Tag Archives: APTN

From a media release:

Crave and APTN, in association with Pier 21 Films, Frantic Films Manitoba, and Sekowan Media, announced today that production is underway in Winnipeg on the all-new dramatic comedy series, DON’T EVEN. Created by Amber-Sekowan Daniels, directed by Zoe Hopkins, and starring Leenah Robinson (1923), Victoria Turko (Burden of Truth), Joel Oulette (Trickster), Gail Maurice, and Jennifer Podemski, the six-part series is an urban Indigenous, coming-of-age story.

DON’T EVEN follows two best friends in late ‘90s Winnipeg as they grapple with their uncertain futures, in the summer after their final high school year. After humiliation at her high school grad, Violet (Leenah Robinson) wants to make the most of the last summer before moving away for university, as Harley (Victoria Turko) distracts herself from a big dilemma, of what’s next. As the lifelong BFFs bask in newfound freedom, and face adult life choices, cracks begin to form in their once impenetrable bond. It’s awkward. It’s dramatic. It’s friggin’ Winnipeg.

“The show is a love letter to your childhood best friend, and your hometown. It’s about growing up and growing apart, while trying to find your place in the world,” said Amber-Sekowan Daniels, Creator and Showrunner. “We don’t often get to see Indigenous women as funny, weird, and distinct, so I hope this series shows that complexity.”

“Making DON’T EVEN has me in stitches, and I’ve cried in rehearsals,” added Director Zoe Hopkins.” I’m so stoked to be back in Winnipeg telling this nostalgic story, where laughter is medicine.”

“Amber has created a series with unpredictable comedy, and a huge surplus of heart. It will resonate with audiences because it gives all the feels,” said Nicole Butler, Executive Producer, Pier 21 Films. “We’re fortunate to have both Crave and APTN as partners sharing a vision in striving to make an incredibly original, and iconic new show.”

“We are thrilled to be co-producing this series with Pier 21 and Sekowan Media,” said Frantic CEO & Executive Producer Jamie Brown. “As a Winnipeg based company, Amber’s stories have a special resonance, and we love her voice and the authenticity of her storytelling.”

DON’T EVEN is co-produced by Pier 21 Films, Frantic Films Manitoba, and Sekowan Media, in association with Bell Media’s Crave and APTN, with the participation of the Canada Media Fund, Manitoba Film & Music, and tax credit assistance from the Government of Manitoba, the Government of Ontario, and The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. Amber-Sekowan Daniels is Executive Producer, Creator, and Showrunner. Zoe Hopkins is Executive Producer and Director for the series. Laszlo Barna, Nicole Butler, Karen Tsang, and Vanessa Steinmetz serve as Executive Producers for Pier 21 Films. For Frantic Films Manitoba, Jamie Brown and Stephanie Fast are Executive Producers. Lori Lozinski is Series Producer. Karen Hill is Co-Executive Producer and Meg MacKay is Co-Producer.

Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Open casting call – Season 2 of Bears’ Lair business pitch competition

June 7, 2023 Greg David 2 Comments

From a media release:

Filmed on the Unceded territory of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, VANCOUVER, B.C. — Sparkly Frog Clan Productions and Brightlight Pictures are pleased to announce the return of the riveting reality business competition Bears’ Lair to APTN. The series made waves last year by feeding the entrepreneurial spirit of hopeful Indigenous businesses across Canada.

Indigenous entrepreneurs are invited to apply to be on Season 2 starting June 15th, 2023 at BearsLairTV.com. Selected contestants will pitch their ideas to the panel of Bears and guest judges, competing for their share of approximately $160,000 in cash prizes. This is a life-changing opportunity for aspiring Indigenous business owners, as prize money will help bring their best business concepts to life.

Season 2 of Bears’ Lair will feature both new and familiar faces on the judges’ panel. Indigenous business moguls Geena Jackson, Tabatha Bull and Dave Tuccaro will return as Bears, and the panel will also welcome an exciting new judge: Clint Davis, former President and CEO of Nunasi Corporation and proud Inuk from Nunatsiavut. With support from the Bears, guest judges and coaches, the contestants will hone their ideas to make them as successful as possible.

“We’re thrilled to announce season two of Bears’ Lair, celebrating the innovation and spirit of Indigenous entrepreneurs. Their inspiring journeys highlight the value of Indigenous entrepreneurship,” says Geena Jackson.

“I’m very excited for season two of Bears’ Lair and to be part of a project that showcases Indigenous entrepreneurs across the country,” says Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business President & CEO Tabatha Bull. “I’m looking forward to meeting this season’s contestants, and I’m sure just like last season, every episode will be full of surprises, inspiring people and fascinating stories.”

Clint Davis adds, “I’m so excited about being a Bear on Bears’ Lair. I can’t wait to work with my fellow Bears and seeing what creativity will emerge from our communities.”

“I am really looking forward to returning as a core judge for season two and am excited to see the innovative and trailblazing businesses that I am about to meet representing Indigenous communities all over Canada,” says Dave Tuccaro.

Indigenous entrepreneurs from across the country are invited to apply to be on Season 2 starting June 15th, 2023 at BearsLairTV.com.

Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Preview: Yukon Harvest’s connections continue in Season 2

June 5, 2023 Greg David

A word often used in Yukon Harvest is “connection.” A connection with nature. A connection with language. A connection with tradition. It’s an important—essential, really—part of the show.

Returning for Season 2 on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on APTN in English and Monday in Northern Tutchone (a language spoken in the Yukon communities of Mayo, Pelly Crossing, Stewart Crossing, Carmacks and Beaver Creek), the 13-episode Yukon Harvest documents Indigenous guides and hunters as they journey into the remote lands to connect with the land, share in culture and give back to the community.

Saturday’s return, “Yegwúp/To Grow Strong, Part 1,” kicks off in Tkʼemlúps, B.C., where we catch up with and get the story of hunting guide Ed Jensen. A member of the Secwepemc Nation, Ed is committed to handing down the skills that have been passed down for thousands of years, and through his parents, who were both in residential schools. He and Aaron, a young man Ed mentored over 20 years ago, head out into the hills in hopes of hunting a deer large enough to fulfill a meat order for a family in need. But taking down a large buck is just the first step in a ceremonial process that includes a gift of tobacco, mourning the animal, taking a piece of the heart and liver to honour their ancestors and honouring the animal and its meat, which is going to feed others.

Saturday’s episode isn’t all about trekking into beautiful, rugged land to provide for others. In stark contrast is Ed reflecting on what his parents, and countless other Indigenous peoples, endured at residential schools across the country. There is sobering footage of stuffed animals placed at the base of the Kamloops Indian Residential School Monument, and Ed’s relief that the kids he mentors don’t live with the horrors of those schools as his parents did.

True to the show’s title, Ed jets to the Yukon for the episode’s final act. After arriving in Whitehorse, Ed meets up with Evan, who first hunted with Ed over two years ago. And while it’s an opportunity for Evan to show Ed his hunting grounds and skills, this trip allows Ed to evaluate Evan too. How is this young man adapting the traditional ways, and connecting with his ancestors? It’s a truly fulfilling experience for both.

Yukon Harvest airs Saturdays at 7 p.m. ET on APTN.

Image courtesy of APTN.

Little Bird

Links: Little Bird

May 28, 2023 Greg David

From Cassandra Szklarski of the Toronto Star:

Link: ‘60s Scoop grief and Holocaust trauma entwine in limited series ‘Little Bird’
“These are extremely triggering stories to tell – not just for Indigenous people and not just for people who experienced the current reality of colonial violence in whatever form that is, which is an everyday reality for us as Indigenous people, but for non-Indigenous people who were realizing the gravity of the situation and feeling guilty.” Continue reading.

From Elisabetta Bianchini of Yahoo News:

Link: ‘Little Bird’ Crave, APTN drama follows Sixties Scoop survivor’s search for home
Famed Canadian producer and actor Jennifer Podemski has taken on the role of showrunner for the new Crave and APTN lumi drama series Little Bird, authentically and honestly telling the story of a Sixties Scoop survivor uncovering her family history, starring Darla Contois. Continue reading.

From Debra Yeo of the Toronto Star:

Link: They woke up with four kids. By the end of the day, they had one. Inside the devastating new ‘Sixties Scoop’ drama ‘Little Bird’
One morning, Patti and Morris Little Bird wake up with their four children. By the end of the day they have one child left, the other three having been shoved into a car and taken away, screaming for their mother. Continue reading.

From Ilana Zachon of The Canadian Jewish News:

Link: ‘Little Bird’ called on Jewish and Indigenous writers and actors to tell the story of a child caught in the Sixties Scoop
“I thought: how is it possible that I’ve lived all my life in Canada… and I didn’t know the story. When I read the script, I just thought this will illuminate a lot of things for a lot of people and it’s very important.” Continue reading.

From Matthew Simpson of That Shelf:

Link: Little Bird Review: A Must-Watch Canadian Story
It is Contois who is the star of this show. Her portrayal of Esther is nuanced and empathetic. The character’s journey in the first episode – from thinking she might have it all to realizing she will never belong – is masterfully performed, almost entirely with body language and tone as she navigates a party to celebrate her happiness. Continue reading.

From Julia Mastroianni for Streets of Toronto:

Link: Toronto showrunner is behind this powerful new Indigenous-led series
“Everything I’ve done as a producer has intersected with historical trauma and colonial violence. There is also a lot of joy, love, rich culture and teaching, but there are so many urgent stories that need to be told as a way to move forward and heal.” Continue reading.

From Crystal St. Pierre of Windspeaker:

Link: New series hits close to home for creator Jennifer Podemski
“It is really the closest thing to me that I have ever done. Even though I’m not adopted, those are my two worlds. Those are the exact worlds I grew up in. And it was the perfect way for me to dive into something in a very personal way because I’ve never really explored both of those sides of my family.” Continue reading.

From David Briggs of Toronto.com:

Link: Young Nipissing First Nation actor spreads his wings in Little Bird TV show
Tayton Mianskum recently starred in a soon-to-be-released series on CRAVE television. And, if that’s not remarkable enough, this was Tayton’s first time auditioning or acting, so his first role is in a major television production. Continue reading.

From Louise BigEagle of CBC News:

Link: New series tells story of Sixties Scoop survivor learning about her past
“I just hope people feel the love that was put into this, and I hope that non-Indigenous people feel connected to it because the stories are relatable, but also I guess unique, in the sense that nobody really knows very much about the Sixties Scoop.” Continue reading.

Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Rezolution Pictures announces greenlight for third season of GESPE’GEWA’GI: The Last Land on APTN

May 3, 2023 Greg David

From a media release:

Rezolution Pictures is very proud to announce that APTN has greenlit the third season of GESPE’GEWA’GI: The Last Land for a 9-part, half-hour episode series. Principal photography is set to start in May 2023. It’s hot on the heels of Season 2 of GESPE’GEWA’GI: The Last Land, which has just finished post-production and will be broadcast on APTN in late 2023; the official broadcast date will be confirmed once available.

Gespe’gewa’gi: The Last Land is a fun and engaging television series that is, at its core, character-driven, featuring people who do sometimes volatile, dangerous, yet exciting jobs. The series is a celebration of Indigenous people of Atlantic Canada and the fisheries that sustain them, both culturally and economically. We laugh with them, share their successes and frustrations, and get a glimpse of their life in communities that national audiences rarely get to see.

GESPE’GEWA’GI: The Last Land Season 2 – the 10-part, half-hour documentary series is about the men and women of Mi’kma’ki whose work is connected to the fishing industry. Following larger-than-life characters, we experience the fun and excitement of their lives on and off the water. We also get an inside perspective on how First Nations commercial fishing industries – that were born out of violence and defiance – grew to be a key economic and cultural support for the communities, with conservation at the forefront. The second season takes us to Pictou Landing First Nation and Sipekne’katik in Nova Scotia, as well as Listuguj and Gesgapegiag in Quebec where we meet new characters who will take us harvesting for kelp, fishing for lobster, snow crab, and shrimp, as well as introducing new and exciting species like eel and tuna. This season features a higher proportion of women characters in the industries of commercial fisheries and science.

Season 3 will expand the coverage of Mi’kma’ki, bringing us to different communities in Unama’ki, the Land of the Fog (Cape Breton) and Epekwitk (meaning lying in the water), also known as P.E.I., where we’ll meet captivating people who love their jobs and want to share their stories. They’ll also take us fishing for lobster, snow crab, tuna, trout, eel, and oysters. We’ll continue to learn about the science and conservation efforts surrounding the fisheries, the triumphs and challenges that come with running them, whether it be commercial, Food-Social-Ceremonial or Mi’kmaq Treaty Fishing and the rich cultural and political histories in the context of both modern and traditional Mi’kma’ki.

The first season of the documentary series about the Mi’gmaq fishers of Listuguj, Que., who fish in the breath-taking Gaspé region for salmon, crab, lobster and shrimp, was first broadcast in Winter 2021 and the entire season is available on APTN lumi and CBC Gem.
Upon its premiere in the winter of 2021, of the series received support from major media during its first season, including coverage by the Globe and Mail and CTV’s midday talk show, The Social. Over three months, the trailer garnered over 54,000 views. Watch the Season 1 TRAILER HERE.

GESPE’GEWA’GI: The Last Land Season 2 with English and Mi’kmaq versions, is co-executive produced by Ernest Webb (Cree) and Greg Lawrence, produced by Lisa M. Roth. Season 2 combines the directing talent of Ernest Webb, Greg Lawrence, and Courtney Montour (Mohawk). Heather Condo (Mi’gmaq) returns as Director Trainee and April Maloney (Mi’kmaq) came on board as director of photography trainee.

GESPE’GEWA’GI: The Last Land Season 3 in English and Mi’kmaq is directed by Ernest Webb (Cree) and Greg Lawrence, Heather Condo (Mi’gmaq), Eliza Knockwood (Mi’kmaq); produced by Lisa M. Roth. with Production Supervisor Denis McCready; Production Manager Brittany LeBorgne (Mohawk), and production coordinator Shantae Gibson (Kainai)

About Rezolution Pictures
Rezolution Pictures is an award-winning production company that’s changing the narrative when it comes to diversity and representation in the entertainment landscape. They have established original Indigenous content within mainstream media and sold programming around the world in major markets to broadcasters including GEM, APTN, Superchannel, OMNI, TVO, CBC, RDI, ARTV, Télé-Québec, FNX, Vision Maker and internationally with PBS, Peacock +, ARTE. The Emmy-nominated Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World has won awards at Sundance, Hot Docs and the CSAs and the Gemini- and Peabody-winning Reel Injun has been inducted into the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Museum. The much-anticipated original limited series Little Bird produced with Crave, APTN, OP Little Bird and in partnership with Fremantle premieres on Crave & APTN lumi on May 26 and won the Audience Award Prize at the Séries Mania festival in Lille, France this spring.