- Annual program encourages professional development in the television
industry by enabling emerging talent to attend the Banff World Media
Festival -
- Deadline for applications is Friday, March 21, 2014 at 5 p.m. ET -
To tweet this release: http://bit.ly/1nTzxNO
TORONTO, Feb. 21, 2014 /CNW/ - Bell Media announced today that
applications are now being accepted for this year's Bell Media National Fellowship Program. Selected recipients will receive full registration for the 2014 Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) and round-trip air transportation to attend the event, which
runs June 8 - 11, 2014 in Banff, Alta. Applications will be accepted until Friday, March 21 at 5 p.m. ET.
"We are extremely pleased to once again offer creative talent the
opportunity to attend BANFF and share their projects with key industry
executives," said Corrie Coe, Senior Vice-President, Independent
Production. "The best and brightest come to this internationally
recognized festival to share their innovative ideas for television
programming, and these Fellowships give those just starting their
careers the chance to get there."
Part of the $1.8 million Bell Media TV Skills Development Initiative,
the Bell Media National Fellowship program allows up-and-coming
producers, writers, and directors to benefit from the programming,
mentorship, and pitching opportunities available at BANFF. In addition
to registration and travel, the Fellowship covers admission to all
seminars, workshops, feature interviews, and screenings as well as all
official social events, including a Bell Media sponsored event to
introduce the Fellows to the BANFF community. Additionally, one notable
program graduate is honoured each year with the Bell Media National
Fellowship Award of Distinction. Selected candidates must bring a
suitable-for-broadcast project to BANFF with specific goals in mind.
All projects must be Canadian and can cover a number of genres
including drama, documentary, children's, comedy/entertainment,
lifestyle, or reality.
Previous Fellows include Craig David Wallace, co-creator and showrunner
of the critically-acclaimed series TODD & THE BOOK OF PURE EVIL (Space,
Comedy, Much) and winner of the inaugural Bell Media National
Fellowship Award of Distinction in 2013; Dane Clark, screenwriter of
the Praxis prize-winning feature film Old Stock; Jessie Gabe, head writer on MR. D (CBC); Jennifer Hollett,
award-winning broadcast journalist; and Will Pascoe, co-producer and
writer on ORPHAN BLACK (Space).
For details about requirements and submission guidelines, or to submit
an application, please click here.
About the Bell Media TV Skills Development Initiative
The $1.8 million Bell Media TV Skills Development Initiative is a suite
of national training programs, exclusively funded by Bell Media, which
ensure a comprehensive range of training for writers, producers,
directors, and showrunners in the Canadian television industry at
different stages of their careers. The Initiative supports the Bell Media Diverse Screenwriters Program (Writers Guild of Canada) for emerging and mid-career writers from
diverse backgrounds who intern in a writing room of a Bell Media TV
series; the Bell Media National Fellowship Program (Banff World Media Festival), which encourages professional development
in the television industry by enabling emerging producers, writers, and
directors to attend the festival and take part in mentorship
activities; the Bell Media Primetime TV Program (Canadian Film Centre), which provides series development for TV
writers; the Bell Media Producer Accelerator Lab, which provides immersive and experiential broadcast and production
experience for mid-level producers; the Bell Media Showrunner Bootcamp (Canadian Film Centre), which develops showrunner knowledge and
management for TV writers; the Media Leadership Program (Women in Film and Television - Toronto), a biennial program designed
for mid to senior-level women and men who want leading-edge academic
knowledge and contemporary business and leadership skills required in
the Canadian screen-based industry; and the Business Management for Media Professionals Program (Women in Film and Television - Toronto), a certificate program
essential for emerging media professionals who want to understand the
business of film, television and interactive production.
About Bell Media Independent Production
Bell Media has commissioned some of Canada's most-watched and
most-acclaimed original programming, working with the best Canadian
independent producers in the country. Hit CTV series include ratings
success stories SAVING HOPE, THE LISTENER, MOTIVE, the #1 new Canadian
scripted series of the 2012/13 season, MASTERCHEF CANADA, and THE
AMAZING RACE CANADA, the record-breaking, Canadian-produced
complementary version of the hit international series. Also coming to
CTV in early 2014 is multi-cam office comedy SPUN OUT. Among the
scripted series on Bell Media pay and specialty channels are the
two-time Emmy®-nominated hit DEGRASSI, leading Canadian Screen Award
nominee and internationally acclaimed ORPHAN BLACK, BITTEN, 19-2, and
TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES, and upcoming dramas SENSITIVE SKIN and
KILLJOYS. Bell Media specialty channels are also home to reality series
such as BRAVE NEW GIRLS, game shows MATCH GAME and POP QUIZ, and
factual series HIGHWAY THRU HELL and CANADA'S WORST DRIVER, among
others. In 2013, Bell Media ordered 27 original Canadian series and
currently has 84 projects in various stages of development.
About Bell Media
With passion and an unrelenting commitment to excellence, Bell Media
creates content and builds brands that entertain, inform, engage, and
inspire audiences through the platforms of their choice. Bell Media is
Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television,
radio, out-of-home advertising, and digital media. Bell Media owns 30
local television stations led by CTV, Canada's #1 television network;
35 specialty channels, including TSN and RDS, Canada's most-watched
specialty channels in English and French; four pay TV services,
including The Movie Network and Super Écran; and is managing
shareholder of premium pay-per-view service Viewers Choice Canada. Bell
Media is also Canada's largest radio broadcaster, with 107 licensed
radio stations in 55 markets across Canada. Bell Media owns Astral
Out-of-Home, one of Canada's most dynamic and innovative out-of-home
advertising companies with a network of more than 9,500 advertising
faces in Québec, Ontario and British Columbia. Bell Media also operates
more than 200 websites, delivers TV Everywhere with its innovative GO
video streaming services, including CTV GO, TMN GO, and Bravo GO, and
owns Dome Productions Inc., a multi-platform production company. Bell
Media is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest
communications company. For more on Bell Media, please visit www.bellmedia.ca
SOURCE Bell Media
