Tag Archives: CBC

Canada: The Story of Us, Featured

Set visit: Canada: The Story of Us

It’s not often you’re given the opportunity to step back into Canada’s past, but that’s exactly what I did last Thursday. The beach at Hamilton’s 50 Point Conservation Area was transformed into Normandy’s Juno Beach, the site where Canadian troops stormed ashore during D-Day.

With just a line of orange pylons separating filming from the public beach, a handful of actors dressed in the fatigues of the time darted up the dense sand countless times, diving behind Czech hedgehogs for scant cover as explosions (peat moss stuffed into metal bowls and then blown skyward) went off around them. The footage filmed portrayed how William “Boots” Bettridge and his fellow Queen’s Own Rifles land on the beach and call in aerial attacks on German tanks.

The segment, and 49 others, are part of Bristow Global Media’s massive production, Canada: The Story of Us, for CBC. Debuting next year to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary, other scenes filmed along Lake Ontario’s shores that day included Samuel de Champlain paddling a canoe and a re-creation of the struggle of Nguyen Ngoc Ngan, one of 60,000 Vietnamese refugees who came to Canada following the Vietnam War. Playing Ngan? His son, Tien Ngoc Ngan. Bristow Global Media president and CEO Julie Bristow says all the tales told in Canada: The Story of Us are personal ones.

“As a producer and journalist, this is the perfect combination for me,” Bristow says. “It’s mixing up modern ways of storytelling with CGI, celebrity interviews and re-creations of personal stories is a fresh take on documentaries. I really like doing shows that demand different skill sets and different teams.” She adds over 150 stories were pitched and 50 were chosen for the 10, 60-minute instalments to spotlight everything from Canada’s birth to where the country’s future lies.

“We like to say that, without the actions of that person, Canada may never have been the same,” she says. “It could be a small action, but without the bravery of some people that we don’t know, history might have been different.”

Canada: The Story of Us airs in 2017 on CBC.

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TV Movie

Link: Unclaimed is a dramatic TV movie about the Pickton murders

From John Doyle of the Globe and Mail:

Link: Unclaimed is a dramatic TV movie about the Pickton murders
There is probably a reason why a TV movie about the women in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside who were preyed upon by serial killer Robert Pickton airs at short notice on CBC on a Saturday night in July. The reasons are probably tangled and too complex to get into. Continue reading.

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Industry News

CBC original movie Unclaimed airs Saturday, July 23

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From a media release:

Drawn from Stevie Cameron’s national bestseller, On The Farm, comes UNCLAIMED. The two-hour original movie is a fictional recreation of the events surrounding and leading up to the arrest of Robert ‘Willie’ Pickton, told from the perspective of the women of Vancouver’s notorious Downtown East Side.

The story follows Nikki Taylor (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers), a quick-witted and spirited single mother who works the streets and becomes aware that an alarming number of sex workers in the area continue to go missing. Nikki alerts local police officer Sinead McLeod (Sara Canning), who begins working to raise flags with her superiors about the matter. While the two work to bring attention to the issue, they must fight against societal and systematic indifference which causes the case to be ignored.

McLeod quickly finds herself caught between the politics of her department and the desire to follow her instincts when the women continue rapidly to disappear. Following a public outcry, tensions increase and law enforcement finally makes its move and pairs McLeod with Sergeant Keeley (Patrick Gallagher), who is still haunted by an unsolved Jane Doe case. Fighting an uphill battle, Officers McLeod and Keeley find their strongest allies in Nikki and social worker Elaine (Sarah Strange), and together they begin their desperate hunt for a serial killer and to bring justice for the victims and their families.

ABOUT THE CAST & CHARACTERS
Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers as “Nikki Taylor,” Sara Canning as “Constable Sinead McLeod,” Patrick Gallagher as “Sergeant Jeff Keeley,” Sarah Strange as “Elaine Brooks,” Olivia Steele Falconer as “Tara Richards.”

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM
Rupert Harvey, Executive Producer; Rachel Talalay, Director; Dennis Foon, Writer

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The Goods

Jessi Cruickshank and Steven Sabados team up for CBC’s The Goods

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From a media release:

CBC today announced two additional hosts for its new one-hour daytime program, THE GOODS. Host and author Andrea Bain and chef Shahir Massoud join previously announced hosts Jessi Cruickshank and Steven Sabados to form the complete team. Shot live-to-tape in front of a studio audience, THE GOODS will air weekday afternoons at 2 p.m. (2:30 NT) beginning October 3 on CBC.

Every weekday, THE GOODS will deliver all the inspiration and information Canadians need in one jam-packed and entertaining hour of daily television. Each of the four hosts brings their own authentic point of view and passion to the show - style and fashion for Cruickshank; home and design for Sabados; relationships and wellness for Bain; and food for Massoud – that combined will make THE GOODS the ultimate afternoon destination for audiences across Canada.

Meet THE GOODS team:

Andrea_Bain
Andrea Bain, @AndreaMBain
Andrea Bain has hosted a number of national lifestyle shows on HGTV and SLICE and appeared regularly as a relationship specialist on various Canadian daytime programs. Most recently, Bain has used her relationship expertise to pen her first book, Single Girl Problems, which will be published later this year. After graduating with a BA in Sociology from York University and a diploma in Broadcast Journalism from Humber College, Bain began her television career in a Toronto newsroom. She worked behind the scenes as a producer and, shortly after, landed her first reporting job. After some encouragement from her peers, Bain decided to step in front of the camera full time and became an entertainment correspondent for the Los Angeles-based TV station Reelzchannel, where she interviewed such notable names as Oprah, Brad Pitt and Martin Scorsese.

Shahir_Massoud
Shahir Massoud, @chefshahir
After graduating from York University’s Schulich School of Business, Shahir Massoud decided to pursue his true passion and move to New York City to enroll in the famed French Culinary Institute. While in New York, he worked in the kitchens of Mario Batali (Lupa), Jean-Georges Vongerichten (The Mark Hotel) and Saveur magazine. Massoud has since moved on to become the Corporate Executive Chef at Levetto, overseeing multiple locations all over Ontario. Massoud has also made regular appearances on various Canadian morning and daytime programs including Cityline and Breakfast Television.

Jessi Cruickshank, @JESSI
One of Canada’s most beloved TV personalities, Jessi Cruickshank has been hailed as “one of the funniest women on TV today, period” by The Province. Cruickshank is the host of CBC’s Canada’s Smartest Person, returning for Season 3 in the fall. Her self-deprecating humour, irreverent interview style and eclectic flair for fashion have made her a fan favourite. Cruickshank grew up in Vancouver, where she broke into comedy as the only girl in an all-male improv troupe alongside Seth Rogen. She soon became a household name as the face of MTV Canada, hosting the daily comedy show MTV Live and smash hit The Hills After Show, which generated record-breaking ratings in Canada and the United States. She went on to star in the nightly talk-show The After Show, and has since hosted Live from E!, Jerseylicious, Jessi Cruickshank’s Real Hollywood Survival Guide and Olympic Morning. She has also travelled the world as the Canadian Ambassador for Free The Children. Cruickshank splits her time between Toronto and Los Angeles, where she can be seen on Oh Sit!, Kirstie, The Odd Couple and as the L.A. correspondent for etalk.

Steven Sabados, @stevenandchris
Known in Canada and around the world as a pioneer of design television, designer Steven Sabados is one of Canada’s most adored and respected celebrities. Raised in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Sabados was born with a passion for the arts and found avenues of expression in painting, photography, architecture and fashion. After completing an education in Fine Art, Sabados moved to Toronto, where he excelled as the in-store Creative Director for some of Canada’s most successful retail brands including Eaton’s and Roots. In 1992, Sabados and partner Christopher Hyndman formed independent design firm The Sabados Group. After appearing on a variety of daytime shows, it wasn’t long before the charming and creative Sabados and the dynamic and fun-loving Hyndman were offered their own show. The smash hit Designer Guys debuted in 2001 followed by Design Rivals and So Chic with Steven and Chris. In the fall of 2008, CBC launched Steven and Chris. The highly successful daytime show was the first of its kind in Canada and quickly became a national sensation.

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Baroness von Sketch Show

Link: The women of Baroness von Sketch Show: Our most embarrassing moments

From Andrea Karr of Canadian Living:

Link: The women of Baroness von Sketch Show: Our most embarrassing moments
“We probably wrote 300 sketches for season one and 90 made the show. It’s all about listening to the ideas. Is the idea relatable? Does it come from a true place? It doesn’t have to stay at a true place—a lot of our stuff goes to absurd places—but is it rooted in some element of truth?” Continue reading.

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