Tag Archives: Netflix

Industry News

Netflix’s Bela Bajaria and Participant’s David Linde join the Banff World Media Festival’s Keynote Summit Series lineup

From a media release:

The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is proud to announce Bela Bajaria, Head of Global TV for Netflix and David Linde, CEO of Participant as Summit Series keynotes, a premium speaker lineup featuring the boldest voices and world’s most influential media leaders. The 43rd edition of the Festival will take place in-person June 12-15, 2022 at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada.

“We are beyond excited about Bela and David joining us at BANFF this June,” said BANFF Board Chair and Lionsgate Television Group Chair Kevin Beggs. “The incredible line-up of speakers, award recipients, and talent reinforce what we have been saying for years now – The Banff World Media Festival is the ‘it’ gathering for global content creators. See you in June!”

“Bela and David are two of the most accomplished and inspiring entertainment executives in the industry,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director, Banff World Media Festival. “We’re looking forward to hosting them on the BANFF stage as they deliver what are sure to be thoughtful insights on the future of the industry, programming opportunities and their unique content strategies.”

The BANFF Summit Series is a curated lineup of keynotes featuring global players who are shaping the future of the media industry.

Now in its 43rd year, BANFF is the international conference and marketplace where new business partnerships are forged and new TV, film and digital media projects are ignited. With delegates from 50+ countries, the Festival attracts the world’s top creators, producers, showrunners, talent, networks, studios, streamers, press and media companies. In addition, 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 and trains 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.

ABOUT BELA BAJARIA
Bela Bajaria was named Head of Global TV for Netflix in 2020, overseeing all English language and local language scripted and unscripted series around the world. Bajaria leads the team for all of television, responsible for hit series including Bridgerton, MAID, Stranger Things, Lupin and Squid Game. Previously, she oversaw local language originals, managing the teams behind shows such as La Casa de Papel (Spain), The Witcher (Poland), Who Killed Sara? (Mexico) and Kingdom (Korea).

Prior to joining Netflix in 2016, Bajaria was President of Universal Television, where she made history as the first woman of color to oversee a studio. Earlier, she held two key posts simultaneously: Senior Vice President, Cable Programming for CBS TV Studios, and Senior Vice President of Movies and Miniseries for CBS Network.

Bajaria currently serves on the LA Board of Governors for the Paley Center and the Board of LA’s Saban Community Clinic, where she received the Lenny Somberg award in 2018. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for Meridian International Center. Bajaria was honored by the Asia Society in 2021 as one of their Entertainment Game Changers of the Year, and has also been honored by the “I Have a Dream” Foundation of LA, The March of Dimes Foundation, and received the Industry Leadership Award from the LA Indian Film Festival.

ABOUT DAVID LINDE
David Linde is CEO of Participant, the leading global media company dedicated to entertainment that inspires and compels social change. Founded by Jeff Skoll, the company’s contributions were honored in 2021 with a retrospective at MoMA and by American Cinematheque as the inaugural recipient of the Power of Cinema Award. Linde is responsible for leading the company’s overall strategy, content creation, social impact, operations, strategic investments and acquisitions. Noteworthy films from Participant include Oscar® Best Picture winner Spotlight; Oscar winners for Best Documentary Feature, American Factory, CITIZENFOUR, The Cove and An Inconvenient Truth; Oscar winners for Best Foreign Language Film ROMA and A Fantastic Woman; as well as acclaimed, award-winning long-form content including Steve James’ docuseries America To Me and Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us.

Linde’s background spans production, global distribution and building multiple companies from the ground up. Linde has served as chairman of Universal Pictures, co-founder of acclaimed specialty film studio Focus Features and CEO and owner of Lava Bear Films. Linde currently serves on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Board Of Trustees of the American Film Institute and the Board of Directors of Film Independent.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

marblemedia announces Blown Away: Christmas debuts November 19 on Netflix

From a media release:

marblemedia, leading global entertainment producers of numerous award-winning TV series announces today that Netflix’s “Blown Away” is cranking up the heat for a spectacular holiday showdown!

’Tis the season for redemption as five fan favourites return to the hot shop to compete in a series of Christmas-themed challenges in the quest to become The Best in Holiday Blow.

Sharing his thoughts with Variety today, host Bobby Berk says “I’ve been a fan of Blown Away since the moment it premiered, and I’m honoured to be officially joining the family as the host of Blown Away: Christmas. I got a taste of the incredible experience and craftsmanship as a guest judge on Season 2 and can’t wait to get back into the hot shop this holiday season.”

In the spirit of giving, the winner will not only receive a $10,000 cash prize but an additional $10,000 will also be donated to their charity of choice.

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Industry News

Canadian Academy announces participants selected for the inaugural edition of Women in Post

From a media release:

Today, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (The Canadian Academy) announced the six participants selected for the inaugural cohort of Women in Post, a program designed to address the barriers to entry and advancement for women in the post-production industry.

The Women in Post program provides industry access and professional development for emerging to mid-level creatives who identify as women or non-binary working in all areas of post-production. Participants will have the opportunity to develop their technical, creative, and leadership skills through strategic learning modules led by industry experts, and a hands-on mentorship at a post-production company in Canada that aligns with their area of expertise. The program participants will also receive a $2,500 honorarium; a complimentary one-year voting membership to the Canadian Academy; and invitations to attend Canadian Screen Week 2022 and the Canadian Cinema Editors’ EditCon 2022.

“We are honoured to welcome these talented professionals into the Canadian Academy family,” said Beth Janson, CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. “We are confident that this program will provide meaningful career advancement and opportunities for them, and are grateful to our partners for understanding the importance and power of having a diversity of voices and perspectives contributing in all aspects of our industry.”

The creators chosen for the first edition of Women in Post bring with them a range of experience from across the creative spectrum and were selected by a jury of industry professionals led by Nafisa Murji, Director of Talent Development at the Canadian Academy. The participants are:

  • Brittany Lewis (BC), Editing/ VFX Editing
  • Elian Mikkola (SK), Editing
  • Daniela Pinto (ON), Post Production Audio
  • Ariana Saadat (BC), VFX Supervision
  • Set Shuter (ON), Post Production Supervision
  • Penelope Walcott (ON), Post Production Audio

Company 3’s VP of Sales (Vancouver) Lindsay Elizabeth Donovan comments “Diversity in creativity is crucial for our industry and programs such as Women in Post are vital in helping correct inequities in the voices we hear and stories we tell. We are incredibly proud to be the lead post house partner for this program as we understand that opportunities to gain first-hand experience and develop skills through strong mentorship are necessities for creatives to build their careers.”

Women in Post is presented by Netflix and is supported by lead post house partner, Company 3, and supporting partners, Rocket Science VFX and Urban Prairie Post.

The Canadian Academy strives to foster industry growth, knowledge, inclusion, and mentorship through a series of talent development programs aimed at creating a more equitable and diverse Canadian screen-based industry. In addition to the Women in Post program, programs include the WarnerMedia Access x Canadian Academy Writers Program, a talent activation initiative focused on experienced Canadian writers from underrepresented communities, and the Canadian Academy Directors Program for Women, a professional development program intended to advance the careers of Canadian directors in the media industry. Additional talent development programs will be announced in the coming months.

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Featured, Slasher

Slasher: Aaron Martin and Ian Carpenter preview Flesh & Blood

There are several new faces added to the cast of the new season of Slasher. Dubbed Flesh & Blood for Season 4, the blood-soaked horror anthology series created by Aaron Martin boasts perhaps the biggest name in the genre: David Cronenberg.

The actor and director jumped at the chance to play Spencer Galloway, a manipulative businessman who gathers his family together to compete in a deadly game, with the winner to be declared sole inheritor of his fortune.

Alongside familiar Slasher faces playing different characters fighting for Spencer’s fortune are Paula Brancati, Jefferson Brown, Patrice Goodman, Sabrina Grdevich and Christopher Jacot are new faces in Rachael Crawford, Jeananne Goosen and Alex Ozerov. We spoke to creator Aaron Martin and showrunner Ian Carpenter about how the new season—kicking off Monday at 9 p.m. ET on Hollywood Suite—came about.

Ian, how did the writing room work for Slasher: Flesh & Blood?
Ian Carpenter: Aaron and I were in the writing room, and we did all of that on my porch. When we started the show, we were in the heart of [the pandemic]. One of the very first [times writing] was when I took one of the last flights around when I visited him in Vancouver to kind of gestate all of this. We did it all in person, and I don’t know of a writer that doesn’t think that’s essential. There is something about a Zoom meeting that puts pregnancy on every single second and all of this pressure for it to be loaded. Aaron and I are very productive, and I bet 50 percent of [writing] it is us being idiots and cracking jokes. I just feel so strange via Zoom.

Aaron, did you have multiple seasons in mind when Season 1 of Slasher was conceived or was it more organic?
AM: It’s been more organic. There have been ideas for locations or settings or backgrounds for seasons. Every season is a new thing and, usually, it starts with a theme or an issue. [Flesh & Blood] came about because Shaftesbury and, I think Shudder had already come on board, said we could develop it. I had just spent the Christmas holidays with my family. I love them, but by the time I was done, I wanted to kill a few of them. I think that’s when I said to Ian, ‘What if we did a family reunion where they actually get to kill each other?’ That’s how we approach every season. Season 3, Solstice, [was inspired by Justine Sacco] who tweeted something she thought was funny and was horribly offensive, and by the time she landed 12 hours later, it had blown up and ruined her life.

Because the show isn’t killings every five minutes, we need the stuff to build around, the thematic stuff and dramatic stuff is how we do that.

One of the things I love about Slasher is the dialogue is so believable. Aaron, is it difficult to write dialogue?
AM: I don’t think so. I think, in my scripts if you go back to Degrassi and definitely Being Erica, I never try to do dialogue that is cool and flippant. I write how I think people talk. And then, when I’ve finished a script I’ll go back and read it and if I’m stumbling over words or it doesn’t seem real, I’ll change it.

Ian, Adam MacDonald returned to direct Slasher: Flesh & Blood. You have known each other for years. Do you two have a shorthand, where there’s not a lot of discussions? Do you each know what the other is thinking?
IC: I’m really fortunate that Adam and I were close friends before Slasher started. Incredibly, we were both hired within weeks of each other on Solstice. This season, we felt absolute confidence in each other, what we were going to do, what we were strong at, what we needed to talk about. It is shorthand with him, just as it is shorthand with Aaron. It lets you focus on what matters, which is also important when it comes to hiring key creatives on a crew. We’re so lucky to have so many of ours come back.

Aaron, having so many cast and crew return to the Slasher family season to season must be very fulfilling.
AM: The great thing about working in Canada is that it’s a small community, and that’s great because it’s of that. I love actors and I love bringing back actors, for this show especially, because it’s a great opportunity for them to show different facets of themselves. It is a great feeling to have them respond that way, and you want them to.

Ian, what was it like to have David Cronenberg as part of the cast this season?
IC: He was amazing. He was so complimentary, so excited about the material and really saw the depth in it. He is so crucial to the story, so it was exciting to hear how he was connecting to that. And then, as much as we are this scrappy little show, David Cronenberg has said, ‘Yes, I want to be on this show.’

Slasher: Flesh & Blood airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Hollywood Suite.

Images courtesy of Cole Burston.

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Slasher

Link: Don’t miss Netflix’s best horror show you’ve probably never heard of

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From Paul Tassi of Forbes:

Link: Don’t miss Netflix’s best horror show you’ve probably never heard of
Slasher is a Canadian series that was picked up and branded as a Netflix original, but it has gotten little promotion for the three seasons that exist right now. What I was surprised to see was how good this series is, which was flying so under the radar I had missed it for years, even as a big horror fan. Continue reading.

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