Canadian Creative Accelerator announces its first class of 6 TV production companies
Six diverse TV production companies representative of the broad range of creative talent that has made Canada a source of streaming and broadcast hits in the U.S. have been accepted in the first class of the Canadian Creative Accelerator (CCA). This first group of content creators, highly rated by industry judges from both sides of the border, was announced today at Content Canada’s Digital Summit.
The CCA—an initiative of the Trade Commissioner Service of the Consulate General of Canada in Los Angeles—will help propel the companies’ projects into the U.S. market with the help of mentorship and access to financing provided by the consulate’s network of U.S. industry contacts with deep ties to their northern neighbor.
The companies in the accelerator’s first class all have development agreements or existing projects with Canadian networks. Among the class’ six current projects in development, five have a Black, Indigenous or Person of Color as the producer, director, writer, lead actor, or a combination of those elements.
The first class of the Canadian Creative Accelerator includes:
- Story Shape Entertainment – Producers Supinder Wraich and Matt Power, developing the episodic drama The 410
- Pier 21 Films – Producer Karen Tsang, developing a half-hour comedy. Pier 21 Films is known for the award-winning satirical news show, The Beaverton, which aired for 3 seasons on CTV
- Vérité Films – Executive Producer Virginia Thompson (Corner Gas, Corner Gas Animated), developing the children’s animated comedy-musical-adventure series Jeremy Fisher Junior and Friends
- Screen Siren Pictures – Producer Trish Dolman, with Marie Clements Media, developing the four-part one-hour Indigenous psychological drama Bones of Crows written and directed by Marie Clements (Red Snow)
- Groupe PVP – Producer François Trudel, developing the animated kids’ show Cosmo the Dodo
- Oya Media Group – Producers Alison Duke and Ngardy Conteh George, developing a half-hour comedy series about toxic masculinity, Detox
The CCA is part of a broad effort to expand the already-robust economic vitality of the Canadian screen industry, which generates over $7 billion in production volume. Canadian homegrown production already outpaces foreign service production in TV, and is increasingly fueled by international sales to the U.S.
“This class proves that the pool of Canadian creative talent is deep and diverse and ready to extend the run of great shows coming out of Canada, whether you’re talking about award winning comedies like Schitt’s Creek and Kim’s Convenience, new hit dramas like Transplant and Coroner, or huge children’s franchises like Paw Patrol,” said Consul General Zaib Shaikh. “The media and entertainment industries, and the jobs that come from them, are a powerful source of economy for Canada and of great global value to our U.S. partners. Our congratulations and best wishes to this first cohort of producers and projects in the CCA, and we’re excited to help them achieve next-level success here in the U.S. and beyond.”
Applications to the CCA were judged by a panel of industry veterans including Andrew Barnsley (producer, Schitt’s Creek); Leslie Conliffe (Intellectual Property Group); Amit Dey (SVP and Head of Non- Fiction, MRC); Melanie Nepinak Hadley (Program Director, Global Access Programs, WarnerMedia); Vera Santamaria (producer, PEN15, Orange Is the New Black, BoJack Horseman); and Tonya Williams (founder, Reelworld Film Festival).
The CCA will provide training, mentorship and access to financing to help the producers grow in the U.S. market. The program will begin virtually with Los Angeles-based advisors and mentors the week of October 5.
Along with the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, the Government of Quebec is a partner backing the CCA.