Joan Jenkinson, executive director of the Black Screen Office (BSO); and Jesse Wente, co-executive director of the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) talk candidly about diversity and representation in Canadian media; the importance of the language in C-11 to uplevel the country’s commitment to ending systemic discrimination – and dive into the meaning of systemic. Jenkinson and Wente comment on the critical distinction between diversity and representation. They observe that streamers have welcomed more diverse projects than legacy media; discuss how a focus on diversity increases the potential for hits for global audiences; and comment on the notion of “colour-blind” storytelling. Joan and Jesse round things out by noting that diversity benefits the whole of Canada and their excitement about the potential of the current moment.

Access the show notes show and transcription this episode HERE: https://www.torontomu.ca/audience-lab/podcasts/the-sessions-podcast/

Read the exclusive column by Irene Berkowitz in Playback about this episode HERE: https://playbackonline.ca/2022/03/15/the-sessions-episode-4-diversity-representation-and-the-online-streaming-act/  

Big announcements are coming. Valerie Creighton, president and CEO of the Canada Media Fund (CMF), tells us how the funder is getting future-ready for Bill C-11, with a goal to become a global content fund. Teasing more big changes to the CMF, Creighton reveals what producers are most concerned about: urgency for change and addressing the global market. We consider the need for producer-accessed, platform-agnostic funding; for the “great unhooking” from linear broadcasters; how to bring streamers into the CMF; and why user-generated content producers are a vibrant part of Canada’s media ecosystem. We learn how CMF supports creators from equity-deserving groups; how incentivizing and codifying diversity into legislation can strengthen story-telling and help Canadian content become a hit with global audiences.

Access the show notes show and transcription this episode HERE: https://www.torontomu.ca/audience-lab/podcasts/the-sessions-podcast/

Read the exclusive column by Irene Berkowitz in Playback about this episode HERE: https://playbackonline.ca/2022/03/08/the-sessions-episode-3-canada-media-fund-poised-for-change-ahead-of-bill-c-11/

The internet is the center of the digital age and its engine of innovation. Konrad von Finckenstein and Peter Menzies, former CRTC chair and vice chair respectively, are disappointed in Bill C-11. They observe that the proposed legislation kicks the can to the country’s top regulator, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for huge decisions, but is the CRTC prepared? Konrad and Peter  call for the scope of Bill C-11 to narrow significantly to focus only on big players such as online streamers and to omit user-generated content entirely. We discuss structural changes needed to define Canadian content and create a producer-accessed, platform-agnostic funding framework; weigh-in on whether discoverability can - or should -  be regulated; and finally, whether the industry is ready to move from domestic protection to global competition. 

Access the show notes show and transcription of this episode HERE: https://www.torontomu.ca/audience-lab/podcasts/the-sessions-podcast/

Read the exclusive column by Irene Berkowitz in Playback about this episode HERE: https://playbackonline.ca/2022/03/01/the-sessions-episode-2-former-crtc-leaders-on-the-potential-problems-with-bill-c-11/

Where is the Canadian media industry now; how did it get here; where is it going? Charles Falzon, founding chair of the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), and Reynolds Mastin, current CEO and president of the CMPA, give us their hot takes on Canada’s newly proposed media legislation. We chat about what works in Bill C-11; changes that must happen to future-proof the Canadian media industry; and why Canadian content must be redefined. Along the way we cover diversity, discoverability, producer-accessed, platform-agnostic funding, and market performance, concluding that it’s time for Canada’s industry to “get unstuck.”  

Access the show notes show and transcription of this episode HERE: https://www.torontomu.ca/audience-lab/podcasts/the-sessions-podcast/ 

Read the exclusive column by Irene Berkowitz in Playback about this episode HERE: https://playbackonline.ca/2022/02/22/the-sessions-podcast-explores-the-online-streaming-act-its-time-we-got-unstuck/

Is Canada’s new media legislation a historic pivot or policy hot button? Host Irene Berkowitz; Dean Charles Falzon (The Creative School); and Jenn Kuzmyk (Playback publisher) introduce The Sessions. Four provocative conversations with the top tier of the production industry, the regulator, the key funder, and equity deserving groups reveal what’s really in the new bill, C-11, The Online Streaming Act.