Tag Archives: Paramount+

Featured, Skymed

Paramount+ greenlights SkyMed Season 4

From a media release:

Paramount+ announced today a greenlight for Season 4 of Canadian series SKYMED  with Paramount+ in Canada on board for first time in the series history. The hit medical drama follows the triumphs and tribulations of young medics and pilots who fly air ambulances across the remote skies of Northern Canada, weaving together intense journeys with jaw-dropping medical rescues 20,000 feet in the air in the most remote conditions. Produced by Piazza Entertainment, the eight-episode season begins production later this summer in North Bay, Ontario and Manitoba, and will stream exclusively on Paramount+ in Canada, the U.S., Latin America and Brazil, UK,  Australia,  Italy,  France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Additionally, Paramount+ in Canada will welcome SKYMED Seasons 1 – 3 to the platform this fall introducing the full series to new audiences prior to the fourth season’s exclusive premiere on the service in 2026.

“Paramount+ in Canada is thrilled to introduce our audiences to SKYMED, a Canadian story set against a truly spectacular part of our country,” said Vanessa Case, Vice President of Content, Paramount+ and Pluto TV Canada. “Julie Puckrin created something really special, and Vanessa Piazza and the team at Piazza Entertainment brought it to life. Originally developed with the CBC, we’re excited to continue the series as we partner with Piazza Entertainment to deliver a fourth season of this fresh and Canadian take on the medical procedural.”

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Paramount+ in Canada and to continue our relationship with P+ globally,” said Vanessa Piazza, Executive Producer and President at Piazza Entertainment. “It’s also exciting that a new audience will be able catch up on previous seasons of SKYMED – and get ready for Season 4 – all in one place on Paramount+ in Canada.”

Returning to SKYMED are series regulars Natasha Calis (Nurses) as Hayley, Morgan Holmstrom (Outlander) as Crystal, Mercedes Morris (Ghosts) as Lexi, Sydney Kuhne (Ginny & Georgia) as Stef, and Aaron Ashmore (Ginny & Georgia) as Wheezer. Additional casting announcements will be made in the future.

SKYMED Season 4 will be produced by Piazza Entertainment in association with Paramount+ in Canada and CBS Studios. The series was created by Julie Puckrin and inspired by her sister and brother-in-law, who met flying air ambulances. Puckrin also serves as executive producer, along with Gillian Hormel and Vanessa Piazza. From Manitoba, Rhonda Baker, and Carrie Wilkins serve as producers. SKYMED is distributed internationally by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

The first three seasons of SKYMED were produced by Piazza Entertainment  in association with the CBC and CBS Studios.  Seasons 1-3 are currently available to stream on CBC Gem and will be available on Paramount+ in Canada this fall.

About Paramount+
Paramount+ is a global digital subscription video streaming service from Paramount that features a mountain of premium entertainment for audiences of all ages. Internationally, the streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including SHOWTIME®, BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel™, in addition to a robust offering of premier local content. The service is currently live in Australia, Austria, Canada, the Caribbean, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latin America, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S.

For more information about Paramount+, please visit www.paramountplus.com and follow @ParamountPlusCA and @skymedtvseries on social media.

About CBS Studios
CBS Studios is one of the world’s leading producers of entertainment programming, with dozens of globally popular series for broadcast and streaming.  The Studio’s expansive portfolio includes a diverse slate of commercially successful and critically acclaimed programming which includes genre-defining franchises such as NCIS and the STAR TREK universe, fan-favorite comedies such as The Neighborhood and Ghosts, the newly reimagined Matlock, and buzzy international co-productions such as COLIN FROM ACCOUNTS and upcoming King & Conqueror.

About Piazza Entertainment
Piazza Entertainment was founded in 2016 by Executive Producer, Vanessa Piazza (SkyMed, Lost Girl, Dark Matter, Nurses, XIII, The Other Half). Piazza Entertainment is a film and television production company established to create premium television programming for the domestic and international markets. Piazza’s partnerships included a multi-year first look deal with international distributor and studio Entertainment One, which concluded in 2019. In addition to SkyMed, Piazza Entertainment has several other projects actively in development.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Skymed

Paramount+ renews high-stakes medical drama SkyMed for a third season

From a media release:

Paramount+ has picked up a third season of SKYMED, the hit medical drama series that follows young medics and pilots who fly air ambulances across the remote skies of Northern Canada. Produced by Piazza Entertainment, production for the nine-episode third season begins Monday, March 25 in Manitoba and Ontario with the ensemble cast returning for more jaw-dropping rescues 20,000 feet in the air. The upcoming season will be available to watch exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and internationally outside of Canada, and on CBC in Canada.

Season three of SKYMED picks up in the aftermath of the dramatic season two finale, when the mounting pressure within the tight-knit SkyMed team – and shocking medical emergency for one of its members – threatens to tear the group apart. Now, faced with more dangerous missions across the wilderness and a few newcomers who arrive at the crew house to shake things up, the medical responders must rely on each other more than ever as they experience heart-pulsing rescues, new love and hard goodbyes on the job.

Returning to SKYMED are series regulars Natasha Calis (Nurses) as Hayley, Morgan Holmstrom (Outlander) as Crystal, Praneet Akilla (Nancy Drew) as Chopper, Mercedes Morris (Ghosts) as Lexi, Thomas Elms (The Boys In The Boat) as Nowak, Kheon Clarke (Riverdale) as Tristan and Sydney Kuhne (Ginny & Georgia) as Stef. Aaron Ashmore (Ginny & Georgia) as Wheezer has also been upped to series regular this season. Returning in recurring roles are “Ace” Aason Nadjiwon (The Twilight Zone) as Bodie and Emilia McCarthy (Zombies) as Madison, with Braeden Clarke (Outlander)  returning to guest star as Jeremy.

Anthony Grant (Star Trek: Discovery, Polar) joins the cast in a recurring role as TJ, a fun-loving, social pilot who is easy to crush on but secretly carries some heavy baggage of his own. Nicola Correia-Damude (Shadowhunters, Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent) also joins in a recurring role as Marianne, an appealing city-slicker who struggles to fit in up north despite her electric chemistry with Chopper (Akilla).

SKYMED is produced by Piazza Entertainment in association with CBC and CBS Studios. The series is created by Julie Puckrin and inspired by her sister and brother-in-law, who met flying air ambulances. Puckrin also serves as executive producer, along with Gillian Hormel and Vanessa Piazza. From Manitoba, Rhonda Baker and Carrie Wilkins serve as producers. Outside of Canada, SKYMED is distributed internationally by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Industry News

Paramount+ in Canada and The Shine Network Institute announce the Indigenous Producers Budgeting Intensive

From a media release:

Today, Paramount+ in Canada and The Shine Network Institute (TSNI) announce the Indigenous Producers Budgeting Intensive, an online course and new resource to support the professional development and mentorship of Indigenous women in film, television and media. This first virtual course will be geared toward budgeting for film. It will be accessible on TSNI’s @Learnatshine platform and will launch on National Indigenous Peoples Day – Friday, June 21, 2024.

Geared toward emerging and mid-level Indigenous female producers, this first intensive course of 10 x one-hour modules offer students hands-on learning accompanied by Indigenous-framed tutorials designed to empower students as they prepare to produce their first feature film. The course will also include candid conversations with Indigenous female producers to inspire and motivate students by giving them access to industry veterans who can dispel myths and misconceptions about producing.

“Working with The Shine Network Institute on this course is truly the first step in our partnership,” said Doug Smith, SVP Streaming & Content Licensing Paramount Global, Canada. “After listening and consulting with Jennifer Podemski and her team over the past few months we are proud to collaborate on this online course which will provide tangible skills to those interested in line producing, one of the most important jobs on any set. It is also a project we can build on in the months and years to come to support even more of TSNI’s membership and the next generation of Indigenous producers.”

“I am thrilled to be partnering with Paramount + Canada for this course,” said Jennifer Podemski, President & CEO, The Shine Network Institute. “Partnerships like this allow TSNI to offer the highest level of training and mentorship while building capacity for Indigenous people within the screen sector. Although our mission at TSNI is to foster the careers of Indigenous women who are the least represented across the sector and experience the most disproportionate outcomes, this course, which will be offered on our @Learnatshine platform, is open to all Indigenous professionals working within Canada’s film, television and digital media space.”

This initiative is the third partnership Paramount+ in Canada has announced that reinforces its long-standing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Earlier this fall, the company announced a collaboration with the Black Screen Office for the Black Creators Festival Initiative; a joint venture with BIPOC TV & Film, and the National Screen Institute Partner for the new ELEVATE program; and now TSNI’s Budget Online Intensive.

These programs are intricately connected to the mission of Paramount Global’s Content for Change initiative, which seeks to counteract narratives that enable bias, stereotypes and hate using the power of our content, the creative supply chain that powers it, and the culture that underpins everything we do.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Industry News

Paramount+ in Canada adds two projects to its development slate from Boat Rocker

From a media release:

Paramount+ announced today two new, Canadian original comedy titles to their expanding development slate from Boat Rocker. BENSEN, created and written by Clara Altimas, and ELECTED, created and written by Michael McGowan, have been added to the growing list of Canadian content backed by the global streaming service. In June, Paramount+ in Canada revealed its first set of projects in the development stage consisting of Paramount+ Original documentary, 500 DAYS IN THE WILD from Dianne Whelan and four other projects from a variety of Canadian creatives.

New Titles in Development

BENSEN
A scripted dramedy about a struggling limo driver who tries to maintain fun dad status after the death of his wife and with the help of his dysfunctional family. BENSEN is a story about the impossibility of grieving the right way. Created and Written by Clara Altimas. For Boat Rocker Executive Producers are: Clara Altimas, David Fortier (Slip, Beacon 23), Ivan Schneeberg (Slip, Beacon 23), and Kerry Appleyard (Orphan Black: Echoes, Robyn Hood).

ELECTED
When an A-list actor unexpectedly has an opportunity to become the Prime Minister of Canada, he accepts what could turn out to be the worst decision he’s ever made or, improbably, the role of a lifetime. A premium comedy series created by Michael McGowan (All My Puny Sorrows, Still Mine), Creative consultant is Sherry White (Pretty Hard Cases, Rookie Blue). For Boat Rocker Executive Producers are: Michael McGowan, David Fortier, Ivan Schneeberg and Kerry Appleyard.

Additionally, Paramount+’s first Original documentary, 500 DAYS IN THE WILD will premiere at the Whistler International Film Festival this Friday, December 1. The project will have a limited theatrical run in early 2024, followed by its premiere on Paramount+. 500 DAYS IN THE WILD is produced by Betsy Carson with Executive Producers Christine Haebler and Dianne Whelan for Rebel Sisters Productions and distributed in Canada by Elevation Pictures.

Previously announced Series in Development with Paramount+ in Canada include; HATE THE PLAYER: THE BEN JOHNSON STORY from writer Anthony Q Farrell (The Office U.S.) and award-winning producers New Metric Media (Letterkenny), LEN & CUB from writer Lynne Kamm and producers Muse Entertainment and Elliot Page’s Page Boy Productions, CARPE DEMON from award-winning showrunner Emily Andras (Wynonna Earp, Lost Girl) and producers December Films, Cineflix Studios, Gina Marcheschi and Jon Brown and THEY DRIVE AT NIGHT written by Emmy Award winner Craig Wallace (Murdoch Mysteries, Todd & The Book of Pure Evil) and producers Black Birds Entertainment.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Industry News

Paramount+ announces first Canadian development slate, commissioned Canadian documentary and investment in acquired Canadian series and films

From a media release:

Paramount+ today announced a Canadian content strategy in development, commissioned features and acquired programming. Announced at the BANFF World Media Festival, the slate includes an impressive roster of critically acclaimed Canadian series and features, including a Paramount+ Original documentary and four new development projects in partnership with some of the best and most diverse creators in the country.

Paramount+ Canadian Series in Development

HATE THE PLAYER: THE BEN JOHNSON STORY
A scripted comedy about the scandal behind the scandal that brought the “world’s fastest man” from hero to zero in 9.79 seconds. From writer Anthony Q Farrell (The Office U.S.) and award-winning producers New Metric Media (Letterkenny).

LEN & CUB
Based on a true story, this limited six-part series dramatizes the secret relationship of two young men in rural 20th-century New Brunswick whose story came to light when a box of photos was recently discovered in an estate sale. From writer Lynne Kamm and producers Muse Entertainment and Elliot Page’s Page Boy Productions.

CARPE DEMON
A one-hour genre series, based on the best-selling book series by Julie Kenner, about a frazzled suburban mom with a loving husband, two kids and one massive secret: she used to be a Demon Hunter. Out of practice and overwhelmed, she has no choice but to get back in the game when her supernatural past comes calling from award-winning showrunner Emily Andras (Wynonna Earp, Lost Girl) and producers December Films, Cineflix Studios, Gina Marcheschi and Jon Brown.

THEY DRIVE AT NIGHT
A dark comedy genre series about two best friends, a vampire and a werewolf, on a road trip across Canada. Written by Emmy Award winner Craig Wallace (Murdoch Mysteries, Todd & The Book of Pure Evil) and producers Black Birds Entertainment.

Paramount+ Original Documentary

500 DAYS IN THE WILD – Paramount+ Original
Fall 2023
Award-winning documentary filmmaker Dianne Whelan (This Land, 40 Days at Basecamp) recorded a solo self-recorded journey travelling across Canada in 2015. She began her trek feeling disillusioned with the state of the world, but six years and 28,000 km later she arrived back in Victoria, BC, feeling wiser, more hopeful, in love and with a passion to share her remarkable journey. Produced by Betsy Carson with Executive Producers Christine Haebler and Dianne Whelan for Rebel Sisters Productions and distributed in Canada by Elevation Pictures.

Produced in Association with Paramount+

THE BOY IN THE WOODS
The remarkable true-life survival story of a Jewish boy hiding and being hunted in the forests of Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe. Based on the memoir The Boy In The Woods by Maxwell Smart. The film is produced by Lumanity Productions and JoBro Productions and distributed by Photon Films.

Paramount+ Canadian Acquisitions

Today’s announcement comes on the heels of Paramount+’s ongoing investments in best-in-class content and promotion for its Canadian catalogue. Recently, Paramount+ invested in marketing and publicity for acquired Canadian content such as the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) Documentary Anything For Fame and the CSA nominated NEVER SEEN AGAIN from Efran Films.

Paramount+ has also acquired Canadian feature films Midnight At The Paradise from LevelFILM currently slated for 2023, along with All The Lost Ones, Café Daughter, Orah and Who’s Yer Father? for 2024.

From Vortex, Paramount+ has acquired the romantic comedy feature The End Of Sex.

By the end of this year, Paramount+ will have acquired hundreds of hours of Canadian content from numerous partners including those noted above as well as Elevation Pictures, Mongrel Media, Sphere Films and Blue Ant Media. A selection of those titles currently streaming on the service include Paramount+ Original series NEVER SEEN AGAIN and FBI: TRUE as well as PAW PATROL and films Away from Her (available July 1), Aline, Kayak to Klemtu and PAW PATROL: THE MOVIE.

The Paramount-owned streamer’s expanded Canadian content offering complements the company’s existing expansive Canadian content lineup on its FAST service in the market, Pluto TV. Currently, Pluto TV offers 45 dedicated Canadian channels spanning different genres including Home + DIY, Food, Kids, Factual and News through its ad sales and content partnership with Corus Entertainment Inc., based in Toronto. In addition, in February Pluto TV in Canada had the Worldwide premiere of Canadian FAST Channel Out TV Proud and also launched the Blue Ant Media-owned channels HauntTV, Crimetime, HistoryTime and Homeful. In March the service debuted The Weather Network’s new FAST Channel.

On July 1, three additional channels will join the Pluto TV family. Truly Canadian, which will highlight Canadian-produced scripted series such as Little Mosque on the Prairie, Edgemont and Arctic Air and Pluto TV Documentaries which will include NFB documentaries and films that have been featured at Hot Docs such as Canadian-produced When Jews Were Funny by Alan Zweig and Randy Bachman’s Vinyl Tap: Every Song Tells a Story. On July 1, Pluto TV will also launch The Red Green Show Channel.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail