Tag Archives: AMI-tv

Featured, Underdog Inc.

Little Person Dale Kristensen tackles new jobs, adventures and makes new friends as AMI’s Underdog Inc. returns June 26 on AMI-tv and AMI+

Leave a comment

From a media release:

After a first season that saw docuseries Underdog Inc. become the No. 1 most-watched program ever on AMI-tv and AMI+, AMI—in partnership with Big Time Decent Productions (Rust Valley Restorers)—is thrilled to announce the Season 2 return on Friday, June 26, at 9 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv and AMI+.

Navigating the brutal terrain and unforgiving weather of the Western Canadian mountains, star Dale Kristensen—who is a Little Person—battles blizzards, breakdowns and backbreaking labour to prove skill and determination matter more than size. From wrangling livestock on his dad’s farm, to high-risk deliveries and near impossible backroad recoveries, Dale proves that no job is too big or too small. 

In Season 2, Dale is undergoing major back surgery to alleviate the increased pain he faces every step, every breath, every day. With physical limitations forcing Dale to step back from the front lines, the season shifts its focus to the emotional and logistical realities of recovery: relearning how to lead, how to ask for help from his family and friends and how to show strength without doing it all alone.

Season 2 is about more than business; it’s about rebuilding lives. Gritty, honest and full of heart, Underdog Inc. champions the people Canada too often overlooks: those who fall, get up and figure it out together.

“Season 2 of Underdog Inc. raises the stakes in every way, with Dale Kristensen returning from major back surgery and proving once again that resilience is at the heart of this series,” says Executive Producer Matthew Shewchuk. “With AMI’s trust and support—and after driving record viewership with over 200,000 in Live +7—Underdog Inc. is being built into a long-running series in the spirit of Rust Valley Restorers, grounded in real stakes, real people and stories that stick.”

“When Underdog Inc. became one of AMI’s most-watched original series in our history, it confirmed what we already knew; that our audience is hungry for stories that are gritty, real and unfiltered,” says Cara Nye, Director, Content Development and Production at AMI. “Dale, Gripp, Mike and the whole crew don’t just represent disability, they’re telling a story that hasn’t been told before. Season 2 goes deeper and the stakes are higher. AMI is proud to be the home of Underdog Inc.”

Dale Kristensen

Dale Kristensen is a trucker, heavy equipment operator, mechanic and salvage hand based in Barrière, B.C. Three months after major back surgery linked to complications from achondroplasia, Dale is determined to get off pain medication, get a clear head and start working again. Driven, stubborn and resourceful, Dale is trying to rebuild his business and confidence while showing his son, Cooper, what resilience looks like.

Cooper

Cooper is Dale’s nine-year-old son and constant sidekick. He rides along on jobs, helps in the yard, learns strap tricks from Mike Hall and pitches in when Dale starts fixing trucks at home. Whether he is bringing Dale a morning coffee, reacting to a new machine or heading to his first hockey game with the family, Cooper is woven into Dale’s work and life.

Caden

Caden is a friend of Dale’s from Vancouver Island who re-enters his orbit just as business starts to pick up. A fellow Little Person, he previously teamed up with Dale on a backroads recovery and underwent the same spinal fusion surgery a few years earlier, giving them an instant connection and mutual respect. Dale takes Caden under his wing during a month-long stay in Barrière during his semester off from university, showing him the ropes of backroad recoveries.

Mike Hall

Mike Hall is Dale’s longtime friend and a seasoned restoration expert with a yard full of vintage vehicles. Blunt, funny, and practical, he’s as quick to help Dale land a deal as he is to call out mistakes during a tough tow. Mike plays a key role in getting Dale back on track, helping him reclaim his F550 hotshot truck, driving him to Pemberton, B.C., to check out a new tow rig and fabricating a custom bumper when needed.

Gripp

Gripp is one of Dale’s key guys on the road. Born missing seven fingers, he’s undergone more than 80 corrective surgeries and spent much of his early life in hospitals, an experience that’s given him a deep understanding of pain, recovery and adaptation. He brings that resilience to every job, from hauling a stranded tent trailer out of the mountains to helping restoration expert Mike Hall transport vintage vehicles over punishing logging roads.

Want to learn even more about Dale and the stars of Underdog Inc.? Check out exclusive content on AMI’s YouTube channel.

Underdog Inc. airs Fridays at 9 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv. Stream Season 1 anytime, for free, on AMI+.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

AMI-tv announces new and returning series to its 2025 fall broadcast schedule

From a media release:

The weather may be cooling off, but the AMI-tv schedule is heating up! Today, AMI-tv unveils new and returning original series to entertain and inform Canadians of all abilities in the coming months.

It all begins with the Season 10 return of Our Community; followed by the debut of Desert Racers, starring Bruce Cook (By Hook or By Cook); the Season 2 return of Game Changers, hosted by Dave Brown; and Season 2 of Got Game.

Highlights of AMI-tv’s upcoming fall programming include:

September

Our Community returns Thursday, September 4, at 9:30 p.m. Eastern to AMI-tv and AMI+
Celebrating its 10th season on AMI-tv, the Golden Sheaf Award-nominated Our Community highlights the people, places and organizations that have made life more enjoyable for Canadians with a disability. Organizations featured in the 12-episode 10th season include Vancouver’s All Bodies Dance Project, Ontario’s WindReach Farm and Saskatchewan’s Prairie Branches.

Desert Racers debuts Friday, September 19, at 9 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv
Bruce Cook, the star of AMI’s IndieFEST award-winning By Hook or By Cook, is back with the brand-new six-episode series Desert Racers, exclusively on AMI-tv! Jimmy Diaz, a small-town Baja dreamer, teams up with Bruce Cook, a daredevil who is paraplegic, to take on the most grueling off-road race in the world: The Baja 1000. Desert Racers is produced by Render Digital Media.

October

Game Changers returns Thursday, October 2, at 9 p.m. Eastern to AMI-tv and AMI+
Dave Brownis back for Season 2!Each episode of Game Changers finds Dave Brown in his element, visiting stunning locales while spending the day chatting with notable Canadians. Upcoming guests in the 20-episode season include Mary Walsh (This Hour Has 22 Minutes), Olympic gold medal-winning hockey goaltender Sami Jo Small, comedian Courtney Gilmour, Barenaked Ladies’ Kevin Hearn, hockey analyst and Internet personality Steve Dangle, Gavin Crawford (Because News) and professional race car driver Marie-Soleil Labelle. Game Changers is produced by FRANK Digital.

November

Got Game returns Wednesday, November 26, at 9 p.m. Eastern to AMI-tv and AMI+
Hosted by Joshua Ang (pictured with the cast above), the six-episode second season of Got Game explores coming-of-age in a board game café as six youths with disabilities share their stories in a round table discussion while playing inclusive tabletop games. Got Game provides an outlet for youth with disabilities to share their feelings, frustrations, triumphs, ambitions and general outlook on life with a disability. But it’s not about defining these individuals by their disability; it’s about recognizing the individualism of these youth aside from their disability. Got Game is produced by Mountain Road Productions.

All AMI-tv originals are available post-broadcast on demand at AMI+.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary, Underdog Inc.

Taking on jobs built for giants, Little Person Dale Kristensen stars in AMI’s new docuseries Underdog Inc., debuting July 11 on AMI-tv and AMI+

From a media release:

Following Dale Kristensen, a Little Person navigating life in a small mountain town in the interior of British Columbia, AMI, in partnership with Big Time Decent Productions (Rust Valley Restorers), is thrilled to announce the debut of Underdog Inc., Friday, July 11, at 9 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv and AMI+.

Underdog Inc. is an adrenaline-fueled 8×60 docuseries following Dale Kristensen—heavy-machinery operator, truck driver and mechanic—who stands just four-foot-two but takes on jobs built for giants.

Navigating the brutal terrain and unforgiving weather of the Western Canadian mountains, Dale battles blizzards, breakdowns and backbreaking labour to prove that skill and determination matter more than size. From wrangling livestock on his dad’s farm, to high-risk hot-shot deliveries and near impossible backroad recoveries, Dale proves that no job is too big or too small.

Born with dwarfism, Dale has never let his disability define him. This resilience and dogged determination are qualities he is passing onto his seven-year-old son, Cooper, who is also a Little Person. Living in a world that is not designed for them, Dale is forced to adapt in every aspect of life. From grocery shopping and cooking to farm work and driving enormous machines, he must be creative to get the job done.

As previously announced, Season 2 of Underdog Inc. is in production throughout the interior of British Columbia this summer.

Want to learn even more about Dale and the stars of Underdog Inc.? Check out exclusive content on AMI’s YouTube channel.

About Dale Kristensen
Dale Kristensen is a Little Person with a big passion for enormous machines. Born with achondroplasia, a type of dwarfism, Dale has spent his life adapting—and excelling—in a world built for taller people. Growing up on his family farm, he fell in love with mechanics and machinery at a young age, driving tractors around the fields and helping his dad on the farm.

As a teenager, Dale could be found in the workshop stripping down engines, diagnosing problems and rebuilding them with ease. Despite the challenges that come from being four-foot-two, Dale was determined to forge a living as a heavy machinery operator, mechanic and backroad delivery driver. His work has taken him through some of Canada’s most epic and unforgiving terrain. Whatever the weather, whatever the load, Dale has made a name for himself as someone who gets the job done—no excuses.

After years in Alberta’s construction industry, Dale returned to Barrière, B.C., to be closer to his father and two sisters. For Dale, family is everything, but nothing drives him more than his son, Cooper. Providing for Cooper is Dale’s ultimate purpose, and he’ll stop at nothing to build a better life for him.

Underdog Inc. airs Fridays at 9 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv. Stream episodes anytime, for free, on AMI+.

About Big Time Decent Productions
Founded in 2020, Big Time Decent Productions is a Vancouver-based production company that develops and produces unscripted and scripted series, feature films and digital content for global audiences. Founder Matthew Shewchuk is an Executive Producer behind the hit factual series Rust Valley Restorers, which airs domestically on HISTORY and internationally on Netflix. For more information visit bigtimedecent.com or @bigtimedecent.

About AMI
AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services—AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French—and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured

Think: “The Green Knight” meets “Crip Camp,” but with songs. King Arthur’s Night to debut June 27 on AMI-tv and streaming on demand, for free, on AMI+

From a media release:

Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) presents the broadcast premiere of KING ARTHUR’S NIGHT, a genre-defying documentary film inspired by a medieval musical play created by an amazing company of artists with and without Down syndrome, including award-winning playwrights Niall McNeil and Marcus Youssef; visionary director James Long; and iconic musician Veda Hille. Think “The Green Knight” meets “Crip Camp,” but with songs.

KING ARTHUR’S NIGHT debuts Friday, June 27, at 7 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv and streaming on demand, for free, on AMI+.

KING ARTHUR’S NIGHT is produced and directed by John Bolton of Vancouver’s Opus 59 Films. John is best known for “Aim For The Roses,” which POV Magazine called “one of the wildest, craziest, smartest docs in years.” The director’s cut of KING ARTHUR’S NIGHT recently had its world premiere at the DOXA Documentary International Film Festival.

“The play ‘King Arthur’s Night’ made me think about the world in a new way, and it changed my life, and I could imagine it changing the world, if only the world could see it,” says producer & director John Bolton. “Thanks to AMI, now it will.”

“When I first met John, we were having dinner, and I realized, maybe I could work with this guy,” says producer & star & subject Niall McNeill. “We need people to watch the film, and see how they feel about watching cast who have Down syndrome, and watching cast who are non- Down syndrome … It’s a long wait. Everybody wants to see it.”

“It’s humbling to see our attempt to realize and honour the vision of an extraordinary artist who happens to have Down syndrome, as well as the complex, contradictory and loving inclusive community we built around it, come fully to life in the movie,” says producer & star & subject Marcus Youssef. “And it’s thrilling, too.”

“KING ARTHUR’S NIGHT is a bold and magical production that redefines storytelling through a truly inclusive lens,” says Cara Nye, Director, Content Development and Production, AMI. “We’re proud to support a film that celebrates imagination and the collaborative brilliance of disabled and non-disabled actors and creators.”

KING ARTHUR’S NIGHT was produced with the participation of Telefilm Canada, the Canada Media Fund, the Rogers Documentary Fund, Creative BC and the BC Arts Council, in association with Knowledge Network. It was developed with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Creative BC / Rogers Group of Funds Documentary + Factual Development Fund and Telefilm Canada.

KING ARTHUR’S NIGHT features a who’s who of Vancouver’s best performers, including Tiffany King, June Mirochnick, Anton Lipovetsky, Kerry Sandormirsky, Matthew Tom-Wing, Nathan Kay, Andrew Scott Gordon, Billy Marchenski, Lucy McNulty, Amber Barton and Evelyn Chew, as well as the queer choir Cor Flammae.

Brimming with magic, memory and metaphor, KING ARTHUR’S NIGHT explores themes of difference and disability, and asks questions about who gets to tell stories, and who gets to wear the crown. A deeply emotional and powerful story of fathers and sons, by turns comic and tragic, and real and surreal, it’s about the powers of imagination and inclusion to change lives and worlds.

About John Bolton
John Bolton is an award-winning filmmaker from Vancouver, Canada, and the founder & chief creative officer of Opus 59 Films. As knowledgeable about music, literature and art as he is about film and television, he brings a very particular erudition and sensibility to Opus 59 Films’ portfolio of projects.

About Niall McNeil
Niall McNeil is a multidisciplinary artist who, in his 20-plus year career has created, written plays, filmed, recorded and performed in works for stage and film across Canada. He is the first Canadian artist with Down Syndrome to be a 2022 recipient of a Canada Council for the Arts Composite Grant to support the development of three new multidisciplinary works.

About Marcus Youssef
Marcus Youssef has written or co-written fifteen plays that have been performed at theatres and major international festivals across North America, Australia, Europe and Asia. In 2017, he received Canada’s most prestigious theatre award, the $100,000 Siminovitch Prize for Theatre. He was Artistic Director of Vancouver’s Neworld Theatre from 2005 to 2019.

About James Long
James Long is a director, actor, writer and teacher whose creative practice occurs in a wide variety of interdisciplinary and collaborative contexts, including as a co-founding Artistic Director of Theatre Replacement (2003-2022) and as an independent artist working in live performance, community engaged practice and public art.

About Veda Hille
Veda Hille is a Vancouver musician, composer, theatre maker, and performer. She writes songs, makes records, co-writes musicals, collaborates in devised theatre, and fulfills other interesting assignments as they arise. Veda performs in a wide of array of places, alone or with bands, ensembles, symphonies, and casts. Her career spans 30 years of working in Canada and abroad, and shows no sign of flagging.

About AMI
AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more, visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.

Image courtesy of Jesse Winter.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Pretty Blind

Partial sight and albinism become comedy gold in AMI-tv’s new series, Pretty Blind

From a media release:

Determined to bring lightness and laughs to her experience navigating the world-at-large with both albinism and partial sight, Jennie Bovard, who is legally blind, started a podcast, Low Vision Moments. What began as a mission to build community, turned into a cathartic expression of the frustrations many people with disabilities experience daily.

Led by Canadian comedy legend Jonathan Torrens (Mr. D, Letterkenny) and writer-showrunner Mark Forward (Fargo, Letterkenny), Pretty Blind captures the comedy of Bovard’s Low Vision Moments and turns it into Canada’s first-ever comedy about blindness led by and about its lead actor.

AMI, in partnership with Torrential Pictures, Club Red Productions and Flow Video Inc., launches Pretty Blind on Tuesday, July 8th, at 9 p.m. EST on AMI-tv and AMI+ across Canada.

“I started the Low Vision Moments podcast with the intention to connect with others and make people laugh,” says Jennie Bovard, lead actor and associate producer of AMI’s new series Pretty Blind. “When AMI brought the idea of a TV show and introduced me to Canadian icon Jonathan Torrens, I was thrilled that we might be able to reach more people and make comedy gold out of the frustrations I’ve experienced as a person with albinism and low vision. Pretty Blind has been a way to change the narrative around disability, empower myself and others in the community, and have fun along the way.”

Pretty Blind introduces us to Jennie Bonang (Jennie Bovard) as an unlikely and sarcastic hero who is at a crossroads in her life. Jennie, who has albinism and partial sight, has just broken up with her boyfriend, meets constant conflict with her boss at the library, and inherits a new well-meaning but overbearing roommate. We follow Jennie as she navigates life in an inaccessible and uneducated world, as she uses her intelligence and sharp wit to educate others about disability and put them in their respective places.

“Jennie has albinism, a complicated love life and no time for your well-meaning but sometimes misinformed nonsense—and we love that about her! Pretty Blind is fearless, funny and unapologetically real,” says Cara Nye, Director, Content Development and Production at AMI. “AMI couldn’t be more excited to bring it to your screens!”

Bovard leads a hilarious ensemble cast including Jacob Hemphill (Roll With It) as Yves; Jessica Barry (FROM) as Veronica; Dan Barra-Berger (All Access Comedy) as Steve; and MJ “Joanne” Miller (Diggstown) as Sandy, alongside a cameo appearance from Jonathan Torrens who also directs a few episodes throughout the season.

The Pretty Blind writers’ room includes showrunner Mark Forward, producer and director Jonathan Torrens, story editors Bovard and Barra-Berger, writing room coordinator Brad Rivers and writing room assistant Maddie Leigh Murray. Bovard and Rivers are associate producers.

Pretty Blind airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv, beginning on July 8th, 2025. Stream episodes anytime, for free, on AMI+ across Canada.

About Flow Video Inc.
We make human-centric video that grabs attention and tells your story. Whether you’re a small business, large corporation, agency or broadcaster, we can help you create videos that matter.

About Torrential Pictures
Torrential Pictures is the newly launched production company helmed by Jonathan Torrens as a retooling of the successful Canadian Content Studios which produced several award-winning TV shows and commercials. Torrential Pictures builds on the personal brand of owner Jonathan Torrens and specializes in making good things with good people. Pretty Blind is the second show produced by Torrential Pictures in partnership with Club Red Productions, following the success of 0-60 Driving Academy.

About Club Red Productions
Club Red Productions is Prince Edward Island’s flagship film and television company. Founded by award-winning producer/director Jenna MacMillan, Club Red is committed to bold, creator-driven storytelling with a distinctly East Coast edge. With a growing slate of premium features and series, the company is helping put PEI on the map as the next must-watch hub for Canadian production.

About AMI
AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail