Former Players Film Company executive producer Luc Frappier has joined Spy Films, taking on the role of managing partner and executive producer.

He is perhaps one of the most overlooked creative minds in Canadian advertising. His name is not engraved on the dozens of awards his agency has won in the last decade, but ask any creative who has passed through the doors of Palmer Jarvis DDB, and they will tell you that success of the shop since the early 1990s and the vision of Ron Woodall are inextricably linked.

Bud Light is becoming a perennial favorite at the Bessies.

First came Bud Light’s ‘Vikings/Attic Launcher/Figure Skating’ campaign from Palmer Jarvis DDB creative team David Chiavegato and Rich Pryce-Jones, which won the 2001 best in show Bessie. Then came a 2002 best of series writing nod for Chiavegato for the Bud Light spot ‘Sin and Sentimentality.’

In what is being framed as a ‘catastrophic’ blow to Canadian TV drama, producers have been left picking their jaws up off the sidewalk after a full 64% of CTF applications were turned down earlier this month. This, following a year of hand-wringing over the state of Canadian drama in the wake of declines in new programming and a stall in production growth in 2002.

With literally the entire world watching, one of the more underrated candy brands is pulling off what may prove to be the most significant brand awareness campaign of the year. I’m speaking of course of Skittles.

The familiar drums of diversification have begun to beat. Familiar, at least from this chair, because in addition to my duties as editor of Playback, I also edit PB spin-off On The Spot, a trade devoted to the business of commercial production.

Watching the primetime news conference March 6 of U.S. President George W. Bush, I was struck by how stiff the entire event was. I couldn’t help but feel that R2D2 would have been more successful in affecting a less mechanical performance.

With several sponsored programs already under the belt of Toronto-based Generator Films, parent commercial producer Avion Films is set to jump into the category with a new lifestyle/cooking show that will be financed almost entirely through sponsorship deals. It is the first of what Avion partner Michael Schwartz hopes will be several ‘branded programming’ initiatives out of the prodco.

Sarah Ker-Hornell has left Toronto-based Generator Films in what she and the company are terming a mutual parting of ways.

Less than a year after opening The Park City Film Company, J.J. Lyons has departed the commercial production house he cofounded.

In long-form production producers have begun acknowledging the power of branded content. On the advertising side, there is a greater acceptance of the notion of using a client’s investment to produce an entire program or series.