Bell Media Announces 2015 Executive Producer Accelerator Lab Participants

– Seven producers begin program on February 2 with broadcaster internship at Bell
Media's Toronto headquarters –

To tweet this release: http://bit.ly/1xosW2S #BellMediaProducerLab

TORONTO, Jan. 19, 2015 /CNW/ - Bell Media announced today the seven participants selected for the second annual Bell Media Executive Producer Accelerator Lab, a two-part program designed to assist the career advancement of mid-level Canadian producers. Created in 2013, the Bell Media Executive Producer Accelerator Lab is part of the $12.3 million Bell Media TV Skills and Film Development Initiative, a suite of national mentoring and promotional programs.

The 2015 Bell Media Executive Producer Accelerator Lab participants are:

• Joey Case (Originally from Quesnel, B.C., now residing in Toronto)
  • Producer, director, and writer whose television credits include FOOL'S GOLD (Discovery), CANADA'S WORST DRIVER (Discovery), and THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES (CBC).
• Lauren Corber (Originally from Montréal, now residing in Toronto)
  • Founder of LoCo Motion Pictures; currently developing several feature films, including Sandra from Away, Homeless FC, and Sex with the Perfect Stranger, as well as the one-hour drama series NEW WAVE. (@elcorbs)
• Erica Landrock (Vancouver)
  • Founder of Landrock Entertainment, whose recent productions include the documentary Rise of the eSports Hero (Global) and the historical documentary series WORKING PEOPLE: A HISTORY OF LABOUR IN BRITISH COLUMBIA (Knowledge Network). (@ericalandrock)
• Jennifer Little (Toronto)
  • Writer and director with nearly 15 years of experience in the television industry; currently creative producing THE LIQUIDATOR (OLN) for Anaïd Productions.
• Chris Sheasgreen (Originally from Richmond, B.C., now residing in Toronto)
  • Writer and producer; co-creator of the multi-award-winning comedy series LESS THAN KIND (HBO Canada). (@thatgreendude)
• Simone Urdl (Toronto)
  • Founding partner of the production company The Film Farm, whose credits include Sarah Polley's Away from Her, Brian DePalma's Redacted, and Atom Egoyan's The Captive and Adoration. (@TheFilmFarm_ca)
• Glen Wood (Originally from Victoria, now residing in Toronto)
  • Director and producer whose credits include the feature film The Dark Stranger, as well as the Stage to Screen anthology series, and the award-winning short Adam Avenger. (@viddywellfilms)

"We are pleased to once again offer the Bell Media Executive Producer Accelerator Lab program and provide these talented producers with the opportunity to experience the inner workings of a national broadcaster first-hand," said Corrie Coe, Senior Vice-President, Independent Production. 

The two-part Bell Media Executive Producer Accelerator Labprogram begins Feb. 2 with a six-week broadcaster internship at Bell Media's Toronto headquarters. The group-based curriculum provides participants with exposure to the internal operations of a Canadian broadcaster and the opportunity to learn about the complex business model and economics of Canadian television production and its relationship to broadcasting through hands-on sessions with internal departments, panel discussions with industry experts, exploration of case studies, and coaching sessions. Following the internship, up to three participants will be selected for a specialized eight to 10-month production apprenticeship with a top independent Canadian production company or Bell Media In-House Productions. This placement will span of the life of one program cycle and is intended to expose the participant to the Executive Producer's role and responsibilities, and provide meaningful access to the day-to-day running of a large-scale series.

The 2014 program participants are currently completing their apprenticeship placements. Lauren Grant is at Temple Street Productions, working on the new series KILLJOYS for Space and Syfy, and contributing to the scripted programming team's development slate; Shaun Johnson is a consulting producer for marblemedia, working across several divisions, including scripted and unscripted development, production, business development, and marbleLIVE; and Jennifer Pun recently began her apprenticeship at Shaftesbury's Los Angeles office, where she is working on the company's U.S. project slate.

About the Bell Media TV and Film Skills Development Initiative
The $12.3 million Bell Media TV Skills and Film Development Initiative is a suite of national mentoring and promotional programs, which ensure a comprehensive range of training for writers, producers, directors, and showrunners in the Canadian television and film industry at different stages of their careers. Currently, five of these multi-year initiatives are exclusively funded by Bell Media. The program supports the Banff World Media Festival, the Bell Media Diverse Screenwriters Program (Writers Guild of Canada) for emerging and mid-career writers from diverse backgrounds who intern in a writing room of a Bell Media TV series; the Bell Media Primetime TV Program (Canadian Film Centre), which provides series development for TV writers; the Bell Media Executive Producer Accelerator Lab, which provides immersive and experiential broadcast and production experience for mid-level producers; the Bell Media Showrunner Bootcamp (Canadian Film Centre), which develops showrunner knowledge and management for TV writers; the NSI Totally Television Program (National Screen Institute), a training course for writers, producers, and showrunners to hone concepts with the goal of landing a development deal with a broadcaster; and the Telefilm Talent Fund (Telefilm), which helps fund and promote films from emerging and established filmmakers.

About Bell Media Independent Production
Bell Media has commissioned some of Canada's most-watched and most-acclaimed original programming, working with the best Canadian independent producers in the country. Hit CTV series include ratings success stories SAVING HOPE, MOTIVE, the record-breaking THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, and MASTERCHEF CANADA, as well as multi-cam office comedy SPUN OUT, one of the most-watched new comedies in 2014. Among the scripted series on Bell Media pay and specialty channels are the three-time Emmy^®-nominated hit DEGRASSI, the internationally acclaimed ORPHAN BLACK, the most-watched original series in Space history BITTEN, Bravo's most-watched new drama 19-2, TRANSPORTER – THE SERIES, dramedy SENSITIVE SKIN, and the upcoming KILLJOYS. Bell Media specialty channels are also home to hit factual series HIGHWAY THRU HELL, COLD WATER COWBOYS, and CANADA'S WORST DRIVER, among others.

About Bell Media
With passion and an unrelenting commitment to excellence, Bell Media creates content and builds brands that entertain, inform, engage, and inspire audiences through the platforms of their choice. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out-of-home advertising, and digital media. Bell Media owns 30 local television stations led by CTV, Canada's #1 television network; 35 specialty channels, including TSN and RDS, Canada's most-watched specialty channels in English and French; and four pay TV services, including The Movie Network and Super Écran. Bell Media is also Canada's largest radio broadcaster, with 106 licensed radio stations in 54 markets across Canada. Bell Media owns Astral Out-of-Home, one of Canada's most dynamic and innovative out-of-home advertising companies with a network of more than 9,500 advertising faces in Québec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Bell Media also operates more than 200 websites; delivers TV Everywhere with premium subscription on-demand streaming service CraveTV, as well as its innovative GO video streaming services including CTV GO, TMN GO, and TSN GO; holds an equity stake in digital startup Hubub; is partners in Cirque du Soleil Media, a joint venture with Cirque du Soleil; and owns Dome Productions Inc., a multi-platform production company. Bell Media is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. For more on Bell Media, please visit www.bellmedia.ca.

SOURCE Bell Media

Shannon Smithson, Bell Media, 416.384.2725 or [email protected]