Tag Archives: OutTV

Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Refreshing new doc series Get Hooked casts off old stereotypes to highlight the healing power of fishing, March 17 on OUTtv, OUTflix and AMI+

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From a media release:

This isn’t your dad’s fishing show. A thought-provoking and barrier-breaking new six-part documentary series, Get Hooked (6×30) is an invitation to explore diverse joy in nature and redefine what it means to fish. Co-commissioned by OUTtv and Accessible Media Inc. (AMI), the series is created by Heidi Lynch (showrunner of Avocado Toast the series and Series Mania “Canada’s Producers to Watch” 2024) and Leah Vlemmiks (“Tesfay” music video by Witch Prophet), directed by Vlemmiks, and produced by Lynch through Bone Vault Inc.

Get Hooked premieres Monday, March 17 on AMI+ (Canada), OUTtv.com (Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand), and OUTflix.com (UK, Ireland, and Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland via Allente). In Canada, viewers can also catch the series weekly on both AMI-tv and OUTtv broadcast channels, beginning Monday, March 24 at 9 p.m. ET.

“For too long, the outdoors – and fishing in particular – has only been marketed to one specific group of human beings,” said Lynch. “We want to showcase a different side of the fishing world – one that welcomes diversity, queerness, and the power of simply being present in nature for the good of our collective mental health. Get Hooked is funny, heartfelt, and deeply personal, and we hope it inspires people to find their own healing connection to the natural world.”

Get Hooked follows a Canadian angling guide per episode sharing their use of fishing as a lifeline for mental well-being with a group of queer, comedic outsiders. Set against the backdrop of breathtaking Ontario landscapes, each episode is more than just a fishing story – it’s a celebration of resilience, identity, and the healing power of nature. But as these anglers find solace on the water, the series asks a crucial question: why isn’t this access available to everyone?

“At its heart, Get Hooked is about how a shared passion can be a great connector – to nature, to each other, to ourselves,” added Lynch. “This series challenges outdated ideas of who belongs in outdoor spaces and highlights the joy, humour, and healing that come from casting a line in good company. In the divisive place we currently find ourselves, connection is a breath of fresh air. Get Hooked will always include great men as part of the story, but told through a different gaze than you normally see in fishing documentaries and shows.”

Bringing a unique and diverse mix of lived experiences, perspectives, and personalities, the captivating cast of anglers featured in the series are Demiesha Dennis (founder/director of Brown Girl Outdoor World), Dave Furgoch (organizer for the Blind Anglers International Tournament), Lisa Goodier (guide at the Ottawa River Musky Factory), Rosie Jones (comedian/actor/author), Rick Klatt (The Last Cull, participant in the Blind Anglers International Tournament), Frank Leaney (program coordinator and addictions counsellor at the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health), Christine Luckasavitch (owner/executive consultant of Waaseyaa Consulting), Faye Marsay (actor, Game of Thrones, Andor), Emily O’Brien (founder of ComeBack Snacks), SJ Todd (founder/creative director of SJT Studio), Kenneth Tse (science teacher and fishing guide), Emma Tweddle (co-owner of Brain Box Studios), and Vik Watson (co-owner/graphic designer of Brain Box Studios).

Additionally, the Get Hooked companion podcast (6×20) for OUTtv and AMI launches on April 17, exploring how we, as society, can make the mental health benefits of the outdoors more accessible to the LGBTQ+, disability, and BIPOC communities. In each episode, series creator Heidi Lynch sits down with notable game changers and community creators about fishing, nature, hunting, or travel. Guests include Faye Marsay, actor Verada Sethu (Andor, Doctor Who), singer-songwriter Christa Couture (Postcards From), Amie Battams (Fishing Whilst Gay), and Nicole Moore (Shooting Girl With An Afro). Available wherever you get your podcasts.

Get Hooked was developed with the support of the Telus Fund, Bell Fund, Ontario Creates, AMI, OUTtv, Destination Canada, and Ottawa Tourism, with special thanks to the Fairmont Chateau Laurier and Algonquin Outfitters.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

David Oulton’s new series Who’s There? to premiere August 24 on OUTtv; new season of Face to Face with David coming same day

From a media release:

David Oulton’s new series, Who’s There?, is set to premiere on August 24 on OUTtv, the same day as his season 5 premiere for Face to Face with David on the same network. Both shows will air back to back.

Who’s There? is an all-new roundtable-style talk show hosted by Oulton. Rather than being interview focused, it’s topical, with a panel of guests discussing a range of conversation starters. Each panel consists of a celebrity guest, a business leader, and an everyday viewer. The premiere episode features actress Emmanuelle Vaugier (Two and a Half Men, Saw II & III), Vancouver restaurateur Anson Leung, and Darrell Ross.

The series was filmed at the Paradox Hotel in Vancouver with the first season consisting of six episodes. Celebrity guests featured throughout the inaugural season include Vaugier, Mackenzie Gray (Legion, Man of Steel), comedian Darryl Lennox, Karen Holness (Nancy Drew, Superman & Lois), William B Davis (The X Files), Ben Immanuel (The Man in the High Castle), and Tammy Gillis (Siren, Van Helsing).

Also premiering August 24 on OUTtv are new episodes of Oulton’s talk show Face to Face with David. Oulton returns in his infamous Versace bathrobe drinking red wine to welcome familiar faces including Vanessa Williams, AJ Cook, Luenell, Emily Hampshire, Jen Brister and many many others. The August 24 premiere features supermodel Janice Dickinson.

Face to Face with David season 5 premieres at 6pm PT/9pm ET on OUTtv, followed by the premiere of Who’s There? at 6:30pm PT/9:30pm ET. Both series will also be available to stream on OUTtvGo. Oulton is the creator, host, and executive producer of both series, with both being produced by Calgary-based production house L&C Style Productions Inc.

OUTtv is available in Canada, the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

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Web series

#WombWednesdays are here! Womb Envy debuts May 10 on AMI and OUTtv

From a media release:

When a gay party boy’s estranged small-town best friend shows up expecting him to play baby daddy, even a lover who is partially sighted and an imaginary drag queen can’t stop his womb envy.

Accessible Media Inc. (AMI), in partnership with Border2Border Entertainment and OUTtv, is thrilled to reveal the debut date of the web series Womb Envy on AMI.ca, the AMI-tv App and OUTtv.com.

The first two episodes of Womb Envy debut Wednesday, May 10, on AMI.ca, the AMI-tv App and OUTtv.com; two episodes will debut online on subsequent Wednesdays. Additionally, the first episode will be available on AMI’s, OUTtv’s and Border2Border Entertainment’s YouTube channels in a special sneak peek prior to May 10.

Created by Toronto drag artist Champagna, Womb Envy (12 x 15 minutes) is written by Mark Keller, directed by Jake Horowitz and produced by Charlie David of Border2Border Entertainment for AMI-tv and OUTtv.

“We’re making queer content, we’re making accessible content and with shows like Womb Envy, we’re creating challenging conversations on
cisgendered, non-binary, trans, disabled and queer bodies,” said Charlie David, President and Producer, Border2Border Entertainment. ”Most importantly, we’re providing a BIG sand box in which to play and inviting more people to join us. We’re working hard to ensure that at each stage of a production we’re inclusive. We don’t make the kind of shows that most companies make and I’m proud of that—it sets us apart.”

“Womb Envy is a fantastic project,” said Philip Webb, COO OUTtv Network. “OUTtv is proud to be supporting creators like Champagna, Mark and Jake to make accessible, life affirming and beautiful shows which celebrate our community.”

“We are proud and excited to bring Womb Envy to our audience,” says John Melville, Vice President of Content Development and Operations, AMI. “Truly inclusive storytelling is at the heart of what AMI does, and Womb Envy is proof of that.”

Max (Daniel Fernandes, The Space) is stuck in a rut. Nearly 30 years old, he is wanting more than the tired beat of the Toronto gay dance floor and needs a purpose in his life other than vodka and a deteriorating septum. Meanwhile, Maggie (Storm Steenson, Sunshine City) is pregnant and desperate to escape the clutches of her religious zealot mother, Dorothy (Helen Holtham), and the small town that her and Max grew up in.

Showing up on Max’s door one day after years of separation, Maggie convinces Max to pretend to be her baby daddy, since he was the only man her mother ever approved of. They create rules to ensure the success of their half-baked idea, which causes Max’s fragile queer ego to create a drag queen apparition—The Divine (Champagna, Drag Heals, Call Me Mother)—who constantly fights against this new assimilation to heteronormativity. Confusing things even more, Max soon falls head over heels in love with their Lamaze instructor, Patrick (Jeffrey Haase, Haunted Hospitals). Patrick, who is partially sighted, soon becomes an important part of Max’s life, throwing a huge wrench in their charade.

Internalizing the chaos in his life, Max develops a rare condition known as couvade syndrome, bizarrely displaying pregnancy symptoms which become increasingly more difficult to hide. Everything in their lives quickly unravels, and soon Max and Mary are forced to see what’s important in life, even if that’s the hardest thing for them to do.

Womb Envy is the first scripted project developed with Integrated Described Video (IDV) by Border2Border Entertainment for AMI, and the first collaboration between AMI and OUTtv, which was sparked at the Primetime conference in Ottawa in January 2020, where a conversation was started between the two Canadian networks about their similarities in serving marginalized audiences.

Womb Envy is created by Champagna, written by Mark Keller and directed by Jake Horowitz. The producer is Charlie David, Champagna is associate producer.

Womb Envy was developed with the Ontario Creates IDM Development Fund and produced with the participation of the Ontario Creates IDM Production Fund, Bell Fund, Border2Border Entertainment, AMI and OUTtv.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

OUTtv renews Face to Face with David for fifth season; acquires second series from David Oulton

From a media release:

OUTtv has renewed David Oulton’s syndicated talk show for a fifth season to air in 2023. The network has also acquired a second series, Who’s There?, which is a round table style talk show, with Oulton as host.

Filmed at The Rimrock Resort Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Face to Face with David has become one of the most aired daytime television shows in Canada. Beginning as a small independent project during the Covid lockdowns, the series is now co-produced and airs on OUTtv, as well as airing daily in Canada on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, Slice, Showcase, Movietime and streams on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and several other broadcasters. The series is also available in the US, UK, Australia, South Africa and multiple other territories.

The fifth season will consist of 13 episodes and air in 2023. The guest list is yet to be confirmed, however previous notable guests have included Raven Symone, Vanessa Williams, Natasha Henstridge, Corbin Bernsen, Miriam Margolyes and many others. Oulton has become infamous for interviewing his guests in a Versace bathrobe while drinking red wine. Face to Face with David is directed by Candace Schmidt and produced by L&C Style Productions.

OUTtv has also acquired a second series from Oulton, Who’s There? The series is a roundtable-style talk show filmed live in person, which each episode featuring Oulton as host and a panel of guests comprised of an artist, business leader, and regular everyday viewer. The six-episode series was filmed at the Paradox Hotel in downtown Vancouver, and features notable guests such as Emmanuelle Vaugier (Two and a Half Men, Saw), Mackenzie Gray (Riverdale, Nancy Drew) and Tammy Gillis (Siren, Van Helsing).

Who’s There? is a topical-focused series where the panel of guests discussing a wide-ranging variety of issues and topics, rather than being interviewed directly. The initial season is comprised of six episodes to air on OUTtv. The series is also produced by L&C Style Productions.

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Industry News

First look at OUTtv horror-comedy series, Ezra

From a media release:

OUTtv and Hell Yes Entertainment have dropped a first look at their new series, EZRA, a horror-comedy about a gay vampire who attempts to merge himself into the modern human world. The supernatural series was created by Luke Hutchie, who also stars as Ezra, and penned by Chelsea Clark, Max Litzgus and Veronika Slowikowska.

The series stars Chelsea Clark (Ginny and Georgia, Degrassi: Next Class) as Kylo Konstine, a vengeful vampire, Veronika Slowikowska (What We Do in the Shadows) as Amber Whitelaw, the universities blonde bombshell and Zoé De Grand’Maison as Somber Wales.

Alongside stars newcomers, Daniella Dela Peña as Gwen Garcia, Danny Vo as Ian Tran with Kara Duncan (Pivoting) as Aniya Grey and Matthew Finlan (Orphan: First Kill).

EZRA is executive produced by Luke Hutchie and Chelsea Clark, with Jesse Forsey (Bladerunner 2049) and Mike Cooke serving as producers.

EZRA is made in support with Bell Fund, End2End Media Group and Girasole Entertainment.

The series is set to release this fall on OUTtv.

Hutchie is currently repped by Robyn and Danny Friedman at Compass Artist Management.

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