Paramount+ in Canada and inkcanada Partner to Connect Emerging Writers with Industry Allies

Events are scheduled to begin starting Thursday, February 29

TORONTO, Feb. 27, 2024 /CNW/ -- Paramount+ in Canada and inkcanada are pleased to announce the return of #inkdrinks Toronto, a series of six in-person professional networking events designed to break the common barriers to industry-access for Canadian screenwriters at every career stage. The program welcomes traditionally excluded voices in the Canadian screen-based storytelling industry, connecting Canadian writers and creators with industry allies. Events are scheduled to begin Thursday, February 29, from 7– 9 p.m. ET at the Monarch Tavern's upstairs room. Interested participants can find and subscribe to the details on inkcanada's official website.

inkcanada is a nation-wide online community of Canadian screenwriters and their industry friends. Founded in 2007 by esteemed Canadian screenwriter Karen Walton (Ginger Snaps, Orphan Black), the volunteer-driven collective offers writers in the Canadian industry a public-facing and free user-driven place to engage in a dialogue about career-related questions.  

Hosted by Walton, the community's hallmark in-person event, #inkdrinks Toronto, launched in 2008 to strengthen the bonds formed among writers.  #inkdrinks Toronto is the largest, regular gathering point for screen, television and digital content creators and their industry friends in Canada. There are no special criteria to attend #inkdrinks events. The only standing rule for all participants is, no pitching. The Toronto event also inspired #inkdrinks events in Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, and select Canadian festivals, such as Digi60 and The Banff Media Festival. Paramount+ in Canada's partnership with inkcanada supports #inkdrinks Toronto's mission to be an affordable and acclaimed force for connection, camaraderie, and access to the Canadian screenwriting profession.

"inkcanada has started something truly special," said Tom Hastings, Head of Original Programming for Paramount+ in Canada.  "Karen Walton's grassroots strategy to bring together emerging and established writers in a social setting was the beginning of something unique for the local writers' community. We are honoured to expand on her successful blueprint and work together to help even more diverse voices break though industry barriers."

"The inkcanada community has long relied on the generosity of individual members of the Canadian screenwriting profession and our industry friends, informally. Our partnership with Paramount+ in Canada is a major milestone in our 17 year-old journey as a community: to make Canadian screenwriting and screenwriters accessible for advice, reliable information, legitimate opportunities and lasting connections in the Canadian industry."

This initiative is the fifth partnership Paramount+ in Canada has announced that reinforces its long-standing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.  In the past five months the company announced a collaboration with the Black Screen Office for the Black Creators Festival Initiative; a joint venture with BIPOC TV & Film and the National Screen Institute Partner for the new ELEVATE program; and partnership with both The Shine Network Institute (TSNI) for the Indigenous Producers Budgeting Intensive and with the Pacific Screenwriting Program and the Indigenous Screen Office to Create the Indigenous Screenwriters Lab.

These programs are intricately connected to the mission of Paramount Global's Content for Change initiative, which seeks to counteract narratives that enable bias, stereotypes, hate and marginalization using the power of our content, the creative supply chain that powers it, and the culture that underpins everything we do.

About Paramount+
Paramount+ is a global digital subscription video streaming service from Paramount that features a mountain of premium entertainment for audiences of all ages. Internationally, the streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including SHOWTIME®, BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel™, in addition to a robust offering of premier local content. The service is currently live in Australia, Austria, Canada, the Caribbean, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latin America, South Korea, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S.

About inkcanada
*inkcanada is free, publicly-accessible professional community founded as a grassroots, inclusive effort to better connect working and aspiring Canadian screenwriters and their industry friends online and off - no matter where we live, work, or study the art. Read More: https://inkcanadascreenwritersandfriends.com/about           

SOURCE Paramount+ (Canada)

Paramount+ in Canada Media Contacts: Laura Heath Potter; [email protected], Marin Pollock; [email protected], Inkcanada Media Contact: Karen Walton, Founder-Admin - [email protected]