With the release of our Winter 2014 issue, Playback is pleased to announce Barbara Williams as our Person of the Year.

Unveiled on the cover of the issue, Williams, who is EVP of broadcasting and president of Shaw Media, has had a high-profile and successful 2014, coming into the role of president in late fall, alongside the release of its much-vaunted “OTT” partnership with Rogers, shomi. Read a full feature on Williams in the print issue, now in mailboxes, or in the Friday, Nov. 28 edition of Playback Daily.

Featuring the hottest people, companies and content of the year, as well as our latest Hall of Fame inductees and entertainment industry features, content from Playback’s print issue will be rolling out on PlaybackOnline.ca over the next two weeks. Check the newsletter daily for content.

Playback is also pleased to announce the latest inductee to our Canadian Film and Television Hall of Fame in the Industry Builder category. This prestigious honour, awarded to those who have helped foster and build the Canadian entertainment industry, this year goes to Andra Sheffer, Canada’s digital champion and awards trailblazer.

Also inducted into Playback Film and Television Hall of Fame (for the second time!) is writer/director Paul Haggis, whose work in Haiti has earned him the 2014 Humanitarian Award.

Print copies of Playback are currently on their way to subscribers and online subscribers will see new content every day, starting with our Person of the Year.

A digital copy of our issue can be found here. Click here for a PDF version.

Stories

• Person of the Year: Barbara Williams
• Media Company of the Year: Blue Ant Media
• Programming profile: DHX’s Michael Goldsmith
• Producer of the Year: Paperny Entertainment
• The Canadian comedy showrunner survey
• Channel of the Year: Discovery Channel Canada
• Faded glory: The state of film in the digital world
• Playback Canadian Film & TV Hall of Fame: Andra Sheffer
• Director of the Year, French-language film: Xavier Dolan
• Scripted show of the Year: Vikings