Six projects have been selected to move on to the next stage in the development of CBC Television’s half-hour serial drama. They are:
·Beaumonde Heights, Protocol Entertainment, Toronto This announcement follows six months of intense creative work by members of the independent production community. In May of this year, CBC Television called for submissions for a half-hour serial drama that would change the face of daytime TV in Canada-a popular series that would portray life as it might unfold in a Canadian neighbourhood, and reflect the nation's unique diversity. In July, CBC Television selected 12 'stage one' projects, from about 350 submissions, to further develop their concepts and creative teams. “The twelve presentations we received were just terrific,” said executive director of network programming, Slawko Klymkiw. “It made it very difficult to narrow the field, but it tells us we're definitely on the right track.” The daytime drama project is part of a larger CBC Television initiative titled 'Express Diversity' or 'Ed'. Leading the initiative is senior director of network programming for CBC Television, Rae Hull. “The spirit of Ed seeks to build an even wider variety of backgrounds and perspectives into CBC Television's programming,” said Hull of Ed. “In our call for daytime concepts, we wanted to see both storylines and creative teams that reflect contemporary Canada. With today's announcement, we move another step closer to our overall goal.” The six projects will now go to work on a new script and revised series bible. In early December, one or two scripts will be chosen for trial episode production in early 2005. The CBC Television Daytime Project – Stage Two Team Bios Beaumonde Heights Producer Steve Levitan and writers Eric Lunsky and Duncan McKenzie are members of the team that produced the contemporary urban drama series Metropia for Omni Television, as well as Train 48, the improvisational daily drama set on a Toronto commuter train. Changing Germain Producers Rick Leguerrier and Tim Hogan are working with scriptwriters Sugith Varughese (Kumar and Mr. Jones, Best of Both Worlds), Cheryl Wagner (The Big Comfy Couch, Panda Daycare) and Brent Shepard (Love in Apocalypse, Missing Junie). Leguerrier and Hogan are also producing the CBC dramatic mini-series, Canada Russia 1972, to be broadcast in 2005. North South (Halifax, Nova Scotia / Toronto, ontario) The Halifax Film Company's seasoned co-producers Michael Donovan (Shattered City, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Bowling for Columbine) and Charles Bishop (Bowling for Columbine, Made In Canada) have partnered with Inner City Films. IFC founders, Amos and Alfons Adetuyi (Skin Deep, It Ain't All Jazz) produced the television series Ekhaya, the first Canada/South Africa co-production. Writer Floyd Kane is also an HFC production executive. Power and Pride Producer and actress Tonya Lee Williams, well known to Canadian and U.S. audiences (Maple, The Young and The Restless), heads a team that includes Defiant Entertainment president Damion Nurse (The Sweet Hereafter, The Hanging Garden) and Jennifer Holmes (Love, Sex and Eating the Bones, Yin Yin /Jade Love). The Regency Veteran executive producers Ira Levy and Peter Williamson (Atomic Betty, Little Miracles) have assembled a versatile team that includes creator/producer/writer Paula J Smith (Paradise Falls, Foreign Affairs), writer/executive story editor Alex Galatis (Paradise Falls, Metropia) and writer Azmi Haq (East of Yonge, The Red Bazaar). 49th and Main Industry veterans William B. Davis (Exchange, The X Files) and Bill Gray, (former Vice- President of Atlantic Films, The War Between Us) lead a Vancouver based team that includes writer Barbara Ellison (Teacher's, The Playwrights Festival 2003) who lives in the diverse community portrayed in their proposal.
·Changing Germain, Dream Street Pictures, Moncton
·North/South, The Halifax Film Company/Inner City Films, Halifax/Toronto
·Power and Pride, Wilbo Entertainment/Defiant Entertainment, Toronto
·Regency, Breakthrough Films and Television, Toronto
·49th and Main, Raging Ruby Pictures/William B. Davis Productions, Vancouver
Protocol Entertainment (Toronto, ontario)
Dream Street Pictures (Moncton, New Brunswick)
The Halifax Film Company Ltd / Inner City Films
Wilbo Entertainment / Defiant Entertainment (Toronto, ontario)
Breakthrough Films (Toronto, ontario)
Raging Ruby Pictures/ William B Davis Productions (Vancouver, B.C.)