Bell Fund announces results of the 2018 TV Pilot Program.
Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, Ontario, October 16, 2018: The Board of Directors of the Bell Fund announces the final results of the TV Pilot Program. Over $5.5 million in grants has been approved to 26 Independent Production Companies from five provinces including Manitoba, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and Ontario. 21 English language and 12 French language series are supported in the genres of Drama, Comedy and Lifestyle with total combined production budgets of almost $220 million. Including this round of funding, the Bell Fund has contributed approximately $7.5 million in grants for the TV Program in 2018.
| TV Program – Major Production Funder Envelope |
|---|
| Backyard Builds (Season 2) – ON, MB Frantic Films Corus – HGTV Canada 14 x 30 min |
| Star contractor and designer Brian McCourt and design expert Sarah Keenleyside work with homeowners to maximize their backyard’s potential by creating tailored, one-of-a-kind structures. |
| Big Food Bucket List - ON Lone Eagle Entertainment Corus – Food Network Canada 14 x 30 min |
| John Catucci, the host of Food Network Canada’s You Gotta Eat Here!, takes viewers on a mouth-watering journey across North America and beyond to check off the most desirable and enviable experiences on his food bucket list. |
| Buying & Selling with the Property Brothers (Season 6) - ON Cineflix Corus – HGTV Canada 8 x 60 min |
| Jonathan and Drew Scott help homeowners take the next step up the property ladder. The series features two pivotal real estate moments, double the stress, and twice the manpower. |
| Cardinal (Season 4): Until the Night - ON Entertainment One Television & Sienna Films Bell Media - CTV 6 x 60 min |
| A routine missing person investigation turns into a spree of murders, with seemingly random victims. Connecting the dots in a case that hits ever closer to home forces Cardinal and Delorme to confront choices they’ve made in the past as they face off against a dangerous adversary bent on revenge. |
| Carnival Eats (Season 6) – ON Alibi Entertainment Corus – Food Network Canada 13 x 30 min |
| Takes us further on the journey to find the most tasty and interesting food found in Carnivals across North America. |
| Corner Gas Animated (Season 2) – BC, ON Vérité Films Bell Media – Comedy Network 13 x 30 min |
| Corner Gas Animated brings back Dog River residents in a decidedly animated form, with new, wilder and weirder adventures 40 miles from nowhere. |
| Destination Dress - ON Insight Productions Bell Media - Gusto 6 x 30 min |
| Wedding stylists and bridal experts help deserving couples fulfil their wedding dreams. All the couples featured have faced extraordinary circumstances that have prevented them from reaching the alter. The host’s mission is to help the couple realize their long-awaited dream wedding, and at the center is helping the bride pick the perfect dress. |
| Holmes and Holmes (Season 2) - ON Restovate Corus – HGTV Canada 12 x 60 min |
| In the 2nd season of Holmes And Holmes, the father/son construction duo are in business together and take on their biggest challenge yet: buying, renovating, and selling 3 houses for profit, doing it the ‘Make It Right’ way. |
| Island of Bryan - ON Si Entertainment Corus – HGTV Canada 13 x 60 min |
| After 10+ years of building a construction empire back home, Bryan and Sarah Baeumler are about to escape the daily grind and embark on an unforgettable family adventure. We follow the story of this radical life event for the Baeumler's, from a dream of creating and running a luxury boutique resort in paradise, to the reality of leaving their friends, family and life behind to take on their most challenging build yet. Is paradise really all it’s cracked up to be? |
| Jann - AB Seven24 Films Bell Media - CTV 6 x 30 min |
| Music superstar Jann Arden is trying to make ends meet Air BnBing her house to famous Canadians, while also trying to revive her stalled music career. Things get complicated fast when her newly pregnant sister asks Jann to begin caring for their mother - who's started showing signs of early dementia. |
| Letterkenny (Season 4) - ON New Metric Media Bell Media – The Movie Network 14 x 30 min |
| The residents of Letterkenny belong to one of three groups: the Hicks, the Skids, and the Hockey Players, who are constantly feuding with each other over seemingly trivial matters that often end with someone getting their ass kicked. |
| Love It or List It Vancouver (Season 5) – BC, ON Big Coat Media Corus – HGTV Canada 26 x 60 min |
| Showcases families who are at a crossroads with homes that no longer suit their needs. They need expert help to solve their housing crisis. |
| Masters of Flip (Season 4) - ON Rhino Content Corus – HGTV Canada 6 x 60 min |
| Canadian house flipping and real estate experts, Kortney and Dave Wilson, having given up their music careers, are specializing in converting tired, rundown, turn-of the-century disasters into stunning family dream homes. What follows, is a race against time and a battle with budgets as Kortney and Dave transform Nashville, one house at a time. |
| New Eden - ON Peacock Alley Bell Media – Crave/TMN 8 x 30 min |
| A true crime comedy anthology about female friendship, murder and the male gaze. In 1976 an all-female commune is started in Oregon. In the inexperienced hands of the leaders it quickly devolves into a drug addled, pagan, sometimes alien-worshipping, disaster space, oh and there might have been some murders. |
| Property Brothers (Season 7) - ON Cineflix Corus – HGTV Canada 18 x 60 min |
| Property Brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott help couples find, buy, and transform extreme fixer-uppers into incredible dream homes. First, Drew tracks down hidden gems with untapped potential, and then it’s up to Jonathan to expertly overhaul these ramshackle properties. |
| Save My Reno (Season 2) - BC Great Pacific Media Corus – HGTV Canada 14 x 30 min |
| In the upbeat series $ave My Reno, cash-conscious homeowners finally catch a break when Sebastian Clovis, the savvy contractor with contagious energy, and Sabrina Smelko, the resourceful DIY designer, toss out overpriced reno quotes and make dreams come true with a slashed budget and spectacular renovation. |
| The Beaverton (Season 3) - ON Pier 21 Films Bell Media - CTV 14 x 30 min |
| A televised adaptation of the popular online satirical site TheBeaverton.com, THE BEAVERTON files fake news stories of the upmost importance, informed by real events, the cultural zeitgeist, and national news media. |
| To Be Announced Drama Series - QC DATSIT Sphère Productions Bell Media - CTV 13 x 60 min |
| To Be Announced Drama Series -ON Corus – Global TV 6 x 60 min |
| Worst to First - BC Great Pacific Media Corus – HGTV Canada 10 x 60 min |
| Worst to First sees best friends and professional contractors Mickey and Sebastian take on the challenge of transforming the most undesirable houses on the block into beautiful forever homes. |
| Wynonna Earp – (Season 4) - AB Seven24 Films Bell Media - Space 12 x 60 min |
| Reckless and reluctant gunslinger Wynonna Earp and her team of outmatched outsiders return to face monsters, revenants and their biggest fears as they fight to take down the demon who cursed the Earp family before he destroys the Ghost River Triangle – and the world. |
The following French language projects received Production Grants under the Bell Fund’s TV Pilot Program.
For further details on the projects below, please see our French language website: fondsbell.ca
| Appelle-moi si tu meurs Zone3 TVA - Addik, 8 x 60 min |
| Belle à ma façon (titre de travail) Productions Kenya Bell Média - Canal Vie 10 x 60 min |
| Design VIP (saison 8) Zone3 Bell Média - Canal Vie 26 x 30 min |
| Goldwater à l'écoute Média Ranch TV Bell Média - Canal Vie 13 x 60 min |
| Jérémie IV Zone3 Bell Média- Vrak 15 x 30 min |
| Le mur Productions Pixcom TVA 8 x 60 min |
| Les rénos d’Hugo (saison 5) B-612 TVA - Casa 10 x 30 min |
| LOL (saison 10) ComediHa! TVA 14 x 30 min |
| O’ (saison 8) Productions Sovimage TVA 12 x 60 min |
| Ouvrez, on ne sait jamais! (saison 2) Zone3 Bell Média - Canal Vie 13 x 30 min |
| Victor Lessard (saison 3) Productions Pixcom TVA 10 x 60 min |
| Week-end de bois (saison 3) Attraction Images Bell Média - Ztélé 9 x 30 min |
The Bell Fund provides grants to Canadian media content makers who create and produce engaging content for audiences in Canada and around the world. Bell Fund investments support content development and production for broadcast and digital platforms that are accessible to all Canadians. For 20 years, since 1997, the Bell Fund has invested over $200 million in 2,000 Canadian digital media projects and television programs. The Bell Fund also supports training, research, professional development and promotion for the Canadian media production industry.
The Bell Fund receives annual contributions of approximately $16 million from Bell TV as part of its broadcast distribution undertaking (BDU) contributions to the industry. The Fund was also awarded a $10 million endowment from Bell TV which supports the Fund’s development programming. The Bell Fund is incorporated as a not-for-profit organization, governed by an independent Board of Directors representing various sectors of the television and digital media industry.
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For further information:
Bell Fund
416-977-8154
info@bellfund.ca
www.bellfund.ca
Fonds Bell
514-845-4418
info@fondsbell.ca
www.fondsbell.ca