Tag Archives: Nelvana

Children's Programming, The Hardy Boys

Nelvana and Lambur Productions start production for third and final season of The Hardy Boys

From a media release:

Corus Entertainment’s Emmy® Award-winning studio Nelvana, a world-leading international producer, distributor and licensor of children’s animated and live-action content, together with Lambur Productions, have started production on the third and final season of their popular live-action series The Hardy Boys (8x60min). Based on the books by Franklin W. Dixon, the Daytime Emmy® nominated mystery drama is produced by Lambur Productions and Nelvana, in association with Corus Entertainment, and started production in September in Toronto and Southern Ontario.

The third season picks up where the shocking events of Season 2 left off. The Hardy boys and their friends dig up even more secrets, conspiracies and threats as they piece together their great-grandfather’s long-lost map and race against time to uncover a powerful ancient relic before it falls into the wrong hands.

Bailee Madison (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, Just Go with It) guest stars on the final season as ‘Drew Darrow’, a fun but often frustrating new ally with a brilliant mind and appetite for magic and mysteries. Returning cast members of the beloved Hardy gang include Rohan Campbell (Halloween Ends) as ‘Frank Hardy,’ Alexander Elliot (Locke and Key) as ‘Joe Hardy’, Keana Lyn (The Yard) as ‘Callie Shaw’, Adam Swain (A Million Little Things) as ‘Chet Morton’, Cristian Perri (A Simple Favor) as ‘Phil Cohen’, Riley O’Donnell (Big Top Academy) as ‘Biff Hooper’, and Krista Nazaire (Before We Crash) as ‘Belinda Conrad’.

The first two seasons received strong ratings and reviews, winning two Canadian Screen Awards in 2022 for ‘Best Children’s or Youth Fiction Program or Series’ and ‘Best Direction, Children’s or Youth’, winning a Directors Guild of Canada Award for ‘Outstanding Directorial Achievement for Family Series’ in 2021 and earning a Daytime Emmy® Award nomination for ‘Outstanding Young Adult Series’ in 2021. The first season received additional nominations for CAFTCAD’s ‘Best Costume Design in TV Period’ in 2021, DGC’s Craft Award for ‘Best Picture Editing – Comedy or Family Series’ in 2021, Canadian Society of Cinematographer’s Award for ‘Best Cinematography in TV Drama – Non-commercial’ in 2021, and a Canadian Screen Award for ‘Best Photography, Drama’ in 2022. The series also gained a loyal fan following, with Season 2 securing the number one program ranking on YTV this past Spring* and currently the number one YTV show streamed on STACKTV**.

Seasons 1 and 2 of The Hardy Boys are currently available to stream on Hulu (U.S.), STACKTV in Canada and Disney+ internationally ( Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Latin America, and coming soon to Europe, Middle East and Africa). The final season will premiere on Hulu in the U.S. and YTV and STACKTV in Canada in 2023, with more international networks to be announced.

Season 3 of The Hardy Boys is executive produced by Lambur Production’s Joan Lambur, Suzanne Wilson and Madeleine Lambur, Corus and Nelvana’s Doug Murphy, Pam Westman and Athena Georgaklis, co-showrunner and head writer Chris Pozzebon ( Blindspot, Schitt’s Creek), and co-showrunner and head director Jason Stone (Riverdale, The Hardy Boys). Amanda Vaughan will serve as production executive for Corus.

*Source: Numeris PPM Data. SP’22 (Jan 3/22 – May 29/22) – confirmed data, 3+ airings. Total Canada, Mo-Su 2a-2a. Ind.2+ AMA(000). YTV.

**Source: Amazon Video Central Reporting

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Children's Programming

Hit mystery series The Hardy Boys returns with Season 2 on YTV

From a media release:

Secrets of the past continue to haunt Bridgeport and layers of mystery are revealed in the second season of The Hardy Boys (10x60min), premiering Monday, April 4 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on YTV. New episodes will roll out every Monday at 8 p.m. and will be available to stream live and on-demand on STACKTV. Based on the beloved books by Franklin W. Dixon and nominated for a Daytime Emmy® Award and three Canadian Screen Awards, the popular mystery series is developed and produced in Canada by Nelvana, a world-leading international producer, distributor, and licensor of children’s animated and live-action content, and Lambur Productions, in association with Corus Entertainment.

The second season picks up six months after the events of Season 1, building on the mystery and drama of the inaugural season and welcoming new friends and suspects. In Season 2, when a Bridgeportclassmate mysteriously disappears, Frank (Rohan Campbell) and Joe Hardy (Alexander Elliot) drop their new normal routine to get back to detective work. But when they discover the mystical relic they destroyed last year is still in play, it becomes clear their simple missing person case is actually part of something far more sinister. The Hardy boys and their friends must quickly learn who they can and can’t trust as they race against time to unravel the truth, and ultimately realize that no one is safe from their past.

Filmed in Toronto and Southern Ontario, the series features an all-Canadian cast and crew. The Hardy gang is back in action with returning cast Rohan Campbell (Virgin River) as ‘Frank Hardy,’ Alexander Elliot (Locke and Key) as ‘Joe Hardy’, Keana Lyn (The Yard) as ‘Callie Shaw’, Adam Swain (A Million Little Things) as ‘Chet Morton’, Cristian Perri (A Simple Favor) as ‘Phil Cohen’, and Riley O’Donnell (Big Top Academy) as ‘Biff Hooper’. Joining the cast this season are Canadian actors Krista Nazaire (Before We Crash) as ‘Belinda Conrad’ and Sadie Munroe (Workin’ Moms) as ‘Lucy Wayne’.

The first season of The Hardy Boys received industry-wide recognition, recently earning three Canadian Screen Award nominations for Best Children’s or Youth Fiction Program or Series, Best Direction, Children’s or Youth and Best Photography, Drama, in addition to a Daytime Emmy® Award nomination for Outstanding Young Adult Series, two DGC Award nominations for Outstanding Directorial Achievement and Best Picture Editing, and a CSC Award nomination for Best Cinematography in TV Drama. The Hardy Boys also secured the #1 program spot last spring on YTV* and is currently the #2 streamed YTV show on STACKTV**.

YTV can be streamed via STACKTV, available on Amazon Prime Video Channels, Rogers Ignite TV and Ignite SmartStream. The network is also available through all major TV distributors, including Shaw, Shaw Direct, Rogers, Bell, Videotron, Telus, Cogeco, Eastlink and SaskTel.

*Source: Numeris PPM Data, Total Canada, SP’21 (Jan 4 – May 30/21) confirmed data, 3+ airings, Ind. 2+ AMA(000), YTV

**Source: Amazon Video Central Reporting

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Industry News

Nelvana and Kids Can Press announce Blackwrite.ca for emerging Black storytellers and illustrators

From a media release:

Corus Entertainment Inc.’s (TSX:CJR.B) (“Corus Entertainment”) Nelvana, a world-leading international producer, distributor, and licensor of children’s animated and live action content, and Kids Can Press, an award-winning, internationally acclaimed children’s book publisher, announced today the Nelvana/Kids Can Press Talent Incubator: Black Write Edition, an initiative designed to discover, support, and mentor emerging Black storytellers and illustrators.

“Our goal with this talent incubator is to match promising Black creators with industry professionals from two of Canada’s leading children’s content companies in order to develop original work,” said Athena Georgaklis, Head of Development, Nelvana. “We want to give budding creators, particularly those currently outside of the children’s content ecosystem, the chance to develop their work and make essential connections in the television, animation, and publishing industries.”

“Stories for children can be a powerful space to explore new ideas and tackle compelling topics, while inspiring and educating,” said Naseem Hrab, Associate Publisher, Creative, Kids Can Press. “We know there are new stories and illustrations out there that should be shared and deserve a wider audience. It is our hope that this talent incubator reaches Black storytellers who are looking for that opportunity.”

Black storytellers and illustrators are invited to submit their story proposals or illustration portfolio through the blackwrite.ca website. Candidates who are selected will be paired with creative advisors in animation production or book publishing to develop and fully realize their work.

The outcome of the first edition of the incubator is to develop at least one original concept each for TV and book publishing as well as to foster community among new voices and industry professionals.

The deadline to submit is November 30.

Future editions of the talent incubator will focus on other underrepresented communities.

This initiative is part of Corus Entertainment’s comprehensive, multi-year Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Action Plan that aims to support diversity, equity and inclusion in the company’s workforce, business and content as well as industry partnerships.

The launch of blackwrite.ca will be supported by television and radio advertising on Corus’ network of TV and radio stations across Canada, starting today, September 15 and running until November 30.

To submit, check out blackwrite.ca.

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The Hardy Boys

A new mystery awaits! Nelvana and Lambur Productions greenlight Season 2 of The Hardy Boys

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From a media release:

Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana, a world-leading international producer and distributor of children’s animated and live-action content, together with Lambur Productions, have greenlit a second season of its hit mystery series The Hardy Boys (10x60min). Produced by Lambur Productions and Nelvana, in association with Corus Entertainment, the live-action series based on the beloved books by Franklin W. Dixon will start production in Toronto and Southern Ontario later this month. Following its success on Hulu in the U.S., The Hardy Boys’ inaugural season garnered critical acclaim and established a devoted fan base, claiming the spot of #1 program this Spring on YTV* in Canada. Season 2 will premiere on Hulu in the U.S. and YTV in Canada in 2022.

Picking up six months after the events of Season 1, the second season of The Hardy Boys finds Frank and Joe intertwined in yet another complicated mystery when a local Bridgeport teen goes missing and a duplicitous corporation moves into town.

Starring an all-Canadian ensemble cast, Season 2 welcomes back Rohan Campbell (Mech-X4, Virgin River) as Frank Hardy and Alexander Elliot (Detention Adventure, Workin’ Moms) as Joe Hardy. Additional returning cast members include: Keana Lyn as Callie Shaw, Bea Santos as Aunt Trudy, Adam Swain as Chet Morton, Atticus Mitchell as J.B. Cox, Riley O’Donnell as Biff Hooper, Cristian Perri as Phil Cohen, and Janet Porter as Laura Hardy.

The second season of The Hardy Boys is executive produced by Lambur Production’s Joan Lambur and Madeleine Lambur, and Corus and Nelvana’s Doug Murphy, Pam Westman and Athena Georgaklis, in addition to showrunner and head writer Chris Pozzebon (Blindspot, Schitt’s Creek), and showrunner and head director Jason Stone (Riverdale, The Hardy Boys). Amanda Vaughan and Kathleen Meek will serve as production executives for Corus.

Season 1 of The Hardy Boys is currently available to stream on Hulu in the U.S. and STACKTV in Canada through Amazon Prime Video Channels.

Source: Numeris PPM Data, Total Canada, SP’21 (Jan 4 – May 30/21) confirmed data, 3+ airings, Ind. 2+ AMA(000), YTV

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Children's Programming, Industry News

Nelvana and Lambur Productions are on the case as production is underway on the new live-action series, The Hardy Boys

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From a media release:

Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana, along with Lambur Productions, announced today that production is underway on a new live-action Canadian original series, The Hardy Boys (13x60min). Based on Edward Stratemeyer’s bestselling classic children’s books, the mystery-drama features the principal characters in their teen years. Production for the teen series continues to shoot in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area until January 2020.

Slated to premiere on YTV in Canada and premium streaming platform Hulu in the U.S. next year, the hour-long serialized action-packed series stars an all-Canadian main cast including James Tupper (Big Little Lies) as Hardy boys’ father ‘Fenton Hardy,’ Rohan Campbell (Mech-X4) as ‘Frank Hardy,’ and Alexander Elliot (Detention Adventure) as ‘Joe Hardy.’ The Hardy Boys joins Hulu’s established library of licensed and original book-to-television adaptations including The Handmaids Tale, Looking For Alaska, Killing Eve and Friday Night Lights.

After the tragic death of their mother, Frank Hardy, 16, and his brother Joe, 12, are moved from the big city to their mother’s hometown of Bridgeport for the summer. Their father, Fenton, is convinced his wife Laura’s death was no accident and leaves the boys with their aunt as he chases down a lead. Frank and Joe set out to solve the mystery themselves only to find the secret runs deeper than they could have ever imagined. The task of fitting into their new environment is made even harder when the boys begin to believe their mother’s killer is in Bridgeport and suddenly everyone in town is a suspect!

The Hardy Boys is executive produced by Joan Lambur; Peter Mohan, who also serves as head writer; and Jason Stone, who also serves as lead director. Madeleine Lambur serves as creative producer and Paula Smith is Supervising Producer. For Corus and Nelvana, Kathleen Meek is production executive and Doug Murphy, Pam Westman, and Athena Georgaklis are executive producers.Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail