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15th September 2012

CFC And Bell Media Join Forces To Support Emerging TV Writers

mini-orbyEarlier this week the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) and Bell Media announced a new, three-year sponsorship of the CFC’s flagship TV program. Now known as the Bell Media Prime Time TV Program, this critically acclaimed advanced program is recognized within the industry as an essential source of trained writers and newly developed projects for the television marketplace.

“Simulating the story room experience, the Bell Media Prime Time TV Program offers new talent the ultimate mentorship, the chance to learn from the best in the business,” said Corrie Coe, Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. “The Prime Time TV Program at the CFC has provided invaluable training to many of Canada’s top television writers, and has been critical in helping our industry grow and mature. We are delighted to be able to partner with the CFC to support this wonderful initiative.”

Graduates of the Prime Time Program have been involved in more than 100 television series internationally, including Bell Media programs such as Degrassi: The Next Generation, Flashpoint, The L.A. Complex, The Listener, Sanctuary and Saving Hope.

Bell Media’s SPACE recently greenlit the sci-fi series Orphan Black, created by CFC alumni Graeme Manson and John Fawcett. Orphan Black was developed through the Prime Time TV Program by Graeme and the 2008 writer residents. The first season, produced by Temple Street Productions, will begin production in Toronto this fall with CFC alumni Karen Walton, Alex Levine and Chris Roberts in the story room.

“Orphan Black is an excellent example of how successful this program is in training writers and delivering content for the marketplace,” said Slawko Klymkiw, CFC’s Chief Executive Officer. “This collaboration with Canada’s premier multimedia company will help us build even more momentum for talent coming through our doors and undoubtedly expand their opportunities for work.”

The 2012 Bell Media Prime Time TV Program will be led by Executive Producer in Residence and alumna Shelley Eriksen, a creator, writer and showrunner with experience in prime time drama, comedy, mini-series and movies-of-the-week. Having staffed over 200 episodes of television, Eriksen’s career spans from the acclaimed Traders, through showrunning Show Me Yours, and most recently has written on Bombgirls, Flashpoint and Continuum.

The Bell Media Prime Time TV Program offers a complete immersion in episodic television writing, professional series development and an in-depth understanding of the TV marketplace. Following a rigorous application and selection process, eight writers have been selected to take part in the 14th year of the Prime Time TV Program, which begins on September 17th. Since it was introduced in 1999, more than 130 writer alumni have gone on to garner numerous national and international awards for excellence in television.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 15th, 2012 at 10:07 am and is filed under Careers, Education, National News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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