Terminal City and Corner Gas dominated the podium at the eighth annual Leo Awards earlier this month, edging out the heavily nominated, and cancelled, Godiva’s and The Collector.
Hollywood loves remakes and sequels, and so apparently does the Banff World Television Festival. Canadian Leaders Talk Trends: The View from the Top returns this year for what looks to be one of the best-attended sessions of the panel-packed festival. There are 16 panels in total, ranging from such familiar themes as diversity in broadcasting and reality TV to a novel look at new revenue opportunities from the educational market, as well as spotlights on Brazil and Asia.
A new children’s channel and a block of cartoons to be seen on stations across the U.S. will be powered, in part, by programming from Nelvana, according to the terms of a major deal announced earlier this month.
Peace Arch Entertainment has inked a deal with San Diego, CA-based Genius Products to distribute five titles to American homes, just days after picking up a 500-title library from Castle Hill Productions and Dream Productions, both of New York.
Cable group expands
With shows like Survivor and the CSI franchise making it the most-watched network in the U.S., CBS Television will receive the Banff World Television Festival’s Outstanding Achievement Award.
The revolving door at CBC continued to spin this month, with Sally Catto rejoining the net as creative head of drama, taking over for the freshly exited Susan Morgan.
Bill White has stepped down as president of William F. White International, ending 35 years at the top of the country’s largest equipment supplier. The reins of the company have been passed to Larry Sacchetti, who will continue as EVP and COO, and chairman/CEO Paul Bronfman.
Just for Laughs Gags, the seven-year-old show spawned by the Montreal comedy festival, has sold six half-hour episodes to ABC in the U.S.
The makers of Falcon Beach have replaced the show’s entire creative team as shooting of its second season gets underway in Manitoba.
Though short films are a great way to create a calling card, getting them seen is awfully difficult.
Searching for guidance on money and content in mobile entertainment, some 200 producers and broadcasters put their heads together at the first Playback Mobile Forum, held in Toronto on May 11.