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2 0 0 6
82 projects | 275 programming hours | $22.7 million
2 R o g e r s Gr o u p o f F u n d s A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 6
2006 was an exciting and challenging year for
Canadian film and television producers. That is
why we’ve chosen to take a closer look at how to get
ahead in the business by talking to producers about
it—those out there who are making it happen.
Inventiveness, creativity, tenacity and flexibility are
amongst many helpful traits. But it is no secret: there
is no manual for success. We asked several Canadian
producers to provide their insight into what has
helped them flourish in the business.
Robin C. Mirsky,
Executive Director,
Rogers Group of Funds
Successful film and television productions are part of a dynamic process. We are
celebrating some steps that producers take and their resolve to get great projects
to audiences. Starting with great ideas, producers capture the imagination of
broadcasters and distributors. They then shape and mold those ideas into a reality
of budgets, schedules, scripts, locations, filming, editing and much, much more until
their projects are completed. Along the way, financing from the Rogers Funds
helps those productions get realized—a crucial and timely boost to keep projects
moving forward.
Philip B. Lind,
Vice Chair, Rogers
Communications Inc.
We’re pleased to celebrate the accomplishments of all the productions that
the Rogers Funds helped to support last year. They resulted in $22.7 million in
financing, for 82 projects covering 275 programming hours.
Congratulations to the vision and commitment that brought all these productions
to audiences in Canada and abroad!
I N T R O D U C T I O N
1
step 1 a
h
Start wit h
good idea.
“A good idea is the seed of every great film or TV production. In the hands of a skilled and determined producer, it provides inspiration for the writer who develops a project, sparks
the vision of a director, and attracts a top-notch cast. A good idea that is supported by the
best creative team draws the support of financiers, so that a project can be realized with
its full potential.”
—Sarah Timmins, The Tracey Fragments
Our long-standing fund provided critical interim financing for 31 projects in 2006.
The revolving fund works in a simple yet effective way: as current loans are repaid,
new projects are financed. Rogers Telefund has been proudly supporting productions
with a distinctly Canadian theme for 27 years.
31 projects | 100 programming hours | $17.4 million
72 Hours: True Crime,
Season III
A Total Write-Off
(Eps. 1-13)
Breaking Ranks
72 Hours Season III Inc.
Panacea Entertainment
Josh Miller, Lisa Miller
Trish Dolman, Leah Mallen,
Rina Fraticelli (NFB) Tracey
Friesen (NFB)
Tribute II Productions Inc.
Robert Lang, Robert Sandler,
Richard Meech
British Columbia
Global Television Network,
Knowledge Network
British Columbia
APTN, Knowledge Network, CLT,
BookTelevision, ACCESS
Screen Siren Pictures Inc.
Alberta
ACCESS, CLT, BookTelevision
Ken Malenstyn, Gregory Coyes,
Karen Bardach, Sheilagh Cahill
Photo: Theresa Ho
Ontario
CBC, Canal D
Chiefs and Champions,
Season II
Diamond Road (Eps. 1-3)
EMPz 4 Life
Everest
Exhibit Eh! Canada Exposed
Kensington
Communications Inc.
At Home In the Hood
Films Limited
Screen Door Inc.
Big Red Barn Entertainment
Ken Malenstyn, Rich Murray
Robert Lang, Corneila Principe
Allan King, Kathy Avrich-Johnson
Ontario
TVOntario, History Television,
Canal D, Knowledge Network
Ontario
TVOntario, The Documentary
Channel
Mary Young Leckie, Heather
Haldane, Randy Bradshaw,
Jason Lee
ro g e r s T e l e f und
Ontario
CBC
British Columbia
CTV Travel, CLT, ACCESS,
BookTelevision
3
rogers telefund
Flight From Darkness
Generation XXL
11th Hour Pictures Inc.
ZIJI Film & Television Ltd.
Don Copeman, Lynne Beck
Copeman, Derek Mazur (NFB),
Joe MacDonald (NFB)
Lesley Ann Patten, Angela
De Nicola, Maria MacNeil
Nova Scotia
CBC
Hi Ho: The Rise And Fall
Of The Grumpy Burger
Artizan Productions Inc.
Cornelia Principe, Matt Gallagher
Erin Mussolum, Michelle Welygan
Ontario
Knowledge Network, TVOntario
Border City Pictures Inc.
British Columbia
Global Television Network,
Knowledge Network
Photo: Eric Milner
Photo: Bob Akester
Saskatchewan
CBC Newsworld, SCN,
Knowledge Network
Health Care 911:
The Plight Of Immigrant
Medical Doctors
Left Coast
Luna: The Way Home
Mount Pleasant
MVP – Pilot Eps. 1 & 2
Mulmur Left Coast
Productions Inc. and SSE
Productions Inc.
Screen Siren Pictures Inc.
Trish Dolman
Mount Pleasant
Productions Inc.
Screen Door (MVP)
Productions Inc.
British Columbia
CTV, APTN
Kimberley Wakefield,
Gary McGroarty
Healther Haldane,
Mary Young Leckie
British Columbia
Movie Central, TMN
Ontario
CBC
Michael Chechik, Michael
McGowan
British Columbia, Ontario
CBC
4 R o g e r s Gr o u p o f F u n d s A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 6
Reservation Soldiers
Barna-Alper Productions Inc.
Screen Siren Pictures Inc.
Laszlo Barna, Steven Silver
Trish Dolman, Trish Williams
Ontario
Life Network Canada
British Columbia
CTV, APTN, Knowledge Network,
SCN
Shake Hands With
The Devil – The Journey
of Romeo Dallaire
Skooled, Season II
White Pine Pictures
Ira Levy
Peter Raymont, Lindalee Tracey
Ontario
TVOntario
Breakthrough Films
& Television
Ontario
CBC, SRC
Photo: Dan Power
Party Mamas (Eps. 1-13)
The Border (Pilot)
The Carol Project
Bellstruck Productions Inc.
The Family Restaurant,
Season II
The Tracey Fragments
Mackerel Pie Pictures Inc.
Peter Raymont, Lindalee Tracey
John Armstrong, David Balcon
Anaid Productions Inc.
Alberta
Bravo! Canada, Citytv
Margaret Mardirossian
Sarah Timmins, Paul Barkin,
Phyllis Laing
Alberta
Food Network Canada
Ontario
TMN, Movie Central
Ontario
CBC
ro g e r s T e l e f und
Tracey Fragments Inc.
5
rogers telefund
Ultimate Engineering:
Magnetic Levitation Trains
Ultimate Engineering:
Super Pipeline
Wapos Bay (Eps. 2-6)
Wapos Bay (Eps. 7-13)
Wapos Bay Productions Inc.
Wapos Bay Productions II Inc.
Parallax Film Productions Inc.
Parallax Film Productions Inc.
Ian Herring, Maija Leivo
Ian Herring, Maija Leivo
Dennis Jackson, Melanie Jackson,
Derek Mazur, Anand Ramayya
Dennis Jackson, Melanie Jackson,
Derek Mazur, Anand Ramayya
British Columbia
National Geographic Network
International, History Television
British Columbia
National Geographic Network
International, History Television
Saskatchewan
SCN, APTN
Saskatchewan
SCN, APTN
Who Do You Think You Are?
Writer’s Confessions,
Season 3
X-Weighted, Season II
Barna-Alper Productions Inc.
Laszlo Barna, Steven Silver
TickleScratch Productions Inc.
Margaret Mardirossian
Ontario
CBC
Michael Glassbourg
Alberta
Life Network Canada as of
March 5, 2007
6 Ontario
Bravo! Canada
Anaid Productions Inc.
R o g e r s Gr o u p o f F u n d s A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 6
step 2
t
Make tha t
crucial sale.
“Misleading stories circulate about people stumbling into an executive’s office, successfully
pitching an idea, and then running into production. The rare exception aside, the only way to
get something produced is to create and sustain relationships with writers, directors, financiers,
distributors and broadcasters. Producers have to be in regular contact with buyers so that projects
develop dynamically, riding the dual track of creative ingenuity and broadcaster/distributor needs.”
—Julia Rosenberg, January Films
step 3
Talk to
Rogers and
get rolling.
“The Rogers Documentary Fund has been a crucial element of funding for us. There is always
a financing shortfall for documentaries and interim financing is unavailable through the normal
course of banking. Rogers makes it easier to get a documentary project started by stepping in
to fill the gap.”
—Daniel Iron, Foundry Films
Canadian documentaries are consistently expressing a need to tell
stories about real people and events. The Rogers Documentary
Fund supports that ongoing national documentary tradition by
providing core and top-up funding to documentary productions
three times a year.
28 projects | 34.5 programming hours | $1.3 million
Photo: Gunes–Hélène Isitan
CORE FUND RECIPIENTS:
ACT OF GOD
AVANT QU’IL NE SOIT
TROP TARD
HOMEFRONT
Act of God
Avant qu’il ne soit trop tard
Homefront
Daniel Iron, Nick de Pencier,
Jennifer Baichwal
Carole Poliquin, Isaac Isitan
Ava Karvonen, Jody Polowick,
Franco Dottor
Mercury/Foundry Lightning Inc.
Québec
Télé-Québec
Homefront TV Productions Inc.
Alberta
Global Television Network, CLT,
Knowledge Network
Virginia Lee Hunter
Ontario
The Documentary Channel,
Channel 4, ARTE
Avant qu’il ne soit trop tard inc.
Achever l’inachevable
Being Innu
Carny
Achever l’inachevable Inc.
Green Lion Productions Inc.
Denis Martel, Marc S. Grenier,
Christiane Ciupka, Galina Tomov
Catherine Mullins
Hellhound Productions/
Carny Film Productions Inc.
Québec
SRC, Bravo! Canada, ARTV
Québec
SRC, APTN, CBC Atlantic, SCN
ro g e r s docu m e nt a r y f und
Corporations in the
Classroom
Make Believe Films Inc.
Kathleen Smith, Alison Murray
Lynn Booth
Ontario
TVOntario, Channel 4,
Sundance Channel
British Columbia
Global Television Network,
Knowledge Network
9
Photo: Simon Brien
rogers documentary fund
Death in the Forest
0771823 BC Ltd.
Dan Schlanger
British Columbia
Global Television Network
Des hommes en costumes
rouges: À la recherché du
Père Noël
Les productions de la crécerelle
Marc Girard, Gary Evans
Éloge de la folie: sur la ligne
Fatal Passage
Les Productions WATT Inc.
John Walker Productions Ltd.
AND PTV Productions Inc.
Sylvie Krasker
Québec
Canal D
Québec
SRC, ARTV, SVT
Andrea Nemtin, John Walker
Nova Scotia, Ontario
History Television, BBC Canada
Forgiveness:
Stories For Our Time
General Idea
Génétique Code
Homeless
General Idea Films Inc.
PRBMEDIA
Paperny Films Inc.
Wild East Productions
Annette Mangaard,
Erin Faith Young
Luc Sauvé
David Paperny, Cal Shumiatcher,
Audrey Mehler
Johanna Lunn Montgomery,
John Walker
Nova Scotia
CTV
10 Ontario
TVOntario, Bravo! Canada, SCN,
Knowledge Network
Québec
SRC, RDI, CBC
British Columbia
CBC Newsworld, Knowledge
Network, ACCESS, SCN
R o g e r s Gr o u p o f F u n d s A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 6
Love at the Starlite Motel
Mad Cow Sacred Cow
Océan Nucléaire
Out of Bounds
Inigo Films Inc.
Kahani Entertainment
Red Letter Films
Bossy Boots Productions Inc.
Alison Rose
Anand Ramayya, Ryan Lockwood
Sylvie Peltier
Eunice Lee, Melanie Wood
Ontario
The Documentary Channel
Saskatchewan
CBC, SCN, Knowledge Network
British Columbia
SRC, RDI
British Columbia
CBC Newsworld, Knowledge Network
Tar Sands:
The Last Eldorado
Telesur
The Bodybuilder and I
Tutti Frutti Films
Bandi Productions Inc.
The Man Who Crossed
The Sahara
Tarsands Film Productions Inc.
Orlando Arriagada
Julia Rosenberg, Anita Lee (NFB)
7th Embassy Media Ltd.
Peter Raymont, Tom Radford
Québec
TV5
Ontario
TVOntario, The Documentary
Channel
Korbett Matthews, Marie-Josee
Saint-Pierre
Alberta
CBC
ro g e r s D ocu m e nt a r y Fund Québec
Bravo! Canada
11
rogers documentary fund
Tiger Spirit
‘Til we drop
VIMY RIDGE: Heaven to Hell
Vive les fêtes
Storyline Entertainment Inc.
Instinct Films Inc.
YAP VIMY Productions Inc.
EGM Productions
Ed Barreveld, Min Sook Lee
Ina Fichman
Elliott Halpern, Pauline Duffy
Brigitte Germain
Ontario
History Television
Québec
CBC, Télé-Québec, SBS Australia
Ontario
History Television
Québec
RDI, ARTV
Wal-Mart Nation
Ultramagnetic Productions Ltd.
Andrew Munger, Gregory P. Bennett
Ontario
CBC Newsworld
12 R o g e r s Gr o u p o f F u n d s A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 6
step 4 ou
y
Do what y
love—success
will follow.
“Success is doing what you love to do, so I guess I am successful. Staying the course and making
an idea or script come to life despite all the naysayers along the way is really fulfilling. And seeing
our shows sell so well internationally and then take on an ancillary life after their TV success
(in publishing, live events, toys and interactive games) is very exciting.”
—Arnie Zipursky, CCI Entertainment Ltd.
step 5
e
Celebrat e
!
s
s
e
c
c
u
s
r
u
o
y
“Every year I’m increasingly impressed by the quality of the productions that we help to support.
Congratulations to all the producers that brought us another year of great film and television!”
—Robin Mirsky, Rogers Group of Funds
Cable networks continue to express demand for high-quality
Canadian programming. The Cable Network Fund helps drive
that programming by investing in first-run Canadian programs
and by supporting genres including dramas, documentaries,
educational, instructional, children’s and variety programming.
23 projects | 140.5 programming hours | $4 million
A Leap of Faith,
the Ballet Victoria Story
Tombo’s Moving Pictures Ltd.
Jim Eidt, Richard Tomborello
British Columbia
Bravo! Canada, A Channel Victoria
Billable Hours, II
Burning Rubber
Chef School
Billable Hours II
Productions Limited
Flashfire Productions Inc.
1404367 Ontario Limited
Barbara Badessi
Rachel Low, Dana Speers,
Daniel Gelfant
Patrick Whitley, Frank Van Keekan,
Ivan Schneeberg, David Fortier
Nova Scotia
Bravo! Canada
Ontario
Showcase
Ontario
Food Network Canada
Chiefs and Champions,
Season II
Convictions
Designer Guys, Series V
Durham County
Two Sands Productions Inc.
Tribute II Productions Inc.
Robert Sandler, Sandra Whiteley
Designer Guys
Productions V Inc.
Back Alley Durham Films Inc./
Durham Productions (Muse) Inc.
Ken Malenstyn, Gregory Coyes,
Karen Bardach, Sheilagh Cahill
Ontario
Vision TV
Clark Donnelly, Mary Darling,
Theresa Kowall-Shipp, Susan
Flanders-Alexander
Janis Lundman, Michael Prupas,
Adrienne Mitchell, Noel Hedges
British Columbia
APTN, Knowledge Network, CLT,
BookTelevision, ACCESS
ro g e r s c a b l e n e t w or k f und
Ontario
HGTV
Ontario, Québec
TMN, Movie Central, Global
Television Network
15
Photo: Erik Jacobs
rogers cable network fund
Exhibit Eh! Canada Exposed
French Food At Home
Ghost Trackers, Season II
Glutton For Punishment
Big Red Barn Entertainment
FFAH TV Inc.
GMI Productions Series II Ltd.
Glutton Productions Inc.
Ken Malenstyn, Rich Murray
Johanna Eliot
David Paperny, Cal Shumiatcher
British Columbia
CTV Travel, CLT, ACCESS,
BookTelevision
Nova Scotia
Food Network Canada
Arnie Zipursky, Jim Corston,
Chris Gudgeon
Go Deep
Arcadia Entertainment Inc.
John Wesley Chisholm,
Andrew Killawee
Nova Scotia
History Television
16 Ontario
YTV Canada, Inc.
British Columbia
Food Network Canada, BBC Canada,
Fine Living
Guinea Pig
Making It Big, Season 2
My Big Fat Diet
GP TV Productions Inc.
Making It Big Productions Inc.
Mystique Films Ltd.
Jamie Brown, Lynne Skromeda
John Ritchie, Sue Ridout,
Rob Bromley
Christian Bruyere, Mary Bissell,
Barb Cranmer
British Columbia
Life Network Canada
British Columbia
CBC Newsworld
Manitoba
Discovery Channel
R o g e r s Gr o u p o f F u n d s A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 6
Photo: Christos Kalohoridis
Naked Josh III
Naturally Sadie, Series 3
ReGenesis, Season 3
Take this Job and…
Productions Naked Josh Inc.
Decode/Sadie Productions 3 Inc.
Shaftesbury ReGenesis III Inc.
Primitive Entertainment Inc.
Jacques Blain, Richard Speer,
Josée Vallée, André Béraud,
Laura Kosterski
Steven DeNure, Neil Court,
Beth Stevenson, Brent Piaskoski,
Kevin May
Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie,
Tom Chehak
Michael McMahon, Kristina
McLaughlin, Kevin McMahon
Québec
Showcase
Ontario
Family Channel, SRC
Ontario
TMN, Movie Central, Showcase
Ontario
History Television
The Rig, Season I
The Rig, Season II
Zombiemania
Anaid Productions Inc.
Anaid Productions Inc.
Zombie TV Inc.
Margaret Mardirossian,
David Benson, Christie Moncrief,
Deb Proc
Margaret Mardirossian,
David Benson, Christie Moncrief
Kimberlee McTaggart,
Donna Davies
Alberta
Outdoor Life Network
Nova Scotia
Space: The Imagination Station,
Independent Film Channel
Alberta
Outdoor Life Network
ro g e r s C a b l e N e t w or k Fund
17
members of the board
Alison Clayton
Alison Clayton is a senior broadcasting executive with 25 years of experience in the
production, distribution, programming and financing of Canadian television programming.
As an award winning producer with Crawley Films, Alison oversaw the production of more
than 100 children’s television programs including two Gemini Award winners. During this
time, Alison was President of The Canadian Film and Television Associations (now CFTPA).
Her broadcasting experience includes the launch and management of The Biography
Channel, TechTV and MSNBC Canada as well as senior programming positions with
The Family Channel, The Movie Network and MOVIEPIX.
She was the founding Executive Director of Rogers Cable Network Fund and has sat on
the Board of Outdoor Life since its launch in 1996.
Alison also sits on the Boards of the Rogers Documentary Fund and the Rogers Cable
Network Fund.
18 R o g e r s Gr o u p o f F u n d s A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 6
Philip B. Lind
Phil Lind is one of the founders of Rogers Communications Inc. and currently serves as its
Vice Chairman. Mr. Lind was the founding Chairman of the Canadian Television Fund, the
central funding agency for television programming in Canada.
Phil has an interest in contemporary art and serves on the board of the Art Gallery of
Ontario and the Power Plant Art Gallery. He was awarded an honorary doctorate at the
University of British Columbia and was also awarded the Order of Canada in 2001.
Sally R. Warren
Sally R. Warren is a communications consultant and writer with a broad-based background
in magazine editing, press relations and government regulation. From 1986 to 1997 she was
a commissioner on the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission. 
She edited a Vancouver city magazine for 11 years and has written freelance for several U.S.
and Canadian publications. Additionally, she wrote a non-fiction book that was published in
1998 by HarperCollins and has been printed in eight languages.
Sally is currently Vice-Chair of the Vancouver Library Foundation as well as on the board
of the Vancouver Heritage Foundation. Additionally, she is Chair of the B.C. and the Yukon
unit of the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.
m e m b e r s o f t h e b o a rd
19
rogers communications inc.
Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX: RCI; NYSE: RG) is a diversified Canadian communications
and media company engaged in three primary lines of business. Rogers Wireless is Canada’s
largest wireless voice and data communications services provider and the country’s only
carrier operating on the world standard GSM/GPRS technology platform. Rogers Cable and
Telecom is Canada’s largest cable television provider offering cable television, high-speed
Internet access, residential telephony services and video retailing, while its Rogers Business
Solutions division is a national provider of voice communications services, data networking,
and broadband Internet connectivity to small, medium and large businesses. Rogers Media
is Canada’s premier collection of category leading media assets with businesses in radio,
television broadcasting, televised shopping, publishing and sports entertainment. For further
information about the Rogers group of companies, please visit www.rogers.com.
20 R o g e r s Gr o u p o f F u n d s A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 0 6
www.rogers.com/english/aboutrogers/communitysupport
concept + design: helen dimitrijevic | copywriting: peter gombos + julie stauffer | illustration: scott chantler
“Rogers Group of Funds are an absolutely crucial part of the Canadian television
funding picture. More often than not when you put together television financing, there
is a gap. With its various funds, Rogers provides some options to close the gap. Rogers
understands that making television in Canada is both a creative enterprise and a business.
The only way to move forward and produce good television is to be able to close that
funding gap.”
—Rachel Low, Red Apple Entertainment
333 Bloor Street East, 9th Floor, Toronto, ON M4W 1G9 • Tel: 416 935-2526 • Fax: 416 935-2527
www.rogers.com/english/aboutrogers/communitysupport