Tag Archives: Marblemedia

Expert sand sculptors compete in CBC’s Race Against the Tide

Canadian production company marblemedia has been creating some truly interesting twists on the reality competition genre. Blown Away (about glass blowing) and Landscape Artist of the Year (which is just what it sounds like) are stellar examples of reality shows that don’t have Canada in the title.

Now marblemedia is back with its newest reality project. Race Against the Tide debuts Thursday at 8 and 8:30 p.m. and finds 10 teams of highly skilled sand sculptors battling each other—and the tide—to impress judges and win $10,000. Hosted by Shaun Majumder, Race Against the Tide‘s setting is the Bay of Fundy, where high tides mark the deadline in each episode’s competition.

Not only is Race Against the Tide as engaging as heck, but it’s an education as well. I had no clue competitive sand sculpting was a thing. Neither did showrunner and writer Carly Spencer, who we spoke to about the challenges the pandemic and nature played in Season 1.

I knew nothing about sand carving contests until I watched the first episode of Race Against the Tide. Did you know anything about any of this stuff before you got involved in the show? 
Carly Spencer: I did not. And, it was a real whirlwind when we started up production because we were actually the first show in Canada out in the field during COVID. We just sort of hit the ground running working with CBC and it was crazy because we had never seen what we were going to be working with, this tide and everything because we couldn’t travel out there [in advance].

We saw that tide for the first time and we went, ‘Holy moly.’ What’s so cool about this show is that the crew is actually racing against the tide as well. We have basically the time from when the tide goes out and we start shooting and the sculptors start sculpting. And then, when the tide starts to come back, it hits these markers, so we have a little bit of time for judging. That’s it. If we miss a step we lose an episode. If the tide washes away one of the sculptures before we can shoot the beauty of it… But what that does is just create this amazing energy on set. Everybody is just in it working so well as a team. The cooperation on this crew is just like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I tell every single person who will listen to me, that it is because of the crew, the fantastic people just hauling their butts and working together, that this show even gets made.

These are incredible artists. Just learning about the packing down of the sand, the different scientific properties of the sand, and maybe black sand looks cool, but it doesn’t have the same properties or regular brown sand. You have so much packed into a 22-minute episode. That must have been a heck of an edit that you had.
CS: You hit the nail on the head because this is a half-hour show. Every single line, every single shot is completely curated because there’s just no time to wait. It’s actually quite difficult cutting down so much footage.

How did you get involved in Race Against the Tide?
CS: I had done a show called Landscape Artist of the Year for CBC and marblemedia. Then, I got a call from marblemedia and they said, ‘You’re never going to believe this, the show has been greenlit and you start tomorrow.’ I didn’t even have time to think about it. I really like working with marblemedia. Matt Hornburg and I have such a lovely working relationship. He really prepped me and he just lets me run. So the opportunity to repeat that was great. And, also, I like a good challenge.

Talk about the beach where you filmed.
CS: The sand has to be the right type of sand to hold together. Originally, they were going to shoot it on a different beach, and then we did all this research. We actually had someone from here send samples to our judge, Karen Fralich, who had to do all these little experiments. We had to move to this particular cove because that’s where the best sand was. That’s the first thing all the sculptors asked, ‘How’s the sand?’ There’s so much science in this show and that nobody would know.

Race Against the Tide airs Thursday at 8 and 8:30 p.m. on CBC.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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Marblemedia goes big with miniatures in new competition series Best in Miniature for CBC and Discovery+

From a media release:

Leading international production company, marblemedia, is excited to announce the start of production on their latest competition series, Best in Miniature (10 x 60) a new original series for CBC, premiering later this year, and discovery+ in the UK and Ireland airing in 2022.

Trailblazing producers of global unscripted hits like Blown Away and Restaurants on the Edge for Netflix, as well as four seasons (and counting) of the award-winning sports competition All-Round Champion, marblemedia is once again breaking the mold with an all-new competition series that will tap into the viral sensation that is #miniatures; a world that has captured over 170 million views on TikTok alone.

Hosted by writer and stand-up comedian, Aba Amuquandoh (CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes), the brand-new series will welcome 11 highly skilled artists from across the world to compete in the ultimate challenge: building their dream home in miniature-form. The competitors will create their houses, in painstaking detail, room by room by shrinking life-size objects to 1:12 scale. While the objects may be small in stature, the stakes could not be higher.

Judged by UK Miniature Expert Emma Waddell, and esteemed Designer Micheal Lambie, precision and design technique will save the competitors from elimination. Week after week, the remaining miniaturists will continue to battle it out to stay in the game until only three remain for the last competition in the grand finale. The winner will receive a cash prize and the coveted title of Best in Miniature!

Best in Miniature is produced by marblemedia in association with CBC and discovery+ UK & Ireland. For marblemedia, Matt Hornburg, Mark Bishop and Diane Rankin are executive producers; Donna Luke and Marike Emery and are co-executive producers, and Jacqui Skeete is series producer and showrunner for the series; and created by development producer, Kelsey Espensen. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual and Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; Alexandra Lane is Senior Director of Production; and Ann-Marie Redmond is Executive in Charge of Production. Matt Reid is Executive Producer for discovery+ UK. Distribution360 (D360) holds worldwide rights to the format and finished program.

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marblemedia goes into development on a new scripted television drama adaptation of business mogul, Arlene Dickinson’s bestselling book Persuasion

From a media release:

marblemedia is expanding its primetime slate by going into development on a new one-hour drama series, Persuasion, based on the national best-selling business book from powerhouse Canadian entrepreneur and TV personality, Arlene Dickinson.

Featuring a cast and creative team of empowered women, both behind and in front of the cameras, this brand-new series will take a much different approach than other scripted series about business. Instead of showcasing the ruthless underbelly of business where the end justifies the means, Persuasion will take inspiration from Dickinson’s determination, dedication, tenacity and brilliance in her rise to success to dramatize a fresh & powerful approach to being effective in business.

marblemedia has optioned the rights to Persuasion, published by HarperCollins. Dickinson will serve as an executive producer on the series, her first scripted television series, along with marblemedia’s Matthew Hornburg, Mark Bishop and Carrie Paupst Shaughnessy, and Alexandra Zarowny is attached to write and executive produce.

Inspired by Arlene Dickinson’s book of the same name, the fictional series will explore the exhilarating high-octane, fast-paced world of marketing, public relations, and entrepreneurship where, through a dynamic and diverse cast of characters, the battle to do business ethically and honestly is fought every day. Through the lens of Rachel Nicholson’, a tough, fiery, innovative marketing mastermind, and her team at Trailblazer, we join Rachel as she journeys through two different periods of her life – as a tenacious young mother with no formal education in the 1990s, and a marketing maven and celebrity in present day. The series recognizes women’s leadership and the power of their unstoppable influence – motivating others around them, breaking glass ceilings and paving their own path – all while lifting up and setting the example for the next generation.

Best-selling author, investor and renowned entrepreneur, Arlene Dickinson is widely recognized for her role as a ‘Dragon’ on the multi-award-winning television series, Dragons’ Den. Arlene is also an inductee in Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100 Hall of Fame, amongst many other accolades. Arlene has become an icon for doing business with integrity.

“I am humbled and thrilled to be working with Arlene, a personal hero of mine who continues to smash through glass ceilings. Her rise from rock bottom to renowned business maverick is truly inspiring.” adds Alexandra Zarowny, writer and executive producer. “Persuasion will be filled with do-or-die drama and revel in the aspirational glamour of a woman who achieved success and power while remaining true to herself and her ideals.”

Most recently, Zarowny served as an Executive Producer and Showrunner on Global’s popular Private Eyes starring Jason Priestly and Cindy Sampson. Other producing credits include CBC’s Murdoch Mysteries and Republic of Doyle, Showcase’s Lost Girl and Syfy’s Wynonna Earp.

Persuasion joins marblemedia’s previously announced adaptation of The Other Boy, a best-selling novel by M.G. Hennessey, and Holding Still, a Toronto-set novel by celebrated author, poet and screenwriter, Zoe Whittall. These projects will all foster a new generation of stories driven by perspectives that need to be shared, heard and celebrated.

About marblemedia 
A global award-winning media company, marblemedia is anchored in original storytelling, innovation, and content that celebrates unique characters and perspectives through an inspiring lens. In addition to their critically acclaimed competition series and renowned award-winning family content, the leading production company is forging their way into the scripted television space by expanding their repertoire of scripted series with a handful of new acquisitions.

Founded in 2001 by co-CEOs Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg with a vision of creativity, partnership and innovation, the company has offices in Toronto, London and L.A., with a 50-acre production facility located 90 minutes north of Toronto.

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Link: How an all-BIPOC Canadian team made a TV show for a Mormon network in the U.S.

From Radheyan Simonpillai of NOW Toronto:

Link: How an all-BIPOC Canadian team made a TV show for a Mormon network in the U.S.
They describe the emergency resuscitation efforts of Farrell’s all-BIPOC team, who shredded scripts and started anew at the eleventh hour to produce family sitcoms attuned to the racial specificity of the characters. Continue reading.

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