Molly of Denali nominated for Peabody Award

U.S./Canada animated series Molly of Denali is one of two Children’s and Youth series nominated for a 2019 Peabody Awards. The series is coproduced by Thunderbird Entertainment-owned studio Atomic Cartoons and the WGBH Educational Foundation. Molly of Denali follows a young Indigenous girl in Alaska as she explores her surroundings with her dog and her friends. The Peabody Awards annually honour broadcast and digital media projects varying from television, radio, documentaries and news. Of the 60 titles nominated, 30 will go home with awards. This year’s Peabody ceremony, originally set for June 18, was postponed due to COVID-19, and a new date to announce the winners has not been determined yet.

Letterkenny writer in development with AMC on Rob Ford series

Canadian screenwriter Jesse McKeown is in development on a limited series about former Toronto mayor Rob Ford with U.S. network AMC. Actor Jim Gaffigan is attached to star as Ford, while McKeown will serve as executive producer alongside Ed Helms and Mike Falbo under their prodco Pacific Electric Picture Co. Michael Dowse is also on board to direct and executive produce. McKeown has written for Canadian series such as Letterkenny, 19-2, The Romeo Section and Republic of Doyle. The news was first reported by Variety.

Vancouver studio up for Webby Award

Creative production studio Kelly&Kelly is up for two Webby Awards for the satirical short Aftershot, produced with The New York Times. The team is nominated for Best Writing and Public Service & Activism in the video category for the short, which covered gun control reform in the U.S. Other Canadian nominees include the National Film Board of Canada, which is nominated for Immersive and Mixed Reality: Animation in the video category for Gymnasia and for Education & Reference in the apps, mobile and voice category for East of the Rockies; meanwhile, CBC earned nominations for its podcasts Other People’s Problems and The Band Played On in Health & Wellness and Crime & Justice, respectively. The winners of this year’s Webby Awards will be announced May 19