CANADIAN CANADA $7 FALL 2016 VOL.19, NO.1 SCREENWRITER FILM | TELEVISION | RADIO | DIGITAL MEDIA We Celebrate Our Epic Screenwriting Success Stories It’s Time To Work On Your Pitch Baroness Von Sketch Show: Creating A World In Two Minutes Animated Conversation: Ken Cuperus Opens Up About His Live Action-Cartoon Crossover PM40011669 ★ ★ SCREENWRITERS STAY TUNED FOR IMPORTANT DEADLINES THE 21ST ANNUAL WGC SCREENWRITING AWARDS APRIL 24, 2017 | KOERNER HALL, TORONTO 2017 SPECIAL AWARDS: THE WGC SHOWRUNNER AWARD for excellence in showrunning THE JIM BURT SCREENWRITING PRIZE for longform screenwriting talent THE SONDRA KELLY AWARD for female screenwriters CALL FOR ENTRIES COMING SOON TO WWW.WGC.CA CANADIAN SCREENWRITER The journal of the Writers Guild of Canada Vol. 19 No. 1 Fall 2016 ISSN 1481-6253 Publication Mail Agreement Number 400-11669 Contents Publisher Maureen Parker Editor Tom Villemaire Features [email protected] Having An Animated Conversation 6 Director of Communications Li Robbins We talk to Ken Cuperus about how he and his writing team create a hybrid animation and live-action comedy. Editorial Advisory Board By Mark Dillon Denis McGrath (Chair) Michael MacLennan Susin Nielsen Simon Racioppa Changing The Rules 12 President Jill Golick (Central) While bureaucrats tinker with the points system in an effort Councillors to make Canadian television more successful, we offer our Michael Amo (Atlantic) epic track record, proving the system works. Mark Ellis (Central) By Matthew Hays Dennis Heaton (Pacific) Denis McGrath (Central) Warming Up For The Pitch 16 Anne-Marie Perrotta (Quebec) Pitching is often a bigger challenge to writers than, Andrew Wreggitt (Western) well, writing. We talk to screenwriters to get tips Design Studio Ours on how you can get ready. Printing Ironstone Media By Diane Wild Cover Photo: Christina Gapic Canadian Screenwriter is Getting Serious About Getting Laughs 20 published three times a year by This comedy show isn’t just different just because of who the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC). drives it — mostly women — but because of the topics that are 366 Adelaide Street West, Suite 401 tackled. Baroness von Sketch keeps its skits “lean and mean” Toronto, Ontario M5V 1R9 which helps with keeping up the laugh level. TEL: (416) 979-7907 By Greg David FAX: (416) 979-9273 WEBSITE: www.wgc.ca Subscriptions: WGC members receive a subscription as part of their membership. W-Files Non-member subscriptions: $20 for Amanda Joy — By Katherine Brodsky 25 three issues. Thomas Pound — By Cameron Archer 27 Advertising policy: Readers should not assume that any products or services advertised in Canadian Screenwriter are Columns endorsed by the WGC. From the Editor/Contributors 2 Editorial Policy: The WGC neither implicitly Inside/Out — Jill Golick 3 nor explicitly endorses opinions or attitudes From the Frontlines — Laurie Channer 32 expressed in Canadian Screenwriter. Submissions are subject to editing for length, style and content. News Advertising Sales: Beat Sheet 4 Visit www.wgc.ca or contact Li Robbins at Spotlight 28 [email protected] Obituary — Sharon Riis 29 Letters to the editor are subject to editing New Members 30 for length. Not all letters are published. Money for Missing Writers 31 FROM THE EDITOR CONTRIBUTORS Time to warm up Fall 2016 your pitch Cameron Archer runs the Canadian television/media website Gloryosky (http://www.sweetposer.com), and is also a freelance arts writer. He If success were easy, anyone could achieve it. currently lives in Eastern Ontario. But — while it’s obviously important — talent is not necessarily enough on its own to guarantee success. Writers need to sell their A freelance arts and entertainment work, too. No matter how talented you are, if you can’t pitch, no one writer, Katherine Brodsky has written listens and all that ability and effort can go for naught. for Variety, Entertainment Weekly, USA Weekend, Mashable, Elle Canada, So sure, as some of the screenwriters in the article inside on and many others. She has interviewed pitching suggest: work on your chops. Do your research. Write some- a diverse range of intriguing personal- thing you feel passionate about. And then, once you have something ities, including Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, to sell, learn how to pitch it. Tony, and Pulitzer winners. Follow her Who knows how many scripts are out there sitting in the desk on Twitter @mysteriouskat. drawers of quiet, introverted and talented people who just don’t have Laurie Channer is the Director of In- that one skill that will help open doors for them? dustrial Relations for the Writers Guild It will come as no surprise to you that many writers are in- of Canada. troverts. Not all, but let’s face it — a lot of people write because it’s something that can be and often is, a solitary effort. For over 15 years, Greg David has been a television critic for TV Guide One of your best sources for information about selling your Canada, the country’s most trusted work is your fellow screenwriters. Ask if they’ve pitched and how it source for TV news. A former member went. Ask if they’ve pitched successfully and why they think it was of the Television Critics Association, successful. he is currently a partner at TV,Eh?, a Right — you’re an introvert. You can’t even bring yourself to ask website (www.tv-eh.com) devoted to covering the Canadian television a fellow writer. Fine. Sure, some of you work with others, that’s great. industry. You still have to pitch. Diane Wild has sought out a wide range of seasoned veteran and Mark Dillon is a Toronto-based free- new up-and-coming screenwriters and talked to them about the Art lance journalist and former editor of of the Pitch. Playback magazine. He is author of the award-winning Fifty Sides of The We tell you how to get started and what you should have before Beach Boys. you ask for some producer or broadcaster’s time. Preparation is key. Whether it’s in the shape of index cards, coming up with the “cool or Matthew Hays is a Montreal-based immediately gettable” idea, or putting together a document outlining writer, author, and university and the look and feel of the show to make it easy to imagine, it’s time to be college instructor. His articles have appeared in the Globe and Mail, The a prepper. Our sources say they were preppers — wouldn’t you like to New York Times, Maclean’s, The Toron- be a prepper too? to Star and many others. His book, The Once you have your prep work done, you need to hone your per- View from Here: Conversations with formance. We have great advice on how to do that as well. And finally, Gay and Lesbian Filmmakers (Arsenal we give you some tips on what to look for, to gauge how the pitch is go- Pulp), won a 2008 Lambda Literary Award. ing. The best part about all of this is you don’t have to talk to anyone. I mean, eventually, you have to. Eventually, you have to pitch. Diane Wild is a Vancouver-based But you can take that first step of reading this magazine. It writer and editor who runs the TV, could be the first step in a long journey to success. eh? website (www.tv-eh.com) about So come on, be a writer, be a prepper, polish your pitch and learn Canadian television. what to watch for to measure how you’re doing. Anne Wheeler is a writer/director who It may not work the first time. has been working in film and televi- But the more you do, the further you go, and the closer to suc- sion for more than forty years. As a cess you will be. storyteller, the majority of her work Get out of the bullpen and into the game. It’s time to start has been Canadian in content, for which she has received seven honor- pitching. ary doctorates, the Order of Canada, and most recently the Lifetime Award, — Tom Villemaire from the Director’s Guild of Canada. 2 INSIDE/OUT — FROM THE PRESIDENT Inspiration After a day spent talking with three WGC members about the craft and art of screenwriting my funk lifted. The words of Simon Racioppa, Penny Gummerson, and Bruce Smith rang true in my head. They each spoke brilliantly and passionately about the value of story in human lives, their work, and what inspired them to keep going. This hasn’t been a stellar fall. First he felt when he found a novel set and abuse.” Penny, Bruce, and came the CRTC decision to lower in Canada and the revelation he Simon each mentioned how moving the point count to 6 out of 10 for suddenly felt: anything can happen, it is when a viewer reaches out to “Certified Independent Production even here! Just the mention of the say thanks for telling their story, for Funds.” Then the fear that the Glebe was enough to make his world bringing their truth to light. Story Canada Media Fund would follow seem so much larger; to make all can be cathartic; that moment when suit wiping out many screenwriting kinds of things seem possible. This you realize you’re not alone. Others jobs. Then the Heritage Ministry’s is one of story’s powers: to help us see you and share in your feelings. Canadian Content in a Digital dream; to open our minds to new I think I’ve been grieving World Consultations moved into possibilities and to inspire us to for the stories Canadians haven’t a new phase and it seemed like reach beyond the mundane.