy Boys, Episode 207, The Doctor’s Orders

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES FOR TELEVISION AND MINI-SERIES
Helen Shaver – Station Eleven, Episode 108, Who’s There?

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – DRAMATIC SERIES
Elisabeth Williams – The Handmaid’s Tale, Episode 405, Chicago

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – MOVIES FOR TELEVISION AND MINI-SERIES
Elisa Sauvé – Sneakerella

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – COMEDY OR FAMILY SERIES
Zoë Sakellaropoulo – Ghosts, Episode 109, Alberta’s Fan
Zoë Sakellaropoulo – The Bold Type, Episode 505, Don’t Turn Away

BEST PICTURE EDITING – DRAMATIC SERIES
Ana Yavari – The Handmaid’s Tale, Episode 407, Home
 
BEST PICTURE EDITING – MOVIES FOR TELEVISION AND MINI-SERIES
Maureen Grant – Stolen by Their Father

BEST PICTURE EDITING – COMEDY OR FAMILY SERIES
Lee Walker – Astrid and Lilly Save the World, Episode 105, A-Borg

BEST SOUND EDITING – DRAMATIC SERIES
David McCallum, Ed Douglas, Marvyn Dennis, Peter Thillaye, Kayla Stewart, Jean Bot – The Porter, Episode 108, Episode 8
 
BEST SOUND EDITING – MOVIES FOR TELEVISION AND MINI-SERIES
Jane Tattersall, Brennan Mercer, Martin Gwynn Jones, David Caporale – The North Water, Episode 103, Homo Homini Lupus

BEST SOUND EDITING – COMEDY OR FAMILY SERIES
John Douglas Smith, Kayla Stewart, Paul Talbott, Kelly McGahey, Taylor Brockelsby, Kevin Banks – Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, Episode 112, Into the Trash

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @DGCTalent. Use the hashtag #DGCAwards to join the conversation!

The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) is a national labour organization that represents over 6,000 key creative and logistical personnel in the screen-based industry covering all areas of direction, design, production and editing. The DGC negotiates and administers collective agreements and lobbies extensively on issues of concern for Members including Canadian content conditions, CRTC regulations and ensuring that funding is maintained for Canadian film & television programming.

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Industry News

Lilly Singh to host Battle of the Generations, CTV’s new primetime quiz show

From a media release:

CTV announced today that acclaimed comedian and actress Lilly Singh is confirmed to host and executive produce the inaugural season of CTV’s previously announced primetime quiz show BATTLE OF THE GENERATIONS. Each episode of the nostalgia-packed quiz show features four contestants representing a different generation (Baby Boomer, Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z), as they battle through multiple rounds of nostalgia-packed pop culture trivia. Whoever triumphs in this unique game of time travelling trivia enters The Vault for a chance to win a cash prize of up to $25,000.

CTV also confirmed today that nationwide casting for BATTLE OF THE GENERATIONS is currently underway, with production on the 20-episode, one-hour quiz show set to begin February 2023 in Toronto. Viewers who think they have what it takes to reign supreme in this epic battle of the ages now have a chance to represent their generation on CTV’s new game show. For casting details and updates, including instructions on how to apply, fans can visit CTV.ca/BOTGcasting.

BATTLE OF THE GENERATIONS not only asks how well you know your own generation but how well you know your rivals’ generations – ultimately resolving the question of which generation has what it takes to win it all. Additional programming information to be announced in the coming months.

Today’s announcement comes on the heels of Blink49 Studios and Bell Media’s multi-year partnership with Singh and her company Unicorn Island Productions on a unique first-look global scripted and second-look unscripted deal. Singh and Unicorn Island also have a first-look unscripted deal with Universal Television Alternative Studio.

About Lilly Singh
Lilly Singh is a multi-faceted entertainer, actress, producer, writer, and creator. A leading force in popular culture, she has amassed a global audience of nearly 40 million followers across her social media channels. Earlier this year, Singh starred in the DreamWorks Animation action-comedy The Bad Guys, which premiered to a global box office of over $230 million. Singh is also a judge on CANADA’S GOT TALENT and will star in the upcoming Disney+ comedy series The Muppets Mayhem. Singh was the only woman to host a late-night show on a broadcast network television in nearly two decades for her show A LITTLE LATE WITH LILLY SINGH. As an author, she has published the #1 New York Times bestseller “How To Be A Bawse: A Guide to Surviving Conquering Life” and “Be a Triangle: How I Went from Being Lost to Getting My Life Into Shape”, which debuted as an instant best-seller in Canada and India.

As part of her Unicorn Island umbrella, Singh launched the Unicorn Island Fund – focusing on girls who continue to be systemically undervalued across cultures and geographies. She currently resides in Los Angeles and was born and raised in Scarborough, Ont.

BATTLE OF THE GENERATIONS is an international format created for markets around the world and will be available for distribution globally. The series is executive produced by Jennifer Couke and Michelle Crespi for Bell Media Studios, Martin Oxley and Abigail Adams for Motion Content Group, and Lilly Singh and Polly Auritt for Unicorn Island Productions.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

New ZoomerMedia TV series Your Nation’s Table celebrates seafood from the West Coast of Canada

From a media release:

A new television series airing nationwide this fall is poised to make waves. ZoomerMedia’s Your Nation’s Table debuts Monday, November 14 with a season dedicated to six amazing BC seafood stories.

Over a year in the making, the series takes viewers on a voyage through communities across BC alongside hosts Carmen Ruiz y Laza and Chef Robert Clark. Each 30-minute episode focuses on a popular BC seafood and its journey from sea to table.

Your Nation’s Table provides a fascinating insight into the harvest of wild seafood along the rugged BC coastline, and the colourful characters who are responsible for catching, processing, and preparing it. Viewers will be inspired by their stories which illustrate how, by delivering the finest seafood to domestic and global markets, they are playing a vital role in the Canadian food economy.

As a decorated chef, member of the Order of Canada, and one of the founders of the sustainable seafood movement, Chef Robert Clark was delighted to co-host Your Nation’s Table. “What an honour, thrill, and amazing opportunity it is to introduce the producers of our food, supporters of our communities, and defenders of our food sovereignty into so many Canadian homes,” says Chef Clark.

With over two decades of television and film experience in production and hosting, Television Host Carmen Ruiz y Laza was excited to bring Your Nation’s Table to life.

“Your Nation’s Table was born out of my experience shopping for sustainable local seafood. At my neighbourhood grocery store, the fishmonger told me they didn’t have locally-caught wild BC salmon, but had only imported and farmed fish. At that moment, I decided to do something about it,” says Ruiz y Laza. “By advocating for, and giving a voice to our BC seafood producers, the aim of Your Nation’s Table is to raise the profile of a valuable and often underappreciated domestic food production system and steer consumers towards better tasting, more nutritional, and environmentally-friendly alternatives.”

The season’s six episodes, filmed in remote destinations across the BC coast, highlight how BC spot prawns, salmon, crab, geoduck, sablefish and tuna are harvested. Viewers will also be treated to tips by top chefs on how to shop for, and prepare these products, and which BC wines to pair them with.

The series is made possible by the generous support of its sponsors: Buy BC, Pacific Prawn Fishermen’s Association, BC Salmon Marketing Council, Underwater Harvesters Association, BC Tuna Fishermen’s Association, Canadian Sablefish Association, BC Crab Fishermen’s Association, Grundéns Fishing Apparel, Pacific Net & Twine, Mission Hill Family Estate, Liquidity Wines, CedarCreek Estate Winery, and Ocean Regenerative Aquaculture.

Broadcasted through the ZoomerMedia network, Your Nation’s Table will reach viewers across Canada. The series will air on JoyTV BC starting Monday, November 14, and FaithTV starting Saturday, November 26. Tune in on Mondays and Fridays at 5pm (PST) on JoyTV, or catch the show on Saturdays at 10:30am (PST) on FaithTV.

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Canada's Drag Race

True, north, strong, and fierce! Crave orders a fourth season of Canada’s Drag Race

From a media release:

Crave confirmed today that it has ordered a fourth season of its hit original series CANADA’S DRAG RACE. The series is available to audiences in Canada, in both English and French, and is produced by Blue Ant Studios in association with Crave and World of Wonder.

Canadian drag artists looking to flaunt their distinct brand of Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent can submit their applications now at http://canadasdragracecasting.com. Applicants must be 19 years of age as of Nov. 1, 2022 to apply and a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.

Seasons 1-3 of CANADA’S DRAG RACE are currently available for streaming on Crave in Canada and on World of Wonder’s SVOD platform WOW Presents Plus in the U.S. and in more than 160 countries around the world. Additionally, audiences can look forward to the new six-episode series CANADA’S DRAG RACE: CANADA VS. THE WORLD premiering on Friday, Nov. 18 at 9 p.m. ET. Queens from the international Drag Race family will compete to become the Queen of the Mother-Pucking World. Brooke Lynn Hytes, Brad Goreski, and Traci Melchor are resident judges, with Canada as the host nation.

In association with Crave, Season 4 of CANADA’S DRAG RACE is produced by Blue Ant Studios. Executive Producers for World of Wonder are Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, and Tom Campbell. RuPaul Charles serves as Executive Producer.

Executive Producers for Blue Ant Studios are Michael Kot, Betty Orr, and Laura Michalchyshyn. Returning from CANADA’S DRAG RACE Season 3, and from CANADA’S DRAG RACE: CANADA VS. THE WORLD, are Trevor Boris, Executive Producer/Showrunner, and Yette Vandendam, Executive Producer/Supervising Producer.

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Industry News

AMI’s Kelly and Ramya debuts January 9, 2023, on AMI-tv

From a media release:

New name. New platform. Same great hosts. Today, Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) pulls back the curtain on Kelly and Ramya.

Beginning Monday, January 9, 2023, Kelly and Ramya launches on AMI-tv while continuing to be a staple of AMI-audio and podcast platforms, where over 1,500 episodes have been broadcast as Kelly and Company.

Airing weekdays from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern from AMI’s state-of-the-art new production studio in Toronto, Kelly and Ramya gives a dynamic and compelling voice to the disability experience in Canada.

On Kelly and Ramya, viewers join hosts Kelly MacDonald and Ramya Amuthan for the latest on lifestyle and entertainment, community events across the country and thoughtful discussion on issues that impact the disability community. Joining the duo are over 30 contributors, who share expert advice on everything from assistive technology to human rights, employment, health and wellness, all through a disability lens. Additionally, eight community reporters from across the country—all from the blind and partially sighted community—share local events and happenings viewers and listeners should be aware of.

“I look forward to being able to smile at our audience every day and share with them the joy I feel about coming into their homes,” Kelly MacDonald says. “I can’t wait for new viewers to meet our amazing contributors, learn from them and to see how diverse and inclusive Kelly and Ramya is.”

“Moving to TV directly involves us with the conversations, and actions, around descriptive video and accessible TV experiences,” Ramya Amuthan says. “I’m very opinionated and vocal about my own TV-watching—what makes good descriptive video, where it can be improved, how we can make experiencing TV better and easier for people with disabilities—so I’m thrilled that I have a full-on opportunity to voice my lived experience and thoughts through this transition to TV.”

Kelly MacDonald
Kelly MacDonald’s radio career began in the dorms of the W. Ross MacDonald School for the Blind in Brantford, Ontario, with a Mr. Microphone and an FM transmitter. His love for radio only grew, earning himself a HAM radio ticket and call sign (VE3ONA) at the age 14, and later attending Fanshawe College’s Broadcasting program. Kelly has been a part of AMI since the company’s fledgling days as VoicePrint, where he joined as a studio producer. A ubiquitous presence in the blind and partially sighted community, Kelly launched Kelly and Company in 2016 to share a wealth of information, entertainment and thoughtful discussion on disability issues. His jovial persona makes every minute of Kelly and Ramya fun and inclusive!

Ramya Amuthan
An alumna of Seneca College’s Broadcasting – Radio program, Ramya Amuthan is a second-generation broadcaster following her mother, an acclaimed Tamil radio and TV personality. Ramya is also a talented jazz vocalist, voice over artist and avid volunteer. Her efforts in the community as Board Member of PAL Reading Services and Co-Chair of Fighting Blindness Canada’s Young Leaders Program have created programs that connect people with disabilities across the country. Soon after becoming an intern at AMI in 2017, Ramya joined Kelly and Company as a contributor in the early days of the show. Ramya began mentoring Kelly and Company’s team of contributors and took up the co-host seat a year later, where she has offered blind and partially sighted audiences her unique brand of quick-witted humour and insightful perspectives as a woman of colour with low vision.

Beginning Monday, January 9, 2023, Kelly and Ramya airs weekdays from 2-4 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv and AMI-audio. Download the podcast version of Kelly and Ramya on demand from your favourite podcasting platform.

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