Toronto production house Breakthrough Films and Television continues to produce television content at a breakneck rate. Currently in development are 26 half-hours of the reality documentary series Kids World Sports for Global, PBS and Clear Channel out of New York.

Kids World Sports follows the stories of child athletes from around the world. One episode could include a kickboxer from China, a baseball player in Cuba and a soccer team from Croatia.

Breakthrough co-owner Ira Levy will executive produce and produce with partner Peter Williamson. Kevin Gillis and Steve Hecht are also executive producing. Jonathan Gross is attached as writer and Barri Cohen has been signed to direct the pilot, currently in production.

‘We’re planning on going into production on 26 episodes next summer,’ Levy says. The series, to be shot around the world, is budgeted at around $200,000 per episode. Breakthrough Entertainment will act as distributor.

Also in development are 13 half-hours of SWAP TV, a tween series in which two children switch lives for a weekend. The show will look at scenarios like swapping the lives of a city kid and a farm boy. According to a Breakthrough one-sheet: ‘The swappers, and in turn the viewers, will break down stereotypes, increase their social awareness and acceptance, satisfy their curiosities and have tons of fun along the way.’

SWAP TV is to be executive produced out of Toronto by Levy and Williamson. Supervising producer is Kirsten Scollie.The series was developed for television by Heather Findlay, Ingrid Moe, Kirsty Nordal and Tatyana Terzopoulos
(Bouncing Ball Productions). A director is yet to be confirmed.

Budgeted at $1 million for all 13 half-hours, the show is produced with the financial participation of TVOntario, Knowledge Network, Access Alberta and the Saskatchewan Communications Network.

Breakthrough will handle distribution for the project, currently in preproduction.

A coproduction with London, Eng. prodco Winklemania is also in the works at the Toronto house. I Love Mummy is slated for 26 episodes and is financed by the Shaw Children’s Fund, along with broadcasters YTV and BBC. Budgeted at $250,000 per ep, the series is targeted for production in February 2002.

I Love Mummy revolves around a 13-year-old boy and his family who inherit a 4,000-year-old Egyptian mummy which comes to life and proceeds to hog the family’s remote control.

Jackie May (Riverdale, Material World) will pen the series, to be produced by Levy and Williamson alongside Winklemania’s Ellis Iddon and Phil Meagher.

In November, Breakthrough is going to camera on 65 half-hours of hybrid talk show Real Men for diginet Men TV. It is also starting production on doc series McMaster, 13 half-hours following the stories of doctors and interns at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON, to air on Life Network and Discovery Health Canada.

Word from ExtendMedia

ExtendMedia, having gone through three major rounds of layoffs since October 2000, is back with a new business model – and a new job. The company, now with 40 employees instead of 170, recently completed work on the interactive components for 13 episodes of a new show for PBS called Life 360.

The $100,000 service contract marks the dawn of the new Extend. Greg Rossetti, development executive at Extend explains: ‘We’ve really tightened our belts and turned this place into a 100% service company now. Whereas before we were getting involved in original content production, now we are a very lean, mean services company in the interactive television space.’

Among the interactive features provided to the show by Extend are bookmarks, which earmark a viewer’s particular interest at the end of the show and prompt an e-mail to that viewer with relevant information. As well, Extend worked on a polling feature with realtime results.

At this point, neither the enhancements nor the show are available in Canada. PBS began airing Life 360 at the beginning of October.

Rossetti expects Extend will continue to work with the U.S. pubcaster. ‘This was a flagship piece for PBS in terms of going forward and establishing the necessary relationships with the operators in order to offer these interactive services,’ he says.

What Manifest Destiny?

Toronto’s S&S Productions’ spin-off Yankee Doodle Productions wrapped a one-hour pilot for The American In Canada Show on Oct. 11. The eight-day shoot lensed the story of Jake Crewe, a top Phoenix radio morning man sacked for beating up his station manager. Desperate, Crewe takes a job on a little-known Calgary morning show – Wake Up Calgary.

Producer Sari Friedland says ‘the humor comes from the differences between Americans and Canadians, through the eyes of an American.’ However, she cautions, ‘it’s not a sitcom. It’s a dramedy.’

Funding sources for the production include CBC, Telefilm Canada, the CTF, S&S and tax credits. The show is budgeted at less than $1 million.

What Friedland describes as an ‘amazing’ cast is highlighted by Rick Roberts (Traders), who will play the lead role, and Kids in the Hall’s Scott Thompson, making a cameo as Jake’s L.A. agent. Executive producers on the project are Dave Smith and scriptwriter Howard Busgang, who created the show with Jebb Fink. DOP Luc Montpellier worked alongside director Shawn Alex Thompsom.

Friedland says CBC is looking to air the pilot before the end of 2001.

Portfolio keeps it true

Portfolio Entertainment is in production on two MOWs for CTV. Currently at the outline stage, Tracking the Hunters is the true story of a mathematician by day/beat cop by night. Developing a geographical profiling system that tracks serial killers to their doorstep, this ‘true Canadian hero’ sparks a crime-fighting revolution.

Bob Carney has been hired to write the project, and Lisa Olfman is producing. Olfman will also act as executive producer along with Joy Rosen. With no confirmed budget, Portfolio’s VP of development Lila Rose says ‘Cogeco is already on board for development financing.’

The Pastor and the P.I. is another MOW based on a true story. This one looks at a small town, with the exception of its pastor, being charmed and swindled by a man posing as a minister. As the pastor begins detective work, he meets up with a retired P.I. and together they bring the con artist to justice.

Peter Lauterman has been hired to write the script, to be produced by Rosen and Olfman.

VP development Rose says, ‘In addition to CTV’s commitment, the executive producers are also in discussions with several distribution companies regarding financing.’

Neither production dates nor air dates have been set for the projects.

Technically Funny at New RO

Ottawa’s Distinct Features is producing a pilot for a six-episode series for CHUM’s new local Ottawa network, The New RO. Technically Funny is a half-hour sketch comedy show poking fun at all things Ottawa.

‘It’s going to have a political bent to it,’ says Joanna D’Angelo. ‘It’s going to make fun of local politics and national stuff, too. It’s going to be like SCTV meets This Hour Has 22 Minutes.’

Derek Diorio is directing the pilot, penned by Dan Lalande and Rick Kaulbars. Diorio and Lalande are also members of the cast.

Funding for the low-budget project is being garnered through CHUM. The 15-day shoot wraps the first week of November. Technically Funny will start airing in 2002 on The New RO.