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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

Blue Ant promotes Craig Junner to lead Canadian media strategy

Junner will oversee content and programming for Blue Ant’s linear channels, while Sarah Etherden is tapped as VP, global communications.

November 17, 2020

Middle Child Films preps Levels for 2021

The sci-fi feature starring Mpho Koaho (pictured) is the directorial debut of Vancouver-based VFX artist and viral short creator Adam Stern, who will produce the film under his Orbital Mechanics banner.

November 17, 2020

Playback’s 10 to Watch roundtable

VIDEO: The first five recipients of this year’s 10 to Watch sit down for a deep-dive discussion on barriers to entering the industry, Indigenous narrative sovereignty and opportunities in streaming.

November 16, 2020

Thruline Entertainment expands its Canadian scope

The U.S. management firm and production company has opened a Canadian office in Montreal, led by manager and partner Marc Hamou.

November 16, 2020

Pinewood Toronto Studios expansion to complete in 2022

Construction has started on a 200,000 square-foot expansion of Pinewood Toronto, including five new soundstages and additional office space for multiple productions.

November 13, 2020

Shudder revives Slasher for season four

Canadian horror legend David Cronenberg joins the cast of Shaftesbury’s horror anthology, with Hollywood Suite holding exclusive broadcast rights in Canada.

November 12, 2020

In brief: Guru Studio hires Lauren Leinburd for business affairs role

Plus: The CRTC sets a date for CBC’s licence renewal hearing, The Umbrella Academy plots its return to Toronto in 2021 and WFF names its Women in Focus Mentorship participants.

November 12, 2020

Playback’s 10 to Watch: Darren Anthony

Anthony’s carefully crafted writing talent has impressed the likes of CBC and Children Ruin Everything creator Kurt Smeaton as he uses his past experiences to write untold and relatable stories.

November 11, 2020

Monkey Beach, Come True rake in festival awards

Monkey Beach swept the feature film categories at San Francisco’s American Indian Film Festival, while Come True came out “bloodie.”

November 10, 2020

Departure soars in the ratings for Global

The channel has named Departure its No. 1 new series this fall, with an average audience of 1.2 million so far in its six-episode run.

November 9, 2020

Nova Scotia to continue support for incentive fund into 2025/26

The commitment offers much-needed stability to the local industry as it eyes potential growth in production volume due to the region’s low number of COVID-19 cases.

November 6, 2020

Crystal Award honourees unveiled for the virtual gala

Jennifer Kawaja, Marsha Greene and Beth Janson are among the winners of the 2020 Crystal Awards, with the gala event set to run virtually on Dec. 1.

November 6, 2020