Odd Squad co-produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment and Fred Rogers Productions, in association with TVOKids and ICI Radio-Canada Tele, has won three Daytime Emmy Awards. Odd Squad, which went into the Creative Arts Emmy Awards with seven nominations, won Outstanding Children’s or Family Viewing Series; Outstanding Writing for a Children’s, Preschool Children’s, Family Viewing; and Outstanding Directing for a Children’s, Preschool Children’s or Family Viewing Program for Odd Squad: World Turned Odd, directed by J.J. Johnson. Dino Dana, also a Sinking Ship production, went into the awards with eight nominations, but was shut out with the lone exception of its star Michela Luci, who earned Outstanding Performer in a Children’s, Family Viewing or Special Class Program. Canadian co-productions Hilda, Beat Bugs and Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhoods were also winners. Read more here.
Screen Nova Scotia hosted its fifth annual awards gala May 3rd. Indie drama Splinters from director Thom Fitzgerald was named Best Feature Film, with its lead actors – Shelley Thompson and Bailey Maughan – awarded the ACTRA Maritimes Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Lead Female Role and Lead Male Role, respectively. The final season of CBC’s Mr. D won Best Television Series. Find the full list of winners here.
Netflix and the Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival have entered a new four-year partnership in support of Canadian LGBTQ filmmakers. It kicks off with the 2019 festival, May 23 to June 2, at which Netflix will be a Presenting Partner. The commitment includes multi-year investment in the LGBTQ Film Financing Forum and its professional development training programs, which Netflix will take name ownership of year-round.
Entertainment One (eOne) is working on an eight-episode series order for mystery drama Albedo for Bell Media in Canada, and Vudu in the US. The show marks a return to television for Canadian Evangeline Lilly (Avengers: Endgame) who will star and executive produce. Writing duo Max and Adam Reid (Sneaky Pete, Dark Cargo) serve as series creators and executive producers, while Brad Peyton (Rampage, Frontier) will direct and executive produce the straight-to-series project that will be internationally distributed by eOne. Set 150 years in the future, Lilly stars as detective Vivien Coleman, who is dispatched to the edge of the solar system to investigate a mysterious death on board an isolated space station. Pre-production is expected to get underway this month.
CTV has announced its landed exclusive, multi-platform Canadian rights to the U.S. version of international reality show Love Island. The multi-night dating competition series will anchor CTV’s summer schedule. The Love Island format, which is owned by ITV Studios and Motion Content Group, has delivered record-breaking audiences overseas. It first debuted in the UK, where Series 4 of the show became British network ITV2’s most-popular series ever last year.
Thunderbird Entertainment has reached a distribution deal with Encore Airlines for the first two seasons of Kim’s Convenience. The deal will see the series made available for in-flight viewing on Cathay Pacific, Emirates, SilkAir, Scoot, Royal Brunei Airways, Thai Airways, Qantas, and Qatar Airways. The partnership follows a deal earlier this year with Yoon & Company to distribute the comedy on cable TV in Japan and Korea, and ongoing partnerships with Netflix for global streaming rights, and Amazon for VOD rights in the U.S. and UK. Season 4 of the series begins shooting this spring.
ABC Studios’ drama A Million Little Things pumped more than $27 million in spending into the B.C. economy, according to a new report from MNP LLP. During the making of Season 1, the production spent over $13 million on goods and services in B.C., engaging more than 750 local businesses in 32 communities. Over $14 million was spent on B.C. production crew and labour, with 380 local jobs created. For the first two episodes, the production used the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) to double as Boston Garden. One of 65 film and television projects to shoot at the PNE in 2017, the non-profit organization generated record revenue of more than $1 million. A Million Little Things has been picked up for a second season.
Stingray has announced a new round of offerings with Bell Fibe TV. Subscribers can now access on-demand services Stingray Qello and Stingray Karaoke. Stingray Karaoke features 7,000 sing along selections, while Stingray Qello, described by Forbes as “the Netflix of concert films and documentaries,” has a catalogue expected to grow to 2,000 titles in the coming months.
TLN Media Group is relocating from its current Steeles Ave. W. location in North York to Columbus Centre. Starting in September, TLN’s production and editing facilities and corporate offices will occupy the centre’s second floor, housing about 60 staff. The space will undergo renovations over the summer.
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