Press Release For immediate release

Youth Media Alliance to Honour Three Talented and Inspiring Women at the Upcoming Awards of Excellence Gala

Montreal, April 7, 2021 – Youth Media Alliance (YMA) is proud to give its Outstanding Achievement Award to Michelle Melanson Cuperus and its Emerging Talent Award to Rennata and Georgina Lopez of Lopii Productions. These distinguished professionals will be honored at a virtual gala to be streamed live from the CBC Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto on May 26th.

Outstanding Achievement Award

Given for a distinguished career in youth production in Canada, this prestigious prize salutes the individual’s contributions to the industry, leadership skills, ability to innovate and inspire and career-long commitment to young Canadians.

Michelle Melanson Cuperus has 30 years experience in the production business with hundreds of episodes produced and over 50 awards and nominations, including both Emmy and BAFTA nominations. Her first credit was on the PBS series starring . From there she worked on many children’s shows in the 1990’s including , Real Kids Real Adventures, and The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon.

Since then, Michelle has worked with , CBC, Cookie Jar Entertainment, and Radical Sheep Productions, developing, producing and executive producing a wide variety of children’s television including familiar titles such as Rescue Heroes, Cyberchase, The Berenstain Bears, , The Next Step, and the award-winning Stella and Sam.

Michelle has won the Canadian Screen award, multiple Kidscreen Awards and Cynopsis Awards. She also has a Juno Award for producing the Stella and Sam Album.

Michelle is the Founder of Women Drawn Together - a free organization that fosters learning, networking, and mentorship for Women in the animation community. Over the past 7 years, the group has grown to over 1800 members spanning 5 cities. In 2019, Michelle was inducted into the Ryerson Radio and Television Wall of Fame.

She launched her own company Headspinner Productions with Showrunner and Husband Ken Cuperus in 2018. Their first production, the animated series Denis and Me, launched on CRAVE and YouTube in late 2020 and has already racked up over 18 million views. Season Two of Denis and Me is currently in production with alongside new series Happy House of Frightenstein, which will launch in Fall of 2021.

Emerging Talent Award Presented by the Shaw Rocket Fund

This award is given to a promising professional whose achievements have made her a rising star in children’s programming. This award encourages young creators and broadcast professionals to outdo themselves and, more importantly, to pursue a career in youth production.

Identical twin sisters and award-winning TV Producers Georgina and Rennata López founded Lopii Productions Inc. in July 2018. After both working in the biz respectively as freelance producers, Georgina and Rennata decided to join forces to create and produce their own high-quality, inclusive and diverse children’s programs where every child can see themselves on TV.

Lopii Productions has already produced the series My Home, My Life! and the Kidscreen Award- winning My Stay-at-Home Diary, as well as 2 shorts for season 50 and 51 of Sesame Street. Several exciting projects are in development, and Georgina and Rennata are currently gearing up for production on live action/preschool series The Fay and Fluffy Show, and completing the second season of My Home, My Life.

Rennata López is a producer, writer, casting director and director for television with an emphasis on lifestyle/factual and childrens’ programming. Prior to founding Lopii Productions in 2018, Rennata worked as a freelance producer on many great children's series including the award-winning Giver, It’s My Party, and What’s Inside. She was nominated twice for a Canadian Screen Award in 2015 & 2016 and a Youth Media Alliance Award in 2019.

Before co-founding Lopii Productions in 2018, Georgina López worked as a freelance Producer and or/Production Manager, managing all types of television programs including lifestyle, scripted and animation, but passion has always been working in kids television. She won the 2016 Canadian Screen Award and received three Daytime Emmy nominations.

The 2021 English-language Awards of Excellence is made possible thanks to financial assistance from our valued sponsors: CBC/Radio-Canada, Canada Media Fund, the Shaw Rocket Fund, 9 Story Media Group, Guru Studio, Fresh TV Inc., Sinking Ship Entertainment, Little Engine Moving Pictures, APTN, and eOne.

Source:

Laura Newman Youth Media Alliance [email protected] 514-483-5417