Person of the Year
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® WINTERWINTER 2014 p a rapr yw olyw P ed P r prov pr p Ap BARBARA WILLIAMS 0Ap 0 Ap 0 M 10 FS AFS A S IS PLAYBACK’S USPS U A A NAD ANAD A N C PERSON OF IN C C D ED TED PRIN PR P 5 6 THE YEAR 502 5026 0 00 400 B MBER MB M U N TNU T NU EN E ME EMEN R SHOWRUNNER SURVEY | BEST OF THE YEAR | SUPERSIZED MEDIA STRATEGIES GRE GR G AGRE A T OST OS O P AP DA P A ANA AN AAp publicacation of Bruruunico Communications Ltd. CANADA POST AGREEMENT NUMBER 40050265 PRINTED IN CANADA USPS AFSM 100 Approved Polywrap CANADA POST AGREEMENT NUMBER 40050265 PRINTED IN USPS AFSM 100 Approved CANA C 001_cover_Winter14.indd 1 2014-11-13 5:27 PM CONTENTS WINTER 20142014 Supersized strategies: Media cos are exploring new frontiers in the hunt for consumer loyalty 16 Faded glory: The fate of fi lm in a digital world 24 Humanitarian Award: Paul Haggis on building hope for Haiti 45 20 Not just for laughs: Showrunners weigh in on the state of comedy ON THE COVER New in screens 8 Media company of the year 28 Key exec moves, changing viewer habits and Blue Ant Media goes multinational milestones in Canadian fi lm and TV Producer of the year 22 Programmer profi le: DHX 12 Paperny Entertainment’s “extreme” strategy Michael Goldsmith on pushing the boundaries of kids programming Channel of the year 30 Discovery Canada’s winning approach Mohawk Girls 15 Talking “Sex and the City, Mohawk-style” Directors of the year 34 with Rezolution Pictures Xavier Dolan and Michael Dowse make waves in 2014 Person of the year 26 Our Winter 2014 cover Barbara Williams takes the spotlight Shows of the year 38 features Barbara Williams, at the helm of Shaw Media Vikings battles its way to the top, while CTV EVP broadcasting and and Proper Television cook up a hit president of Shaw Media. It was shot by Doug Forster on the set of Global TV medical drama Remedy. 3 003_Contents.indd 3 2014-11-13 5:28 PM EDITORIAL PUBLISHER Mary Maddever [email protected] CONTENT DIRECTOR & EDITOR Katie Bailey [email protected] NEWS EDITOR Julianna Cummins [email protected] CONTRIBUTORS Carrie Cutforth, Mark Dillon, Thom Ernst, Amber Dowling, Josh Kolm, Nick Krewen, Val Maloney, Sean Patrick O’Reilly, Etan Vlessing BRUNICO CREATIVE ART DIRECTOR Andrew Glowala [email protected] PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION SUPERVISOR Did we really talk TV? Robert Lines [email protected] IS THIS THE YEAR TV TIPPED? Every year for game-changing nonetheless. And frankly, as large and ADVERTISING SALES (416) 408-2300 Playback’s Winter issue, we go back and pick standout unwieldy as Canada’s largest broadcasters are, they’ve FAX (416) 408-0870 people, companies and things from the past year. I’m got billions on the line and the motivation to keep them. 1-888-278-6426 proud of our list this year: it features a breadth of Meanwhile newer players, like our Media SALES SUPERVISOR Neil Ewen strategy and personalities tackling the changing nature Company of the Year Blue Ant Media, are proving that [email protected] of our business with passion, savvy and courage. being small and nimble (and well fi nanced) means ACCOUNT MANAGER But on the TV side, the anxiousness of uncertainty being able to adapt in real-time to the changes taking Kelly Nicholls hangs over almost every conversation. place. Maybe this means we’ll see more indies pop up [email protected] Yes, we “talked TV” this year. Everyone got in the after years of consolidation. BRUNICO AUDIENCE SERVICES MANAGER room and discussed the ways in which our regulatory Let’s Talk TV might have brought the media Christine McNalley system might change to refl ect the forces driving the conversation to the mainstream, but consumers [email protected] industry, from consumer expectations to the more largely have no idea what genre protection is, or ADMINISTRATION PRESIDENT AND CEO arcane nitty-gritty that forms the backbone of Canadian how it infl uences what they watch. And they don’t Russell Goldstein broadcasting (that’s you, linkage ratios). understand why M3 continues to show music videos [email protected] But sometimes it felt like we were missing the point. when no one watches them on TV anymore. Maybe VP AND CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER Omri Tintpulver Even as we talked, change continued to surge past the they don’t even understand why M3 exists at all. I’m [email protected] conversation. Every minute, consumers forge new neural not sure that has changed even with the headlines the VP AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR pathways that make them intolerant of traditional TV hearings generated. Mary Maddever commercials, impatient of linear programming menus What they do know is that they like shows and they [email protected] VP ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE and weary of the 500-channel universe. don’t particularly care what channel provides them. Linda Lovegrove “The tipping point is that magic moment when an And they like to watch those shows however it suits [email protected] idea, trend, or social behaviour crosses a threshold, tips, them. That’s pretty much the sum extent of it. VP AND PUBLISHER, REALSCREEN Claire Macdonald and spreads like wildfi re,” one-man Canadian think Thanks to a myriad of forces, Canadians have been [email protected] tank Malcolm Gladwell famously wrote 15 years ago. making, and partnering to make, some great TV in recent VP AND PUBLISHER, KIDSCREEN I think we’re there. When Netfl ix told the CRTC it years, some of the best we’ve ever seen. I now often Jocelyn Christie simply didn’t care whether or not its voice was heard in (thrillingly) see people watching Canadian shows and [email protected] fi lms on planes, the unoffi cial test labs of public choice. Playback is published by the Let’s Talk TV hearings, it refl ected the broader reality Brunico Communications Ltd., of a shift in media consumption that has surpassed any Making those shows isn’t easy – it requires 366 Adelaide Street West, Suite 100, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 1R9 one nation’s regulator’s ability to control it. infrastructure and support. Series don’t promote (416) 408-2300; FAX: (416) 408-0870 The ingrained behaviours that have guided media themselves. Development is not free. Not suff ocating Web address: www.playbackonline.ca Editorial e-mail: [email protected], consumption have fundamentally changed. Linear under the weight of the U.S. culture machine requires [email protected] Sales e-mail: [email protected] consumption habits are slipping away. Random-access defences. And talent above and below the line needs Sales FAX: (416) 408-0870 consumption is becoming the new habit. nourishment and opportunities to grow and to stay. © 2014 Brunico Communications Ltd. Is this a bad thing? There’s no doubt it will All of this is at stake as the media and regulatory All rights reserved. Printed in Canada. change how Canadian broadcasters and independent environment transform at an unprecedented rate. Canadian Postmaster, send producers do business. Pick and pay, whatever I hope that this year, our Best of the Year profi les undeliverables and address changes to: Playback PO BOX 369 form it takes, will have an impact in how revenue aren’t just an interesting recap of the people and Beeton ON, L0G 1A0 changes hands between Canadians, broadcasters and businesses with whom you work or compete. I hope U.S. Postmaster, send undeliverables and address changes to: the indies. It’s going to require substantial change that you fi nd inspiration in them and the confi dence to Playback PO BOX 1103, Niagara Falls NY, 14304 in strategy for many; not all channels and not all change, adapt and continue to do work that – whether [email protected] businesses will make it through. they know not it or not – does matter to Canadians. Canada Post Agreement No. But as our Person of the Year Barb Williams notes, 40050265. ISSN: 0836-2114 Printed in Canada. this isn’t the fi rst time that the television industry has Katie Bailey undergone massive change. Maybe not this massive, but Content director & editor, Playback 4 WINTER 2014 004_Editorial.indd 4 2014-11-13 5:39 PM You entertain. We promote. We’re better together. We help Canadian creators and producers reach the world. The Canada Media Fund is dedicated to funding exceptional Canadian content, providing vital industry research, and promoting what is uniquely ours, here, and abroad. Together, we can entertain the world. cmf-fmc.ca Visit canadaonscreen.ca to view great Canadian productions. Join the conversation on Canadian content #eyeoncanada PB.25741.CMF.indd 5 2014-11-12 3:45 PM PUBLISHER’S NOTE 2015 Wishlist THIS IS THE BEST ISSUE OF THE YEAR. It’s a chance to get a And to kickstart some fresh-thinking resolutions for 2015, Playback directional snapshot of savvy strategies for 2015 and beyond. asked what the most important shifts were this year, and called for With change constantly rewiring the industry, prepping for the impact predictions on what’s critical for the industry to get right next year (and of trends becomes that much more crucial – and challenging. Curiously beyond). So here’s a wishlist from all corners of the Playback universe . (but not surprising), a lot of the issues impacting brands and advertisers Canadian tech expert James Stewart of Geneva Film Co. wants you – from big data and tech’s impact on consumers, to the role of branded to create new worlds in new dimensions: “Just as mobile has become content – are also key to the Playback audience.