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Kelly Townsend

Kelly Townsend is the editor at Playback, with previous experience in B2B and entertainment journalism. Before joining the Playback team in 2018, she worked in the editorial, marketing and communication departments at B2B publisher Dovetail Communications. She has a bachelor's degree in English from York University and is a graduate of Humber College’s journalism program. Her byline has appeared in IndieWire and she spent several years covering Canadian TV as associate editor of The TV Junkies.

Posts by Kelly Townsend

CBC, Nickelodeon Int’l, ITV, BYUtv greenlight marblemedia’s next family comedy

Overlord and the Underwoods is created by Anthony Q. Farrell and Cloudco Entertainment’s Ryan Wiesbrock, with an Oscar-winning designer on board to craft its unique characters.

March 16, 2021

Rogers to acquire Shaw in $26 billion deal

The legacies of Ted Rogers and JR Shaw are set to merge in the massive deal, with the Shaw family to become one of the largest shareholders of Rogers Communications.

March 15, 2021

Campagna’s Six Guns for Hire rolls in Toronto

Colm Feore will headline the western, written and co-directed by Matthew Campagna alongside co-director Melissa D’Agostino, with production launched this week.

March 12, 2021

Crave’s first French-language original to debut this spring

While the streamer has steadily increased its French-language content since early 2020, Sortez-moi de moi will be the first Crave original series.

March 12, 2021

Super Channel hosts The Parker Andersons on Heart & Home

The broadcaster has picked up the Canadian rights to marblemedia and Beachwood Canyon Productions’ related sitcoms about a blended interracial family.

March 10, 2021

Kim’s Convenience cast ‘heartbroken’ following decision to scrap season six

The series had been renewed for a sixth season by CBC in 2020, but will now come to an end on April 13.

March 8, 2021

Big Bad Boo hires Nikki Whaites as VP, international development

Based in Toronto, Whaites will help the company build on its existing education program work with organizations such as UNICEF.

March 8, 2021

Transplant leads WGC Screenwriting Awards nominations

Winners of the annual Canadian screenwriting celebration will be announced virtually on April 26, when the guild will reveal the 2021 Showrunner of the Year.

March 5, 2021

Director James Mark takes Control in Toronto

Cameras roll on Mark’s fourth feature this month, using real-time virtual production services from Toronto-based studio Immersion Room.

March 5, 2021

Netflix launches Women in Post with Canadian Academy through global fund

The program is supported through a US$5 million investment in women-targeted programs, with funding also going to two scripts developed through imagineNATIVE.

March 4, 2021

Blue Ant Media to launch BBC First in Canada

The channel is an extension of Blue Ant’s partnership with BBC Studios following the launch of BBC Earth in 2017, and will feature scripted and unscripted programming.

March 3, 2021

Roku acquires The Wedding Planners for U.S. audiences

The Brain Power Studio-produced series was commissioned by Citytv in 2020 for its Fall in Love Fridays lineup.

March 2, 2021