Tag Archives: Dragons’ Den

Dragons' Den

Dragons’ Den audition tour commences in preparation for new season

From a media release:

It’s time for all aspiring entrepreneurs to get their business pitches ready for a chance to be a part of DRAGONS’ DEN’s incredible 12th season on CBC. This February, producers will once again head coast to coast on a multi-city audition tour in search of the country’s best businesses in need of a Dragon investment.

As in previous years, auditions will be open to the public, kicking off in Toronto on Feb. 11 in the Barbara Frum Atrium at CBC’s Toronto headquarters (250 Front Street West). A full list of audition dates and cities are listed below, and venues can be found online via the DRAGONS’ DEN website (cbc.ca/dragonsden/auditions).

The audition tour welcomes participants of all ages, with businesses at any stage of development. Hopeful entrepreneurs should prepare to pitch their concept to the DRAGONS’ DEN producers in five minutes or less. If they show the producers they have what it takes to pitch in the Den, they could be invited to Toronto to face the Dragons. Prospective pitchers are encouraged to apply online and bring a completed application form to the audition.

Producers will be on the lookout for entrepreneurs in the following cities:

  • Feb. 11 – Toronto, ON
  • Feb. 15 – Fort McMurray, AB
  • Feb. 15 – Richmond, BC
  • Feb. 15 – North Bay, ON
  • Feb. 16 – Edmonton, AB
  • Feb. 17 – Nanaimo, BC
  • Feb. 17 – Windsor, ON
  • Feb. 18 – Calgary, AB
  • Feb.18 –  London, ON
  • Feb.18 –  Vancouver, BC
  • Feb. 22 – Collingwood, ON
  • Feb. 23 – Belleville, ON
  • Feb. 24 – Kingston, ON
  • Feb. 25 – Barrie, ON
  • Feb. 25 – Montreal, QC
  • Feb. 25 – Ottawa, ON
  • March 1 – Grand Prairie, AB
  • March 1 – Oshawa, ON
  • March 2 – Fredericton, NB
  • March 3 – Abbotsford, BC
  • March 3 – Charlottetown, PE
  • March 4 – Halifax, NS
  • March 4 – Hamilton, ON
  • March 4 – Vancouver, BC
  • March 9 – Waterloo, ON
  • March 9 –  Kelowna, BC
  • March 11 – Calgary, AB
  • March 11 – Victoria, BC
  • March 15 – Guelph, ON
  • March 17 – Quebec City, QC
  • March 18 – Montreal, QC
  • March 22 – Regina, SK
  • March 24 – Saskatoon, SK
  • March 25 – Niagara Falls, ON
  • March 25 – Winnipeg, MB
  • April 1 – Toronto, ON

 

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Dragons' Den, Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Comments and queries for the week of January 22

1 Comment

Dragons’ Den Season 11 audition tour announced

I cannot find the site to fill out an application form for Dragons’ Den. Can you please send it to me? Thanks. —Edward

Here’s a link to the online application. Good luck! 

Hidden gems of the Canadian Screen Awards

Has Young Drunk Punk (nominated for best comedy) been cancelled? If so, it belongs on your list of “Speaking of cancelled series.” If not, when will more episodes come out? I never really watched it when it was on City, but was able to see many of them on CBC. Good show!

Also, a name for the Canadian Screen Award? CaSA. —D

We’re still waiting to hear of Young Drunk Punk’s fate.

Baby talk on Murdoch Mysteries

I am loving the baby addition and how the Gleeful Bouncer came into being. Clever writers!! It is nice to see the couple progress as they would in real life. The show just keeps getting better and better IMO and the couple seems delightfully closer. The timing of the upcoming house is perfect. —Robin

Oh no baby, PLEASE!!! —S. Duet

TV, eh? podcast episode 198 – One Season Wonders

Wow, how much fun was this episode?

I remember quite a few of these shows, but some I’ve never heard of. I am now dedicated to watching every episode of Ombudsman.

And you can bet I’m spending the next three hours reliving Nightwalk, which I recorded on so many VHS tapes when I wasn’t sure what time the late night movie would be finished so I set the VCR to record for much longer than needed. —Candice

 

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? greg@tv-eh.com or @tv_eh.

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Dragons' Den

Dragons’ Den Season 11 audition tour announced

2 Comments

From a media release:

It’s time for entrepreneurs across Canada to polish their pitches to be part of DRAGONS’ DEN’s extraordinary 11th season on CBC-TV. This February, producers will hit the road on a 33-city audition tour to find the country’s best businesses in need of a Dragon investment.

As seen on DRAGONS’ DEN last night, auditions will be open to the public and kick-off in Toronto on Feb. 6 in the Barbara Frum Atrium at CBC’s Toronto headquarters (250 Front St. W.). All audition dates and cities are listed below, and venues are listed online. Tour dates will continue to be updated through the DRAGONS’ DEN website (cbc.ca/dragonsden/auditions).

The audition tour will welcome participants of all ages, with businesses at any stage of development. Aspiring entrepreneurs should prepare to pitch their concept to the DRAGONS’ DEN producers in five minutes or less. If they show the producers they have what it takes to pitch in the Den, they could be invited to Toronto to face the Dragons. Prospective pitchers are encouraged to apply online and bring a completed application form to the audition.

Online auditions are open now and will continue in-person throughout February, March and April across the country. Producers will be on the lookout for entrepreneurs in the following cities:

Feb. 6 – Toronto, Ontario
Feb.10 – Guelph, Ontario
Feb. 10 – Regina, Saskatchewan
Feb. 11 – Windsor, Ontario
Feb. 12 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Feb. 13 – London, Ontario
Feb. 13 – Vancouver, B.C.
Feb. 13 – Winnipeg, Manitoba
Feb. 17 – Richmond, B.C.
Feb. 17 – Cranbrook, B.C.
Feb. 18 – Calgary, Alberta
Feb. 19 – Nanaimo, B.C.
Feb. 20 – Edmonton, Alberta
Feb. 20 – Sudbury, Ontario
Feb. 20 – Victoria, B.C.
Feb. 24 – Burlington, Ontario
Feb. 24 – Collingwood, Ontario
Feb. 25 – Prince Edward County, Ontario
Feb. 26 – Kingston, Ontario
Feb. 27 – Barrie, Ontario
Feb. 27 – Montreal, Quebec
Feb. 27 – Ottawa, Ontario
March 2 – Grand Prairie, Alberta
March 2 – Oshawa, Ontario
March 3 – Moncton, New Brunswick
March 4 – Abbotsford, B.C.
March 4 – Charlottetown, P.E.I.
March 5 – Halifax, Nova Scotia
March 5 – Hamilton, Ontario
March 5 – Vancouver, B.C.
March 9 – Waterloo, Ontario
March 10 – Kelowna, B.C.
March 12 – Calgary, Alberta
March 12 – Niagara, Ontario
March 18 – Quebec City, Quebec
March 19 – Montreal, Quebec
April 2 – Toronto, Ontario

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Dragons' Den, Featured

Preview: Newbies breathe life into Dragons’ Den

It doesn’t take long for the newest investors to establish themselves as a trio who belong on Dragons’ Den. Now into its 10th season on CBC, the franchise—following the recent departures of Arlene Dickinson and David Chilton—brought in Joe Fresh founder Joe Mimran, Buytopia co-founder Michele Romanow and Minhas Breweries’ co-founder Manjit Minhas to play alongside Michael Wekerle and cagey veteran Jim Treliving.

And the new casting works.

Returning Wednesday night on CBC, Mimran, Minhas and Romanow aren’t afraid to spar with budding entrepreneurs—and their fellow Dragons—in order to make a deal. Things start off on the right foot when a young man pitches his all-natural drink mixes and four Dragons get into a bidding fray before he settles on one. It’s a tougher road of travel for a dude shilling coconut oil and another who gets a little cocky during the deal stage over his dragon models.

One of my favourite segments of Dragons’ Den returns, as producers spend several minutes catching up with a duo who’d signed a deal with Chilton for their curling pads.

But back to the new kids on the block. Mimran deploys a playful sense of humour to the proceedings, happy to offer his money and advice but equally thrilled to joke around and keep the situation light. Minhas and Romanow are equally at ease, though more reserved than personalities like Mimran and Wekerle, but they’re certainly business savvy. I learned a lot about their passion and smarts from the no-nonsense questions they asked of the entrepreneurs and the enthusiasm—or distain—they displayed during pitches. Romanow’s knowledge of new media lead to a spirited, extended debate with Treliving; he didn’t think it was that important and she did. It made for engaging TV.

Dragons’ Den continues to plug along with a recipe for success that hasn’t changed that much in the last 10 seasons. And by swapping out panelists every once in awhile, they’re keeping the series fresh.

Dragons’ Den airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on CBC.

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Dragons' Den

Joe Fresh’s Joe Mimran joins Dragons’ Den

From a media release:

CBC announced today that Joe Fresh founder Joe Mimran will join the upcoming 10thseason of DRAGONS’ DEN. The new season of DRAGONS’ DEN will air in fall 2015.

Throughout his storied career, Joe Mimran has founded and built brands that helped define the industry landscape, including Joe Fresh, Club Monaco, Alfred Sung, Caban and—with his wife, Kimberley Newport-Mimran—Pink Tartan. With an intuitive design vision and a keen business sense, Mimran has been at the forefront of fashion and retail for over thirty years. As founder and former creative director of Joe Fresh for Loblaw Companies Limited, Mimran oversaw the brand’s design, merchandising and retail concepts. Under Mimran’s guidance, Joe Fresh has grown to become Canada’s second largest apparel brand, encompassing women’s, men’s, children’s, baby and beauty collections. Additionally, Mimran oversaw creative direction of Home and Entertainment brands for Loblaw, including PC Home, Life at Home, Everyday Essentials, Jump Kids World, Jogi and Tera Gear, among others.

Mimran is also a private investor in Canada-based businesses, ranging from steel to pharmaceuticals. Educated at York University and the University of Windsor, Mimran joined the family dress manufacturing business in 1977. The company marketed several labels, including its marquee Alfred Sung line. The business grew rapidly from a small rented factory to a 50,000 square-foot space on King Street and was renamed Monaco Group in 1981. A longtime collector and patron of the arts, Mimran’s wide-ranging philanthropic activities include support of the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards and Nuit Blanche. Additionally, he was co-chair of the 2014 Big Bang Bash benefiting Toronto’s popular Luminato Festival.

Big things are in store for the anticipated 10th season of DRAGONS’ DEN, which will feature top entrepreneurs, innovative business pitches and new Dragons. Further details about the 10th season of DRAGONS’ DEN will be announced in the coming weeks.

DRAGONS’ DEN continues to be the top-rated Canadian unscripted program this season, with an average audience of about 1 million Canadians each week.

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