Bell Media Extends NSI Totally Television Program With $930,000 Investment

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TORONTO, Feb. 26, 2014 /CNW/ - Bell Media and the National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI) announced today the extension of the NSI Totally Television training course with an additional $930,000 investment. The new agreement will see the program continue for the next seven years.

NSI Totally Television is a TV development training course where writer/producer teams meet executives from major Canadian networks. Teams work with executive producers and showrunners to hone concepts, aiming to land a development deal with a broadcaster.

"NSI is grateful for Bell Media's incredible investment in Canadian television development," said NSI CEO John Gill. "We've been working with them since the inception of NSI Totally Television in 2002 and the continuation of this partnership greatly benefits the next generation of Canadian content creators."

"We are proud to partner with NSI Totally Television, an organization that helps develop superb Canadian talent," said Corrie Coe, Senior Vice-President, Independent Production. "Our hope is that these funds and this partnership brings Canadian audiences many years of great programming from homegrown talent."

In eight years, the program has produced 12 series that have gone into development, five that have gone to air, one that has been piloted, and another produced as a feature film that had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. TV series successfully developed through the course include LESS THAN KIND (City/HBO Canada), TODD AND THE BOOK OF PURE EVIL (Space), 'DA KINK IN MY HAIR (Global), and WAPOS BAY (APTN).

About the National Screen Institute
Renowned for having given many emerging filmmakers, television writers and producers their first breaks, the National Screen Institute provides training and production support through courses like NSI Totally Television, NSI Drama Prize, NSI New Voices, NSI Features First, NSI Lifestyle & Reality Series Producer, NSI Aboriginal Documentary, and Movie Central Script to Screen.

NSI also offers national exposure through the NSI Online Short Film Festival and provides vast resources and support to those in the film, television, and digital media industry at nsi-canada.ca.

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 107 licensed radio stations in 55 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.

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SOURCE: Bell Media

Laura Friesen, Communications Coordinator, NSI
tel: [phone] or email: [email protected]

Amy Doary, Communications Manager, Bell Media
tel: [phone] or email: [email protected]