Playback Winter 2021 by Brunico Communications

t s e B OF THE YEAR marblemedia reflects on a 20-year journey

Industry trailblazer Jennifer Podemski Ivan Reitman’s 50-year film legacy

A publication of Brunico Communications Ltd.

CONTENTS

WINTER 2021

Celeb chef Mary Berg is cooking up new opportunities. Read more on page 37.

Photo: Geoff George

All the best

Marble cake

Explore 2021’s Best of the Year honourees, as chosen by Playback.

A look at the business that helped sustain the industry during the pandemic.

Find the recipe behind the rise of marblemedia on its 20th anniversary.

New Year’s league 6 The Best of Year winners make predictions for 2022.

Funder pressure 10 How Telefim’s new Talent Fund chair Sandi Treliving aims to spur giving.

Shine language 44 Hall of Fame recipient Jennifer Podemski talks possibilities.

8 Corus sings The high notes of global sales with SVP Lisa Godfrey.

43 ‘Buster move Hall of Fame recipient Ivan Reitman reviews his early reviews.

46 Post-it quote Noteworthy takeaways from Playback’s inaugural Film Summit.

EDITORIAL

publisher, playback executive director, banff world media festival

Jenn Kuzmyk jkuzmyk@brunico.com editor-in-chief

Liza Sardi lsardi@brunico.com

Celebrating the best THE PAST TWO YEARS HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY TRYING FOR THE SCREEN INDUSTRY. Even before the pandemic, which threw many obstacles in the way of “normal” business, those in the television and film profession have been challenged by changing viewing habits, shrinking funding and budgets and competition from foreign platforms. And Omicron – the latest variant of COVID-19 which sounds more like a Michael Bay movie title than reality – appears to be just another in the long line of hurdles. Supporting the health of the industry, and celebrating Canadian talent, feels especially important at this time. For this best-of-the-year-themed edition, we’ve chosen to honour 10 categories: newsmaker, media company, production company, executive, showrunner, director, and two projects – film and an unscripted series. There are also two changemakers – one individual and one organization – as both are on the leading edge of the transformation the industry so desperately needs. We also have two new inductees joining the Playback Canadian Film & Television Hall of Fame. One is approaching 50 with a new focus; the other has spent that many years working in the industry. Both have new projects on the big or small screen this fall and equally deserve recognition for their outstanding accomplishments. Honoured in the Creative category, Jennifer Podemski is helping break down barriers for the next generation, not only through her work, but through the launch of The Shine Network, a media platform designed to empower and celebrate Indigenous women in film and television. Podemski’s most recent credit is Unsettled, which premiered on APTN in September. The Indigenous-led project features 50 of 55 roles held by Indigenous actors playing Indigenous characters. Selected for his overall contribution to TV and film, entrant Ivan Reitman brought his revered Ghostbusters franchise back to life, but his record-breaking box office and comedy legacy speaks for itself. Notable also is that Alberta stands in for Oklahoma in Ghostbusters: Afterlife in writer-director Jason Reitman’s continuation of the franchise his father began with the 1984 classic. This edition’s Tribute honours marblemedia, led by two of the nicest individuals in the business. Marblemedia’s co-CEOs Matt Hornburg and Mark Bishop have, if you will, Blown Away the competition this year. Looking ahead, the Fraggles are revisiting Fraggle Rock, The Kids (are back) in the Hall, and Pablo Rodriguez returns to hold the reins at Canadian Heritage – but change is constant. We’re heading into 2022 with new Canadian-based executives at three big streamers – Netflix, Amazon and Disney+ – but still lacking an updated Broadcasting Act. We have record foreign service and location production, but not enough to offset the drop in overall volume of Canadian content production. That doesn’t mean there aren’t new opportunities. If you’re wondering what the future might hold, we’ve tapped our best of year winners to share their predictions and identify the key opportunities in store for 2022. Take care, and enjoy the holiday season. Liza Sardi Editor-in-chief & content director, Playback & Banff World Media Festival

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Playback is published by Brunico Communications Ltd., 366 Adelaide Street West, Suite 100, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 1R9 (416) 408-2300; FAX: (416) 408-0870 Web address: www.playbackonline.ca Editorial e-mail: jp.pinto@brunico.com Sales e-mail: sales@brunico.com Sales FAX: (416) 408-0870 © 2021 Brunico Communications Ltd. All rights reserved. Canadian Postmaster, send undeliverables and address changes to: Playback PO BOX 369 Beeton ON, L0G 1A0 U.S. Postmaster, send undeliverables and address changes to: Playback PO BOX 1103, Niagara Falls NY, 14304 playbackcustomercare@brunico.com Canada Post Agreement No. 40050265. ISSN: 0836-2114 Printed in Canada.

WINTER 2021

“ With all the new streamers there is more choice than ever for audiences, so it is contingent on producers to develop ideas that can drive and maintain subscriptions. Unscripted producers all need to be thinking about what our version of Netflix’s Squid Game is. What is the thing that has such great talent and production values that it is going to break through at that level?”

“ I think Canadian producers are really well-positioned going into 2022 because of our tax credits. That foundation allows us to be globally competitive in a way that a lot of other producers around the world can’t. It gives Canada a great opportunity to be the next big exporter of original formats.” – Lesia Capone, co-CEO, Proper Television

– Denis Dubois, VP, original content, Quebecor Content

“ We must ask how we can dance with the streaming platforms and still keep our theatrical releases. Instead of giving our movies over to streamers after they’re done, we have to include these platforms in the financial structure to get our movies made.”

– Cathie James, co-CEO, Proper Television

“ 2022 will be the year that Quebec scripted series really start to get noticed on the international market. We believe Quebec fiction can be the next big thing.” – Yann Paquet, VP, strategy and international business, Quebecor Content

“ I think we’re going to see a burst of episodic web series and TV shows coming from creators of colour in 2022, and by the end of that year, hopefully, we’ll start to see a push for more of those stories with mainstream dollars and real budgets.” – Anthony Q. Farrell, showrunner and executive producer, Overlord and the Underwoods

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“ The pandemic changed people’s viewing habits... we think 2022 will be a big year for scripted series – both in terms of quality and quantity. There are some series coming through that have high production values and great names attached. It will be a big shift.”

– Louis Morissette, star, co-writer, executive producer, Le Guide de la famille parfaite

“ I’m just happy Ghostbusters: Afterlife is playing in theatres in 30 countries. [Director Jason Reitman] and I were concerned that the studio would sell it to a major streamer. I thought it should play in a large, dark theatre with people laughing and screaming. I hope that will continue and we’re not going to have a setback.” – Ivan Reitman, director and producer, Ghostbusters

“ I have a vision of Indigenous women executives who run their own corporations, driving economically, and just rising to the level that we’ve normalized white men to rise to. That’s the vision that I have and I want to do everything I can to see that.” – Jennifer Podemski, producer, founder Shine Network Institute

Keeping score Recent data from Parrot Analytics offers insight about what Canadians are watching and what homegrown content is most in demand. B Y K E L LY T O W N S E N D

THE YEAR 2021 HAS PROVEN THAT LOCAL IS THE NEW GLOBAL, but what has that meant for Canadian content? New data from Parrot Analytics suggests Canadian-made series are making a splash both at home and abroad. According to the analytics company, Canada ranks seventh in global demand for content, with Canadian content accounting for 2.1% of global shares. Ranking above Canada is the U.S., the U.K., Japan, South Korea, India and China. The most globally in-demand Canadian shows in 2021* include the now-concluded Take 5 Productions copro Vikings, followed by children’s series PAW Patrol (Spin Master Entertainment), CTV medical drama Transplant (Sphere Media), the Emmy-winning Schitt’s Creek (Not a Real Company Productions) and sci-fi series Wynonna Earp (SEVEN24 Films). The two top-ranking digital Canadian series are Crave’s Letterkenny (New Metric Media) and the late CBC and Netflix series Anne with an E (Northwood Entertainment). The latter series was canceled in 2019, but fans still clamour for more Anne, despite creator Moira Walley-Beckett confirming the series will not be revived. Overall, the data says that demand for Canadian content still ranks highest at home, but certain series have marked an exception. Demand for both Anne with an E and The Hardy Boys (Lambur Productions) is higher in Russia, Wynonna Earp saw larger demand in the U.K., and PAW Patrol had much higher demand in France.

What Canadians are watching

Looking at demand habits outside of domestic content, the data shows that Canadian viewers are interested in comedy and sci-fi. The No. 1 series in demand in Canada for 2021 is NBC’s Saturday Night Live, followed by Japanese anime My Hero Academia, Nickelodeon’s

Transplant’s Hamza Haq was Playback’s Breakout Star of the Year in 2020.

SpongeBob SquarePants, Disney+ series The Mandalorian and AMC’s The Walking Dead. Among the streamer series ranking high in Canada are Disney+’s WandaVision, Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso, Netflix’s Stranger Things and the Toronto-shot Hulu series The Handmaid’s Tale, which airs on CTV Drama Channel in Canada.

Simu Liu received BANFF’s Canadian Award of Distinction at the 2021 Rockie Awards.

Homegrown hero

Data from Parrot Analytics also revealed that Kim’s Convenience star Simu Liu has surged in global market demand since his superhero debut in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. In the month of September, Liu ranked third in global demand for Canadian talent, behind Justin Bieber and Drake, and in the month of November is ranked fifth. In Canada, Liu’s demand peaked at No. 73 for overall artists tracked by the company, while he peaked at No. 93 globally. *Between Jan. 1 to Nov. 21, 2021 7

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Deadman’s Curse is an 8 x 60-minute series commissioned for Corus’ specialty channel HISTORY.

Corus Studios PROGRAMMER PROFILE B Y K E L LY T O W N S E N D

Corus Studios has steadily grown its unscripted content strategy since its establishment in 2015, turning its content catalogue into a revenue driver for parent company Corus Entertainment. The division ended fiscal 2021 on August 31 with the most licensing sales in its history: 1,300 hours of content across global platforms. In its self-described largest output deal to date, the studio sent 200 hours to U.S. streaming service Hulu, including a pre-sale of the upcoming series Deadman’s Curse, produced with Great Pacific Media (GPM). Corus Studios has set itself up for continued sales growth to feed into the content pipeline, hiring Pooja Nirmal Kant to oversee sales in Asia and Central Eastern Europe and Leyla Formoso for Latin America and select European territories. Playback spoke with Lisa Godfrey, SVP of original content and Corus Studios, to discuss what they’re looking for in an unscripted pitch, the possible implications of Corus’ recent strategic partnership with Discovery+ and how the studio is expanding its Lisa Godfrey content pipeline over the next few years. SVP of original content and Corus Studios

Playback: The 2021 upfronts alone saw more than a dozen greenlights and renewals for Corus Studios titles across Corus’ specialty channels. What kind of production volume are you looking at for 2022? Lisa Godfrey: In [fiscal] 2022 we will have 20 Corus Studios series go to air and we have 24 currently in production for 2022/23. For fiscal 2023 we will actually be seeing a slight uptick in the number of hours year over year. We’ve already greenlit about 15 series and still have a bunch more to do, but we got rolling a lot earlier this year in greenlighting for the following year, so we’ve got a huge slate that’s really accelerating.

Are there any specific genres or formats you’re looking for in terms of pitches from producers? Our primary focus is creating premium unscripted content that works domestically for our channels in Canada, like HGTV, Food Network and HISTORY, and is in high demand around the world, both for streaming platforms and linear U.S. channels. A big part of our development strategy is an enhancement of diversity, equity and inclusion through [on-screen] talent, from the hosts, home owners and competitors – and behind the camera as well. We’re really proud that we’ve commissioned shows like Gut Job (GPM), starring Sebastian Clovis, Styled (GPM), Trading Up (Scott Brothers Entertainment), Deadman’s Curse and BLK: An Origin Story (Hungry Eyes Media). That’s really been a big focus and we see that in demand around the world as well. We’re also going bigger and bolder with some of our HGTV products as we expand outside the box of

WINTER 2021

traditional home renovation content. We’re really excited about our new series, Pamela Anderson’s Home Reno Project (w/t, Fireworks Media Group) and the tentatively titled Sarah’s Mountain Escape (Insight Productions), which are putting new twists into home shows. We have a new show coming out called Hoarder House Flippers (Anaïd Productions) where it’s a little bit TLC and traditional HGTV fare.

What are some of the big content trends you’re anticipating for 2022? We’ve noticed demand for certain genres beyond our traditional slate and what we would normally make for our channels, so we’re expanding there too. We see a unique opportunity to further develop the robust foundation of our catalogue. For example, true crime investigation and paranormal content are emerging opportunities around the world, so we’re expanding in that realm. We’ve already started; we announced that Corus Studios will oversee the distribution for Global News’ Crime Beat, so that’s our first shot at it on the distribution side. We’re also developing behind that as well. Crime Beat initially launched as a Curiouscast podcast and then it was developed for television and now we’re taking it out to rest of the world

What other content trends have impacted your development strategy? We know if we want to be a leader in premium unscripted, we can’t just always [produce content for] HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada and HISTORY, so we’re going adjacent a bit. It doesn’t mean that we’re changing everything, but we’re investigating some really cool ideas. We’re always looking for new takes on legacy hits as well. That’s our bread and butter, so in the home and food space, we constantly ask ourselves, how do we amp up that traditional fare? Island of Bryan (Si Entertainment) was a great example of that. We took a traditional renovation series and expanded to large vacation resorts, blending the reno with a dash of holiday getaway.

Homegrown ratings hit Island of Bryan was acquired by HGTV in the U.S. in spring 2020, airing as Renovation Island.

When we speak to streamers, they’re asking, ‘how do you take a [traditional HGTV Canada] show and amp it up to make it for a streamer? So we have some really cool things in development.

On the topic of streamers, Corus president and CEO Doug Murphy has described Corus’ deal with Discovery+ as an “expansive, multi-faceted win-win arrangement.” What impact will it have on Corus Studios moving forward? For the library content, the Corus Studios licensing deal with Discovery continues to be unaffected with the launch of Discovery+. Networks like HGTV Canada and Food Network Canada will continue to premiere the vast majority of our acquired content first, and maintain market exclusivity for our Canadian original titles such as Island of Bryan, Scott’s Vacation House Rules (McGillivray Entertainment Media) and Great Chocolate Showdown (Architect Films). Through this arrangement Corus and Discovery have built a deeper two-way relationship with content. Not only do we benefit from their content, having them as a longtime joint venture partner on our channels, but now we’re seeing more of our content on their U.S. channels, so we expect this trajectory to continue – and are very open to new synergies in the future.

Now that you’ve expanded your sales team, what do you anticipate international sales interest will be in 2022? We’ve been very successful in deepening our partnerships around the world as we build a growing portfolio of multi-season franchise hits and innovative new series. We’re seeing an amazing amount of repeat sales for our returning shows and really good success as we spin off new series with [established] hosts. We expect sales interest to continue to grow, not only in the U.S. where we have seen great success over the past years, but internationally as well, especially in the markets our new sales reps are overseeing, which include Asia, Latin America and Europe. We feel a more targeted focus with boots on the ground in those territories will really see our library expand in some of those untapped markets, where we think there’s a huge opportunity.

Any other advice for producers looking to pitch to you?

Gut Job features former CFL player Sebastian Clovis as he helps homeowners “gut” their properties and rebuild their dream homes

Don’t be afraid to pitch us something that might feel what I call ‘left of centre.’ We’re interested in new spins on old ideas, shows that have some of those traditional elements, but are fresh and never seen before. Throw in twists and make it unexpected. We also want to hear from more diverse voices. Canada has such a rich cultural fabric and we want to share those stories with the world: Black stories, Indigenous stories, South Asian, East Asian, 2SLGBTQ. Our production executives are doing pitch sessions and mentoring sessions, really getting out there to find new voices, and that’s really key for us. If you don’t know us, reach out, because we’re all available and open to explaining our strategy. WINTER 2021

Funder pressure As the new chair of Telefilm’s Talent Fund, philanthropist and mental health advocate Sandi Treliving sets her agenda to draw support for the private donation fund for emerging filmmakers. BY LIZA SARDI

Playback: What are your personal goals or benchmarks for your new role?

Sandi Treliving: I would like to build off of the incredible successes of the Talent to Watch Program, to help emerging filmmakers tell their stories and give them a chance to break into a competitive scene. I look forward to introducing people to some of the great Canadian films being made through the program, whether it be in person, at festivals or watching online; and seeing more films produced by women and underrepresented voices. I would also like to expand and diversify the industry’s sources of financing.

Where do you think there are untapped opportunities to help fund the Canadian screen industry – when philanthropy has declined as a result of the pandemic?

Elevating stories and the lived experiences of underrepresented communities including Black, Indigenous, people of colour and LGBTQ2S+ has become a major priority in every sector, and especially in the film and television industry. During the pandemic, we see that – more than ever – their voices need to be heard, and I believe that there are many who would like to support and amplify these voices and their stories. Sometimes the idea of philanthropy might seem daunting, or assumptions can be made that philanthropy is only about larger-scale gifts. Really, it’s about finding people who connect with the cause, and giving at an amount that’s meaningful to them, whatever that may be. Many of our filmmakers are working with micro-budgets, and these films often come together with many many donations and smaller contributions. We’re trying to change that with the investments we make in their films through the Talent Fund, and getting people passionate about supporting these great Canadian film projects. Connecting these dots in person can also play an important part. Lending support to the Talent Fund, then being in person at the TIFF premiere of a film and meeting the director afterwards – it is very rewarding to be part of that journey, to see the success of an emerging filmmaker in front of their first festival audience.

Fostering a culture of mentorship is part of the objectives of the Talent Fund, can you speak to how you think you can mentor the team at Telefilm?

We all learn from each other. I’ve had the benefit of having excellent mentors all my life — from having great coaches when I was in competitive gymnastics as a young woman to learning from inspiring leaders in my professional career in banking. Mentoring creates high-performance teams and a healthy corporate culture. Collaboration, employee and volunteer development, open communication and focusing on morale and well-being is especially important right now as we emerge from the pandemic.

The fund celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2022/23, can you talk about any long-term or stretch goals?

We are so excited to be celebrating what the program has accomplished this past decade. Since its inception, the Talent Fund has developed and produced 165 projects and raised $17 million to date in support of Talent to Watch, which has been a successful launching pad for over 150 emerging talents by giving newcomer directors, writers and producers the opportunity to make their first feature or web series. Long term, we would like to continue our support for underrepresented communities and give Canadian filmmakers the financial support and encouragement they need to share their stories with the world. 10

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Meet 100 of Canada’s most exciting media companies, which just happen to be owned by women.

2022 cohort will be announced soon!

spark.banffmediafestival.com

See all 100 companies here:

t s e B

OF THE YEAR

The MVPs of 2021 reflect an industry still in recovery, but ready to rebuild it better and stronger than before. From new players making waves to industry veterans striving to reinvent themselves, see who made the cut in our annual showcase of Canadian juggernauts.

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2021

Newsmaker Amazon Prime Video of the year

The global streamer made headlines throughout 2021 as it unveiled its Canadian strategy and hired its first domestic content executive – and they’re just getting started. B Y K E L LY T O W N S E N D

IT’S SAFE TO SAY THAT 2021 WAS THE YEAR OF THE STREAMER in Canada’s screen sector and Amazon Prime Video Canada had no small part to play in it. The global streaming service burst onto the scene at the start of the year when they posted a job listing for a Canadian content executive to develop its Canadian scripted originals slate. The position eventually went to Brent Haynes, a former executive at The Comedy Network (now CTV Comedy Channel), who serves as head of scripted, Canada, reporting to Christina Wayne, head of Canadian originals. In that time the streamer has launched six Canadian originals in Canada, both in scripted and unscripted. “When you come to town ready to make a bunch of shows, you’re going to receive an unsurprisingly warm welcome,” Haynes tells Playback. “I will say it’s still been incredibly overwhelming to have this much excitement and anticipation in the market because it certainly has been larger than I expected.” Netflix has since followed suit, hiring Tara Woodbury as its first Canadian content executive, based out of its newly established Toronto headquarters. Head of Prime Video Canada Magda Grace says Amazon is “committed to building an infrastructure in Canada.” The company has posted listings for two key roles in Canada, an economic development policy manager and unscripted production executive in Toronto to oversee its unscripted strategy. Neither role has been filled as of press time. The economic development policy manager position will allow Amazon to have a Canadianbased executive to advocate on their behalf on policy and new legislation and deepen its partnerships in Canada toward infrastructure and workforce development. It’s a move previously seen when Netflix hired former Canada Media Fund exec Stéphane Cardin as its director of public policy in Canada. It comes as Pablo Rodriguez, the recently reinstated minister of Canadian Heritage, is expected to table legislation to modernize the Broadcasting Act and bring streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video into Canada’s regulatory framework. Haynes says there are no current plans to expand Prime Video Canada’s Magda Grace, head of Prime Video Canada

All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs, by Cream Films, was the first Canadian original to launch in Canada.

scripted team, but his role involves meeting with producers and possible partners to help find the right way for Amazon to grow its Canadian content strategy. “You’ll see the growth, but we want to do it in a way that not only serves us internally, but also is the best front-facing way to address the industry’s needs.” The streamer greenlit its first Canadian original in early 2020 with a remake of The Kids in the Hall (Project 10), which went into production this summer. In 2021, Amazon announced two more scripted originals: the comedy The Lake, produced by Toronto’s Amaze, and the drama Three Pines, produced by U.K. prodco Left Bank, the company behind Netflix’s Emmywinning hit The Crown. Michael Souther, Amaze co-owner and executive producer, says the initial concept for The Lake, a series built around Canadian cottage culture, was sold to Amazon in 2019 at the Banff World Media Festival. They later brought on Julian Doucet to develop the series with Amazon for two years, delivering a bible and a pilot script, before it went into production this summer. “We had a lot of interest from a bunch of different broadcasters, but we were really intrigued by Amazon wanting to get involved in Canadian originals, and their passion for [the project],” says Souther. “Right from the get-go they were pitching to us on how they would market it and why they felt it would connect with a Canadian audience.” Brent Haynes, head of scripted, Canada

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we’re going to make the best, and when we get it, we’re going to put it into development.” One of the series on their development slate came from a $100,000 pitch program Prime Video Canada held through the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO). The streamer also donated $1.25 million to the Solidarity Fund, administered by the ISO in partnership with the Racial Equity in Media Collective (REMC) and BIPOC TV & Film. “I don’t think our end game out of that was, ‘we need a show,’ but rather to break down some barriers to communication and access,” says Grace. Grace says that diversity, equity and inclusion are a key focus for Amazon’s content teams globally. Amazon Studios developed an inclusion policy for its productions that the Canadian teams adhere to. The policy includes ensuring a minimum of 30% of above-the-line roles are women and members of an underrepresented racial group, with plans to extend it to 50% by 2024. “It’s a big problem and we can’t solve it just one way.” says Grace. “We’re trying to make strides, continue to iterate on what’s working and improve over time.” Efforts have been made locally as well. The Prime Video team in Canada developed its own philanthropic initiative with the Watch to Give Back program, which Grace says Amazon plans to expand to additional markets. The program sees proceeds from film purchases and rentals donated to charitable organizations such as Black Lives Matter Canada, The Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity and Spirit North. The next organization to benefit from the initiative is the Canadian Mental Health Association, with Prime Video donating proceeds between Dec. 1 to Feb. 26, 2022. Haynes isn’t ready to unveil Prime Video Canada’s full development slate quite yet, but says the projects reflect a wide range of Canadian stories, taking place in Vancouver, Winnipeg and specific communities within Toronto to highlight the city’s cultural mosaic. The scripted exec says their Canadian originals strategy will remain largely unchanged heading into 2022, with the streamer looking for halfhour comedies or dramedies. “We really feel that it’s not only a good lane for Canada, but it’s also a good lane for the entire global service. Canada is having a moment in that space, so carrying that momentum forward is really important.”

The Quebec-shot Three Pines, starring Alfred Molina as Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, is based on the novels of Canadian author Louise Penny.

Souther says as Wayne and Haynes boarded the team, enthusiasm for the series only grew, which doesn’t always happen with new executives. In fact, Souther said it became a “full circle moment” for Amaze, who had worked with Haynes roughly 20 years earlier on their first series, Patti, at The Comedy Network. On the unscripted side, the series All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs (Cream Films) announced on Prime Video on Oct. 1 as the first Canadian original to launch on the service. They also have LOL: Last One Laughing Canada (Insight Productions), hosted by Jay Baruchel, expected to release in 2022. When asked how Amazon defines a Canadian original, Haynes says the label is more reflective of the content than anything else. While Three Pines is produced by Left Bank, the series is based on a novel set in Quebec’s Eastern Townships and written by Toronto author Louise Penny. Haynes says that while there isn’t a domestic prodco as a lead producer (Montreal’s Muse Entertainment is the service producer), it is shot in Montreal with a largely Canadian cast and crew. “When you subscribe to Prime and you turn on a show and you realize, as a Canadian, ‘that show was made for me,’” he says. “That’s our goal, that’s our metric of success.” He adds that the resources available through Amazon means that the team isn’t limited when it comes to the number of projects they can board. “If a good show shows up on my desk we’re not going to say, ‘oh, we don’t have room for this amazing Canadian show,’” he says. “We want the best, 14

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FO R YO U R

CO N S ID E RAT ION

“TRIBAL IS ONE ARRESTING, ENTERTAINING AND TERSE CONVERSATION ABOUT A LOT OF VITAL ISSUES, PLUS CRIME-SOLVING. IT’S A SHOW YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING.” - JOHN DOYLE, THE GLOBE AND MAIL, 2021 “JESSICA MATTEN AND BRIAN MARKINSON, BEST PERFORMANCES ON CANADIAN TV” - THE GLOBE AND MAIL, 2020

WINNER

BEST SCRIPTED SERIES Alberta Film & Television Awards

2021

NOMINATED BEST ACTOR Leo Awards 2021

BY SADAF AHSAN

IN JUST THE LAST YEAR, CBC HAS INTRODUCED THE COUNTRY TO A SLATE OF FRESH AND DIVERSE NEW VOICES, with such comedies as Sort Of, the upcoming Run the Burbs, as well as Son of a Critch, and high-profile dramas Moonshine, The Porter and Bones of Crows. It’s Sally Catto, CBC’s general manager of entertainment, factual and sports, who we have to thank in large part for greenlighting and bringing these stories to the screen. With a knack for knowing what will connect with Canadians, this isn’t the start of Catto’s trail of success which, over the years, has also included Schitt’s Creek, Kim’s Convenience and Workin’ Moms. The world has noticed, with many of these series finding love over the border via prestigious partnerships with HBO Max, Netflix, Lionsgate, BET, BBC and Endeavor Content. Here, Catto — whose role spans TV, digital, radio and podcast platforms for the pubcaster’s entertainment, factual and sports programming – shares how her vision has broadened CBC’s horizons for its production teams, creators and audiences. And what’s next.

How does she follow the global success of Schitt’s Creek, Kim’s Convenience and Workin’ Moms? CBC’s general manager shares how she’s building on the momentum.

Playback: CBC has had a string of hit comedies in the last few years. How did you approach continuing that momentum with some of your most recent greenlights, including Sort Of and Run the Burbs?

Sally Catto: We’re always searching for that authenticity of voice, a really unique and distinct one that has something clear to say. [Sort Of creators] Bilal Baig and Fab Filippo were just so clear on their characters, on what they wanted to say, and that Toronto was going to be presented in a way so many of us know and love it, but that often isn’t seen. We always go back to asking, ‘What’s missing?’ What stories haven’t we told? Sort Of’s subject of gender fluidity is something we were so happy to help shine a light on, but also so many of us can relate to being in transition in a certain stage of your life, and so that was universal. There isn’t a magic formula. With Run the Burbs, we have wonderful talent who we’ve worked with before, who we know audiences love, and who are exploring this timely, relatable subject of leaving your city. Again, it was something we hadn’t seen before but also felt was very relevant to our Canadian audiences. We like to feel that a series is reflecting a part of the country.

The last 12 months have seen unexpected programming losses for CBC with Kim’s Convenience and Trickster. How were you able to rebound for the 2021/22 slate? I have to give credit to our very strong teams; their development slates are fairly full and there’s always been a spirit of looking for what’s missing. We have a wide range of content that we’re developing at any given time. For us, pivoting is really just going, ‘OK, what new voice can we now shine a light on while also learning from the past?’ And we have learned a lot, certainly through the process of Trickster and some of our other productions.

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Some of your most recent commissioning partners are HBO Max (Sort Of ), BET (The Porter) and BBC (The North Water). How do you approach working with international partners to help finance CBC originals? High-calibre content often comes with significant budgets, so to really deliver on the vision that our creators have, they are not going to be able to finance it solely out of Canada. We often know that going in, and sometimes there will be a producer who will bring in a partner, sometimes we have relationships with different financing partners outside the country, or we’ll develop a project within CBC and then it has gone to partners outside the country. Because we are in such a global marketplace now and borderless in so many ways, everyone is looking for great content and great stories. Whereas a number of years ago, I remember hearing ‘you can’t let it be Toronto for Toronto.’ That’s really changed and doesn’t even come up in conversation now, like in the case of Sort Of. I think they respond to the strength of the content, and it is important to be creatively in sync. With HBO Max, Netflix, BBC and BET, the creative synergies have been there so it feels like everyone who has come on board has been clear on the vision and has the same goal. When you get into the production stage and casting, sometimes you are trying to satisfy both parties, so it’s a balancing act there.

CBC’s programming was among the talking points in the recent snap federal election, specifically its Indigenous content. What is CBC doing to increase Indigenous representation on screen? It is a top priority for us. We’re really focused on connecting with not only Indigenous creators, but Indigenous producers, and we have several Indigenous projects in development right now. It’s really important to us to make sure we’re learning as we go, to consult and connect with the community to get feedback and ensure that the storytelling is authentic. Right now, we’re really excited about Marie Clements’ Bones of Crows, which is currently shooting and will be both a feature film and limited series. But also, we’re hearing that audiences want to see more joyful stories, contemporary stories. We’re very focused on the breadth and scope of storytelling, and you will hear more about it in the coming year, but there is an Indigenous comedy we’re very excited about, too. 18

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We also support the New Indigenous Voices program, and it’s incumbent on us to be reaching out and making sure that we are supporting Indigenous storytelling the way that Indigenous storytellers and producers want. In the last year, our scripted team restructured and that has been a good thing because we separated development and production to ensure we were dedicating the staff and the time to find new voices we can be working with. And when we look at the schedule, particularly this year, I do think it is a reflection of a commitment to be better and to do better by Black, Indigenous and people of colour. I’m not saying we don’t have a long way to go – we do – but I think we are reflecting different voices across the country and I want to credit Barbara Williams, CBC’s EVP of English services, for putting equity and inclusion first across the CBC. She’s made it very clear that changing the culture inside the CBC and being committed to it in our programming has to be supported from the very top.

How do you bring those diverse voices into the room when it comes to finding what’s authentic? This is the time of year we start looking at what we’re going to pick up for next year, where the teams present their slate and, now, why they feel this is the right series to be picked up, so we’re bringing them more into the decision-making process. It’s not one person sitting in a room, we bring our teams into those conversations. We’ve also got our marketing team, our business team; there’s a number of people engaged. Complete change does not happen overnight, but we do recognize that we need to have voices in the room that are more diverse and that reflect the country.

What has been your highlight this past year? Oh my goodness, just surviving as a mother of two during the pandemic. And the audiences that we might not always connect with on our linear platforms but who are gravitating to Gem. That’s very exciting for us because it’s the future, we have to connect with younger audiences. Just the fact that we premiered Sort Of on Gem, and then get to see it be in the Top 10 every week is amazing. Experiencing different elements of CBC has been special, too. Long-form, scripted and unscripted content are vital, but learning how audiences are connecting to a podcast, or to [the] new radio show The Block, which is our first radio show about music of Black origin, or seeing Q blossom during the pandemic is valuable.

After a tough two years, WildBrain is on the road to recovery fueled by brand building, creativity and global business development monetizing its premium kids’ content. BY JORDAN MAXWELL

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IMPACTED WILDBRAIN’S PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION, saw media advertising revenue decline, and shut downs or delays in live-action production. Despite a growth in viewership, the Halifax-headquartered company saw revenue drop. Tough choices were made last year: the suspension of non-critical spending, new hires and consulting agreements; furloughing some team members and implementing temporary salary reductions to others including a 20% cut in senior management salaries (they received restricted share units in lieu). Today, the kids’ content and brands company says it is firmly positioned to have a strong 2022, thanks to a succession of streaming deals and sharpened focus on commissioning, leveraging and acquiring rights to boost the existing 13,000 half-hour library and realize royalties on consumer products. Deals with Netflix (Sonic Prime) and Apple TV+ (Peanuts, Yo Gabba Gabba!) were acknowledged as key sources of growth but, according to Josh Scherba, president of WildBrain, it’s about much more than that. “We needed to set out a few priorities and we made sure we got the right people to execute it,” he says, of WildBrain, which is the prefix unifying its brands in the 360-degree approach unveiled in 2020. “We also wanted to make sure we were focusing on talent and creativity — using our [75,000-square-foot] animation studio in Vancouver — and that we secured our position in the digital space by focusing on our IP and becoming a leader in YouTube distribution and optimization.” Promoting Stephanie Betts to CCO from EVP, and bringing on Aaron Ames as CFO, as well as Deirdre Brennan as COO helped the company bring the strategy to life. Ranked No. 2 on Playback’s Indie List in 2020, WildBrain leaned into the library: one of the largest kids’ and family collections outside most major studios. The portfolio includes a plethora of favourites including Peanuts, Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, Inspector Gadget, Caillou and Yo Gabba Gabba! produced for, and distributed to, over 500 streaming services and linear broadcasters. Josh Scherba, president, WildBrain

Unlocking IP led to major partnerships and extensive licensing opportunities for the company which works with an alphabet of companies from Apple, BBC, Cartoon Network and DreamWorks to Lego, Netflix and Nickelodeon. WildBrain’s deal with Apple TV+ in October 2020 put five new Peanuts series and specials in the pipeline. WildBrain is currently in production for Mother’s Day, Earth Day, New Year’s Eve, and backto-school-themed programming. Season two of the Daytime Emmynominated Snoopy in Space launched in November, and the first new original Peanuts special, For Auld Lang Syne, premieres in December. The partnership with Sega and Netflix for a new original Sonic the Hedgehog series, Sonic Prime, on the brand’s 30th anniversary this year, was a landmark deal for the company, says Scherba, as was a deal for its popular Yo Gabba Gabba! franchise with Apple TV+. Already in the works is a global franchise relaunch of Strawberry Shortcake, including a new streaming deal, a new Roblox game, toy and publishing rights, and extensive licensing. Spinoff Berry in the Big City is heading to Netflix for a 2022 premiere, as well as four upcoming CGanimated specials based on the brand. Acquired in 2017 when the company was known as DHX Media, Strawberry Shortcake’s new original animated series hit YouTube in September. These premium projects delivered higher production revenues, according to Q1 2022 reports, as did the consumer products division WildBrain CPLG and WildBrain Spark, which operates one of the largest networks of children’s AVOD channels on YouTube and features both owned and third-party partner brand content. “Ultimately, it was our goal to switch our brand to be great partners to other IP owners and a very important part of that was knowing where streamers were going,” says Scherba. “It became clear that the fight for streamers was [going to be centered around] quality, and that meant higher budgets and more ambitious storytelling, so we had to make sure we were ready for that.” Looking forward, WildBrain is moving into a new world – the metaverse – aiming to extend capabilities across other digital platforms through an exclusive partnership to provide directadvertising services for Gamefam, one of the top game publishers on Roblox.

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Tonya Williams

The Reelworld Screen Institute founder is finally finding support for the industry-building ideas she planned over two decades ago. BY LIZA SARDI

IT HAS BEEN A TRANSFORMATIVE YEAR FOR TONYA WILLIAMS. The newly renamed Reelworld Screen Institute has emerged as a powerhouse far beyond delivering an annual film fest that she founded in 2000. Williams is developing the non-profit into a key builder of a more diverse and equitable industry with year-round education, training programs, an industry database and job board. A protocol guide for the industry to better represent Black, Indigenous, Asian, South Asian and women of colour on and off screen is coming in the new year. “What’s funny is almost all the ideas people are seeing now are the ideas I had 20 years ago, we’re just finally getting funding to execute my original business plan,” says Williams.

Never one to rest on her laurels, here are five changes she suggests the industry still needs:

1. Data Collection

Racially diverse groups from the Black, Indigenous, Asian, South Asian and people of colour have been demanding data be collected for decades and our government and the screen industry has always had an excuse why they couldn’t do that. We already know the numbers will be bad, but we need to create a baseline so that we can tell in the coming years if things are working or if they are not. This is the data that will help us make funding choices and give us more insight into what we need to do to correct the problems.

2. Funding

If we are serious about levelling the playing field, we have to look at the current funding structure and be equitable to all of our diverse groups. It is not possible to only parse away 25% of funding and say that will be for all our diverse groups and still hold 75% for white straight men. It’s taken us over a hundred years to create this inequity. Our industry is driven by money and the quality of the content is contingent on the investment we make. We have underfunded our talent for decades. Let’s change that.

3. Path to the top

I’d rather not see knee-jerk reactions to the lack of representation. You set people up to fail when you pluck them from low-level positions and transplant them into senior or executive positions too quickly. Set a realistic three-to-five year path to those positions; giving the opportunity to travel to the different markets, build the relationships and real-life experience not afforded to them in the past. Show them that you are making an investment for the long term. Help them to dream of breaking that glass ceiling. Remember they didn’t see many faces like theirs at that top level.

4. Mentorship

True mentorship is the gift that keeps on giving. It’s not just a couple of meetings or a quick phoner with someone you’ve barely met. Those who are at the very top, who have achieved that elusive success, should reach back and choose just one person. Be a beacon of support and guidance for the years to come. Share highs and lows, be a confidant and cheerleader.

5. Infrastructure

We know we need to change the face of our industry at the very top level: the gatekeepers. They have all the power and currently those faces don’t look like the audience or our diverse industry. But let’s not limit our understanding of a gatekeeper. We also need more diversity in casting directors, agents, and managers in the infrastructure of our industry. It’s not enough to pour money into the content creators alone, we need to invest in diversifying the support system around them. That infrastructure includes creating a diverse star system. Our producers need to have internationally recognizable talent that they can attract funders with and increase their audience reach. 20

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A PROUD CHAMPION OF CANADIAN TALENT AND STORIES, AT HOME AND ABROAD. TELEFILM CONGRATULATES PLAYBACK’S BEST OF THE YEAR HONOUREES, INCLUDING: SALLY CATTO, DANIS GOULET, TONYA WILLIAMS, THE CANADA MEDIA FUND, AND LE GUIDE DE LA FAMILLE PARFAITE. AND HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES: JENNIFER PODEMSKI, IVAN REITMAN. TELEFILM.CA

How the CMF is steering its ship toward a different model. BY VICTORIA AHEARN

NEARLY TWO YEARS INTO THE PANDEMIC, THE CANADA MEDIA FUND (CMF) HAS LEARNED A LOT OF LESSONS, says president and CEO Valerie Creighton. “One of them was how fragile our industry is,” she says, “because we’ve had a model for a very long time in this country that finances content project by project by project. And when COVID hit, there was a big impact to the industry for that.” The CMF quickly administered $120 million in Emergency Relief Funds from the federal government to help stabilize the industry. The organization has since ignited several initiatives to push for progress and try to ensure creators are supported and remain competitive. Those measures include an emergency, recovery, and growth strategy for the industry; an equity and inclusion strategy; and a content-centric, platform-agnostic approach, focusing on intellectual property. “I think we learned that it’s time to look at a different model, it’s time to look at a different way of doing things,” says Creighton. That new direction was clear in January 2021, when the CMF overhauled its visual brand, transferring its name and logo into 12 Indigenous languages and dialects. In March, the CMF released a discussion paper with several commitments: to put Canadian creative IP at the centre of what the organization does, to ensure systemic racism and discrimination are addressed and dismantled, and to get Canadian content onto screens amid a dramatically shifting media ecosystem. Last spring the CMF also renewed its commitment to equity and inclusion; introduced performance envelope changes and new programs; was a key driver of the Seek More campaign to promote diverse content; and held a national, virtual consultation with stakeholders about pandemic recovery. The consultation revealed “change is critical” when it comes to the funding model, as the digital revolution and foreign entities and streamers put downward pressure on the country’s system, says Creighton. Creighton says the CMF had another round of conversations in November as part of the consultation and is working toward streamlining how it supports the industry, focusing on content and three streams: development, production and industry. The CMF’s program budget for 2021-2022 is $364 million and the organization is hopeful it can get policy coverage and flexibility to make important changes in the next couple of years, says

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Creighton, citing Liberal platform commitments including moving forward with the new Broadcasting Act and doubling of the budget to the CMF. “The CMF is a big ship to turn and we don’t want it to hit an iceberg,” she says. “We want to have some stability through this change, and make sure we get this thing turned into open clear waters that will have maybe a different crew on board, who knows. “But there’s no point in creating more disruption after what the industry has been through. We want to have some stability, but at the same time move forward towards some really progressive change.”

Valerie Creighton, president and CEO, Canada Media Fund

We examine different and sometimes clashing perspectives on striking a balance between the costs and benefits of foreign location service production and Canada’s domestic content industry. B Y A N D Y F R Y, J O R D A N M A X W E L L , M A R C G L A S S M A N , S A D A F A S H A N

OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, 90% OF TOTAL GROWTH IN THE CANADIAN SCREEN SECTOR WAS DRIVEN by foreign production and location services, according to the Canadian Media Producers Association. This country has become a top international filming location – an enviable position. According to global accountants PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the momentum on content spending is expected to continue growing in North America by $50 million, or 5.2% every year, until 2025. Canada’s service boom has expanded opportunities for domestic crews — notably to underrepresented and racialized creatives — to work on high-budget, high-profile film and TV projects from studios, big international distributors and broadcasters. “There’s been an explosion of production in Canada in the last couple of years,” says Michael Prupas, founder and CEO, Muse Entertainment which has recently been involved in the upcoming gay holiday romantic comedy Single All the Way for Netflix, and Aurora Teagarden Mysteries for Hallmark. Headquartered in Quebec, the Coroner prodco is fuelled by both service work and originals, and works across the country, with Prupas noting increased service production in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.

Some 44.7% of FLS production, accounting for $2.37 billion, happened in British Columbia in 2019/20, but Ontario is gaining ground with 29.4% (due to TV series and movies, pilots and single-episode programming), while Quebec has 21.8%, according to the CMPA. Through key stages of the pandemic, Prupas noted that the COVID rate in British Columbia in particular, was quite low in comparison to Hollywood. “That was a positive thing in quite a few people’s minds when they thought about coming up to Canada,” he says. The company’s service production work is always profitable and helps its bottom line in addition to production of originals. On the service front over the last year, Muse has made or is working on Blood and Treasure and Ghosts for CBS, The Republic of Sarah for CW, Graymail for Entertainment One/Netflix, Three Pines for Amazon and Single All the Way for Netflix. Service production was one of the major factors behind Boat Rocker Media’s banner year, with profits increasing by 161% over 2020. CEO John Young estimates that half of the 60 productions on the slate for next year is in services, a figure that is similar to this year’s work. “We’ve got a great reputation all over the world for the quality of our crews, and the teams that we can put together for staff of productions here,” says Boat Rocker’s W I N T E R 2 02 1

Kate Beckinsale’s Guilty Party for Paramount+ used Calgary to double as Denver, Colo.

Young. “That’s in a large part due to our system, the support that’s given, in part by the government, and put into the production sector. It’s helped to build our reputation throughout the world.” FLS production in 2019-20 was responsible for 139,310 jobs, up 4% from the year before. In contrast, jobs on Canadian film and TV productions were down 16% to 81,180, while broadcaster in-house jobs were down 11% to 23,410. Balance is key, says Reynolds Mastin, president and CEO, CMPA. “We must ensure domestic production does not get squeezed out by big foreign companies operating here. The two must reinforce one another. It’s the difference between factory workers and factory owners. We can only maintain control of our collective destiny if our sector is anchored by companies that have deep Canadian roots and whose lifeblood is the creation and monetization of Canadian IP.” Mastin says it is too early to be sure of the impact of the pandemic on either FLS or domestic production “because we’re still compiling data. But after the early pandemic brought the industry to a screeching halt, spring and summer of 2020 saw the industry work collaboratively with all levels of government to develop and implement health and safety measures that would allow productions to get up and running. The federal government’s Short-Term Compensation Fund was a lifeline, and allowed domestic productions to get back on their feet.” That said, there have been additional challenges for Canada’s independent producers “as options for COVID insurance coverage dried up. Large foreign studios had significant budgetary resources that allowed them to self-insure their productions here in Canada. This was not an option for Canadian production companies.” While the growth in FLS has massively outstripped the situation in Canadian production, John Lewis, IATSE’s director of Canadian affairs, says he believes “the two industries are complementary.” From his perspective, the boom in service work has brought jobs and security to his membership. “After COVID-19, how could I question a model that allows people to keep their homes and health benefits?” “Foreign service productions have been a big part of the sector here [in B.C.] for many, many years, and it’s really been a part of the growth of the sector in establishing a lot of the infrastructure,” says Prem Gill, CEO of Creative BC. “They’ve really helped to increase the talent base, and it made it a world-class centre for local talent to get a lot of experience on foreign service productions, as well as helped them move on to their own productions, learn about IP, development, and more.” 24

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One company that’s done a lot of business in B.C. over the last several years is WarnerMedia. This past July, WarnerMedia confirmed the next phase in the ongoing Access Canada program, which launched in September 2020, and provides practical experience to underrepresented and marginalized voices on its film and television productions. The Access to Action program, for example, which kicked off in B.C. but is expanding across Canada, places Canadian talent on WarnerMedia productions such as Insecure, Watchmen, Lucifer and In the Heights and service productions including Batwoman, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Kung Fu, Riverdale and Superman & Lois. The program has led to more than 400 participants of colour getting valuable experience on major foreign service production sets. In an initiative placing production assistants in two departments – the production office and the locations department – in collaboration with the B.C. chapter of the Directors Guild of Canada, BIPOC producers have a chance to break in and make an immediate impact. Alberta is another province that’s seen significant growth in foreign service productions over the last 18 months. That’s in part due to Alberta’s per-project tax credit cap removal which allowed the province to become a major production hub and helped entice big budget film and television productions to the region. Recent productions include the Jason Reitman-directed Ghostbusters: Afterlife; the CBS series, Guilty Party, starring Kate Beckinsale; Paramount Television’s Joe Pickett; and a reboot of Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock, shot entirely at the Calgary Film Centre. A prequel to Disney’s Predator will be filmed in Alberta and have Native American influences, as the plot centres on a female Comanche warrior. The province’s production count has grown significantly in recent years, says Mark Ham, Alberta film commissioner, who suggests that foreign service productions are helping to grow the local production economy. “We’ve seen [producers] that are new to the sector or folks have gotten their start on local production, make the jump to larger service productions to expand their skill, move on, and then bring that back [to Alberta] to create local productions,” says Ham. One show that’s been able to flourish in Alberta is APTN and Prairie Dog Film + Television’s one-hour crime drama series, Tribal. Produced in Calgary by an Indigenous-owned company with a female Indigenous lead, the show just finished production on its second season. “Alberta has committed $1.5 billion, or 25% of continued growth in the cultural industries over the next decade, as part of the Alberta Economic Recovery Plan, and a big part of that is the film and television sector,” Ham says. “We’re not going to reach our goal unless we’re able to diversify our workforce and tap into all aspects of Alberta’s population.” Studios, both in Canada and down south, are also doing their part to provide spaces in which talent from a variety of backgrounds can use

The content production landscape (2019-2020) TOTAL FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUCTION

12%

BROADCASTER IN-HOUSE

31%

$9.3 B

CANADIAN CONTENT

LOCATION 56% FOREIGN AND SERVICE

CANADIAN CONTENT (FILM AND TELEVISION) -12%

$2.92 b illion

-13%

$2.63 b illion

-9%

in production volume

in television production

$287 million

-16%

757

-12%

112

-16%

81,180

television series

jobs

its spaces to create and get on-the-job training, whether it’s through foreign service productions or low-budget Canadian shorts and series. Alex Godfrey, VP, studios at William F. White International, says foreign service productions are fuelling a huge drive for diversity in film and TV. “With the revenue that’s coming in from studios down south to produce some of the larger budget productions, the opportunities [are creating] a huge drive for diversity. In fact, productions will steer themselves towards a more diverse area or market. We’re seeing great movement and initiatives with Indigenous and First Nation communities, including Indigenous groups who are looking to invest themselves, by way of studios.” What’s more, WFW recently purchased a backlot from Amazon in Pickering, Ont. with a constructed 23-acre town on it. Included on the lot is a diner, gas station, police station, town hall, town square and numerous store fronts. Godfrey added that the space is ideally suited to series and features for Hollywood studios, streamers and networks, as well as commercial production companies; however, it is also within reach for indie Canadian producers of varying sizes, too. Writers Guild of Canada executive director Maureen Parker is well aware of the benefits FLS production brings to the Canadian industry. But she believes the growth of FLS in the last decade at the expense of Canadian production has created unhealthy market distortions. “FLS has taken over our industry,” she says. “Canadian tax dollars are being used to support U.S. production. Canadians are making shows that they have no ownership in, and which lack a Canadian voice.” The WGC’s primary grievance is that Canadian writers and showrunners are effectively excluded from American-backed shows: “Writing teams are invariably hired in Los Angeles,” says Parker, “so the only Canadians working on them are the ones that relocate to the U.S. We’ve seen a massive exodus of Canadian writers in recent years.” She has little time for the suggestion that FLS has improved Canadian film and TV infrastructure. “Canadian productions aren’t the beneficiaries. They get pushed out of Toronto and end up filming in places like Sudbury. That makes it harder to get the best crews.”

FOREIGN LOCATION AND SERVICE +8% +1% +8% +41%

+4%

BROADCASTER IN-HOUSE

$5.25 b illion

-7%

$1.15 billion

166

-5%

$559 million

-8%

$595 million

in production volume

224

television series

131

TV movies, pilots and other types of television programs

139,310

-11%

in production volume

in discretionary and on-demand services expenditures

in conventional television expenditures

23,410 jobs

jobs

Sources: Profile 2020: Economic Report on the Screen-based Media Production Industry in Canada; CMPA. * “Volume” or “total volume” refers to the sum of production budgets. Note: Totals may not sum due to rounding.

The loss of choice crew to service production is a key issue in part to the scramble for funding for Canadian productions, All My Puny Sorrows writer/director/producer Michael McGowan told the audience at the Playback Film Summit in November. “People that want to work on these independent films, they also want and need to make a living and if you can’t guarantee them, they have to jump on something else,” McGowan said. “A lot of people that really wanted to work on this film simply because we didn’t get commitments until way late and it feels like the dominoes: until Telefilm commits, nobody else is committing.” One bone of contention is a formula which allows global streamers with 20 million subscribers or less to benefit from discounted rates on crews (a model that affects both U.S. and Canadian workforces). IATSE’s Lewis says he is comfortable with the model, which was originally set up to support the fledgling streamer industry. “But the landscape has changed, and the formula needed to address that. Our concern was that some streamer productions entitled to discounts actually have bigger budgets than their broadcast counterparts.” In the U.S., IATSE threatened to strike as part of its attempt to overhaul the existing agreement, and this tactic appears to have paid off. While the 20 million subs threshold is still in place, reports suggest higher budget productions in this bracket could see wage increases of up to 30%. The CMPA’s Mastin says his organization is encouraged to hear the new federal government speak about prioritizing legislation updating the Broadcasting Act. “It’s no secret we’ve long been calling for this. The devil will be in the details, but smart legislation with effective supporting regulations will help set the Canadian sector on a path of global leadership.” Lewis says he sees logic in the Bill C-10’s goal of rebalancing the way Canadian content is funded (with estimates that it could inject $830 million annually into domestic production by 2023). But he also maintains that “the infrastructure investment in studios, equipment and skills is benefitting every tier of our industry.” Parker hopes the new broadcasting bill, if it requires streamers to spend more on Canadian production, will begin to redress the imbalance. W I N T E R 2 02 1

Playback’s 2022 Canadian Locations Showcase takes you to high-growth regions, studios and service-providers from across the country. For expanded profiles & additional listings, please visit playbackonline.ca/locationshowcase

ALBE

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NS O I T LOCA CASE SHOW

R TA Filmed in Alberta - Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

When it comes to attracting productions to the province and its plethora of diverse locations, Alberta is projecting a united front – with Alberta Film Commissioner, Mark Ham, working closely with both Calgary Economic Development and the Edmonton Screen Industries Office to ensure crews filming in the area have a positive and welcoming experience. “We’ve moved to a tax credit system, which is more compatible with what’s done in other jurisdictions,” Ham explains. “But more significantly, the per-project cap has been lifted, and that’s allowed us to compete for larger scale projects.” Experiencing what Ham describes as “the busiest 18 months on record,” Alberta has seen a total of 50 productions completed in the province that has been home to such Academy Award-winning productions as Unforgiven, The Revenant, Brokeback Mountain and Legends of the Fall, as well as blockbuster hits Jumanji: The Next Level, Inception, Interstellar and Ghostbusters: Afterlife - now in theatres. ALBERTA FILM COMMISSION Phone: 780-422-8584 Toll free: 1-888-813-1738 Mark Ham, Alberta Film Commissioner mark.ham@gov.ab.ca Marla Touw, Location and Production Services Support marla.touw@gov.ab.ca

CALGARY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Luke Azevedo, Vice President, Creative Industries, Operations & Film Commissioner lazevedo@calgaryeconomicdevelopment.com Lissa Craig, Manager, Creative Industries lcraig@calgaryeconomicdevelopment.com Erin O’Connor, Business Development Manager, Programming, Calgary Film Centre eoconnor@calgaryfilmcentre.com

EDMONTON SCREEN INDUSTRIES OFFICE Tom Viinikka, CEO tomv@edmontonscreen.com Samantha Quantz, Locations Officer squantz@edmontonscreen.com

HERN T R O N TA R I O ON Northern Ontario has hosted a growing number of notable projects in recent years, with more anticipated in 2022 as producers look to take advantage of the region’s various backdrops, film-friendly communities and generous financial incentives. And after a decade of substantial growth in the region - which encompasses Greater Sudbury, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay, Timmins and Parry Sound - stakeholders and investors are eager to introduce major infrastructure, including the introduction of Freshwater Production Studios (FPS) – a purpose-built, 120,000-sq.-ft. film and TV production studio that will be constructed on a 24-acre lot in Greater Sudbury. Recent projects filmed in the area include Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, Hallmark’ Western drama series When Hope Calls, as well Canadian television hits Letterkenny, Cardinal and Northern Rescue. Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION) offers consulting services for incoming crews and can help producers navigate government funding incentives, including the Ontario film and television tax credit (plus its 10% bonus for shooting outside the GTA), and the film and TV stream of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation. Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION) Rob Riselli Film Programs & Reporting Supervisor rriselli@cionorth.ca Greater Sudbury Emily Trottier, Business Development Officer film@greatersudbury.ca 26

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SPONSORED CONTENT

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BY ANDY FRY

Unmasking the success of TVA’s shiny floor success and how it all plays into the plan to reach large audiences, and engage young viewers. GIVEN THAT KOREAN ENTERTAINMENT FORMAT THE MASKED SINGER IS A HIT WHEREVER IT AIRS, you could argue that Quebecor-owned commercial channel TVA’s decision to adapt the blockbuster show was a commercial no-brainer. But there’s no question that the French-language broadcaster has spun gold, fashioning yet another water-cooler extravaganza for its primetime schedule. According to Yann Paquet, VP, strategy and international business, Quebecor Content, the 11 x 60-minute series, known locally as Chanteurs masqués, has been pulling in more than 1.7 million viewers in its Sunday evening slot. “To put that in context, it is outperforming all shows in Canada, French or English. It has almost 50% share within Quebec, an amazing performance.” Strategically, the show is a perfect fit for a channel that has already made its mark with local versions of The Voice, Dance Revolution and Love Island, which also enjoyed a strong debut season in 2021. “We look for shows that will make a splash with audiences of all ages,” says Paquet. “Chanteurs masqués has a unique twist and a play-along element that aligns with our editorial direction.” Asked whether these shows are primarily a defence against the streamers, Paquet says: “It is actually much more about how TVA wants to position itself. We are the biggest network by far in Quebec, so we need shows that have potential to reach large audiences, and bring young audiences back.” Denis Dubois, VP, original content, Quebecor Content says great care was taken to ensure Chanteurs masqués was accepted by the audience as authentically Quebecois. The show was made by Productions Déferlantes (La Voix) and the elaborate ensembles were created by Patrick Martel, known for his work with Cirque du Soleil: “The production team and contestants put a lot of effort into their costumes, making sure the stories behind their disguises mean something to them and resonate with the local audience,” he says, adding that a behind-the-scenes episode (No. 12) will give viewers a deeper insight. “The panel of five (larger than in other versions), is a mix of local talent designed to appeal to all demographics; and the choreography throughout the show is spectacular.” Paquet says the strength of the Quebec star system meant there was no problem finding the talent to take part in the show, even under the shadow of the pandemic. “Everyone has seen what a success the show is internationally, so persuading people to take part was not difficult. And COVID protocols are well understood now, so that aspect was not especially challenging.” It’s too early to say if there will be a second season, but barring a catastrophic ratings slide it seems certain to return. As for other upcoming shows, Paquet and Dubois say they are always in the market for bold shiny floor shows that can appeal to all demographics. Star Academie, for example, returns next year. They also note that Quebecor’s entertainment strategy is not confined to the flagship channel. Quebecor’s specialty channels are hungry for original content and, in fall 2021, the company launched unscripted streaming platform Vrai, promising numerous exclusive originals. One high profile launch, says Dubois, will be a Quebec-themed version of Bake Off in January. “It looks spectacular and we are sure it will be another major success for us.”

Yann Paquet, left, and Denis Dubois are seeing record ratings for Chanteurs masques. Photos: Julien Faugère

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The Quebec feature launched on Netflix after amassing $2.1 million at the box office. BY MARK DILLON

IN A YEAR THAT BEGAN WITH MOVIE THEATRES CLOSED AND THEN SAW THEM REOPEN WITH CAPACITY LIMITS AND DISTANCING MEASURES, Quebec comedy-drama Le Guide de la famille parfaite nevertheless managed to pull in a sizable box office ahead of an enviable launch on Netflix. The Ricardo Trogi-directed feature focuses on the strained dynamic in the Dubois family, consisting of demanding father Martin (Louis Morissette), overburdened mother Marie-Soleil (Catherine Chabot), uncontrollable son Mathis (Xavier Lebel), and Martin’s anxiety-ridden daughter Rose (Émilie Bierre). Félize Frappier and Louis-Philippe Drolet are producers. The film opened on July 14, 2021, to an average of $2,507 per screen at 57 locations on its way to a cumulative box office of more than $2.1 million. That would be impressive in any year, but Morissette — whose company KO24 produced the film and who co-wrote the script with

François Avard and Jean-François Léger — believes “We would have made $4 million without COVID-19.” Budgeted at $5 million, Guide was set for release in summer 2020, but distributor Les Films Opale sat on it due to the pandemic while options were being weighed. They didn’t want to hold out much longer. “We were waiting and looking at all that was produced in the U.S. and Canada and realized that many movies would be coming out when the pandemic went away,” Morissette recalls. “We’d get just a few weeks on screens because there always would be another Quebec film waiting, and then the American studios would come along asking for every screen.” As the film opened, Quebec theatres had to keep seated groups 1.5 metres apart, while many moviegoers remained hesitant to return to cinemas at all. Anticipating these limitations and looking to reach the

Le Guide de la famille parfaite, written by Louis Morissette, François Avard and Jean-François Léger, was released in July in Quebec cinemas and on Netflix in foreign markets.

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film’s full potential audience, Morissette had reached out to Netflix Canada, which introduced him to execs south of the border. “We had a really good conversation,” Morissette recalls. “I showed them the finished movie and they saw the potential and bought it. But we wanted to keep the theatrical release. For me a movie’s full strength comes on the big screen. And we didn’t want to be the people who helped destroy Quebec’s distribution channel.” And so Netflix agreed to start streaming the movie internationally in more than 190 territories simultaneous to the theatrical release, and then in Canada eight weeks later, including English subtitled and dubbed versions. Another complicating factor was having to amend broadcast deals previously in place with Radio-Canada and Super Écran. While Morissette can’t share Netflix audience data, he is amazed the film is now reaching many millions of viewers outside of Quebec. “I suddenly had new Instagram followers from Colombia, Spain and Brazil,” he says. “And I was thinking, ‘Where did this sudden interest in my life come from?’”

Director Ricardo Trogi, left, on set with Morissette, who also stars in and exec produced the film. 31

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2021

Anthony Q. Farrell Showrunner of the year

The mind behind Overlord and the Underwoods stepped into the spotlight this year for his herculean efforts to add authentic representation to two interconnected sitcoms while mentoring the next generation of showrunners. B Y K E L LY T O W N S E N D

FEW CANADIAN SHOWRUNNERS HAVE EARNED THE MANTLE OF INDUSTRY CHAMPION the way Anthony Q. Farrell has. While serving as the showrunner on two separate projects, Overlord and the Underwoods and The Parker Andersons and Amelia Parker, Farrell spent his own time and money to co-develop a showrunner bootcamp for diverse mid-level writers in Canada with Jinder Oujla-Chalmers, organized through BIPOC TV & Film. “[Showrunning is] about managing people and managing relationships, and you don’t get that training as a writer,” Farrell tells Playback. He’s also been an outspoken advocate for diverse writers, unafraid to voice inequalities in the screen industry, something he says he resolved to do when he returned to Canada in 2017. Farrell is a former Canadian screen expat, working on U.S. series such as The Office and creating CBBC series The Secret Life of Boys in the U.K. before he made the decision to move back to Toronto from Los Angeles. It was during that transitional period that Farrell took a meeting with marblemedia’s VP, scripted Carrie Paupst Shaughnessy. At the time, marblemedia had been in development on the concept for Overlord and the Underwoods, about an intergalactic fugitive hiding on Earth with his very distant relatives, which was created by Cloudco Entertainment’s Ryan Wiesbrock. As it turned out, Farrell was on Cloudco’s radar as well, and the two prodcos both pitched him as their frontrunner to showrun the series. After creating the pilot script and the second episode, they shopped the series to various broadcasters, leading to a co-commission involving CBC, Nickelodeon International, ITV and BYUtv. “He is tremendously funny, he’s great with character – and he really just got this show,” says Paupst Shaughnessy. “He did a beautiful job of bringing Overlord’s voice to life and turning him into a threedimensional, rich, engaging character.” 32

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“So much of the mad genius comes from [Anthony], the fun and playfulness and mischievousness,” adds co-CEO Mark Bishop, noting that Farrell first embodied the voice of Overlord during the initial table reads, including the maniacal laugh. “It’s infectious when you’re with him on set.” Second Jen co-creator Amanda Joy, who worked with Farrell on both Overlord and the Underwoods and the interconnected sitcoms The Parker Andersons and Amelia Parker, says the showrunner is deft at creating a positive, fun and safe environment for writers. “Everybody feels free to pitch and everybody feels they can make a mistake,” she says. “He’s great at assembling people whose personalities fit together.” Among the high points of working on Overlord and the Underwoods, which premiered on CBC Gem on Oct. 29, was the chance to collaborate with Roger Christain. The veteran character designer, who worked with George Lucas to create R2-D2 and C-3P0 and invented the lightsaber design for Star Wars, boarded the series to design the look of Overlord and other intergalactic characters. “He would tell stories that would melt my face and it would be hard to get back to work because I’d have so many more questions about what happened on Star Wars,” says Farrell. At the same time he was working on what would become an early iteration of the showrunners bootcamp. After struggling to find senior-level writers of colour when building the writing staff for Overlord and the Underwoods – which saw Farrell read roughly 100 scripts from various writers – he selected about 25 writers who Photo: Ian Watson

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Farrell’s sense of humour and mischieviousness was appaarently infectious on set.

identified as Black, Indigenous or a person of colour to audit the writer’s room. Farrell also held a separate session with mid-level writers to give them a rundown on the work involved as a showrunner. “It was very clear that two hours was not enough,” he says. Farrell was eventually able to run a full bootcamp with 53 participants between October and November after Oujla-Chalmers approached him about co-developing a program, with BIPOC TV & Film on board to organize and handle administration. The bootcamp ran for four weeks and included guest showrunners Marsha Greene (Mary Kills People, The Porter), Floyd Kane (Diggstown) and Vera Santamaria (PEN15, How to be Indie), as well as producer Jim Corston and actor Dave Huband. When Farrell was on a break from Overlord and the Underwoods, following a production delay to spring 2021, marblemedia approached him about reworking scripts for their interconnected sitcoms The Parker Andersons and Amelia Parker, produced in association with Beachwood Canyon Productions and commissioned by BYUtv. The series, which depicts an interracial blended family, had been heavily criticized by directors for its handling of racial issues. Farrell says his reasoning for taking on such a mammoth task was two-fold. “I really felt like if these scripts went out into the world the way that they were, it would have been a bad look for a lot of different people,” he says. “More importantly, I felt like the characters deserved more. There was an interesting world underneath and something that deserved to be done properly.” Farrell and a team of writers, which included Joy, co-executive producer Jay Vaidya, Murry Peeters, Ian Steaman and Sadiya Durrani, rewrote the entire series in a matter of five weeks. Joy says they were working at a brutal 34

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pace to meet their deadline, breaking two episodes per day. The series was later the subject of controversy over broadcaster BYUtv. Farrell revealed in an interview with NOW Magazine ahead of its April premiere that the broadcaster censored the inclusion of explicitly queer characters in the first season. BYUtv is owned by Brigham Young University, a Utahbased private college sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Mormon church that bans same-sex marriage. Farrell says BYUtv did not oppose any inclusion of queer or racially diverse characters or storylines as a co-commissioner on Overlord and the Underwoods, so it had surprised him when the broadcaster did not want to include discussions about race, gender or sexual identity on The Parker Andersons and Ameila Parker. “I’ll be honest, the amount of fighting I did for proper racial representation, it wore me down,” he says, adding that the writers did leave room in the script to open doors for other representation in future seasons. He says he felt there was an obligation for the series to address topics on race due to its novel concept, which features a Black man and a white woman getting married and forming an interracial family with their children from previous marriages. “There aren’t a lot of shows like that, so I felt like you had to have those conversations,” he says. “Anthony was really good about standing up for us and defending the voice of the series,” says Joy. “He also looked after our mental health, because it’s not easy writing about these experiences and facing that kind of pushback.” While additional seasons for The Parker Andersons and Amelia Parker haven’t been greenlit yet, Farrell says he was only ever set to work on the first seasons due to commitments to other projects. He says he’s currently in development on several comedy projects with various broadcasters, some in live action and others in animation. He’s also hoping to run another round of the showrunners bootcamp in 2022. He says the program received 124 applicants total and his goal is to ensure all mid-level writers have the chance to participate. “One of the main things I’ve been preaching during the bootcamp is, ‘pass this information on.’ These aren’t secrets,” he says. “I’m hopefully creating 53 mentors and showrunners who are going to pass these skills to others, who will then pass it down and so forth.” Farrell says any backlash he’s received due to his outspoken comments about the industry has been far outweighed by the positive response from across the industry. “I’ve had a lot of support from production companies and broadcasters who feel like my candid nature is helping things,” he says. “They can point to the things I say and say [to their bosses], “See? This is what Anthony’s saying. We should do something about it. We should listen.’”

Her dystopian debut feature film Night Raiders made a celebrated trip around the film circuit and broke box office records. BY JOLENE BANNING

WHILE THE WORLD WAS CONTENDING WITH COVID-19, writer and director Danis Goulet stayed focused on her first feature film, Night Raiders. There is some consolation that the Cree-Métis filmmaker’s femaledriven dystopian sci-fi thriller – with its lesson of resilience – blew up at the box office, and on the international stage, as Goulet was unable to attend the film’s world premiere at Berlinale. She did have the opportunity to see her debut feature premiere at TIFF, as well as imagineNATIVE, the world’s largest Indigenous film and media festival. In the midst of all that she directed her second feature film, Netflix thriller Ivy. Playback caught up with Goulet to celebrate the remarkable achievement of her Canada-New Zealand co-pro. Here an abridged version of that interview:

Playback: What has this year meant in the context of your career overall? It was definitely a massive undertaking for me and the biggest project I’d ever done. And it was challenging on many levels. I think first off, straight up, it was my first feature, but also that it was a decent budget for a first feature. And we were very ambitious. And then I think in the Indigenous context.... there was an obvious allegory for harmful colonial policies. And I think I felt the enormous weight of responsibility in talking about that because it is so painful for all of our communities. The topic was so important for me to hold in the right way.

What do you think Indigenous creatives are bringing to the international media business scene? I think that they are bringing unique perspectives that bring a kind of specificity and uniqueness that you really cannot find anywhere else. And it is part of the reason why I’ve been a part of a decades-long advocacy push, and many people before I was even on the scene, to really get support for stories about Indigenous people that are told by us. You know, we’re

so familiar with the century of misrepresentation on film and that has to change. But I think as a part of this advocacy push, we’ve always said, gaze matters, and it’s not just about correcting problematic wrongs and righting them. It’s also better storytelling.

Your movie is riffing off of history and future, can you describe the barriers or the obstacles that you hope are relegated to history, and what freedom and success could look like for the Indigenous independent TV and film production?

There’s so much talent and we’ve always said, just give us the opportunities and resources and we will make it happen. This hasn’t always been the case and the barriers for Indigenous people are real in our industry. Many of them were up against racism in the industry, against ignorance, against a lack of faith that their stories could have an audience or would be marketable or successful at the box office. For myself personally, I’ve been told to take the Cree out of my movie in order to make it more accessible. I’ve been told that an allegory for residential schools is no longer relevant because as a country we’ve moved on from that, which by the way, I got that note in the very month the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released their findings. We need to have Indigenous people in all kinds of roles or filmmakers will always be up against what the gatekeepers just simply don’t understand, or don’t have the vision for.

What was the highlight of this year? What’s your biggest opportunity next year?

Opening imagineNATIVE has been a dream of mine. I was involved in the festival way back in the day and to come full circle and open the festival just felt like it was a dream. The artistic director Niki Little, her Q&A, when Indigenous people talk about the film, it is always different. It goes deep, it’s profound and it’s so meaningful. And I was just so grateful for the conversation that she prompted with her focus on relationality. And I think there was just an understanding and a depth of understanding that I didn’t get anywhere else. For next year, I really want to start developing a new project that I got funding for. As soon as I have a window of time, I want to go home and start percolating the next one. W I N T E R 2 02 1

The Toronto-based unscripted entertainment producer found real success in format adaptations and building on its star power, confident in the right team. BY ANDY FRY

HAVING SUCCESSFULLY NEGOTIATED COVID-19 RELATED DISRUPTION IN 2020, Proper Television took its output to the next level this year with the premiere of its first Netflix original Motel Makeover. At the same time, it produced season two of Junior Chef Showdown for Food Network Canada and continued to build on the star power of Mary Berg , who looks set to join the pantheon of global celebrity chefs. Proper TV’s progress is quite remarkable when you consider that company founder and CEO Guy O’ Sullivan passed unexpectedly in early 2017. But under the diligent management of his successors, joint presidents Cathie James and Lesia Capone, the company has continued to thrive. Alongside its impactful originals, it remains one of Canada’s foremost producers when it comes to working with international formats. The fact that it has been entrusted with brands such as Masterchef, Iron Chef, Storage Wars and Bake Off is a good indication of the faith that IP owners are willing to place in Proper TV’s cohort of showrunners. A key factor in Proper’s accelerated growth was the decision, soon after O’ Sullivan’s death, to become part of the rapidly expanding Boat Rocker Media empire. “The industry has been going through an incredible period of transition,” says James, “and being part of Boat Rocker has given us a lot of confidence. There is tremendous expertise and skills across the group, as well as access to capital that we wouldn’t have had as a smaller standalone company.” Capone adds that Proper has also benefited from Boat Rocker’s global-facing strategy: “We continue to have very strong relationships with Canadian broadcasters, but Boat Rocker’s distribution arm has given us a lot of assistance in terms of financing shows and navigating the content marketplace.” One of the most noticeable aspects of Proper TV is the way it has ramped up its originals, with Motel Makeover,

Proper co-presidents Cathie James, left, and Lesia Capone put great stock into collaboration.

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Motel Makeover stars April Brown, left, and Sarah Sklash with project manager Courtney Mann, standing. Photo: Katherine Holland

Authenticity is the other magic ingredient, adds Capone, and this is something Mary Berg’s shows and Motel Makeover offer in abundance. In the latter show, audiences get to see every step of the process – as Brown and Sklash battle to launch their motel business during the midst of the pandemic. So what next for Proper TV? In part, it’s more of the same, says Capone: “We’ll continue to work closely with Canadian broadcasters. These are challenging times but our partners have been incredibly collaborative and supportive.” At the same time, says James, “we’re looking at how we can further tap into the advantages that Boat Rocker brings. I’m excited by the prospect of working with our scripted colleagues. There might be scope for some kind of hybrid project that blurs the lines between fiction and reality. Or maybe, if we can find the right project, we could draw on Boat Rocker’s expertise to move into scripted.” More generally, James is on a mission to make work fun again: “During the pandemic, a lot of the joy drained out of TV because people were working in silos. The greatest thing about TV is the collaborative side. We want to bring back that sense of enjoyment which is so important for mental health.”

Mary’s Kitchen Crush and Mary Makes It Easy all performing well on their respective platforms. But James says the company’s real strength lies in the balance between originals and adaptations: “The two really inform each other. The great thing about format-based franchises is that you get to work with shows that have been successful everywhere – and you get amazing input from international producers who act as consultants.” All of this, explains James, influences “development and trickles down into every aspect of production – which is great for bringing through behind the camera talent. The big casting calls are also an opportunity to unearth onscreen talent.” Proper TV has cultivated showrunners such as Jessica Capobianco, David Donohue, and Mark Van de Ven. Capone and James credit careful nurturing and astute talent spotting. Emerging talent is constantly challenged and made to feel fully engaged in the process. “A big part of our role is seeing their Proper TV’s biggest success to date is the potential and knowing what they are capable discovery and development of celebrity chef of,” says Capone. “They don’t start out as Mary Berg, a former insurance broker who showrunners – they’re often directors or competed in season three of MasterChef story editors or writers.” Canada (2016). Cathie James recalls: “When Equally, James and Capone have proved I first saw Mary onscreen I can remember themselves capable of charming third-party thinking ‘I hope she can cook’. She’s funny showrunners, a case in point being the and sweet, with an incredible intelligence. creator of Motel Makeover, Jessica Nahmias: She seems irresistible to everyone.” “Jessica is a very talented producer who we Fortunately, Mary could cook – going on to have wanted to work with for a long time,” win MasterChef. And she proved irresistible to says James. “She brought us a casting reel of Bell Media, which jumped at the opportunity the two stars, April Brown and Sarah Sklash, of Mary-fronted shows: “We made 30 episodes and we were immediately taken with the of Mary’s Kitchen Crush for CTV,” says Lesia Photo: Geoff George concept. A lot of other producers were also Capone, “and this year we launched Mary interested so we were very fortunate.” Makes It Easy on CTV Life Channel. We have 13 Motel Makeover, a 6 x 30-minute series, has been episodes airing (at time of writing) and 12 more for early 2022.” a breakout hit on Netflix. But what exactly do James Berg’s domestic appeal was confirmed when she won two gongs at this year’s and Capone look for in onscreen talent? “They need Canadian Screen Awards. But there’s also evidence her appeal crosses borders. “Boat an extraordinary skill set and real passion,” says Rocker’s distribution team licensed Kitchen Crush into more than 100 territories,” says James. “With non-scripted TV, the narrative unfolds James, “and most buyers are coming back for the new show.” as you work, so if the person in front of camera isn’t There are reports of a major U.S. sale for Mary Makes It Easy – the details of which fully engaged it affects the entire production. Talent will be announced in the New Year. “We think that will push Mary to the next level. has to bring everything.” She has all the attributes to become a global culinary star.”

A new staple at Food Network

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CALL FOR ENTRY Final Deadline Feb. 4, 2022

June 13, 2022

The esteemed Prize for Excellence in Canadian Content is back. $25,000 in cash is up for grabs. The 2021 Rogers Prize winner was the hit comedy-drama series C’est comme ça que je t’aime (Happily Married)

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e s r e v i n U e l b r The Ma Forged from the comradeship and combined ambition of Matt Hornburg and Mark Bishop, marblemedia commemorates 20 years of growth. BY MARC GLASSMAN

CANADA’S MEDIA INDUSTRY HAS CHANGED RADICALLY IN THE PAST 20 YEARS since two recent Ryerson grads, Matt Hornburg and Mark Bishop, launched marblemedia as a company which quickly became recognized for “transmedia” work. Though they were happy to get awards and nominations for such early pieces as Deafplanet and Toothpaste, the co-CEOs wanted to be identified as a major prodco, not just a niche producer. That they’ve succeeded is easily seen by listing some of their accolades in two decades: five Canadian Screen Awards and 18 nominations, six Gemini Awards and 20 nominations, five Golden Sheaf awards and six nominations and eight Youth Media Award (YMA) wins. That doesn’t include such international acknowledgments as France’s Prix Jeunesse (two awards, two noms), the NHK Japan Peace Prize (finalists eight times) and two International Emmy nominations. Quite a list and it would be shocking if marblemedia’s expanding slate of both scripted and unscripted shows, and their multiple media adaptations, doesn’t garner them many more well before their silver anniversary in five years.

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The success of marblemedia begins with its two creators. Two small town boys, Hornburg and Bishop, met at Pitman Hall, a Ryerson University residence in the ’90s, and became fast friends in their third year when, according to Bishop, “Matt was directing a sketch comedy show [for his year-end project] and had these big ideas. He wanted to have screens that synchronized together, lights moving and multiple projectors. I just loved it because I have a technical mind and love thinking about how to bring these things to life.” The show was such a big success that they were given the TARA awards show, Ryerson’s annual celebration of the work of radio and television students, to produce the following year. Bishop recalls, “We wanted to have

only if an audience can be attracted. Economics along with creativity drives them. “Our first series, Deafplanet.com, was actually a website, which was pitched to a broadcaster for deaf children in sign language,” recalls Bishop. Having a platform be developed into a television show was unique. But marblemedia was able to create Deafplanet, which emphasized “the importance of diversity and inclusion on screen,” for those who are hearing impaired — and their families and friends. Since then, Bishop adds, “we continue to celebrate bringing people together at a meeting place,” in whatever platform that might be. Deafplanet established the fledgling company in children’s programming, with a niche audience

marblemedia @ 20

The marblemedia slate, from left, has included multiple innovative competition shows from Splatalot, Blown Away and Restaurants on the Edge to All-Round Champion.

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the show broadcast on two networks, which we did; we wanted to have a big live event; we wanted to have a mobile truck; we wanted celebrities and raise a bunch of money. And we did.” Flushed with success from Ryerson, the duo vowed to start a company together once they had some cash and industry expertise. Both cheerfully acknowledge their comradeship, which has only grown over the years. Says Hornburg, “Mark is my best friend. Our relationship is symbiotic. It’s really one plus one equals three.” Bishop chimes in: “He was the best man at my wedding and I at his.” At marblemedia’s offices in Liberty Village, Toronto, they even share an office, certainly unusual for co-CEOs. What marked marblemedia’s creators as unique in the early days was not only their willingness to pursue the latest in technology but also a capacity to have what Bishop terms a “360-degree way of thinking.” Since the beginning, Hornburg and Bishop haven’t created platforms willy-nilly. They’re done for a purpose and

which would embrace new media applications and innovative shows. Successes followed over the next few years including two interactive programs, This Is Daniel Cook featuring a sweet-tempered young boy learning grown-up skills and Splatalot, a funny obstacle race show with tweens in and around a medieval castle. “For the first 10 years, a lot of people thought of us as a multi-platform service that occasionally made shows,” says Hornburg. “Now we’re thought of as producers.” It’s in the company’s DNA, and those of its creators, to be ambitious. They didn’t want to settle for being new media innovators or even kids’ producers. “Matt and I made a pact to meet a lot of international people on day one. We acknowledged that the Canadian industry is great, but we would need to broaden our circle. So we started going to MIPCOM in our second year of business. We had very little in the suitcase but we wanted to meet people in the international marketplace and that has served us really well.” Shows such as This Is Daniel Cook and This Is Emily Yeung sold in over 75

territories including Chile, Egypt, Venezuela and Tunisia 15 years ago, proving Bishop’s point. It led to the creation of Distribution360, their distribution service. Again, the idea had been brewing for years. “We realized we didn’t want to work for our own titles with third-party distributors and wanted to control our own destiny,” says Bishop. “So we said, ‘OK, how do we start to build this catalogue?’” They approached industry friends, who were “frustrated with not having accountability from distributors, getting reports like ‘we forgot to send the cheque,’” continues Bishop. “We thought, ‘why can’t we make a distribution

The same level of attention we give to a marble project we want to be able to give to our third parties. Diane Rankin, SVP, rights and executive producer, D360

company that’s fair and honest, that only takes what we need?’” Third party producers have been part of D360’s mix since then. Seven years ago, marblemedia brought in industry veteran Diane Rankin (previously at DRG and Cineflix) to effectively run D360. “My background is heavily in unscripted,” she says, “but very much looking at how we drive the business overall, and that’s in production and distribution through monetizing rights, and looking at market intelligence, and global buyer network — what the trends are — and bringing it back into the development side of the business. It’s intrinsically linked to both sides of the business.” Rankin, who is D360’s executive producer, continues: “The same level of attention we give to a

marble project we want to be able to give to our third parties. We never want anyone to feel that marble gets preferential treatment. We’ll look at a lot of different projects and if it makes sense to join — to bring them in and join our ranks of partners we absolutely will.” D360 works closely with Partners in Motion, which led to a significant development in their IP. One of the distributor’s strengths is in selling older shows that are evergreen. D360 sold 76 episodes of Crime Stories to Amazon Prime, which led to a new idea: why not turn that show and another, Disasters of the Century, into

podcasts? “It’s a completely D360-driven initiative on a production project,” says Rankin. “We worked with them and two outside podcast production companies to set up Murder Time [based on Crime Stories] and Deadly Disasters, which is what Disasters of the Century became.” It’s been launched on Google and Spotify and, says Rankin, “everywhere in the podcast world. And we’re managing with our monetizing partner to bring ad insertions and getting into a whole different business than we’ve been in. So that’s a great way to extend IP.” Another area in which marblemedia and D360 has expanded is with YouTube channels. Since changes started occurring several years ago in CAVCO requirements, the channel is now certified, which means the company and their distribution partners can apply for federal tax credits and private funding. Rankin points to Headspinner’s Happy House of Frightenstein, a reboot of the ’70s kids classic, as an example of how D360, which is selling the series internationally, can utilize Youtube for themselves and the producers. “On the unscripted side,” continues Rankin, “we can certainly drive from trends in the world. Best in W I N T E R 2 02 1

Miniature is a good example of that, where Kelsey Espensen, our development producer came up with the project. She was following #miniature on TikTok and Instagram because it was something she was interested in and she saw an explosion of — hundreds of millions I think — for posts tags of miniatures. Seeing how many people were into tiny things and showing how they were doing that and posting it on these platforms and that was a global phenomenon.” Espensen and Rankin have a biweekly development call at marblemedia where “we come to the table with ideas and hammer them out together.” At MIPCOM, Rankin says, “It’s been amazing that we’ve got multiple offers on the table for Race Against

the Tide. With Best in Miniature, we don’t even have an episode. It’s not broadcast until 2022 and we have offers for it because the development work is so strong. That’s a marble project, but for our third-party projects, we work in the early stages with their producers… [telling them to] make sure you think about formats because we can take that out to market internationally.” On the scripted side, marblemedia’s VP and executive producer Carrie Paupst Shaughnessy is excited by “a robust entertaining slate that goes across primetime — one-hour/half-hour table-style dramedies — but also family primetime as well as kids. We hired last year a VP of kids working out of L.A., A.J. Trauth. And we’ve grown our own team.

marblemedia @ 20

Live-action preschool series Hi Opie!, above left, and interconnected sitcom The Parker Andersons/ Amelia Parker show the breadth of marblemedia’s series.

We tend to focus on shows that have a core of optimism to them. Carrie Paupst Shaughnessy, VP and executive director, marblemedia

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“We tend to focus on shows that have a core of optimism to them. We’re targeting shows for a global audience, but we’re always looking for things that have some sort of positive impact. That doesn’t mean it’s Pollyanna. We can go into some more mature places, but we’re always looking for projects that have a lens that elevates them.” Shaughnessy points to current shows Overlord and the Underwoods, and The Parker Andersons/Amelia Parker as well as programs in development like Holding Still as Long as Possible and The Other Boy as “projects that we think are going to contribute meaningfully to audiences’ experience of the world.” In a world that is embracing the values of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities, she may be right. Bishop recalls what writer and hotelier Isadore Sharp told Hornburg and him when they received Ryerson’s Alumni Achievement Award. “He said, ‘be fair but firm.’ If you’re fair to people and stick firmly to your expectations, people will respect you.”

MEET THE 2021 PITCH PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS A mentorship and market access program for emerging and established producers and creators.

Fabio Abreu

Ryan Atimoyoo

Anaëlle Béglet

Maya Despres-Bedward

Kent Donguines Producer, Aimer Films

Damien Eagle Bear

Producer, Bad Bannock Productions

Producer/Director, Wolf Noir Media

Natasha Heschélle

Tally Yong Knoll

Jerome Kruin

Stephanie Law Screenwriter

Multidisciplinary Artist

CEO , The Lakeview Productions

Filmmaker, Third Culture Media Inc.

Writer, Producer, Actress, Heschélle Entertainment

Daniela Mujica

Producer, Productions Ocho & Pimiento

Trevor Solway

Director, Blackfoot Nation Films

See all 100 Diversity of Voices participants here:

Writer

Julie O’Bomsawin

Producer, Art et essai

Filmmaker, Uncharted Pictures

Jamie Bourque

Nicole Chrysostom-Murray

Emilia Eyo

Mandeq Hassan

Executive Producer/ Director, Multipel Inc.

Writer/Producer, BrooklynBrown Productions

Writer

Stephie Mazunya

Co-Fondatrice, Présidente et Productrice, Kassiwi Média

Creative Producer, Mixed Up

Ananya Ohri

Boris Rodriguez

Renuka Singh

Chris Strikes

Rachel Webb

Helmann Wilhelm

Jerry Wolf

Producer/Director, Callowgrove Entertainment Inc.

Screenwriter

Director, Majika

Writer, Canted Pictures

Screenwriter

Director, Cinethetica

Call for 2022 applications OPEN NOW! dov.banffmediafestival.com

CANADIAN FILM & TELEVISION HALL OF FAME

Ivan Reitman has kept the faith Slovak-Canadian film producer and director Ivan Reitman poses while on a press tour for the original Ghostbusters in the U.K. in December 1984. (Photo by Hilaria McCarthy/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Critics be damned, the filmmaker’s convictions have sustained a 50-year career marked by record-breaking box office. BY MARK DILLON

IVAN REITMAN’S SUCCESSES HAVE SECURED HIM A RAREFIED SPOT IN THE FILMMAKING UNIVERSE. A child refugee from Czechoslovakia, he grew up in Toronto and launched his career making features through Montreal’s Cinépix Film Properties. His breakthrough came producing David Cronenberg’s Shivers (1975), followed by Hollywood comedy classic National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978). He came back to direct Meatballs (1979), which set a record as the most successful Canadian film of all time. After that it was back to Hollywood, where subsequent directorial smashes include Stripes (1981), Twins (1988) and Kindergarten Cop (1990). His producer credits include Space Jam (1996) and Private Parts (1997), and he wore both hats on Ghostbusters (which raked in record returns for a comedy) and Ghostbusters II. Most recently he produced Ghostbusters: Afterlife, directed by his son Jason. Playback: Congratulations on Ghostbusters: Afterlife opening in the top spot at the box office. A proper sequel to the first two films had been in the works for a long time. How did it finally come together? Ivan Reitman: I was developing one with Columbia when [co-star and co-writer] Harold Ramis got sick and passed away, and I decided that without Harold I didn’t want to direct a version of this film for which all of us had been responsible. And then the studio was solicited by Paul Feig about doing a female reboot and I agreed to [produce] it. After that my son Jason called and said, “I’ve got an idea for a continuation of the story you began in 1984.” And he pitched it to our whole Ghostbusters group and everybody was moved by it. We went to the studio and they financed it immediately. Was it difficult handing over the directorial reins to Jason, and how did that collaboration work? We did it once before with Up in the Air [2009], which I produced and he directed and co-wrote. I think it was a very good experience for both of us and we learned a lot from it. It brought us even closer and the movie worked out well. It was nominated for [six] Academy Awards — the first time I got nominated, thanks to him. So when it was time for Ghostbusters: Afterlife, it seemed very natural. 44

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How important are reviews to you? On Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which audiences are loving, we ran into a group of negative reviews, mostly in America. Bad reviews always sting. Nobody likes to have crappy things said about their work. But I reminded Jason that reviews for the 1984 movie were pretty crappy in the beginning. Every few years it’s notched up another star. It started as a two-star movie and now it’s a five-star movie. That’s also happened with Stripes [1981] and Meatballs [1979]. You have to keep focused on a belief in what you’re doing. What’s been helpful is I’ve made films that were successful, which continued my opportunity to make them. Meatballs and Stripes forged the big-screen persona of Bill Murray, who today is a comedy legend. Certainly his being in them was remarkably important. I did a show on Broadway called The Magic Show [1974-78] with Doug Henning, whom I met at McMaster University, and I used that to introduce myself to National Lampoon magazine, which I was a fan of. I ended up producing its stage show, which had Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Bill Murray and his brother Brian, and Harold Ramis. I had this early acquaintance with some of the funniest people in the world. I knew how funny Bill was and I was a big fan. Did you want to direct Animal House? I was hoping to, but having directed only Foxy Lady [1971] and Cannibal Girls [1973], which had a budget of around $12,000, the studio said no. So we found John Landis, and he inherited this extraordinary screenplay that spoke the new language of the college kids I had been in school with. Toronto was a centre for that because of Second City and then SCTV, and comedy troupes coming out of University of Toronto and McMaster, where I also became friends with Eugene Levy, Marty Short and Dave Thomas. U of T also had Lorne Michaels and David Cronenberg. It was a potent period. I paid attention to that group and wanted to work with them and got placed in this remarkable position because of The National Lampoon Show. It put me in a front-row seat to the growing talents of that era. – This is an abridged version of a conversation between Reitman and Playback contributor Mark Dillon.

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pl aybackonl i ne. ca T r yi tf or2weeksf r ee.

CANADIAN FILM & TELEVISION HALL OF FAME C R E AT I V E

Jennifer Podemski on pushing boundaries

As a producer and founder of the Shine Network Institute, Jennifer Podemski isn’t waiting to change – she’s the ‘s*** disturber’ inspiring it. BY LIZA SARDI

JENNIFER PODEMSKI BEGAN HER CAREER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CAMERA. While she has most recently been balancing acting with producing, writing and directing with her independent production company Redcloud Studios, those early experiences inform every aspect of her work. Launching her professional careeer at age 14, her breakout role came in Bruce McDonald’s Dance Me Outside in 1994. One role led to another, from Degrassi: The Next Generation (2003-2010) and Sarah Polley’s Take This Waltz (2011) to Departure and Reservation Dogs (both 2021). Her producer credits have grown to include Mocassin Flats (20032005), Rabbit Fall (2007-2008), Empire of Dirt (2013), The Other Side (2014-2018), Future History (2003-2010) and Unsettled (2020). Podemski’s forward momentum will continue in 2022 with Little Bird, Crave’s original limited drama co-commissioned with APTN’s lumi, which she co-created with Hannah Moscovitch about an Indigenous woman trying to find her lost family after the events of the Sixties Scoop. Playback: There are a lot of labels surrounding you, so how would you introduce yourself to a banker? Jennifer Podemski: In the old reality of life, I would say I’m in the television business…. Now I just say, I’m a storyteller. That’s essentially what I am and what I do; I tell stories and all of the things that come with that. I would hope the banker doesn’t say ‘what kind of stories do you tell.’. What is the first story that you remember, and why was it important? When I was little, we used to listen to tapes. And one of them was [actor] Danny Kaye telling [Grimm’s] Fairy Tales. I listened every night and those stories inspired movies that played over and over in my mind, of my own creation and interpretation. The other one that really stood out is [Marlo Thomas’s album] Free to Be... You and Me. I listened to that like a million times, and it was also sort of my entry into real performing. When I saw the video, it was the first time I saw people more similar to me, all kinds of different-looking people and I was very attached to that for many, many years. I did learn about being a better human through stories. Let’s do a bit of a lightning round: We’ll name a couple of projects, you tell us what each taught you about the business. Moccasin Flats? Looking back I wish I could have asked what I wanted to. I came off looking 46

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as if I knew, but I honestly did not know. The first season of that show taught me so much about the importance of asking for help when you feel like you’re spiraling. I am better at it today, not perfect at it, but I’m better at it. It also, in a good way, set the foundation and the bar for what it means to tell stories to an Indigenous audience. I always use that as my guide. Empire of Dirt? It almost broke me, but it also showed me that with the right team and the right common vision, you literally can overcome anything. You can work with people who believe in your ability to achieve the vision you set up to achieve. That’s a magical experience. Was there a specific project that brought you to create the Shine Network? It really had a lot to do with the pandemic. When I shut down the production that I was doing and came home, like so many of us, I had a dark night of the soul thing of everything that happened until now. I realized that I am not as far as I thought I would be at this part of my life, because there are systemic barriers that have prevented me from, for example, going to the bank. It was an accumulation of 25 years of experience that I felt I was abused or undermined or not treated well, even on my own sets. I didn’t want to ever repeat that; and I also didn’t want that to be repeated for others. That’s not to say that the Shine Network is going to put an end to that – but I endeavour to create more advocacy and support mechanisms for Indigenous women specifically, but all Indigenous people ultimately, to expand and thrive in the industry. You’ve received many awards and accolades, is there one that means more to you, or are you still reaching for that? I love being acknowledged. Absolutely. I’m not gonna lie. I actually feel that I’m a bit of a s*** disturber. And the way that I like to do things – pushing the boundaries and really wanting to dismantle systems that exist – makes me someone who is often surprised when I’m acknowledged. – This is an abridged version of a conversation between Podemski and Playback editor-in-chief Liza Sardi. Playback’s Canadian Film & Television Hall of Fame was founded in 2007 to recognize extraordinary achievements in the Canadian entertainment industry. Inductees are selected by a jury of their peers.

Congratulations to this year’s recipients

KENT DONGUINES

WATCH

JENNIFER IRONS

PRESENTED BY

RENUKA SINGH

SAMANTHA MACADAM

TAMAR BIRD

JADIEL DOWLIN

MARTHA HAGOS

JJ NEEPIN

Find out more about Canada’s most exciting up and coming talent:

ROB MICHAELS

MALACHI ELLIS

THE BACK PAGE

Q UO T E T RI P

Journey back through the highlights of insights shared during six case studies of recent and upcoming features at Playback’s inaugural Film Summit. The Playback Film Summit gathered some of Canada’s leading filmmakers and producers between Nov. 9 to 10 to talk about the future of the domestic film scene, ending with six case studies on recent or upcoming features. Moderated by Impossible Objects president and co-founder Naveen Prasad and Playback’s special reports editor Kelly Townsend, the conversations pulled back the curtain on how some of Canada’s most buzzed about films were financed. Read some of the highlights below.

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Have an eye out for a partner, someone that is at your same level, that has the same experience… and someone that you could grow with over time. That’s what I think a lot of the models that I see that have worked over the years. Find these people in the formative time in your career and you can develop and grow with them as you develop as an artist. – Clement Virgo, director, Conquering Lion Pictures (Brother)

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The way we look at international treaty co-productions is they are a mechanism that allow you to elevate a feature film. So not only can you bring in a higher budget… [but] draw in top level international talent that then can elevate a feature film for a worldwide release. – Trish Dolman, president, producer and director; Screen Siren Pictures Inc. (French Exit)

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The problem with the model right now is the sales agents aren’t really taking you that seriously until you have cast attached. Cast is not interested in this level [$5 million] of budget, really of reading anything, unless it’s greenlit. And so, you’re always playing this chicken-and-egg thing... We didn’t get greenlit, I think till four weeks before we went into prep. – Michael McGowan, writer, director and producer (All My Puny Sorrows)

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The whole process took eight years; that’s very long for script development but it was very beneficial to [writer/director] Tracey [Deer], to the story and to the film process because... there are a lot of difficult moments for Tracey. – Anne-Marie Gélinas, founder, producer EMAfilms (Beans)

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The [final] scene in the rain was never supposed to be a scene in the rain. It just happened to rain on the first day of a four-day night shoot, and it seemed obvious that the scene would be better with rain, so we just improvised and said ‘let’s make it a rain shoot.’ Imagine that last scene without rain? It was a very creative solve. – Ivan Grbovic, director (Drunken Birds)

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A heavy, heavy chunk of the budget was deferrals – working for free for four years. – Shasha Nakhai, director, producer Compy Films (Scarborough)

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THERE’S A SPARK IN ALL OF US. We’re here to champion Canada’s storytellers. We’re here to amplify all our voices.

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e v a S the e t a D June 12-15, 2022 banffmediafestival.com

Have a speaker or session idea? Reach out to BANFFcontent@brunico.com For partnership inquiries: Sponsorship@brunico.com