Last updated on September 2, 2013
This article might seem peripheral to the animation sector in Canada, but the subject matter will have a very direct effect on the working futures of animators across this country: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/crtc-raises-flag-over-ties-between-corus-shaw/article14015455/
The relationship between Corus and Shaw is the bigger discussion, and of much greater interest to the CRTC. In our little world, there’s a very real concern that pretty much every major outlet for television animation here in Canada will soon be controlled by the same company that owns Nelvana, the largest producer of animated programming in Canada. I’ve had a number of people express their very real concern to me about what this means to the future of independent producers here in Canada.
Over the last five years or so, we’ve seen a number of studios really come into their own, selling multiple shows, and growing their employee bases into the hundreds. Nelvana is still the big guy, but look around: 9Story, Guru, NerdCorps, these are independent producers who keep this industry alive. Their continued success depends on the continued willingness of broadcasters here in Canada to buy their shows. What happens if those broadcasters stop buying?
I don’t know how this is going to play out, and I’m not interested in being an alarmist. I’ve got a whole other theory that actually sees the Nelvana/Corus/Teletoon future as a potential utopia for Canadian animation. I’ll get around to sharing that improbable line of reasoning at some point, I promise. But for now, this is a conversation we should all be having.
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