The Board of Directors of the Bell Fund has announced its decisions for the February 1, 2017 round of applications. Over $4.9M in grants has been approved for  21 of the 41 (English and French) applications received, as follows:

The following English language projects received Production Grants under the Bell Fund’s Production Program:

BROADCAST

DIGITAL MEDIA

The Amazing Race Canada
Insight Production Company Ltd.
Executive Producers: John Brunton, Barbara Bowlby, Mark Lysakowski
Producers: Mike Bickerton, Sarah James, Kyle Martin

Bell Media – CTV, 11 x 60 mins

The Amazing Race Canada is a skills-based, competition series. The Racers travel across Canada and beyond, tackling non-stop challenges and adventures in the biggest race this country has ever seen. The first team to the final pit stop wins the grand prize.

The Amazing Race Canada VR
Tyger Shark Inc.
Producer: Tyler Murray

Using VR 360° immersive video capture, audiences will be able to share and explore the race environments, places and The Amazing Race Canada experiences around the world. Each virtual reality experience will bring viewers right into some of the incredible locations and courses from The Amazing Race Canada – Season 5 adventure.

Bachelor Canada III
Good Human Productions Inc.
Executive Producer: Claire Freeland
Producer: Amy Hosking

Corus – W Network, 11 x 90 mins

Canada’s most eligible bachelor is in search of the love of his life and embarks on a journey to find the right bachelorette from across Canada.

Bachelor Canada III
ITM Productions Inc.
Executive Producer: Claire Freeland
Service Co.: Innovate by Day

The Bachelor Canada Digital will offer our audiences tangible ways to interact with the series, key influencers, celebrities, and other fans across the country through a celebrity fantasy draft, an online predictions game, and a SuperFan Experience Campaign, all supported by a new interactive microsite and robust social media engagement campaign.

Charlie the Whale
Echo Média Productions Inc.
Producers: Luc Châtelain and Dominique Mendel

TVO, TFO, Knowledge, ICI Radio-Canada,
65 x 7 mins

Charlie is a four-and-a-half-year-old whale and the protagonist of a new series for pre-school children. The show follows Charlie and her family through living life, making mistakes, making up, and finding solutions together with lots of love, plenty of learning and tons of laughter. Her life demonstrates the value of familial relationships to children at a young age.

Charlie the Whale’s Neighbourhood
Echo Média Productions Inc.
Producers: Dominique Mendel and Luc Châtelain
Service Co.: Yellow Bear Studios

Corner Gas
Vérité Films Inc.
Executive Producers: Brent Butt, Virginia Thompson, David Storey
Producer: Leslie Thomas

Bell Media – Comedy Network, 13 x 24 mins

Corner Gas: The Animated Series is a new, primetime animated sitcom based on the live action series created by comedian Brent Butt, and featuring the voice talents of the original cast.

Corner Gas: The Animated Series DM
Prairie Pants Productions Inc./Vérité Films Inc.
Executive Producers: Brent Butt, Virginia Thompson, David Storey
Service Co.:
Smiley Guy Studios,
Innovate by Day

An audience-centric, video-driven campaign that provides a truly interactive offering. It offers fan-exclusive access to the cast and a robust social media experience. With a fan-first approach, Corner Gas: The Animated Series will be proactive online to reach and engage the existing fan base, while introducing an entirely new audience to this reboot of Corner Gas.

Dino Dana Season 3
Sinking Ship Entertainment Inc.
Executive Producers: JJ Johnson, Blair Powers, Christin Simms, Matt Bishop
Producers: JJ Johnson, Blair Powers

TVO, 13 x 22 mins

Following the footsteps of Dino Dan, the spin off continues to take the franchise to a whole new level of dinosaur adventure with 10 new prehistoric creatures. Bigger and weirder, history is made real on the series that brings the past into present-life.

Dino Dana Vision
Sinking Ship Interactive Inc.
Producers: JJ Johnson, Blair Powers

Dino Dana Vision features a virtual reality app, an augmented reality app and a browser-based experience. The interactive experience takes users into virtual dino museums to conduct their very own dino experiments. Dino Quest, the AR app, lets parents print AR markers to hide for kids to find and dig up dino bones. The browser-based experience is DinoCraft, which lets kids decorate a virtual dino colouring page and then see their customized dino come to life!

Equator 360
DEEP Inc.
Producers: Michael McMahon, Kristina McLaughlin,Kay Siering

Discovery Canada, 12 x 46 mins

Equator 360 is a 12-part documentary series which follows the story of the rise of Eden and its potential fall. The equatorial region is, literally, the original Paradise where most all life, including humanity began. It is also ground zero for global warming. This epic story forms the backdrop of a breathtakingly beautiful 12-hour journey through many landscapes.

Equator 360
DEEP Inc.
Producers: Thomas Wallner, Irene Vandertop

Finding Stuff Out 5
Apartment 11 Productions Inc.
Executive Producer: Jonathan Finkelstein
Producer: Jean-Louis Cote

TVO, 13 x 22 mins

Are all dinosaurs extinct? Why do dogs sleep so much? Why do trucks have so many different kinds of wheels? Finding Stuff Out 5 is the show that answers questions kids pine to know. Finding Stuff Out 5 is a madcap STEAM TV show featuring songs, skits, cool experts, and real kids doing whacky experiments.

Finding Stuff Out Online 5
Apartment 11 Productions Inc.
Executive Producer: Jonathan Finkelstein
Producer: Jonathan Finkelstein
Service Co.: Smiley Guy Studios

Finding Stuff Out Online 5 is an arcade/action style game platform with areas for players to unlock, multiple worlds to explore and varied challenge levels that put their STEAM skills to the test! The season 5 game aims to immerse players in science, technology, engineering, art and math themes explored in in the TV series and will feature simple controls, collectibles and a points and star scoring system to encourage kids to move to the next level.

Moosemeat & Marmalade Season 3
May Street Productions Ltd.
Executive Producer: Hilary Pryor
Producer: Mike Wavrecan, Art Napoleon

APTN, 13 x 22 mins

Moosemeat & Marmalade brings together two very different chefs: one Canadian Cree and one Brit/European. Both will explore contrasting cultures and traditions through the way we access, cook and present our food. In each episode, one chef will choose an ingredient and lead the journey. The ingredients? Everything from muskrat, porcupine and urchin to goose, pickerel and haggis!

Moosemeat & Marmalade Interactive
May Street Productions Ltd.
Executive Producer: Hilary Pryor
Producer: Mike Wavrecan
Service Co.: Denman Digital Inc.

This interactive website for season three of Moosemeat & Marmalade will look at food through the eyes and cultural bias of our two hosts. Users are taken on an interactive exploration of Canada’s food landscape, examining the sources of a variety of different foods. The platform will also look at the problems in food sustainability and accessibility that have been created (or solved) in our modern society.

The Next Step
Temple Street Productions
Executive Producers: David Fortier, Ivan Schneeberg, Rachael Schaefer, Karen McClellan, Michelle Melanson
Producers: Laurie McLarty, Amy Wright

DHX – Family Channel, 20 x 30 mins

The Next Step follows the lives of an elite group of young dancers who live and breathe dance at The Next Step Studio. Season 5’s focus will be to explore a new generation of A-Troupe dancers in their quest to be the best.

The Next Step: Mobile Game
Temple Street Productions
Executive Producers: David Fortier & Ivan Schneeberg
Producer: Bryce Hunter
Service Co.: Relish Interactive

Ping and Pong Season 1
Kondolole Films Inc.
Executive Producers/Producers: Annick De Vries/ Ernest Godin /Celia Catunda, Kiko Mistrorigo/ Ricardo Rozzino

TVO, TFO, Knowledge, Société Télé-Québec – Télé-Québec, 52 x 7 mins

The Ping and Pong series is targeted to preschoolers and stimulates musical and language development. Ping and Pong are two inseparable friends that juggle sounds, words and music: Ping loves melody and Pong, rhythm. Many things inspire them: an overflowing bathtub, a missing pirate ship, a popcorn machine and lots more! It’s through song and music that they live their bewildering and adventurous lives.

Ping and Pong
Executive Producers/Producers: Annick De Vries / Ernest Godin / Kondolole Films
Service Co.: Les Productions Version 10 Inc.

Online, Ping and Pong offers young fans a rich platform targeted to 3-6 year-olds with 3 musical activities: Music is everywhere, Clean up the sounds with Mr. Pine and Matilda and Jam with Ping and Pong. Right from the start, the young users are welcomed on the website by their favorite characters who invite them to play and discover their magical world. Then, through the fun and educational activities, the young users delve into Ping and Pong’s unique world. They share and discover music, sounds and language.

Songs with Daisy & The Gumboot Kids
Two Story Productions Inc.
Executive Producers: Eric Hogan, Tara Hungerford, Bruce Kakesh, Dave Valleau
Producers: Tracey Mack, David Roncin

CBC, 40 x 2 mins

Songs with Daisy & The Gumboot Kids is a spin-off series from the hit CBC Kids television show, Scout & The Gumboot Kids. It’s a series of 40 music videos featuring music by Juno Award winning artist, Jessie Farrell, and a new character to the Gumboot Kids world, Daisy. Songs with Daisy & The Gumboot Kids gives fans of the Gumboot Kids world an exciting new way to engage with its characters and its nature themes.

Daisy & The Gumboot Kids
Two Story Productions Inc.
Executive Producers: Eric Hogan, Tara Hungerford, Bruce Kakesh, Dave Valleau
Producers: Tracey Mack, David Roncin
Service Co.: Rival Schools Media Design Inc.

The digital media component consists of 15 x 2 minute videos that feature Daisy leading the Gumboot Kids through the creation of a fun nature craft. The interactive mini-game will prompt children to follow Daisy’s instructions on screen while modelling pro-social behaviour (lots of “please” and “thank you”!). The Daisy Interactive game will pop-up with a craft pre-loaded, so that children can create the craft themselves, online.

Taken Season 2
Eagle Vision Inc.
Executive Producers: Lisa Meeches, Kyle Irving
Producers: Lisa Meeches, Kyle Irving, Rebecca Gibson, Richard Duffy

APTN, 13 x 22 mins

Season Two of Taken is a true crime documentary series focusing on solving the mysteries behind Canada’s missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Riveting, spine-chilling, important television, Taken confronts, head-on, the search for answers, the clues that link these stories, and the hope of all Canadians to resolve this tragic reality for Indigenous women and girls, and for our nation.

Taken Season 2 DM
Eagle Vision Inc.
Executive Producers: Lisa Meeches, Kyle Irving
Producers: Lisa Meeches, Kyle Irving, Rebecca Gibson, Richard Duffy
Service Co.: Tactica Interactive

Building on the success of the first season, compelling new content will be added to the Taken website and the creation of the Taken Knowledge Keeper app to support season 2. This robust digital media experience will serve the television audience, families, at risk individuals, the greater Indigenous community, police and researchers.

The following French language projects received Production Grants under the Bell Fund’s Production Program:

BROADCAST

DIGITAL MEDIA

Bêtes de sexe
Echo Média Productions
Producteurs: Dominique Mendel, Luc Châtelain
Télé-Québec, 1 x 60 min

Bêtes de sexe
Echo Média Productions
Producteurs: Dominique Mendel, Luc Châtelain
Maison de services numériques : Dpt.
Support : Site web adaptatif

ICI, On chante!
Attraction Images
Productrices: Marie-Élaine Nadeau, Marleen Beaulieu
ICI Radio-Canada, ICI ARTV, 14 x 60 min

Occupation Double 2017
Productions J
Productrices : Madeleine Cantin, Julie Snyder
Groupe V Média, 42 x 60 min

Salmigondis III
Téléfiction Productions
Producteurs : Lucie Veillet, Martine Quinty, Claude Veillet
Télé-Québec, ICI Radio-Canada, 65 x 24 min

Tous pour un chalet
Zone 3
Producteurs: Francis Laforest, André Larin, Brigitte Lemonde, Luc Benoît
Canal Vie, 12 x 60 min

The following projects received Development funding:

Agent Jean – Nom de code: Debby
Frima Studio
Félix Larivière
TFO

The following projects received Performance Accelerator funding:

Canada in a Day International
Screen Siren Pictures
Service Co.: Switch United
Trish Dolman, Catherine Winckler
Bell Media – CTV

Slugterra: Slug it Out 2 Ext
DHX Media Vancouver/Nerd Corps
Asaph Fipke
DHX – Disney XD

Talent Hounds DM
Hop to It Productions
Susan Nation
Ethnic Channels Group

The following organizations received Professional Development funding:

All Access 2017 On Screen Manitoba
On Screen Manitoba

BANFF World Media Festival 2017
Banff Television Festival Foundation

Bientôt sur nos écrans 2017
RECRÉÉ

Discoverability Project 2017
Interactive Ontario

DOC Institute Savvy Producer 2016- 17
DOC Toronto Chapter

English Awards of Excellence 2017
Youth Media Alliance

Hot Docs Festival Industry Conference and Marketplace
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival

InfluenceTHIS
InfluenceTHIS

Interative Film Industry Forum 2017
St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival

Jalloo, Atlantic Fest Animation 2017
Jalloo Foundation

Numix 2017
NUMIX

Prime Time in Ottawa 2017
Canadian Media Producers Association

Rendez-Vous Pro 2017
Québec Cinéma

Story Summit 2017 AMPIA
Alberta Media Production Industries Association

The Bell Fund provides grants to Canadian independent producers who develop and produce engaging, interactive cross-platform digital content for Canadian broadcasters to complement and enhance associated television programs. Since 1997, the Bell Fund has invested over $192 M in over 1,900 Canadian digital media projects, television programs, development grants, co-productions and support for research and professional development. The Bell Fund also undertakes training, research, business development and promotion for the digital media industry.

The Bell Fund receives annual contributions of approximately $17 M from Bell TV as part of its broadcast distribution undertaking (BDU) contributions to the industry. In addition, the Development Program is supported by the interest generated by a $10M endowment. 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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