Barna-Alper Secures Broadcast Commitments on New Shows

TORONTO, January 16:
Barna-Alper Productions has announced a range of network deals on its stable of
new productions, including a commitment by CBC for a TV movie about Celine
Dion.

Production begins this
March on Celine, written by
Donald Martin and based on the book A New Day Dawns by Barry Gills and Jim Brown. CBC, alongside
Showcase, is also on board for The Quality of Life: A Dominic Da Vinci Movie. The telefilm is a Barna-Alper and Haddock
Entertainment co-production and follows on the heels of the series DaVinci’s
City Hall, which was the sequel to
the long-running series DaVinci's Inquest. Global is the Canadian broadcast partner for the new drama Da
Kink in My Hair, focusing on the
lives of a group of women in a salon in Toronto’s Caribbean community.

On the factual front, Underworld
Gangs for National Geographic
Channel in the U.S. and History Channel in Canada is a 4×1-hour series,
produced in association with Wall to Wall in the U.K., about criminal
organizations in four North American cities. The 13×1-hour Party Mamas, for Slice, meanwhile, is an original lifestyle
series about mothers who go to unbelievable lengths to throw great parties for
their children. Who Do You Think You Are? for CBC, based on a British format, features well-known celebrities
and takes them on a journey to explore their genealogy. CBC is also set to air Driving
Dreams. The 2×1-hour, also for
National Geographic Channels International, is about the world’s fascination
with cars. And The Dark Years for
History Television Canada will utilize animation to document Canada's Great
Depression.

Barna-Alper Productions
has also received a season three renewal for its original series Mega
Builders (7×1 hour) that airs on
Discovery Channel Canada, the Discovery Channel in the U.S. and Discovery
Networks International.

In related news, the
Canadian company has promoted Loren Mawhinney to VP of programming. The former
Global executive previously ran the factual unit at Barna-Alper. Further,
Nicole Butler has been upped to VP of production from head of business affairs
and Elysse Goldman has been promoted to VP of business affairs and general
counsel from head of legal affairs and general counsel.