press release: Youth Media Alliance 2017 Awards of Excellence – Winners Announced

Winners of the 2017 Awards of Excellence

Montréal, May 31, 2017 – This year’s Youth Media Alliance gala unfolded before an enthusiastic audience on May 31 at the CBC Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. The evening was hosted by the vibrant Studio K trio of Tony Kim, Janaye Upshaw and Victor Verbitsky under this year’s theme of “fancy.” And nothing says fancy like our very own pianist Lou Pomanti, on hand to accompany our three hosts. Even Gary the Unicorn and Mr. Orlando from Studio K joined us in the fanciest awards ever held! You’ll soon be able to catch every moment of the gala, which was scripted by Carly Watt and directed by Aidan Cosgrave, on the video to be posted on the YMA website (http://www.ymamj.org/page/1139/2017-awards-of-excellence).

Our heartfelt congratulations to all winners of the 2017 Awards of Excellence:

 

Grand Prize for Best Production, All Categories

• The Incredible Tales of Weirdwood Manor – produced by All Play, No Work, Relish Interactive

Jury’s note: A successful mix of elements makes the Grand Prize production outstanding. With beautiful animation, interactive features, readable content and strong storytelling, the app encourages writing, reading and critical thinking while entertaining the target audience. The jury was delighted and impressed with the original interactive production The Incredible Tales of Weirdwood Manor.

 

Award of Excellence for Best Program, Live Action, Ages 3–5

• The Adventures of Napkin Man (Bye Bye Boogaloo) – produced by Breakthrough Entertainment, Little Airplane; aired on CBC Kids

 

Award of Excellence for Best Program, Live Action, Ages 6–9

• Annedroids (The Mother of Invention) – produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment; aired on TVO Kids, Amazon

 

Award of Excellence for Best Program, Live Action, Ages 9 +

• Giver (Amherstberg Sports Park) – produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment; aired on TVO Kids

 

Award of Excellence for Best Program, Animation, Ages 3–5

• Peg + Cat, Season 2 (The Disappearing Art Problem) – produced by 9 Story Media Group, The Fred Rogers Company, 9ate7 Productions; aired on YTV, Treehouse, PBS Kids

 

Award of Excellence for Best Program, Animation, Ages 6–9

• Fangbone! (Cavity of Terror”/”The Sickness of Home) – produced by Radical Sheep Productions, a division of Boat Rocker Media; aired on Family CHRD, Disney XD

 

Award of Excellence, Best Original Digital Content

• mathXplosion – produced by GAPC Entertainment, in association with TVO Kids and TFO

 

Award of Excellence, Best Original Interactive Content

• The Incredible Tales of Weirdwood Manor – produced by All Play, No Work, Relish Interactive

 

Award of Excellence, Best Cross-platform Interactive Content

• Dotopedia – produced by Industrial Brothers

 

Outstanding Achievement Award

• Steven DeNure is President and Chief Operating Officer of DHX Media, a company he co-founded in 2006. In a film and television career spanning more than three decades, he has produced numerous highly acclaimed and award-winning shows and films across multiple genres, including Inspector Gadget, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Degrassi, Yo Gabba Gabba, Super Why and the 2015 relaunch of Teletubbies. To further honour his contribution to the industry, the YMA Board is creating a grant in his name as a tribute to his entrepreneurial spirit, innovation and creativity. The grant will support an industry cause to be chosen by Mr. DeNure.

 

Emerging Talent Award

• Award-winning director Mars Horodyski has over a decade of directing experience. His series credits include BBC/DHX’s The Next Step, PBS’s Odd Squad,the Amazon series Dino Dana, the web series Carmilla and CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes.

 

The 2017 Awards of Excellence are made possible through the participation of our valued sponsors: Principal – CBC; Gold: Shaw Rocket Fund; Prestige – 9 Story Media Group, Canada Media Fund, Independent Production Fund, DHX Media, Nelvana Studio; Excellence – Bell Fund, Big Jump Entertainment, Breakthrough Entertainment, Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), Entertainment One, Eye on Canada, Fresh TV, Frima Studio, Guru Studio, Sinking Ship Entertainment and TVO.