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Let's Make a Deal!
Oh yeah, you've only got THREE minutes
"Brave, bold, and without limits!" Susanne Boyce, president,
Programming and Chair, CTV Media Group, kicked off CTV Fiction Day,
yesterday. Her words set the tone for the morning's first event,
the 17th International Market Simulation - Drama & Entertainment/New
Players Pitch, sponsored by Alberta Foundation for the Arts, where
a dozen writers/producers pitched their projects to the world's
commissioning editors and programmers. The room was abuzz with excitement
and nervous energy, owing in part to the eight rookie pitchers chosen
for the first ever New Players Pitch. Banff Television Foundation
president Pat Ferns, who saw a need for emerging producers to be
given a chance to strut their stuff, developed this new component
to the Market Simulation for producers with no more than one producing
credit.
First to the four veterans, chosen from a field of nearly 100 applicants.
Each had three minutes to give their creative pitch, followed by
two minutes to explain their business plan.
"For as long as there have been secrets to keep, there have
been codes." 'Code' a proposed mini-series kicked things off.
Pitched by award winning producer Jack Emery, this dramatic, historical,
and philosophical series would examine the lives of codemasters
and codebreakers from 1938 - 1945, when for the first time the world
was encircled with codes. Emery pitched for development money from
international partners to bring the story together and create a
first script. He was met for the most part with enthusiastic response;
the main criticism being the suggested 13 x 1 hour format. Emery's
response? "Have story, will make it!"
In this day, what's a pitch session without a "reality"
project? Up next was Ellen Nielsen, writer and producer whose credits
include 'If you Knew Harry' (1999) and 'Home School' (2000). Her
project, a proposed 13-part reality series aimed at going head-to-head
with the likes of 'Big Brother' and 'Survivor', examines what it
would take for a person of average means to go from rags to riches.
Nielsen was seeking a co-producer and broadcast commitment. Her
idea met with a lot of interest, but dealmakers were divided on
whether the format should be more game show than docu-soap. The
verdict: it needs more flesh on the bone.
The last of the veteran pitches warmed the hearts of the Canadians
in the audience. 'The New Beachcombers' is a proposed "younger,
hipper" update of the Canadian institution, 'The Beachcombers'
which ran on CBC TV from 1975 - 1990. Pitched by producer Nick Orchard
and actor Jackson Davies (from the original 'Beachcombers') this
project already has scripts in place and a slate of talented actors
on board including Dave Thomas. Needless to say there was plenty
of interest in the project, including a broadcast commitment by
the CBC.
The New Players Pitch
With no time for even a washroom break, maestro hosts Pat Ferns
and Jacques Bensimon introduced the eight, reasonably nervous rookie
pitchers. Each writer/producer also had three minutes to state their
case to the audience, but feedback will be delivered on a personal
"interest only" basis. Will deals be made? Stay tuned
for an update from the 'Banff Bulletin.' We will be tracking the
interest level.
Chicken Balls, a half-hour comedy TV series
Pitched by Robert Sheridan
"Jerry Ogilvy is a young, successful restaurant owner living
in Toronto. He inherits the family-owned Chinese restaurant in a
small town in Northern Ontario. Jerry reluctantly decides to run
the restaurant for awhile, but changes must be made…."
Kromosvere: The Arkives, a sci-fi comedy TV series
Pitched by Maya Miller
Inspired by Blade Runner and the Warriors, Kromosvere: The Arkives
is "a sci-fi comedy about two hip, funky, underground bike-riding
and skateboarding gangs in an alternate dimension."
Power Girls, a M.O.W. drama
Pitched by Kamilla Reid
Power Girls is the story of an honour's high school student who
faces bullying, peer-pressure, and the anger and self-loathing of
teenage girls.
The Last Resort, one-hour dramatic comedy series
Pitched by Swith Bell
The Last Resort examines the lives, loves, and tribulations of a
20-something international staff of a grand resort hotel. The location
is a place where environmental idealism meets its match in capitalism
and tourism. (Okay, if this is sounding like a place you know, once
upon a time, Swith Bell did in fact live and work at the Fairmont
Banff Springs!)
The Veteran, drama
Pitched by Sonwabile S. Mfecane
The Veteran is a South African post-apartheid story about a man
who is trying to make a claim on a veteran's fund. Things don't
go as planned.
Up the Creek Again, a comedy-drama series
Pitched by Diane Barnes
Up the Creek Again follows two young East-coast lads from the Maritimes
seeking fun and adventure from in and around their small Maritime
town.
Acts of Infamy, a documentary series
Pitched by Holly Fisher
Acts of Infamy exposes those behind infamous acts of terrorism.
The series looks at who these people are and why they do what they
do in an effort to understand them and their motivations.
Sailing into Languor and Affliction: a doctor's south sea quest,
documentary
Pitched by: Mathew Welsh
This feature documentary proposes following the story of Kevin Patterson,
a writer, thinker, and internal medicine specialist, as he sails
solo from British Columbia through the tropics, seeking to practice
but also research his new-found interest in tropical diseases.
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