WGC 2022 Screenwriting Awards Finalists

WGCAwards2022 finalists announcement poster

So excited to receive my second Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting Award nomination – this one with my brilliant co-writer Carolyn Hay for Ranger Rob. What an honour it is to be in the company of such an amazing group of fellow nominees!

The WGC Screenwriting Awards are now in their 26th year of celebrating and acknowledging the best of the best in Canadian screenwriting and the all-important creators behind the most engaging and powerful Canadian-made series, films, documentaries and webseries.

The WGC Screenwriting Awards will recognize and celebrate Canadian screenwriters and their scripts at a virtual ceremony on April 25, 2022. Details on the ceremony, including registration, will be coming soon to wgc.ca.

Congratulations to the awards finalists!  @WGCtweet #WGCAwards2022

Portfolio Introduces ‘Where Oliver Fits: A Christmas Eve Tale’ Special, Shorts

Poster for animated Christmas special called Where Oliver Fits: A Christmas Eve Tale, developed and written by Andrew Sabiston, 2021

Thank you to everyone at Portfolio for making the development and writing of this Christmas special and series of shorts such a joy to be a part of! Getting in the Christmas spirit during the summer of 2020 sure helped with the pandemic blues.

By Mercedes Milligan | Published on June 4, 2021

Portfolio Entertainment’s award-winning animation studio, in partnership with the CMF/SRF Digital Animated Series Program and Corus Entertainment’s Treehouse TV, has produced a brand-new family Christmas special, Where Oliver Fits: A Christmas Eve Tale, and an accompanying series of 9 x 2.5′ shorts based on the hit Canadian children’s book Where Oliver Fits by Cale Atkinson. The heartfelt animated comedy special and series explore the challenges of not knowing where you fit in with your friends, and how to be yourself.

bulbKIDZ Launches with Pre-K Original ‘Gopher It!’

Poster for adventurous edutainment series called Gopher It! about a young gregarious gopher created by Andrew Sabiston and Ron Rubin 2021.

Beyond thrilled to have had our original preschool property “Gopher It!” (co-created with the wonderful Ron Rubin) selected by bulbKidz for their launch. Looking forward to the adventures ahead!

By Mercedes Milligan | Published on April 20, 2021

A new Canadian-U.S. kids entertainment company bulbKIDZ has launched, with industry veterans Nancy Aries Koff and Kiersten Halstead at the helm, announcing their first original preschool animation project, Gopher It! (52 x 11’). Working with Award-winning Canadian creators Andrew Sabiston (Super Wings, The Remarkable Mr. King, Ranger Rob, The Moblees) and Ron Rubin (Beetlejuice, X-Men, Avengers, Care Bears), this Canadian production is now in development, planned for Fall 2022 (Season 1) and Spring 2023 (Season 2).

How Blue Socks is bringing Nelvana to Africa

Ranger Rob Nelvana

How great to see Ranger Rob’s world expanding!

The distributor has already lined up a handful of deals in the country amid a growing demand for educational kids content, says EVP Neill Warren. Article by Ryan Tuchow

Corus-owned Nelvana has appointed North Carolina-based Blue Socks Media as its distributor in Africa. Blue Socks plans to build on the success it’s had selling its own content in the region, and is confident it will be able to penetrate the market with Nelvana’s IPs, says EVP of distribution of licensing Neill Warren.

8TH INTERNATIONAL EMMY® KIDS AWARDS PROGRAM

Super Wings FunnyFlux 2000x1200

Congratulations to all the 8th International Emmy® Kids Awards Best Preschool Show Nominees. It was an honour and a thrill to be in your company with SUPER WINGS Season 3 from FunnyFlux, Alpha and EBS China. Kudos to Australia’s BLUEY on their win.

Mission Teams is the concept for SUPER WINGS Season 3 episodes – promo video below

2020 WGC SCREENWRITING AWARDS FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

image for 2020 WGC Screenwriting Awards Finalists Announced

Congratulations to all the 2020 Writers’ Guild of Canada Award Nominees. It was an honour and a thrill to be nominated for Best Preschool Writing for Nelvana’s THE REMARKABLE MR KING among all those other remarkable writers and shows. Kudos to JJ Johnson, Christin Simms and Amish Patel on their win for DINO DANA.

The WGC Screenwriting Awards are now in their 24th year of celebrating and acknowledging the best of the best in Canadian screenwriting and the all-important talent behind the creation of the most engaging and powerful Canadian-made series, films, documentaries and webseries.

The WGC Screenwriting Awards will recognize and celebrate Canadian screenwriters and their scripts at a gala ceremony on April 27, 2020 at Toronto’s Koerner Hall (ticket info is coming soon to wgc.ca). Gavin Crawford, writer, comedian, and host of CBC Radio’s Because News, returns as this year’s host along with his long-time collaborator, screenwriter Kyle Tingley, as awards show writer. 

AOLA ANIMATION SIGNS GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION DEAL FOR ORIGINAL SERIES ‘KIKI & NUNA’

Kiki and Nuna

Congratulations to everyone at Suzhou Aola Animation Technology Co. Ltd. in China! I’m thrilled to have been a part of the development of this heartwarming preschool series.

Hong Kong-based MediaLink Group will distribute Chinese animation studio’s new CG preschool show, set to launch in summer 2020. 
By Dan Sarto

Chinese animation studio Aola Animation has signed a pre-sales and distribution deal with Hong Kong-based distributor MediaLink Group for its new original CG preschool series, Kiki & Nuna.