Canada is set to get more TV writers with potential to produce their own shows after Bell Media and the Canadian Film Centre pacted on a new showrunner bootcamp.

The latest initiative from the advanced media training centre will see three to four experienced Canadian TV writers annually given tools to deliver a show through development to production.

“In the ever-changing Canadian TV business, creating and delivering successful series has never been more demanding, and the need for experienced and committed showrunners never greater,” said Corrie Coe, SVP of independent production at Bell Media, in a statement.

The Canadian industry has long debated whether it has enough homegrown showrunners as producers with Los Angeles development offices press funders to allow American writers and showrunners onto Canadian projects to better sell them internationally.

The CFC, which already runs labs to produce Canada’s next generation of Hollywood actors, theatrical comedies and new media product, now wants to encourage the country’s next Tassie Cameron, Hart Hanson or David Shore.

“Showrunning is a complex and vital role to getting great shows on the air. We are excited to work closely with experienced TV writers, who possess many of the unique qualities, demeanor and vision to carry a show from development through to delivery,” Kathryn Emslie, the CFC’s director of film and TV programs, added in her own statement.

The inaugural Showrunner Bootcamp will take place in February 2012 over over ten days in Toronto, followed by up to five days in Los Angeles learning from Hollywood showrunners.

The participants will then be mentored to ensure they achieve their knowledge and career goals.

Photo: CFC Media Lab Panel: YouTube – Storytelling & Distribution Platform / Canadian Film Centre, Flickr Creative Commons