SINKING SHIP ENTERTAINMENT CELEBRATES SHAW ROCKET PRIZE WIN WITH $25,000
DONATION TO TVO
TORONTO, Dec. 1 /CNW/ - TVO was delighted to learn last night that the Sinking Ship Entertainment series Dino Dan, about a ten-year-old dinosaur expert whose imagination leads him to encounter computer-generated dinosaurs, had won the 2010 Shaw Rocket Prize for best children's, youth or family TV program, as voted by kids across Canada. And the TVO team was equally moved when Producers JJ Johnson, Blair Powers and Matt Bishop announced at the awards ceremony that their company would be donating $25,000 of the prize award to TVO, its production partner in the series.
TVO has a long history of working with Sinking Ship to create some of North America's most popular children's educational TV series. "When we sit down with a partner to develop a new project, we're always looking for ways to bring the Ontario curriculum to life in a fun way for kids," says Pat Ellingson, TVO's Creative Head of Children's Media. "Sinking Ship understands that completely, and they create innovative educational experiences that kids love."
Sinking Ship's demonstration of philanthropic support for TVO is timely, as TVO kicks off a special fundraising campaign this month. "We are asking people to GO PUBLIC with their donation to support strong public educational broadcasting in Ontario," says Lisa de Wilde, TVO's Chief Executive Officer. "And for Sinking Ship to GO PUBLIC like this in such a significant way is incredibly meaningful."
"We have many fond memories of watching wonderful TVO shows as kids," says Blair Powers, partner at Sinking Ship Entertainment. "Now as adults, Sinking Ship Entertainment is honoured to be a part of TVO's on- going commitment to quality children's programming. This donation is our way of saying thanks to TVO for providing such a rich television environment when we were children and for taking risks with us on our shows as adults."
While the Ontario government funds about 70 per cent of TVO's budget, donations are a crucial part of TVO's business model. "TVO fulfills an educational role that no other media organization in Ontario does," says de Wilde. "And we strongly believe that philanthropy is our best strategy to build a sustainable financial model that will allow us to keep delivering the kind of innovation and impact we've become known for."
About TVO
TVO is Ontario's public educational media organization and a trusted source of interactive educational content that informs, inspires and stimulates curiosity and thought. Celebrating 40 years in 2010, TVO's vision is to empower people to be engaged citizens of Ontario through educational media. TVO is funded primarily by the Province of Ontario and supported by thousands of donors. For more information, visit tvo.org.
About Sinking Ship Entertainment
Sinking Ship Entertainment is an award-winning television production and new media company dedicated to creating groundbreaking live-action programming and cross-platform new media content. Sinking Ship has created, produced and directed some of Canada's most successful children's programs to date, such as "Dino Dan," "Are We There Yet?: World Adventure," "The Jungle Room," "The Ocean Room," "Roll Play," "This Is Daniel Cook," "This Is Emily Yeung," and "I Dare You!." Since its inception in 2002, the company has produced 10 series that can be seen in over 130 countries.
Where to Find TVO
On air: Cable channel 2 (may vary in some areas), Rogers TVO HD channel 580 Bell TV channel 265 Star Choice channel 353 |
Websites: tvo.org tvokids.com tvoparents.com ilc.org |
Online: Yahoo! YouTube |
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For further information:
Media contact:
Lesley Slack
TVO, Corporate Relations
Phone: 416.484.2600 x 2281
[email protected]
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