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TV
Sluggish launch for Gravity
Domestic sci-fi series plays better at home than in U.S.
The perils of Yank scribes
Is a ‘Canadian drama’ still a ‘Canadian drama’ if Americans work in the writers room?’
Saving the whales
Paul Watson first gained notoriety as an early member of environmental crusaders Greenpeace (with them from 1971 to 1977, their split was acrimonious – he says he was a founding member, while they say he wasn’t. He left in 1977). As the founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and star of Animal Planet’s hit show Whale Wars, Watson still isn’t one to mince words. His direct action approach to activism has consistently generated controversy (a peek at the Whale Wars message forum can vouch for that) and its share of danger, but, he argues, it also generates results that are for the betterment of the planet. But Watson doesn’t care what people think – he says his clients are the whales.
Paperny Films: Unscripted insights
People who don’t know David Paperny tend to view him as that quirky Vancouver producer behind the S&M TV series Kink; a colorful and lively character who wears a black cowboy hat and shows up at parties in leather pants.
3 things you may not know about… Kevin Tierney
Producer Kevin Tierney
Story takes indie approach
Richard Story has been a filmmaker since he picked up a black-and-white camera back in 1980. But when APTN put out a call for submissions to create a pilot for potential development into a series, he decided to make the leap to TV and created a script called The Time Traveler.
Cancellations ‘a disaster,’ says doc group
CBC’s cancellation of both The Lens and Wild Docs is ‘a disaster for independent documentary filmmakers,’ according to John Christou, the co-chair of the Documentary Organization of Canada.
Corus buying SexTV, Drive-In Classics
Corus Entertainment is moving to buy SexTV and Drive-In Classics from CTVglobemedia – putting up $40 million for the cable channels.
New player buys Brandon station
Bluepoint Investment Corporation has bought CKX, taking the Brandon, MB station from CTV for the modest price of $1. The company plans to reprogram it with ‘extremely local’ and what it calls ‘wow television,’ says founder and owner Bruce Claassen.
New programming for Pattison
The three E!-branded stations owned by the Jim Pattison Group have secured a new pipeline of U.S. series from Rogers Broadcasting, as Canwest sells off its share of the underperforming network. Starting Sept. 1, Pattison’s CFJC, CKPG and CHAT stations in Western Canada will receive around 40 hours of programming per week from Rogers as part of a new output deal. The move was prompted by the pending demise of Canwest’s E! network, which supplied content to the three Pattison E! stations, including U.S. series Deal or No Deal and The Apprentice.
Shaw buying Ontario cableco
Shaw Communications is moving to buy Mountain Cablevision, adding one of the country’s last family-owned cablecos to its holdings.
Shaw playing ‘dirty pool’ says rival
Novus Entertainment turns to feds and B.C. court over allegedly unfair pricing
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