Watch for these talented NSI Totally Television teams at Banff World Television Fest
Industry Centre > Blogs > Watch for these talented NSI Totally Television teams at Banff World Television Fest
Posted by Glynis Corkal
on Monday, June 14, 2010.
Categories: Television, Training, NSI
It’s June and that means it’s time for some “star-spotting” in Banff as the world’s TV professionals descend on the Canadian Rockies for the Banff World Television Festival.
NSI will unleash the hottest new Canadian TV creative talent as training wraps up for the two teams who have completed both phases of NSI Totally Television.
NSI Totally Television is a rigorous training program for writer/producer teams who are chosen by jury from applications from across the country to develop their TV series concepts.
Only selected teams from the original teams will complete both phases of training, culminating at Banff. This year’s final teams and their projects are:
Ditched
A half-hour comedy by producer Heather Lindsay and writer Bruce James (Vancouver & Port Coquitlam BC): Thanks to the runaway groom, the bride and the two best men are about to get a lesson in a different kind of marriage: one with each other.
The Great Pretender
An hour long drama by producer Shannon Foerter and writer Sean K. Robb (Toronto ON): The Great Pretender is Alex Parker, an emotionally-frozen and morally-compromised reality TV producer who charms, cheats and lies his way through every aspect of his personal and professional life.
NSI Manager, Programs and Development Brandice Vivier and Program Advisor Sam Linton will be on-site with the teams at Banff with daily coaching and mentoring sessions.
NSI CEO Susan Millican and Director of Business Development Paul Moreau will also be in attendance meeting with colleagues and taking in many of the sessions, discussions and networking opportunities during the festival.
“We have two strong teams going to Banff this year,” said Vivier. “The projects have come along way from boot camp last September, with the help of senior story editors and industry mentors, including Brian Hamilton, Lesley Grant, David Barlow and Matt MacLennan. We’re confident they will join the ranks of NSI Totally Television projects that have made it to series.”
Starting last September, the original five teams gathered in Toronto for an intense five days of training that included working with showrunners and story editors, meeting with broadcasters to hear first-hand what TV concepts were currently “hot”, and mastering the fine art of pitching.
Teams also heard how diversity can enrich and strengthen a project, create new financing opportunities, and open doors to new audiences. Additional training also explored the worlds of social media, transmedia and multi-platform strategies to learn how to extend a program brand, generate buzz, expand its audience and create a life for the series outside conventional television.
“The NSI Totally Television program has been an incredible experience for me,” said Shannon Foerter. “The training and support we’ve received from NSI has been invaluable. The mentors, story editors, executive producers and broadcasters we’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with have all been whole-heartedly supportive of us and this program. After such a rewarding year with NSI, I look forward to where this opportunity will lead me professionally. I do and have recommended this program to producers and writers trying to create dramatic television in Canada.”
The creators of Ditched and The Great Pretender were selected for phase two based on the strength and marketability of their concepts.
They attended a four-day boot camp and worked with story editors and executive producer mentors to ready them for pitching their concepts to broadcasters and executive production companies. Their attendance at the Banff World Television Festival completes their training. During the fest they meet with broadcasters, executive producers, and work towards acquiring a broadcast development deal.
NSI Totally Television series on TV this past season include Less Than Kind (HBO Canada), which begins shooting season 3 in Winnipeg this fall, and Wapos Bay which starts its fifth and final season this fall on APTN. A movie-of-the-week is in development for the show. Todd and The Book of Pure Evil is in post-production with a fall premiere planned on SPACE and Crossroads shot a pilot presentation for Citytv this past spring.
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Views expressed here are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).
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The views expressed here are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).