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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

OUTtv and Fuse announce premiere date and cast for Shine True

From a media release:

OUTtv, the world’s first and Canada’s only LGBTQ2+ television network and Fuse, the leading Latino-owned and managed media brand, announced today the premiere date and cast for new original series, Shine True.

Previously announced (with the working title Clothes Minded), Shine True is a co-production from OUTtv, Fuse Media and VICE Studios (Flee, Dark Side of the Ring, 1994). The series tracks the journeys of trans and non-binary young adults leading up to a big life event. Shine True is hosted by Canadian transgender musician, artist, activist and life-coach Lucas Silveira (The Cliks) and gender non-conforming influencer, activist and model Richie Shazam. Gender expression can be challenging to navigate for trans and non-binary young adults. In each episode, Lucas Silveira and Richie Shazam, along with mentors and role models, guide someone who is trans or gender non-conforming as they explore their inner identity and passions, which they convert into authentic self-expression and the ability to “Shine True.”

The half-hour series premieres on OUTtv in Canada and on Fuse in the U.S on Monday, March 22 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

The first season cast is made up entirely of young people from Canada and the U.S. They are (listed in alphabetical order, with their pronouns):

  • Azul (they/them) — confronts generational trauma and finds the “punk mariachi” within before their big art show.
  • Fran (they/them) — connects with their inner skaterboi, their Filipinx heritage, and surprises their girlfriend with a romantic date night for their first anniversary.
  • Jaden (they/them) — discovers ways to dress their new silhouette after recent top surgery, and then throws a New Moon party in Toronto to release the past.
  • Juan (they/them/he/him) — learns about queerness and gets in touch with his feminine side with a little help from the Latinx community in Georgetown, Ontario.
  • LaDon (he/him/she/her) — finds his inner diva on the south side of Chicago for a glamorous photoshoot with help from a drag legend.
  • Prism (they/them) — meets an inspiring fat activist in and surprises their friends with a name change party.
  • Ronnie (they/them) — gains a confidence boost and style upgrade to coincide with a new life chapter, inviting their Caribbean parents along for the ride.
  • T (he/him/they/them) — steps out of the bedroom studio in Toronto and onto the stage after conquering their fears of shopping and performing with a gender-bendy makeover.

To promote the series and drive viewers to tune-in via linear, the first episode will also be made available for free starting March 17 in Canada on OUTtvGo (outtvgo.com) and the U.S. on video-on-demand (VOD), as well as on select digital platforms including Fuse.tv.

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Industry News

Mad Samurai Productions options Eric Walters’ novel series The Rule of Three

From a media release:

Vancouver-based Mad Samurai Productions announced today the company has teamed up with writer Lynne Kamm (Transplant, 19-2) to acquire the exclusive television rights to award-winning Canadian novelist Eric Walters’ YA book series THE RULE OF THREE.

With over 400,000 copies sold in North America alone, THE RULE OF THREE novels include the three in the series, along with the spin off novel Fourth Dimension that takes place within THE RULE OF THREE universe. Walters is a bestselling author with more than 120 international awards for his work and is recipient of the prestigious Order of Canada.

THE RULE OF THREE begins with a bang – a catastrophic event permanently shuts down everything computerized worldwide, communication is cut-off, resources dwindle, crises mount, and chaos descends. A fiercely independent teenage pilot bands together with their dysfunctional family and friends to protect their small suburban community against outside dangers and enemies within. Set in contemporary day, THE RULE OF THREE is a page turning drama-thriller that chronicles the difficult choices of a close-knit community as it struggles to adapt and survive a total global reset.

Developing alongside Executive Producer Matthew Cervi, Kamm is attached as EP/Showrunner and will write the pilot with Walters attached to consult.

Kamm is repped by Vanguarde Artists Management, Walters is represented at Transatlantic Agency.

ABOUT THE TEAM

Lynne Kamm brokers in unique. A versatile and prolific writer and producer, she creates both powerful one-hour dramas and standout half-hour comedies. LK is known for her boundary pushing episodes on the hit NBC/CTV series Transplant, the iEmmy nominated series 19-2, CBS Ransom and for writing some funny stuff on Hulu’s Letterkenny. Lynne has multiple original projects in development. Her work has garnered her a WGA nomination as well several Canadian Screen Award nominations.

Matthew Cervi of Mad Samurai Productions is an award-winning producer who has worked in the entertainment industry for more than 20 years. Matthew’s past producing credits include the features The Colony, starring Laurence Fishburne, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Zegers, Cruel & Unusual in partnership with Entertainment One and Juggernaut, starring Jack Kesy, Amanda Crew, David Cubitt and Peter McRobbie. Mad Samurai currently has multiple projects in development including THE RULE OF THREE project.

Eric Walters has written more than 100 novels and picture books and has won more than 100 awards internationally. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 2015, the UNESCO Award for Literature in Service of Tolerance and The Christopher Award. Eric is a three-time winner of the Ontario Library Association Silver Birch and four-time winner of the Red Maple Award. He received the prestigious Children’s Africana Book Award – Best Book for young children – for his book The Matatu presented in a ceremony at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. and most recently, has been nominated for the 2021 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and the 2021 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award – the “Nobel Prize” for children’s literature.

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Industry News

CRTC Chairperson and CEO Ian Scott to give keynote at BANFF 2021

From a media release:

The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is proud to announce that CRTC Chairperson and CEO Ian Scott, will speak on BANFF 2021’s opening day Monday, June 14, with a virtual keynote session as the Festival launches MARKETPLACE WEEK and a month of curated online programming.

Now in its 42nd year, BANFF is Canada’s international conference and marketplace where new business partnerships are forged and new TV, film and digital media projects are ignited.

“I am pleased to help kick off the world-renowned BANFF festival. In these unprecedented times, we’ve come to appreciate even more the importance of Canada’s high-quality broadcasting and production industries. While we must all adapt to significant changes, including proposed legislative changes that aim to make the broadcasting system more inclusive, this is nevertheless an exciting time for all those involved in the field. I’m certain the festival as a whole will reflect this enthusiasm and I look forward to contributing to this ongoing dialogue,” stated Ian Scott, the CRTC’s Chairperson and CEO.

With delegates from more than 50 countries, BANFF attracts the world’s top creators, producers, showrunners, talent, networks, studios, streamers, press and media companies. The 2021 edition of the Festival is poised to build on the success of last year’s virtual event, with a purpose-built online platform that will connect the global media industry to ignite new projects and support business development.

“Chairperson Scott’s keynote session at the Festival comes at a pivotal time of critical examination and foundational change for the Canadian and international media industry,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director, Banff World Media Festival. “As the place for candid conversations that effect action and point the way forward, we are thrilled to host the head of the CRTC at BANFF 2021.”

In addition to its Festival programming and marketplace, BANFF continues to deliver important fellowships and initiatives including The BANFF Spark Accelerator for Women in the Business of Media, supported by the Government of Canada which empowers Canadian women entrepreneurs to launch and grow their own sustainable businesses within the screen-based industries as well as the Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative, a program that jumpstarts and accelerates the careers of up to 100 Black, Indigenous and people of colour producers and creators.

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Amazon Prime Video commits $1.3 million to support the BIPOC Canadian TV and film production community

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From a media release:

Amazon Prime Video today announced a $1.25 million (CAD) commitment to support the Canadian BIPOC TV and film production creative community with a donation to the Solidarity Fund and the Indigenous Development Program, and a new pitch program, with 10 grants of $10,000 (CAD) to creators who are Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Colour, in partnership with the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO). The initiatives will support the BIPOC creative community faced with ongoing hardship during the COVID-19 crisis.

The donation from Amazon Prime Video will support creators who are Black, Indigenous and People of Colour as the industry manages and recovers from the ramifications of the COVID-19 crisis. The donation to the Solidarity Fund – launched by the ISO, the Racial Equity in Media Collective (REMC), and BIPOC TV & Film – and the Indigenous Development Program, will support diverse creators with funding for projects and professional development for both individuals and BIPOC-owned companies. Additionally, Prime Video and the ISO will launch a pitch program that will award $10,000 (CAD) grants to 10 selected diverse creators who will have an opportunity to pitch their scripted or unscripted projects to Amazon Studios. ISO will work with the Black Screen Office on the pitch program as well as engage with a number of BIPOC-led groups and organizations on outreach. The ISO portal for submissions will open Wednesday, February 9 and the deadline for submissions is Friday, March 5 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.

For more information on the pitch program and guidelines visit https://iso-bea.ca/amazon-studios-iso-pitch-program-guidelines/ and https://iso-bea.ca/resources/iso-funding/

Since 2015, Amazon Studios has filmed 22 Amazon Original series and films in Canada, including The Man in the High Castle and Upload in Vancouver, The Boys and The Expanse in Toronto, Tales from the Loop in Winnipeg, as well as parts of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan and The Voyeurs in Montreal. Recently announced Canadian Originals include The Kids In The Hall and All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs.

About the Indigenous Screen Office
The Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) is an independent national advocacy and funding organization serving First Nations, Inuit and Métis creators of screen content in Canada. The ISO’s mandate is to foster and support narrative sovereignty: Indigenous stories told on screens by Indigenous storytellers. Launched in 2017, the creation of the ISO is the result of decades of advocacy from Indigenous industry professionals and creators who identified that an organization supporting Indigenous storytellers was a crucial component to a healthy and robust media landscape in Canada. ISO currently funds a number of programs and initiatives for Indigenous screen creators and professionals with a focus on the key areas of training and mentorship, project development, production support and market development. ISO also hosts regular training and workshops around the document On-Screen Protocols and Pathways: A Media Production Guide to Working with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Communities, Cultures, Concepts and Stories.

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Frankie Drake Mysteries, Industry News, Murdoch Mysteries, Slasher

AMC Networks and Shaftesbury enter into new strategic partnership, further expanding the global audience for Shaftesbury’s content

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From a media release:

AMC Networks, the entertainment company behind some of the most popular and award-winning brands in television, streaming and film, and award-winning production company Shaftesbury, announced today they have entered into a new strategic partnership. Through its investment in Shaftesbury, AMC Networks will gain access to Shaftesbury’s award-winning slate and expand its content and development capabilities in Canada. Shaftesbury CEO and Chairman Christina Jennings will continue to spearhead the creative focus of the company and lead the day-to-day operational control alongside Executive Vice President, Scott Garvie. Jennings, Garvie and Shaftesbury board member Michael Levine will remain on Shaftesbury’s Board of Directors. They will be joined by two new AMC Networks directors, Harold Gronenthal, EVP of Programming and Marketing for AMC Networks International, and Matt Graham, GM of the AMC Networks-owned Acorn TV streaming service. Shaftesbury and its shareholders were advised on this strategic investment by RBC Capital Markets.

The new partnership will create growth for Shaftesbury’s existing and future slate of content across all genres, creating more opportunities for Canadian creators in front of and behind the camera. The partnership also builds on AMC Networks and Shaftesbury’s existing production relationship. Shaftesbury is the studio behind some of the biggest titles on Acorn TV, including all 14 seasons of Murdoch Mysteries. In addition to Acorn TV, AMC Networks operates the entertainment brands AMC, SundanceTV, BBC America and the fast-growing streaming services AMC+, Shudder, Sundance Now and ALLBLK.

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