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Children's Programming, Industry News

Scott Brothers Entertainment partners with Sinking Ship Entertainment on animated pre-school series Builder Brothers’ Dream Factory

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From a media release:

Sinking Ship Entertainment and Scott Brothers Entertainment are pleased to announce a deal to co-develop a new preschool animated series, Builder Brothers’ Dream Factory, based on HGTV stars and New York Times bestselling authors, Drew and Jonathan Scott, or as they are most commonly known, the Property Brothers. The series will be distributed by Sinking Ship Entertainment’s growing distribution arm.

Builder Brothers’ Dream Factory centers around 10-year-old twins, Drew and Jonathan. A pair of regular kids whose extraordinary imagination, creativity, grit and heart – coupled with a big dose of “twin-spiration” – help solve problems in their neighborhood by dreaming big…..really big…sometimes too big! Along with their dog Moose and best friends Mel, Cee-Cee and Aiden, the Builder Brothers navigate the highs and lows of trying to make the world a better place – one big dream at a time.

Though it’s a character-driven comedy series at heart, the series doesn’t shy away from real kids’ issues and what they go through in navigating life’s ups and downs. It encourages kids to share their ideas, dream big, and not to be disheartened. That element of resilience and problem-solving is what sets the show apart.

About Sinking Ship Entertainment Inc.
Sinking Ship Entertainment is an award-winning production, distribution and interactive company specializing in family and kids’ live action and CGI blended content. Since opening its doors in 2004, Sinking Ship has produced over 500 hours of content, and through their globally recognized in-house distribution division, has sold to over 200 countries internationally. In 2019 they set their sights on growth and launched a new animation series division. The company has rapidly earned a global reputation for high quality, ground-breaking original series and companion interactive experiences. Overall, Sinking Ship has won 17 Daytime Emmy® Awards and a variety of other international awards including Canadian Screen Awards, Youth Media Alliance Awards, Fan Chile Awards, Parents Choice Awards, the Shaw Rocket Prize, and the Prix Jeunesse International. In addition to production, Sinking Ship operates a cutting edge VFX and Interactive Studio, creating multi-platform digital experiences and interactive content for audiences around the world. The Toronto-based company is home to over 175 shipmates. www.sinkingship.ca.

About Scott Brothers Entertainment.
Scott Brothers Entertainment (SBE) is a multifaceted production company that strives to develop cutting-edge entertainment by combining years of experience in film, television, and digital media. Winner of the Most Innovative Producer of the Year Award at the 2019 Banff World Media Festival, SBE is the brainchild of co-founders Drew and Jonathan Scott and has evolved from start-up to competitive content creator with a laser-sharp focus on innovation, expansion, and working with like-minded partners. For more information, visit www.sbentertainment.com.

About Drew and Jonathan Scott
Entrepreneurs, authors and twin television personalities, Drew and Jonathan Scott are co-founders of Scott Brothers Global, which includes Scott Brothers Entertainment, the home furnishing company Scott Living, and the design-inspiration e-commerce platform, Casaza. Best known as the hosts of multiple top-rated HGTV series including the Emmy-nominated and Canadian Screen Awards-winning Property Brothers and Brother vs. Brother, among others, Drew and Jonathan’s shows are enjoyed by millions of viewers in over 160 countries. Dream Home, It Takes Two: Our Story, and their children’s lit series Builder Brothers are all New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers. In 2017, the brothers were named Habitat Humanitarians, the highest recognition offered by Habitat for Humanity. Most recently, they launched a top-rated mobile game, Property Brothers Home Design, and a quarterly lifestyle magazine, Reveal, published by Meredith Corporation. For more information, please visit thescottbrothers.com or follow @MrSilverScott and @MrDrewScott.

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Industry News

Broadcasting & Telecommunications Panel releases Canada’s Communications Future: Time to Act

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From a media release:

Today, the federal Broadcasting & Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel (BTLRP) released Canada’s Communications Future: Time to Act, its final report and recommendations to government.

Created in June 2018, by the Ministers of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and Canadian Heritage, the six-member Panel reviewed Canada’s decades-old Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Radiocommunication Acts and made recommendations for modernizing the legislation and regulatory framework.

“Advanced technology is transforming the ways we communicate, entertain and inform ourselves as well as driving economic opportunities and new business models that enhance competitiveness domestically and internationally. These unprecedented opportunities also expose us to significant risks including the growing – and global – threat of privacy breaches, the spread of harmful content and the impact of Big Data on all dimensions of our lives,” said Janet Yale, Chair of the Broadcasting & Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel. “A Canada, where everyone benefits from the social, creative and economic potential this new world presents, requires a legislative framework that responds to the challenges of today, while also being flexible enough to address the unknown challenges of tomorrow. Our recommendations for reform are practical and actionable providing the legislative powers and regulatory tools necessary to seize the opportunities and address the risks of the digital age.”

“The legislation we were asked to review is foundational to our ability as a country to ensure that, in a world of endless choices and voices, there is space for Canadian culture, stories and perspectives including the ability to showcase our diversity,” said BTLR Panelist Monique Simard. “Our recommendations enshrine the right to a free and open Internet while creating an appropriate framework for the support and promotion of Canadian content.”

The Panel’s work was informed by a diverse range of people and organizations from across the country, in addition to a series of original research. In response to the Panel’s Call for Comments on how the country’s legislative framework for communications should be updated, more than 2,000 letters and written submissions were received, many of which included concrete recommendations which have been incorporated into the final report. The Panel also held in-person meetings across the country.

“By engaging with such a diverse range of industry players, creators, Indigenous and official language minority communities, public interest and accessibility groups we gained the insights needed to provide government with practical recommendations that will be adaptable to change in an increasingly borderless digital world,” added Yale.

Canada’s Communications Future: Time to Act contains 97 specific recommendations touching on four themes:

  • Reducing barriers to access by all Canadians to advanced telecommunications networks;
  • Supporting the creation, production and discoverability of Canadian content;
  • Improving the rights of the digital consumer; and
  • Renewing the institutional framework for the communications sector.

The submission of Canada’s Communications Future: Time to Act fulfills the Panel’s mandate and brings to a close its work for the federal government. The Panel thanks the government for the opportunity to put its experience and expertise in the service of Canadians on these increasingly important matters. Continue reading. 

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Industry News

Award-winning writer/producer Bruce Smith to lead story room for 2019 Bell Media Prime Time TV Program

From a media release:

The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) and Bell Media are pleased to welcome one of Canada’s top drama showrunners Bruce Smith as the Executive Producer in Residence of the 2019 Bell Media Prime Time TV Program. From September to December 2019, Smith will lead the story room as well as the six television writers selected to participate in this year’s program as they work together to develop Smith’s original series.

Bruce Smith was most recently creator and showrunner of Street Legal on CBC. Previously, he was the showrunner of CTV’s award-winning drama 19-2 and of Cracked (CBC). Over its four-season run, 19-2 earned more than 30 Canadian Screen Awards nominations, including the win for Best Dramatic Series in 2016, when it was also nominated for an International Emmy in the same category. Additionally, Smith has worked as a writer/producer on numerous dramas, including Durham County (HBO CANADA), and has penned multiple award-winning MOWs and miniseries, including The Sleep Room (CBC), Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story (CBC), The Investigation (CTV), and John A: Birth of a Country (CBC), for which he won a 2013 Canadian Screen Award. Smith has received three WGC Screenwriting Awards, including the WGC Showrunner Award in 2015 and the McGrath Service Award in 2019.

The 2019 Bell Media Prime Time TV Program participants are:

  • Henry Campbell (BC)
  • Imogen Grace (ON)
  • Amy Halloran (QC)
  • Rose Napoli (ON)
  • Lori-Ann Russell (ON)
  • Ian Steaman (ON)

This year’s program begins on September 23, 2019. The Bell Media Prime Time TV Program, now in its 20th year, delivers a real-world story room experience and an intense professional and project development process for six TV writers a year. The program has attracted some of Canada’s most prolific and successful showrunners to lead the story room as Executive Producer in Residence, including Michael MacLennan, Karen Walton, Brad Wright, Dennis Heaton and Alexandra Zarowny. The program has played a vital role in developing numerous hit series through its story room, including Travelers and the Emmy Award-winning series Orphan Black. Learn more about the program here.

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Industry News

Link: Canada’s film and TV workers launch political pressure campaign ahead of federal election

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From Tony Wong of the Toronto Star:

Link: Canada’s film and TV workers launch political pressure campaign ahead of federal election
“As a filmmaker, I personally want to see Canadian creators continue to be able to tell stories in the digital age. The playing field is changing so quickly and so fast nothing is guaranteed and I want our elected officials to know that.” Continue reading.

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Industry News

Modern Family EP boards comedy series developed by New Metric Media

From a media release:

Award-winning independent production company New Metric Media (Letterkenny, Bad Blood) is in development with Bell Media on a new single-camera comedy series Children Ruin Everything, with Emmy, PGA and WGA award nominated Chuck Tatham (Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother, Arrested Development) attached as Executive Producer.

Created by Kurt Smeaton (Schitt’s Creek, Kim’s Convenience), Children Ruin Everything is an original comedy about living with the worst roommates of all: your young children. Astrid and James struggle to find a balance between being ‘Mom and Dad’ to two kids and being who they were before offspring. Children Ruin Everything explores the hilarious and varied ways kids can tear down your life and, if you’re lucky, replace it with something you have to admit is pretty okay, too.

Alongside Tatham, Smeaton and Montefiore will also serve as Executive Producers.

As previously announced, New Metric Media is committed to expanding its original development slate by optioning the rights for multiple projects from three renowned authors including bestselling Criminologist Dr. Michael Arntfield for Monster City, veteran author and Toronto Star’s lead investigative reporter for organized crime Peter Edwards to create the Peter Edwards Universe based on a selection of his novels and popular online personality Anne T. Donahue for Nobody Cares.

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