In the midst of the consolidation rush that has seen a cluster of media giants on a buying spree for the past couple years, operations are beginning to take precedence and media conglomerates like Corus Entertainment are starting to trim the fat, centralizing departments and doing away with inevitable synergies.
‘The time has come that Corus will stop acquiring for a while and start operating. John Cassaday has made that clear, but this makes my job less rather than more,’ says Patrick Loubert, recently resigned cofounder of Corus-acquired Nelvana.
Despite corporate clashes or synergies, Loubert says Corus respected that it bought a 31-year-old company with a distinct culture. ‘We were largely a production company and [Corus has] left the production side alone, but times are tough – either you centralize or decentralize.’

Commercial directors spill on their careers, accomplishments and the ideas that propel them to new advertising heights. This month we check in with…

The lineup of industry intervenors for the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage’s review of the broadcasting system includes the CFTPA, the Canadian Television Fund and the Canadian Independent Film & Video Fund on Nov. 27. ‘Content’ submissions from Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, Telefilm Canada, CAVCO and the CRTC follow on Nov. 29.

Over the past 15 years of publishing Playback, we at Brunico have had the privilege to watch, monitor and comment on the growth and challenges of the Canadian film and television industry. But what is more, the efforts and accomplishments of this industry’s leaders have inspired and influenced the direction we have been taking our own company.

Asked what the biggest industry story of 2001 was, 35.86% of Playback respondents answered Sept. 11. The runners up were:

He is the best man who, when making his plans, fears and reflects on everything that can happen to him, but in the moment of action is bold.

The Players Film Company is launching a high-end commercial production satellite called Pure Film, headed up by Players’ Phil Mellows and partner/executive producer Brian Atkinson, that will bid against and compete with Players in the Canadian market.
Players will vacate its funky Mowat Avenue home in Toronto after five years to make way for its fledgling satellite, which takes over the space in mid-December when Players moves into new digs on nearby Pardee Street.

Following are addenda to our Oct. 29 listings of Canadian commercial production companies and commercial animation houses.

Last issue, the Young & Rubicam Toronto creative team of Marc Melanson and Ian Kiar was behind the creative on Ford’s ‘Umbrella’ spot, number three in this year’s OTS Top Spots competition.

Manta Sound, which has recorded with musicians from Neil Young to Oscar Peterson and has created audio for a who’s who of Canadian advertisers, has received a temporary reprieve from the wrecking ball – just in time to celebrate its 30th birthday.
Manta – the recording arm of Manta Digital Sound & Picture, which is owned by Command Post and Transfer – was set to vacate its Adelaide Street East location in Toronto and take up residence in MDSP’s studio a few blocks away.

Ex-Torontonian Nadine Gray has returned to her native Montreal and joined Kissfilms as executive producer.

* Andrew Johnson has been appointed the new commissioning editor of CBC Newsworld’s documentary series Rough Cuts. Johnson worked in independent doc production for 10 years before joining the CBC in 1994 to develop the Gemini Award-winning program FutureWorld, hosted by Evan Solomon.

After 10 years with Toronto post house Third Floor Editing, executive producer Jane Broadfoot has left the company to pursue life as a freelance post producer.

shots & Chasers tracks who shot what during the previous month. Production companies are invited to fax information for this column as frequently as possible to Dustin Dinoff at (416) 408-0870. The next deadline for submissions is Wednesday, Dec. 12.

Over his many decades in the business, Larry Wolf has seen his fair share of commercial productions. So when the chairman of Toronto-based Wolf Group says he’s never seen anything like the effort and quick turnaround to complete a ‘Canada Loves New York’ spot, you can take his word on it.