Shaw Media congratulates its production partners and Global News team on Canadian Screen Awards wins

HISTORY captures nine categories, including Best International Drama

Global News takes home four news awards

Global's powerhouse Rookie Blue captures inaugural Golden Screen Award for TV Drama / Comedy

Showcase's Lost Girl star Anna Silk takes Fan's Choice Award

For photography and program materials, please visit: www.shawmedia.ca/media  

TORONTO, March 2, 2015 /CNW/ - Following a week-long celebration of Canadian film, television, and digital media, Shaw Media's production partners and original programming took home a total of 23 Canadian Screen Awards (CSAs). The super-sized celebration culminated in the Canadian Screen Awards broadcast hosted by comedy legend and CSA-nominee Andrea Martin, throughout which Shaw Media scored wins across Digital Media and Television categories, including HISTORY's Vikings winning the coveted Best International Drama award.

"Shaw Media congratulates our colleagues and production partners on their well-deserved wins," said Christine Shipton, Senior Vice President, Content for Shaw Media. "With such impressive work across Canadian television right now, we're so proud that the amazing work by these talented individuals is being recognized."

Global's programming earned four Awards with Rookie Blue capturing the Golden Screen Award for TV Drama / Comedy and Bomb Girls: Facing the Enemy sweeping key categories including Best Dramatic Mini-Series or TV Movie, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series (Jodi Balfour), and Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Series (Ali Liebert).

Global News secured wins across four news categories, including Best National Newscast (Global National) and News Hour, Global BC's number one newscast among core viewers*, capturing Best News Anchor, Local (Chris Gailus) and Best Reportage, Local for its outstanding coverage of the Mount Polley Mine Disaster.

"It's an honour to be recognized by the Academy," said Troy Reeb, Senior Vice President of Global News. "Winning these awards is a testament to Global's commitment to great journalism and powerful storytelling."

HISTORY's slate took home nine CSAs, including five for the documentary Tales From The Organ Trade and three for Vikings. Tales From The Organ Trade's wins included the Barbara Sears Award for Best Editorial Research and Best Writing in a Documentary Program or Factual Series.

Leading lady Anna Silk of Showcase's fan-favourite series Lost Girl took home the Fan's Choice Award, as voted on by fans around the world. Shaw Media also celebrates Rookie Blue's co-creator, executive producer and showrunner Tassie Cameron on receiving the prestigious Margaret Collier Award for her significant body of work as a writer. The award was presented earlier in the week by Shaw Media's Christine Shipton.

See below for the full list of Shaw Media winners.

GLOBAL

Bomb Girls: Facing the Enemy (3 wins)
(Muse Entertainment Enterprises Inc., Back Alley Film Productions Ltd.)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Series
Ali Liebert

Best Dramatic Mini-Series or TV Movie
Janis Lundman, Adrienne Mitchell, Michael Prupas

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series
Jodi Balfour

Rookie Blue (1 win)
(Entertainment One Television International)

Golden Screen Award for TV Drama / Comedy

GLOBAL NEWS

Global BC (2 wins)

Best News Anchor, Local
Chris Gailus

Best Reportage, Local
John Daley, Jas Johal, Marc Riddell – "Mount Polley Mine Disaster"

Global National (1 win)

Best National Newscast
Kenton Boston, Dawna Friesen, Michael Hennigar, Doug Sydora, Doriana Temolo

16x9 (1 win)

Best Photography in a News or Information Program, Series or Segment
Kirk Neff – "Lev Tahor"

HGTV CANADA

Income Property (2 wins)
(SKIT Inc)

Best Direction in a Lifestyle/Practical Information Program or Series
Marc Simard – "Jamie"

Best Lifestyle or Talk Program or Series
Jennifer Dick, Jenna Keane, Al Magee, Scott McGillivray, Kit Redmond

HISTORY

Tales From The Organ Trade (5 wins)
(Associated Producers Ltd.)

Barbara Sears Award for Best Editorial Research
Ric Esther Bienstock, Sheila Mandell, Anastasia Trofimova

Best Original Music for a Non-Fiction Program or Series
John Welsman

Best Writing in a Documentary Program or Factual Series
Ric Esther Bienstock

Donald Brittain Award for Best Social/Political Documentary Program Sponsor | Rogers Group of Funds
Ric Esther Bienstock, Felix Golubev, Simcha Jacobovici

Gordon Sinclair Award for Broadcast Journalism
Ric Esther Bienstock

Vikings (3 wins)
(Take 5 Productions)

Best Sound in a Dramatic Program or Series
Jane Tattersall, David McCallum, Steve Medeiros, Stephen Muir, Robert Warchol, Martin Lee, Kirk Lynds, Dale Sheldrake, Yuri Gorbachow, Goro Koyama, Andy Malcolm, Daniel Birch – "The Choice"

Best Visual Effects, Sponsor | City of Toronto
Dennis Berardi, Michael Borrett, Ovidiu Cinazan, Jeremy Dineen, Maria Gordon, Bill Halliday, Eric Lacroix, Jim Maxwell, Julian Parry, Dominic Remane – "Invasion"

Best International Drama Sponsor | BBC Worldwide
John Weber, Sheila Hockin, Michael Hirst, Morgan O'Sullivan, James Flynn, Alan Gasmer, Sherry Marsh

Ice Pilots NWT (1 win)
(Omnifilm Entertainment Ltd.)

Best Factual Program or Series
Michael Chechik, David Gullason, Gabriela Schonbach

LIFETIME

Babysellers (1 win)
(Reunion Pictures, Traffickers Productions Inc.)

Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series Presented with the participation of the Cogeco Program Development Fund
Suzette Couture

SHOWCASE

Lost Girl (1 win)

2015 Fan's Choice Award
Anna Silk

SLICE

Big Brother Canada Digital (1 win)
(Secret Location)

Best Cross-Platform Project – Non-Fiction
Ryan Andal, Lynne Carter, Michala Duffield, Zach Feldberg, Sean Fernie, Pietro Gagliano, CJ Hervey, Cynthia Long, James Milward, Emily Morgan, Christine Shipton

Big Brother Canada (1 win)
(Insight Production Company Limited)

Best Production Design or Art Direction in a Non-Fiction Program or Series
Peter Faragher, Andy Roskaft, Sandra Svendsen – "Finale"

For the complete list of winners as announced by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, please visit: www.academy.ca.

*Source: Numeris (BBM Canada) PPM, Van-Vic EMA/Total Canada, Fall 2014, A2+, A18+, A25-54 (Sep 15-Dec 21 confirmed data)

About Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications Inc. is a diversified communications and media company. Shaw serves 3.2 million consumers and businesses through a reliable and extensive fibre network. Shaw provides consumers with broadband Internet, WiFi, Digital Phone and Video services. Shaw Business provides businesses with Internet, data, WiFi, telephony, Video and fleet tracking services, and ViaWest provides collocation, cloud and managed services. Shaw Media provides Canadians with engaging programming content through one of Canada's largest conventional television networks, Global Television, and 19 specialty networks, including HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, HISTORY® and Showcase. Shaw is traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges and is included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index (Symbol: TSX – SJR.B, NYSE – SJR). For more information about Shaw, please visit www.shaw.ca.

SOURCE Shaw Media

For interviews, screeners and other press inquiries, please contact: Jessica Gold, Publicity Manager, Global Television and Dramatic Channels, [phone], [email protected]; Jaclyn Atwood, Publicity Manager, Factual and Lifestyle Channels, [phone], [email protected]; Rishma Govani, National Communications Manager, Global News, [phone], [email protected]