Village Gamer

Bell Media has announced that applications are now being accepted for the inaugural Bell Media Producer Accelerator Lab. Announced earlier this year, the two-part program is designed to assist the career advancement of mid-level Canadian producers. Submissions will be accepted until Friday, January 10 2014 at 5 p.m. ET, with the program scheduled to begin in March 2014. The Bell Media Producer Accelerator Lab is part of Bell Media’s TV Skills Development Initiative, which invests $1.8 million annually in a suite of national training programs.

“Canadian talent and content is more in demand than ever before and this program aims to keep up with these demands,” said Kevin Crull, President, Bell Media. “This specially designed program is the perfect addition to the already successful Bell Media TV Skills Development Initiative and a valuable investment in the future of our industry.”

“We are excited to launch a program that will assist mid-level producers in gaining greater knowledge and skills,” said Corrie Coe, Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. “The Bell Media Producer Accelerator Lab provides participants with an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the inner-workings of a network, as well as a training placement at an independent production company to gain senior-level experience. The ultimate goal is for participants to leave with a better understanding of how to navigate our ever-expanding industry.”

There are two components to the Bell Media Producer Accelerator Lab:

• Broadcaster Internship

The broadcaster internship trains up to six producers in a group-based curriculum during a six-week internship at Bell Media’s Toronto headquarters. Participants are exposed to the fundamental operations of a Canadian broadcaster while learning about the business model and economics of Canadian broadcasting through rotations with internal departments. Producers will also attend an industry event or conference, as well as participate in case studies and coaching sessions.

• Production Apprenticeship

Following the broadcaster internship, up to three participants will be selected for an
eight to ten-month, senior-level production apprenticeship with a top independent Canadian production company or Bell Media In-House Productions in order for them to become more familiar with Executive Producer roles and responsibilities.

Applicants for the Bell Media Producer Accelerator Lab must be Canadian citizens or landed immigrants over the age of 19. Applicants must hold a degree or diploma with an emphasis on television or film studies, or have an equivalent five years of production experience.

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:

• 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
• 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
• Bell Media Primetime TV Program (Canadian Film Centre), which provides series development for TV writers
• Bell Media Producer Accelerator Lab, which provides immersive and experiential broadcast and production experience for mid-level producers
• Bell Media Showrunner Bootcamp (Canadian Film Centre), which develops showrunner knowledge and management for TV writers
• 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
• 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.

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, and THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, the record-breaking, Canadian-produced complementary version of the hit international series. CTV is also home to drama series PLAYED, and premiering in the 2013/14 season, multi-cam office comedy SPUN OUT, and hit international format MASTERCHEF CANADA. Among the scripted series on Bell Media pay and specialty channels are the two-time Emmy®-nominated hit DEGRASSI, internationally acclaimed ORPHAN BLACK and upcoming dramas BITTEN, SENSITIVE SKIN, 19-2, 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. So far in 2013, Bell Media has ordered 24 original Canadian series and currently has 74 projects in various stages of development.