Vancouver: Pinewood Sound in Vancouver was among the thankees in Jon Johnson’s Oscar acceptance speech as winner of best sound editing for Universal’s submarine movie U571….

To some, Angel Films director Aubrey Singer’s ‘Lightning Strikes Again’ spot for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind is shocking. The 30-second PSA for the CNIB’s first lottery fundraiser is currently airing across Canada and is generating some great response…

Workers Compensation …

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has nominated a small but significant number of Canadian programs and talent for the 28th annual Daytime Emmy Awards, to be broadcast from Radio City Music Hall on May 18….

The Local Heroes International Film Festival in Edmonton wound up its 15th anniversary year with the sellout of the international premiere screening of Lyndon Chubbuck’s The War Bride, starring Molly Parker. However, some of the eight-day festival’s biggest moments came from…

Demand is increasing for the 36 preselected pitch slots at Hot Docs’ second annual Toronto Documentary Forum, May 2-3….

Andy Keen’s Toronto commercial production start-up, The Horse’s Mouth, must have had a line in the launch budget for carrots. To promote the new shop, Keen shipped fresh carrots all over Toronto along with the company’s demo reel.
The Horse’s Mouth describes itself as ‘a unique company specializing in independent commercial production with budgets under $40,000.’ The company’s doors opened in mid-March, coinciding with the mass shipment of carrots and reels. ‘The package went out to 45 or 50 agencies,’ Keen says.
Whether the carrots improve the vision of those viewing the company reel remains to be seen. However, Keen is confident there is a market for his new-style company.

Talking to Palmer Jarvis DDB associate creative directors Dave Chiavegato and Rich Pryce-Jones is like doing lemonade with Robin Williams on a particularly manic day. From the hilariously irreverent to the smooth professionalism of seasoned pros, Chiavegato and Pryce-Jones are sure to keep you on your toes.
‘Rich is responsible for all the great work,’ Chiavegato begins, working his dry wit. ‘He carries the entire team. I just want to start out by saying that.’ Pryce-Jones, clearly adept at going with Chiavegato’s flow, responds by declaring himself ‘an incompetent jackass.’

Gino Cantalini, Labatt’s director of partner brands (Budweiser, Bud Light and Carlsberg), has tremendous respect for Palmer Jarvis DDB’s associate creative director team of Dave Chiavegato and Rich Pryce-Jones. ‘They are probably one of our biggest competitive advantages right now on…

Sullivan Entertainment may have closed shop on Wind at my Back but it continues to forge ahead into the feature film arena with three new in-house productions: Anne: The Animated Movie, Timothy Findley’s Famous Last Words and New Haven, based on Isobelle Carmody’s novel The Gathering.
Sullivan’s new feature film division will produce and finance the projects.

Montreal: Cineflix has a new deal with the Women’s Television Network for e-love (working title), 26 half-hour episodes billed as the first global Internet dating series. ‘It’s different from a blind date [concept] in that the people we’re following are already committed [online] – or in ‘e-love,’ ‘ says producer Glen Salzman.
Once the online ties are in place, the show tracks the intrepid dating pairs as they prepare to meet in the flesh, complete with a summary epilogue.

Avion Films’ executive producer Paola Lazzeri has worked with a lot of creative teams in her career. However, she takes particular pleasure in discussing Chiavegato and Pryce-Jones….

Vancouver: Fresh from their Academy Award parties late last month, previous Oscar winners Al Pacino, Hilary Swank and Robin Williams will be in Vancouver April 19 to June 20 to shoot the Warner Bros.-distributed Insomnia (Alcon Entertainment).
This is a psychological thriller with serious Hollywood muscle behind it. Not only does its cast boast the big hardware, but Steven Soderbergh, George Clooney and Charlie Schlissel (Red Planet) are executive producers.
Three Kings alumni Paul Witt and Ed McDonnell reunite as producers with the team of Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson from Dude, Where’s My Car? (Quit snickering, Dude was closing in on $47 million in domestic box office last month.)
Chris Nolan (of Sundance winner Memento) directs.

Bryant Fulton & Shee may not be the biggest agency in Vancouver, but it is certainly respected as one of the best. Two of the reasons for this may well be its cocreative directors, Lisa Francilia and Dan Scherk. As a creative team, art director Francilia and copywriter Scherk have won a mantelful of awards in their five years together. Ruling over the BFS creative roost with humor and a strict work ethic, the two epitomize the notion of a creative team.

When Shaw Communications went in search of a new agency last spring, the ‘smart, funny’ creative and ‘button-down’ sensibilities of Bryant Fulton & Shee cocreative directors Lisa Francilia and Dan Scherk brought the cableco to a screeching halt….