Tag Archives: CBC

Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

CBC docuseries Anyone’s Game to premiere January 15

From a media release:

CBC, BestCrosses Studios and Game Seven Media announced today that the new original docuseries ANYONE’S GAME (6×30, formerly ORANGEVILLE PREP) will premiere Friday, January 15 at 8:30 p.m. (9 NT) on CBC TV and the free CBC Gem streaming service. All six episodes will be available to stream on CBC Gem beginning January 15, while the series will broadcast weekly on CBC TV. The series follows the high school players on the 2019-20 Orangeville Prep team for the Athlete Institute in Orangeville, Ontario, as they pursue the excitement and experience the challenges of securing an NCAA Division 1 scholarship, seeking a career in basketball, and one day possibly making it in the NBA.

Orangeville Prep (OP) is the lead high school basketball team of the Athlete Institute, created in 2010 by Jesse Tipping. The coach is Tony McIntyre, one of the most highly respected figures in high school basketball. OP has now sent close to 40 graduates into coveted Division 1 NCAA programs, making it one of the most successful high school programs in the world. Seven of those graduates have made it into the NBA, the most recognized being Denver Nuggets’ sensation, Jamal Murray. Last year, four OP graduates made the NBA, which was tied with Oak Hill in Virginia (often considered the most legendary high school basketball program) for the most of any school. OP is the only Canadian team invited to the most coveted U.S. high school tournaments.

ANYONE’S GAME follows the highs and lows, and the inspirations and disappointments, of Orangeville Prep’s (OP) season journey. While the program is gaining in notoriety, the school often flies under the radar in the U.S., especially when the team plays in the invite-only The Grind Session – the only tournament of its kind which brings together the top high school basketball teams in North America. Close to 25% of the players in the NBA have played in The Grind Session and Orangeville Prep is the only Canadian team to ever be formally invited to play as a member of their circuit. OP also plays in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA,) where they are expected to win every year and have a target on their back as a result.

The production team was given remarkable access to this past year’s players, seven of whom have now signed with NCAA Division 1 schools. The most touted OP graduate and possible 2021 NBA draft pick is Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, who signed to play alongside Cade Cunningham (the Naismith National High School Player of the Year and the top recruit in the U.S.) at highly ranked Oklahoma State. Another highly touted OP graduate featured in ANYONE’S GAME is Jeff Ngandu (from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa), who signed with Seton Hall and is also expected to generate attention from the NBA.

At the centre of the team is Head Coach Tony McIntyre. Hugely admired on both sides of the border, Coach Tony truly loves all of his players and is focused primarily on their general well-being, not just basketball. Tony’s own family with his wife Suzette and their seven basketball-playing kids blends seamlessly with the OP players; Suzette is essentially “mom” to not just her own kids, but to Tony’s players as well, who are away from home and living in the dorm at The Athlete Institute. Tony and Suzette’s own son Tyler played at Syracuse University and was drafted in the NBA first round in 2014.

To connect with the youth and energy of ANYONE’S GAME, it was important for the production team to work with emerging musical talent on the series – music supervisor Everton Lewis, Jr. was determined to include musicians who are also in the early stages of their careers. Music from local artists like heavyweight Friyie, a musician who signed as an understudy to boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s recording label, and Patrik, who can be heard as the theme music for TikTok Canada and other advertisements, are just some of the new up-and-comers. LunchRoomPoetz, a hip hop crew of five deadly emcees, provide the series with an authentic emotional tone, while Young Smoke, Khem and Jason Packs provide the tone of Canadian streets and struggle.

These talented artists are elevated by the series composer and award-winning musician Tyler Armes (Post Malone’s Circles; Lil Baby’s My Turn). Armes brings a unique and fresh sound to ANYONE’S GAME that encompasses the symbiotic relationship shared by music and basketball.

The series is directed by Michael Hamilton (Nash – about two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, Facing Schwarzenegger, I am MLK Jr.) and executive produced by Kyle McCutcheon of Game Seven Media and Jack Sussman of BestCrosses Studios, as well as Game Seven Media’s Chris Koras and BestCrosses Studios’ Terence Richards. Vince Buda is Producer, Lisa Kim is Story Editor, and Quinn McCutcheon is Associate Producer. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual & Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; and Michelle McCree is Executive in Charge of Production.

ANYONE’S GAME is a CBC original series produced by BestCrosses Studios and Game Seven Media, in association with Tricycle Media, with the assistance of Rogers Cable Network Fund and Canada Media Fund.

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Industry News

CBC and BET+ greenlight The Porter (working title), an original drama about railway workers in Canada

CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster, and BET+, the preeminent streaming service for the Black audience, are partnering on original series THE PORTER (working title, 8×60) from Inferno Pictures and Sienna Films, which has been greenlit for 2021/22. Originated and created by Arnold Pinnock (Altered Carbon, Travelers) and Bruce Ramsay (19-2, Cardinal), with Annmarie Morais (Killjoys, Ransom, American Soul), Marsha Greene (Private Eyes, Ten Days In The Valley, Mary Kills People) and Aubrey Nealon (Snowpiercer, Cardinal), THE PORTER is set in the roar of the 1920s and follows the journeys of four ambitious souls who hustle, dream, cross borders and confront barriers in the fight for liberation – on and off the railways that crossed North America. Morais and Greene are writers/showrunners on the eight-part series, with Charles Officer (21 Thunder, Ransom, Coroner) and R.T. Thorne (Blindspot, Utopia Falls) set to executive produce and direct. Pinnock and Ramsay are co-executive producers.

The first season, set primarily in Montreal, Chicago and Detroit as the world rebuilds after the First World War, depicts another battle as it ripples through the Black community in Little Burgundy, Montreal – known, at the time, as the “Harlem of the North.” For the American and Canadian men working as railway porters, it’s a fight for equity and dignity. For the women in their lives, facing sexism and colorism, it’s a movement to claim their independence and identity. They’re young, gifted and Black, in an era that boasts anything is possible, and if change isn’t coming for them, they will come for it. By any means necessary.

Inspired by real events, THE PORTER is a gripping story of empowerment and idealism that highlights the moment when railway workers from both Canada and the United States joined together to give birth to the world’s first Black union.

A CBC and BET+ original series, THE PORTER is originated and created by Arnold Pinnock and Bruce Ramsay, with Annmarie Morais, Marsha Greene and Aubrey Nealon, and produced by Winnipeg-based Inferno Pictures Inc. and Sphere Media’s Sienna Films. Morais and Greene are showrunners and executive producers. Charles Officer and R.T. Thorne will direct the series, and are executive producers. Pinnock and Ramsay are co-executive producers. The series is written by Morais, Greene, Andrew Burrows-Trotman, Priscilla White, Pinnock and Ramsay, with R.T. Thorne participating in the writers’ room. The series is funded with the support of the Canada Media Fund and Manitoba Film & Music, and is distributed internationally by Abacus Media Rights (AMR) and Sphere Distribution. AMR and Sienna Films brokered the partnership with BET+.


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Awards, Diggstown, Pure

Screen Nova Scotia announces 2020 award winners

From a media release:

Screen Nova Scotia hosted its sixth annual awards gala on Friday, December 4th. Due to COVID-19, the event was held virtually with all video packages available for viewing on Screen Nova Scotia’s Vimeo page (HERE).

The awards gala celebrates the incredible talent, creativity, and passion that are the trademarks of Nova Scotia’s screen industry. Notable awards include the ACTRA Awards for Outstanding Performances, the Film Crew Excellence Award, the Industry Champion Award, the Women in Film & Television Atlantic Award, and the Community Recognition Award, along with the Screen Nova Scotia Awards for best television, film, and animation.

The night’s finale was the Screen Nova Scotia Award for Best Feature Film, which went to the critically-acclaimed indie drama Murmurfrom writer/director Heather Young and producer Martha Cooley. The micro-budget film — funded through the Telefilm Canada Talent to Watch Program — centres on Donna (Shan MacDonald), a lonely, alcoholic woman who is ordered to perform community service in an animal shelter after being arrested for drunk driving. When she rescues an elderly dog from being euthanized, she quickly becomes obsessed with saving animals to the detriment of her own well-being. Young also took home the Best Nova Scotia Director Award from Women in Film & Television – Atlantic.

The second season of Pure (WGN America) from showrunner Michael Amo and Two East Productions was crowned the winner of the Best Television Series Award, while Cory Bowles won the award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Male Role for his role in the series as Detective Jay Gates.

Rebel Road Films’ Wildfire (written/directed by Bretten Hannam) won the Best Short Film Award. The Indigenous Two-Spirit film was adapted into the feature film Wildhood, which recently wrapped filming in Nova Scotia (with a Spring 2021 release date).

Vinessa Antoine won the award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Lead or Featured Female Role for playing lawyer Marcie Diggs in the CBC series Diggstown. Antoine made history in 2019 as the first Black Canadian woman to helm a prime-time drama in Canada. Gay Hauser also won for her role on Diggstown, taking home the award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Female Role.

Allister MacDonald won Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Lead or Featured Male Role for his role as the drag queen Joan of Arkansas in Thom Fitzgerald’s feature Stage Mother. MacDonald starred alongside Jacki Weaver, Lucy Lui, and Adrian Grenier in the film.

The Best Documentary Award went to Conviction from Teresa MacInnes, Ariella Pahlke, and Nance Ackerman. The feature doc envisions alternatives to prison through the eyes of women behind bars and those fighting on the front lines of the decarceration movement. Digital animation was also spotlighted at the awards, with Boomerang’s Care Bears: Unlock the Magic winning Best Animated Series for the Halifax-based Copernicus Studios.

This year’s prestigious Industry Champion Award was awarded posthumously to locations manager Shaun Clarke, accompanied by a tribute video. Shaun worked as a locations manager, scout and actor for over 35 years and was a pillar in the screen industry and community. A snapshot of Shaun’s credits include The Lighthouse, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Black Cop, The Healer, Trailer Park Boys, Mr. D, and Call Me Fitz, along with countless commercials and short films.

Siblings Elizabeth, Joanne, and Robert Hagen won the 2020 Film Crew Excellence Award. Together they have more than six decades of experience working on film, television and commercial productions in Nova Scotia. Joanne works as a script supervisor (recent credits include Books of Blood, The Good House, The Lighthouse); Elizabeth as a production accountant (recent credits include Pure, Cavendish, and Let’s Get Physical); and Robert as an assistant accountant and payroll accountant (recent credits include Escaping NXIVM and Polaroid). The Hagens were nominated for their contribution to the industry and for their positive, kind, and professional demeanour, even when working long hours in high-stress situations. Currently, all three are working on the EPIX series Chapelwaite, filming in N.S.

The 2020 Community Recognition Award went to Brian Shaw, Production Security (Chester, Nova Scotia). For over 20 years, Brian and his team have kept film sets and communities safe, working for productions including  Haven, Cavendish, and Pure.

The Screen Nova Scotia Awards were made possible this year due to the generous support of our sponsors, including Support4Culture, a designated lottery program that supports arts, culture, and heritage in communities across Nova Scotia; and CBC. Special thanks to 902 Post and the Hideout Studios.

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Industry News

Pier 21 Films partners with Canadian YouTube personality Jus Reign on new comedy series for CBC

From a media release:

Acclaimed independent production company Pier 21 Films announced today it has partnered with one of Canada’s most popular comedic talents and YouTube personality, Jasmeet Singh Raina (aka Jus Reign) on a new half-hour series Late Bloomer (w/t), currently in development at the CBC.

Inspired by his own real-life experiences, Late Bloomer focuses on Raina’s journey navigating his newly found internet fame, dating, spirituality, culture, and his dysfunctional (yet loving) family. As a first generation Indo-Canadian, his identity is constantly questioned as he struggles to find the balance between Eastern customs centered around community and the Western ideal of individualism.

With more than 167 Million YouTube views, 970,000+ subscribers and 1M+ fans on Facebook, Jus Reign is a viral sensation known for his irreverent humor incorporating his ethnic background and upbringing into his comedic work. Referred to as “a social media superstar” by Huffington Post, he’s hosted the iHeartRadio MMVAs red carpet show and was also featured in Jimmy Kimmel’s ‘Mean Tweets’ for YouTube Creators. In 2019, Raina suddenly stopped posting content to his social platforms which has sparked fan conspiracies and a massive international audience craving his return to their screens.

Renowned stand-up comedian, actor, producer Russell Peters is also attached to executive produce the project. Peabody Award, International Emmy, Gemini Award and Canadian Screen Award winner, Peters was the first stand-up special for Netflix and has been broadcast on HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, CBC, CTV, BBC and Amazon Prime.

Co-produced by Pier 21 Films and Reign Productions, Late Bloomer is written, executive produced, created by and starring Jasmeet Singh Raina and executive produced by Pier 21 Films, Baljinder Dhawan, Russell Peters and Clayton Peters.

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Humour Resources, Industry News

Just for Laughs wraps production on Humour Resources for CBC

From a media release:

Just For Laughs today announced that production has wrapped on HUMOUR RESOURCES (6X30), an irreverent new comedy series starring Canadian comedian, Jon Dore (Inside Amy Schumer, The Stand Up Show with Jon Dore). Produced remotely from August – October, the series features Dore as a human resources manager providing virtual coaching to some of the world’s top comics. Co-created by Dore, Adam Brodie and Dave Derewlany, HUMOUR RESOURCES is slated to premiere on CBC and the free CBC Gem streaming service in winter 2021.

A hilarious, cutting and timely social commentary on a comedian’s place in our current high-alert environment of political correctness and cancel culture, HUMOUR RESOURCES follows Jon Dore as a retired comedian turned Human Resources manager. Filmed during the COVID-19 outbreak while under quarantine, Jon, living with his girlfriend Christina and her six-year-old daughter Emma, meets with comedians via webcam from his home office to evaluate and consult on the appropriateness of their material and overall “workplace” behaviour.

HUMOUR RESOURCES features many special guests including A-list comedians: Sarah Silverman; Tom Green; Eric Andre; Scott Thompson; Reggie Watts; Nikki Glaser; The Lucas Bros; Ronny Chieng; Dave Merheje; DeAnne Smith; Rory Scovel; Debra DiGiovanni; Sophie Buddle; Courtney Gilmour; Arthur Simeon; Casey Corbin; Aisha Brown; and Kyle Brownrigg.

HUMOUR RESOURCES was developed and executive produced by Jon Dore, and developed, directed and executive produced by Adam Brodie and Dave Derewlany. Produced by Just For Laughs, the series is also executive produced by Bruce Hills and Marina Di Pancrazio. Zoe Rabnett and Nick Brazao are talent producers, and Anton Leo serves as the supervising producer.

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