OTTAWA – The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) announced yesterday the details of three sessions for its upcoming Prime Time event ahead of the release of the full event schedule next week.
Prime Time is being held virtually from Feb. 2-11 this year.
Among the sessions announced is Leader to Leader: Global Solutions for Contributions From Streamers, which will feature Christa Dickenson, executive director and CEO of Telefilm Canada, in conversation with Mathilde Fiquet, secretary general of the European Coordination of Independent Producers.
They will talk about “comparing and contrasting the Canadian and European content industries,” an emailed announcement says. “Hear how each market is updating their legislative and regulatory tools to ensure digital streaming services are making meaningful contributions, and how they are advocating for their industry’s independent production community.”
Another session announced yesterday is Spotlight On: Thunder Bay, which provides an exclusive look at Thunder Bay, a new four-part original documentary series produced by Ryan McMahon and eOne, based on the podcast.
“This session will feature series’ host and producer, Ryan McMahon, who is on a quest to shed light on the history of racism in Thunder Bay, and the injustices of its social systems and institutions,” the announcement email explains. “The award-winning writer and Anishinaabe journalist will be joined by The Globe and Mail’s Willow Fiddler, for a fascinating look at this important series.”
The third and final session announced yesterday is The Rise of FAST Channels. Free ad-supported, streaming TV (FAST) channels, “are undeniable on the rise,” says the announcement email. The session features a panel of experts who “explain why FAST Channels are on the rise, and what it can mean for Canadian producers and their content.”
The expert panelists include Ashley Hovey, head of The Roku Channel, AVOD at Roku Inc., Amy Kuessner, senior vice-president of content strategy and global partnerships at ViacomCBS Streaming, Tejas Shah, senior vice-president of commercial strategies and analytics at FilmRise, and Jamie Schouela, president of global channels and media at Blue Ant Media. The panel will be moderated by Gavin Bridge, senior media analyst at Variety VIP+.
For more about the event, and to register, please click here.
