Happy Canada Day, Playback readers! Herewith, our regular Friday package of briefs.

TV premieres

Bounty Hunters (pictured), a 13-episode half-hour animated comedy series produced by Montreal’s Muse Entertainment and Parallel Entertainment that is executive produced by actor Jeff Foxworthy, is to premiere on The Comedy Network on July 17 at 10 p.m. ET. The series, which will air south of the border on CMT, also has a digital component, produced by Muse and Big Jump Interactive (whose Big Jump Productions also did the series’ animation work) entitled Skeeter Creek Armchair Racer. It is to be released on July 16, with information on accessing it available via The Comedy Network’s website and social media offerings.

Season three of Bravo’s drama series Suits is to also premiere July 17 at 10 p.m. ET. The scripted dramedy is lensed in Toronto and stars many Canadians, including Patrick J. Adams in a leading role. It is carried in south of the border by USA Network.

Pitch competitions

The organizers of the Gimli Film Festival have unveiled the filmmakers in the running for the annual $10,000 RBC-sponsored pitch competition. The pitch contest will take place July 25 during the Winnipeg fest that runs July 24 to 28. The filmmakers, and their project titles, are:

• Nate Bower (Brandon, MB) – A Moment of Your Time
• Orlando Braun (Winnipeg, MB) – I Dream of Prison
• Tyson Caron (Winnipeg, MB) – The Devil You Don’t Know
• Aidan Ritchie (Winnipeg, MB) – Arthur’s Story: Ballad of a Murder
• Brodie Sanderson (Winnipeg, MB) – The Death of Aleksander Laak
• Kyle Sanderson (Dauphin, MB) – Black Rainbow

The pitch competition will be preceded by the premiering of the short film Mark, made by 2012 pitch winner Justina Neepin.

Meanwhile, earlier this week the TIFF Studio announced the winners of the pitch session that was staged as part of its Screenwriting Intensive conference held last weekend. The winner of the jury award was Carolyn Bennett for her script The Mac and Watson Springtime Reeferendum Show. Her script editor was Maureen Dorey Lukie. Bennett received a cash prize of $5,000. The winner of the audience award was Nadia Litz for her script The People Garden. Her script editor was Marietta Von Hausswolf Von Baumgarten. Litz also received a complimentary TIFF industry event access throughout the year and during the festival.

Soundtrack

Sony Music is releasing the original soundtrack of Canadian coproduced period series Vikings digitally July 2. It features music by Canadian composer Trevor Morris and a main theme song If I Had a Heart by Fever Ray. It features 37 score cues composed by Morris in 2013.

App news

Toronto interactive agency Secret Location has teamed up with Tribeca Film, the Drug Policy Alliance and the Tow Center for Digital Journalism to develop Tug of War on Drugs, the official mobile application for the documentary How to Make Money Selling Drugs from director Matthew Cooke and producers Adrian Grenier and Bert Marcus. It is now available at the iTunes App Store. The film is receiving a theatrical release in Canada and the U.S. now.

Award news

Earlier this week the winners of the 2013 PromaxBDA North American and Global awards competitions were announced. In addition to Bell Media taking several prizes, there were numerous Canadian TV winners in various categories.

• Shaw Media won in the category Design Art Direction and Design: Consumer or Trade Ad – Program gold for its Sci-Fi Tuesdays: Extra Tearrestial promo; in the category North American Consumer or Print Campaign gold for its Global: This is our season promo; in the category Outdoor/Environtmental/Transit Ad Campaign: Channel it took both gold for its History: Made By promo and silver for its Lifetime: Your Favourite New Channel promo
• CBC took bronze in the category of Art Direction and design, News Program Promotion Package for its graphic designs on The National; and silver in the category of Total Package Art Direction and Design: Channel Image for its use of multiple media in its Canada Lives Here promo
• Radio-Canada won bronze in the Art Direction and Design: News Program Open/Titles category for its program Colere en Amerique/Anger in America
• Teletoon Canada took bronze in the category Art Direct and Design: Key Art/Poster for its Cartoon Network launch poster
• Rogers Sportsnet won bronze for its Why Do You Watch? promo in the category of On-Air Typography
• Quebec-based company The Format People won bronze in the category of Total Package Art Direction and Design: Channel Image for its Cross Media Promotion – Content work on branding Mongolia’s Mongol TV.