In the career trajectory of Canadian screenwriter Karen Walton, historic dates might be listed as ‘BB’ or ‘AB’ – as in life before the 1992 Banff Television Festival and the whole ‘life as writer to watch’ period after.

To speak to Don McKellar, you might find him a curious choice to lead a Banff master class on writing.

Gerald Lunz doesn’t appear too nervous about participating as the subject of a Banff master class on writing. Perhaps he seems comfortable because he’ll be up there with Rick Mercer, a man with whom he has worked and laughed for more than a decade, the pair making up a partnership known as Island Edge (see Mercer story, p. 29). Or maybe it’s because the title of the master class is ‘Driving the Comedy Bus,’ a topic he understands very well.

Janet Yale is president and CEO of the Canadian Cable Television Association. She will be at Banff to participate in a State of Television panel session entitled Fragmentation, Concentration and Diversity. Here she provides a preview of some of her thoughts .

Glenn O’Farrell is president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. He will be at Banff participating in the State of Television panel session entitled Fragmentation, Concentration & Diversity.

CHUM’s Paul Gratton is VP and GM of Space: The Imagination Station and Drive-In Classics and station manager of Bravo! NewStyleArtsChannel. At Banff he will be sitting on a State of Television panel for a session entitled National Cinema – Box Office or Broadcast?, which explores realistic objectives in developing Canuck movies, particularly in English Canada.

Vancouver: For a handful of Vancouver-based producers, there is a yin and yang to their business plans – or perhaps, more specifically, a yen and Yank.

The Alberta film production industry has traditionally been hit-and-miss in attracting the high-profile productions that would bring the likes of Access Hollywood or Entertainment Tonight to town in tow. Despite the province’s variable track record – which does include Unforgiven and some of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies – recent coups such as the Kevin Costner western Open Range and scenes from X2 might be pointing the way to a more steady stream of big productions coming to shoot.

If the casts and crews of Alberta-based film and TV productions are wary of eating the province’s beef after the recent ‘mad cow disease’ scare, local caterers are ready to offer up plenty of alternatives.

Winnipeg is gearing up for what is being heralded as its biggest production ever, when Miramax brings the musical feature Shall We Dance? to town June 23 for a 10-week shoot.

Canadian Comedy Award winner Brent Butt is ramping up to star in Corner Gas, the first CTV series shot entirely in Saskatchewan.

Vancouver: It’s getting more expensive to attend National Lampoon’s Family Reunion. With the Canadian loonie flying high, the cost of currency exchange for the U.S. production gearing up in Vancouver is starting to mount for West Coast service producer James Shavick.
‘It’s a problem,’ says Shavick of the improving Canadian dollar. ‘Preproduction has started and the costs are containable. But you have to have a jaundiced eye toward the budget and make changes. Kodak isn’t about to lower its prices and the actors aren’t working for less. That means we have to beat up our suppliers.’