Bell Media Announces Jessie Gabe as Recipient of 2014 National Fellowship Award of Distinction at Banff World Media Festival

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BANFF, AB, June 9, 2014 /CNW/ - Bell Media announced today from the Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) that Montréal's Jessie Gabe is this year's recipient of the Bell Media National Fellowship Award of Distinction. The Award is part of the Bell Media National Fellowship Program, which encourages professional development in the television industry by enabling emerging creative talent the opportunity to attend one of the most prestigious television festivals in the world - BANFF. The Award will be presented today at the Rockies Award Luncheon by Corrie Coe, Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media.

The winner of the Bell Media National Fellowship Award of Distinction is chosen among previous Fellows, including producers, writers, and directors, and must have demonstrated significant advances in their career as a result of the fellowship/mentorship program. The Award is determined by a jury of top-level Bell Media executives.

"Congratulations to Jessie on this achievement and for all of her well-deserved success," said Coe. "Jessie is a great example of someone with talent and determination, and has been able to use the Fellowship program to help further her career. From television to sketch comedy, feature films to web series, Jessie has a wide range of experience and I simply cannot wait to see how her career develops."

"The Bell Media Fellowship provided me with a unique and fantastic opportunity," said Gabe. "It helped me broaden my professional network and develop relationships with producers, network executives, and fellow screenwriters, many of whom continue to play a significant role in my career. That the Fellowship sent me to Banff was simply icing on the cake."

Originally from Montréal, Gabe cofounded the Toronto sketch comedy troupe Fade to Brown, serving as head writer and performer. In 2009, Gabe became script coordinator on Season 1 of BEING ERICA (CBC), and by Season 3 became writer and executive story editor. In 2011, Gabe was selected for the Bell Media National Fellowship Program and attended the Banff World Media Festival. Since then, she's joined the MR. D (CBC) writing staff and is now head writer and supervising producer. Her first feature film, Cas & Dylan, directed by Jason Priestley and starring Richard Dreyfuss and Tatiana Maslany, is currently making the festival rounds and recently took home Best Actress and the Audience Choice Award at the Whistler Film Festival. Gabe is presently working on several television and feature film projects. During her career, Gabe has picked up a Writer's Guild of Canada Award, a Canadian Comedy Award, and a Gemini Award.

As an annual program, successful applicants of the Bell Media National Fellowship Program are invited to attend BANFF, affording them the opportunity to network and pitch key players in the media industry. Fellows have the chance to meet with showrunners, agents, broadcasters, and funders from leading broadcasters in North America and around the world.

About the Bell Media TV Skills Development Initiative
The $1.8 million Bell Media TV Skills Development Initiative is a suite of national training programs, exclusively funded by Bell Media, which ensure a comprehensive range of training for writers, producers, directors, and showrunners in the Canadian television industry at different stages of their careers. The Initiative supports 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 National Fellowship Program (Banff World Media Festival), which encourages professional development in the television industry by enabling emerging producers, writers, and directors to attend the festival and take part in mentorship activities; the Bell Media Primetime TV Program (Canadian Film Centre), which provides series development for TV writers; the Bell Media 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 Media Leadership Program (Women in Film and Television - Toronto), a biennial program designed for mid to senior-level women and men who want leading-edge academic knowledge and contemporary business and leadership skills required in the Canadian screen-based industry; and the Business Management for Media Professionals Program (Women in Film and Television - Toronto),  a certificate program essential for emerging media professionals who want to understand the business of film, television and interactive production.

About the Banff World Media Festival
The Banff World Media Festival is the world's largest and most important gathering of entertainment industry and digital media executives dedicated to media content production, broadcast and distribution within TV and digital media. BANFF provides a platform for the evolving media industry to develop its creative and business objectives, serves as the leading destination for co-production and co-venture partners and is an unparalleled destination for more than 2000 international decision-makers to meet, learn and do business. The 35^th annual Banff World Media Festival will take place June 8-11, 2014 at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Banff, Canada.  For more information, visit: www.banffmediafestival.com.

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; four pay TV services, including The Movie Network and Super Écran; and is managing shareholder of premium pay-per-view service Viewers Choice Canada. 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 and British Columbia. Bell Media also operates more than 200 websites, delivers TV Everywhere with its innovative GO video streaming services, including CTV GO, TMN GO, and Bravo GO, 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]