Tag Archives: Canada

Gastown’s anticipated Bauhaus Restaurant opens, bringing a new style of German cuisine to Vancouver

Gastown’s new Bauhaus Restaurant, led by celebrated chef Stefan Hartmann and owned by film director Uwe Boll, has finally opened this week after months of renovations.

Bauhaus Restaurant is named after the famous design movement from Germany, which seamlessly marries form and function. Many of the dining room elements were custom designed in the original Bauhaus style.

The restaurant is situated inside one of Vancouver’s unique historical buildings, also known as The Boulder Hotel, originally built in 1890. Over the last 100 years, the building has gone through many changes: from its early years as a saloon and bank to its most recent home to Boneta’s Restaurant.

The renovation was led by Vancouver designer Andrea Greenway. The goal of the design was to keep as much of the original structure as possible, an effort that included exposing the original 1890’s brick and marble, and uncovering the historical Bank Safe.

“It was a real challenge to keep the integrity of the building and incorporate our Bauhaus design concept. Modernist design can be a bit austere, so I hope that we have created a nice balance of modern and warm.” ~ Andrea Greenway

The restaurant aims to bring a new style of dining to Vancouver. The beautifully designed restaurant features both a dining room and a large lounge area. The menu incorporates both local and fresh seasonal ingredients and features a chef tasting menu, an à la carte menu, a German classics menu and a lunch menu.

When people think about German cuisine they think Sausage, Schnitzel and Sauerkraut. Unlike its French neighbour, Germany has not historically been known for its haute cuisine. But a modern trend of revitalizing reliable staples, from poached veal tenderloin with polenta and peas to brioche dumpling and white asparagus soup, has ushered in the gastronomic age of neue deutsche Küche, or, New German Cuisine. According to an article by James Brennan (Fine Dining Lovers), Germany has become “one of the powerhouses of modern European gastronomy,” proven further by the impressive accolades awarded by the 2015 Michelin Guide: a whopping total of 281 starred restaurants.

Michelin star chefs, such as Bauhaus Restaurant’s own Stefan Hartmann, have been creating light, lean and local gastronomic delicacies by infusing contemporary flair into traditional favourites. And, lucky for us, Hartmann has brought the taste of Germany to Vancouver’s trendy Gastown district, where the communal spirit of neue deutsche Küche will likely resonate with British Colombia’s local food scene. Much like Canada, according to Food Republic writer Drew Lazor, Germany possesses “a storied agricultural backbone, including a strong citizen gardening tradition dictated by the communal cultivation of seasonal vegetables.”

But don’t be intimidated by chef Stefan Hartmann’s Michelin star title: prices at Bauhaus range from $20-40, and the 8 course chef tasting menu, priced at $110, is a real experience. The seasonal à la carte menu currently features: spot prawns with white asparagus, hollandaise and tarragon; halibut with caper crust, bean puree and lemon butter; goat cheese strudel, with white or green asparagus; and beef tenderloin with celery three ways.

The lunch menu, with prices between $14 and $27, features Arctic char, white asparagus soup, and German classics like beef roulade and wiener schnitzel.

“The good part about the long renovation is that it gave me more time to explore and sample ingredients from suppliers and farmers all over the lower mainland to ensure I have the best on my menu.” ~ Chef Stefan Hartmann

The Bauhaus Bar is led by award winning German bartender Florian Rupp, who recently won the Giffard Liqueurs Iron Bartender award. The signature cocktail menu features original German-inspired drinks like the Buttermilk Margarita (tequila, buttermilk, fresh lime, lemon, agave nectar, and quince jam) and the Ranglum (dark rum, wray, nephew overproof, fresh lime and falernum).

“We look forward to complementing Vancouver’s diverse restaurant scene with the first ever neue deutsche establishment in the city! There really is something on the menu for everyone.” ~ Uwe Boll.

Social Media Handles

Website: bauhaus-restaurant.com
Twitter: @BauhausRest
Facebook: facebook.com/BauhausRestaurant
Instagram: @bauhausrestaurant

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People
Instagram: @thepromotionpeople

Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada and IndustryWorks Studios Announce WRECKER Home Entertainment Distribution Plans in Canada

One Road Trip, Two Friends, A Wrong Turn

Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada is proud to announce plans with IndustryWorks Studios, the producers of American Mary, to bring the new horror-thriller film Wrecker to Canada.

Wrecker tells the story of best friends Emily (Anna Hutchison of The Cabin in the Woods) and Lesley (Andrea Whitburn of Lonesome Dove Church) who take a road trip to a music festival in the desert. When Emily makes a decision to turn off the busy highway and onto a lone, desert road, all hell breaks loose. They soon find themselves the target of a relentless tow truck that forces them into a dangerous game of cat and mouse. Harrowing escapes, deadly situations and near captures, turning their road trip in to a living, breathing nightmare.

“Wrecker takes road rage to a new level, it is a game of supernatural cat and sexy mice. Reminiscent of Duel, Wrecker will demolish audiences!” says Susan Curran, Director of Marketing and Acquisitions for Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada of the new addition to the company’s catalogue. Evan Tylor, President of IndustryWorks Studios, echoes the enthusiasm for this deal, “We are proud to have Anchor Bay Entertainment as our Canadian distribution partner. It was exciting to create a unique take on such a familiar genre.”

About Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada
Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada is the Toronto based office of Anchor Bay Entertainment, a leading independent home entertainment company celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2015. Anchor Bay acquires and releases a wide array of filmed entertainment in the theatrical and home entertainment markets, including STARZ Original series, children’s entertainment, fitness (Anchor Bay Fitness), sports and specialty films on Blu-ray™ and DVD formats. The company has long-term distribution agreements in place for select programming with The Weinstein Company, AMC Networks and RADiUS, among others. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA, Anchor Bay Entertainment (www.anchorbayentertainment.com) is a full service distributor in the North American market. Anchor Bay Entertainment is a Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) business, www.starz.com. For more information visit www.anchorbayentertainment.ca

About IndustryWorks Pictures/Studios – Canada, International
IndustryWorks is a fully integrated Distribution, Production, Finance and New Media, worldwide content provider. IndustryWorks sets itself apart by having a keen sense of recognizing the potential in projects for distribution and is dedicated to releasing unique and marketable content to the world market place. The Company has several in-house projects in development and acquires films from producers around the world. IndustryWorks distributes its content to through all media outlets, including box office, VOD, SVOD, broadcast, airlines, internet and digital platforms, retail and rental outlets.

Social Media Handles

Website: industry-works.com, anchorbayentertainment.com
Twitter: @IWPictures, @Anchor_Bay
Facebook: facebook.com/IndustryWorksPictures

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People
Instagram: @thepromotionpeople

Is Gary Busey really ‘God’? IndustryWorks Studios Acquires the World Wide Rights to Independent Film CANDiLAND (2015)

Oscar Nominee Gary Busey stars in CANDiLAND

IndustryWorks Studios has acquired the World Wide distribution rights to the psychological drama CANDiLAND starring Gary Busey in what might very well be his ‘comeback role’. IndustryWorks will be bringing the film to Cannes to sell at the 2015 Marche du Film.

CANDiLAND stars Oscar nominee Gary Busey (The Buddy Holly Story), Chelah Horsdal (Arrow, Hell on Wheels) and James Clayton (Foodland). CANDiLAND marks a nuanced departure for Busey, who has been seen recurrently as a contestant in reality TV shows such as NBC’S The Apprentice. Busey was drawn to the role, finding parallels between his character Arnie and himself and the echoes of the father/son relationship shown in the film familiar. His performance plays earnest and sincere.

CANDiLAND tells the story of intensified mutual attraction to the point of deadly obsession. Peter (James Clayton), a retired and embittered tennis pro, who is estranged from his father Arnie (Gary Busey), decides to leave the solace of his apartment and happens upon Tess (Chelah Horsdal). Tess, a recent vulnerable divorcee, finds Peter’s intensity and attention irresistible. Together they pursue ‘oneness’ and consciously shut out the world, barricading themselves inside Peter’s apartment. A desperate Arnie attempts to liberate the pair from CANDiLAND– but will he make it in time?

Gary Busey states “CANDiLAND teaches us to pay attention to the heart of the injured like you haven’t paid attention before.”

Rusty Nixon says, “Elizabeth Engstrom’s cult novel has haunted me since I first read it twenty years ago. It was an honour to bring the book to life and to work with such a passionate cast and crew to create an unforgettable film experience.”

Produced by Motorcycle Boy and Greendale Productions, CANDiLAND was written and directed by Rusty Nixon.

ABOUT INDUSTRYWORKS STUDIOS/PICTURES – CANADA, INTERNATIONAL

IndustryWorks is a fully integrated Distribution, Production, Finance and New Media, worldwide content provider. IndustryWorks sets itself apart by having a keen sense of recognizing the potential in projects for distribution and is dedicated to releasing unique and marketable content to the world market place. The Company has several in-house projects in development and acquires films from producers around the world. IndustryWorks distributes its content through all media outlets, including box office, VOD, SVOD, broadcast, airlines, internet and digital platforms, retail and rental outlets.

CANDiLAND in CANNES: Please visit IndustryWorks in Cannes, at the Marche du Film – B3 Riviera

Social Media Handles

Website: industry-works.com/content/candiland
Twitter: @candilandfilm, @IWPictures, @THEGaryBusey
Instagram: @candilandfilm
Facebook: facebook.com/candilandfilm
IMDb: pro-labs.imdb.com/title/tt3620120/

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People
Instagram: @thepromotionpeople

Actor Nicole Oliver keeps busy with roles in Hallmark’s Radio Hype, Lifetime’s Ungodly Acts, and the feature film Marrying the Family

As one of the most respected voice-over actors Nicole continues to be in demand in animation

Multi-faceted Nicole Oliver continues to keep extremely busy with roles on screen as an actor and in the voice-over market. This spring Nicole divides her time with roles on Hallmark (Eone) “Radio Hype,” Lifetime’s “Ungodly Acts” and the feature film “Marrying the Family.” As one of the most respected voice-over actors Nicole continues to be in demand in Animation on Season 5 of “My Little Pony” now airing on Discovery Family and “Kate and Mim Mim” airing on the Disney Channel.

Hallmark’s “Radio Hype” is directed by Kris Tabori and is starring Alison Sweeney. Nicole has the role as Julie, the owner of a fashion boutique and sister to Nick (Jonathan Scarfe – Hell on Wheels). Carl Bessai directs Lifetime’s “Ungodly Acts”. Nicole plays Paula Martin one of the leaders of the Church of the Blessed Light Ministry.

“Marrying the Family” unites Nicole with many of the ensemble cast from the Film Festival darling (VIFF 2013; TIFF Next Wave 2014) “Leap for Your Life”. “Marrying the Family” follows Dylan (Taylor Hill), as she is getting ready for her wedding to her high school sweetheart Corey (Adam Di Marco). However, any plans for a simple wedding are put on hold when her wedding planner mother Kathy, played by Nicole, steps in to design a wedding Dylan will never forget. Marrying the Family is a sweet comedy about love, family, growing up and letting go and is directed by Peter Benson (What An Idiot).

Nicole Oliver has been nominated for several Leo Awards for her work on both the small and big screen. She is the recipient of the UBCP/ACTRA award for Best Voice for her work in animation.

She has guest starred on numerous television series “Supernatural and “Rogue”. She has also starred in many MOW’s including “The Christmas Ornament” starring Cameron Mathison and Kellie Martin, “The Woodcarver” with John Ratzenberger; “Taken Back – Finding Haley” with Amanda Tapping and “Innocent” with Bill Pullman and Marcia Gay Harden. For four seasons, Nicole was also the host on the hit Slice Network series “Crash Test Mommy”. A high light for Nicole was acting along side her young son, William Ainscough, who starred as Billy in City TV’s “Seed” for two seasons.

Well known throughout the world at Brony and Fan Conventions as Princess Celestia and Cheerilee on “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” and Zoe on the cartoon “Littlest Pet Shop”, her voice-over work continues to thrive. In animation, she has popular roles on “Max Steel”, “Martha Speaks”, “Strawberry Shortcake”, and “Superbook”. She is currently the voice for Wireless Wave, and has provided her voice to over 100 companies including American Express, Starbucks, Salon Selectives, Club House, and IKEA.

Nicole Oliver has worked for over twenty years in the entertainment industry as an actor, producer, and director. This multi-talented, incredibly busy mother and professional has mastered the balance between family and work, and has furthered her education with a Masters of Arts in Communication from Royal Roads University (2011). She is the recipient of both the Founders Award for leadership and sustainability and the Chancellors Award for highest academic achievement.

Nicole believes that diversification is the key to success, and that with success in life there can be balance. She resides in Vancouver with her husband and their two sons. Nicole is available for interviews and photographs upon request.

Social Media Handles

Website: nicoleoliver.com
Twitter: @mouthnoize
IMDb: Nicole Oliver

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People
Instagram: @thepromotionpeople

Read Sonja Bennett’s journey to writing her first screenplay for the now popular feature film Preggoland now playing in theatres in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal in Canada and opens in the US on May 8th to a limited release in 10 cities.

By Sonja Bennett

The almost rise, kinda fall, and sorta resurrection of a Canadian actress

In 2001 I was in theatre school getting the dregs of the acting roles. In the last production, I played eight parts – two of which were barnyard animals. My career goal at that point was to be a Bard on the Beach regular and maybe not have to live with three roommates. But my prospects weren’t looking great.

Then something happened. My father, Guy Bennett, was about to direct his first feature, Punch, about a father-daughter relationship. The story goes that the producer said offhandedly, “Too bad your daughter isn’t an actress, that’d be a good hook.” Um, does a proficiency in the back half of a horse costume count? I was “cast” in the movie and my career in film was put in motion.

Headhunters from Fox television were at our TIFF premiere and put me on a contract old-school style like I was Shirley Temple or something. Me and a little unknown comic named Zach Galifianakis. Ever heard of him?

Suddenly I was being groomed as “the next Calista Flockhart.” But my body rebelled against this idea. Somewhere I had read that cashew nuts were a healthy snack and I was eating them by the Dan-D-Pak. I gained 20 pounds, had a stress rash all over my face and had developed an audition-selective stutter. I was completely unprepared for 12-page last minute auditions in LA where I had no support network except my loyal agent, Dylan Collingwood, who came down and tried to help jam lines in my head and figure out the LA highway system.

Needless to say, I didn’t get my Ally McBeal, nothing came of my Fox contract and I slinked back to Vancouver with my tail between my legs. My ego was bruised pretty bad and I took to embarrassing behaviour like hitting gold-level tanning beds to give the town the impression I was “just up from LA for the weekend.”

Six months after my Fox contract had ended, I booked the new lead character on the seventh season of the Canadian series Cold Squad, and despite my whole management team’s disappointment, I was very happy. From that point on I worked steadily for almost a decade. I did comedy, I did drama, I got to work with Atom Egoyan and I won awards and stuff. Life was pretty sweet. I’d once again redefined what my dreams were and could say I was now living it.

And then the recession happened.

Movie stars were turning to shitty TV for work, and the roles I realistically had a shot at were getting smaller and sillier and less lucrative. I had also turned 30 and was apparently no longer the “right kind” of pretty for Smallville. So I did what most actresses do when the work dries up. I decided it’s time to have a baby!

I’m kidding – sort of. Motherhood gave a context to my career. I tried being pickier with roles, but all the good ones went to Oscar winners.

My body was starting to rebel against the slog of being a Vancouver actress in her 30s; to the high probability that the project I was auditioning for had the word “Fatal” or “Tornado” in the title.

I was getting bitter-actress-itis.

I remember my kid saying, “Mama sad, mama have dish-in.” I guess I was sad about my “dish-in” and more importantly I wasn’t a good enough actor to hide it from my son.

So I stopped acting. For almost three years. It was hard. But it was the right decision. I detoxed from the crack that is the highs and lows of the entertainment industry, I had a second child without consulting the UBCP/ACTRA “what’s shooting” list, and I went back to university to seek out another career path cause god knows if I’m not pretty enough for Smallville I’m definitely not getting a job at Cactus Club.

But I still found myself drawn to my husband’s (actor Stephen Lobo) callsheets and scripts. I missed being creative and telling stories and making movies. I wanted back in but knew it had to be different this time round.

I decided to write myself the juicy lead role that no one was going to give me otherwise. The plan was to write a starring vehicle to resuscitate my nearly dead career. I had stories from my motherhood experiences and I came up with the concept for a movie called Preggoland.

And then I wrote. Before my kids woke up, during their naptimes, in the middle of the night if I couldn’t sleep. I channeled all that creative energy into a story. My dear friend Kevin Eastwood agreed to produce. Ironically, by far the most difficult thing about getting the film made was convincing the decision makers to have me star in it. But the producers and the director, Jacob Tierney, supported me entirely – which meant a much smaller budget and a bigger pain in the ass for all involved. They did it anyway and never made me feel guilty.

Now, of course, I would never be so cavalier as to suggest the answer to all out-of-work actresses is to just “go out and make a feature.” It was the simple act of being creative on my own terms and taking control of my own destiny that empowered me. My bitter actress-itis was cured long before Preggoland went into production.

And did all my dreams come true with this film? Has Hollywood come knocking?

I guess the answer is, I don’t know yet. I’m not thinking about it all that much because I’m too busy with my family and the new ideas in my head. In my quest to write a vehicle to launch a “comeback,” I fell in love with writing along the way. And so the parameters of my dream life have shifted once again.

I won’t pretend that it doesn’t twinge my heart a little when I see Zach Galifianakis hosting Saturday Night Live and wonder what could have been if I’d laid off the cashews. But then I move on fast because I’m too busy writing my next feature.

-Sonja Bennett

Social Media Handles

Website: sonjabennett.ca, mongrelmedia.com/film/preggoland.aspx, indiegogo.com/projects/preggoland-help-us-finish-the-movie
Twitter: @sonjabennett123, @Preggoland
Facebook: facebook.com/Preggoland
IMDb: imdb.com/name/nm1060641/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People
Instagram: @thepromotionpeople

W Network’s Biggest Prize Winners, Charlotte Fenton and Sean Duncan, Take Home the House They Renovated in the Season Finale of Game of Homes

Teams of amateurs transformed four decrepit houses in the competition to win their dream home

The final episode of W Network’s Game of Homes aired last night awarding Charlotte Fenton and Sean Duncan the ultimate prize: their renovated house and a plot of land to put it on. With eight weeks to renovate four decrepit homes room-by-room, four teams of amateur renovators battled small budgets, tight deadlines, cramped quarters and each other for a chance to win their dream home. The competition came to a close as Charlotte and Sean impressed the judges and the public with the broad appeal of their West Coast-meets-modern-style home to beat out the other three teams.

Charlotte Fenton and Sean Duncan, winners of W Network’s Game of Homes

Each week, Game of Homes host Cameron Mathison guided the teams as they competed for the biggest prize of its kind. The season finale was a breathtaking race to the finish as teams had only 24 hours to correct their renovation mistakes from previous challenges. Throughout the series, judges Cheryl Torrenueva (Home to Go, Restaurant Makeover) and Jeremy MacPherson (The Re-Inventors) assessed the design and workmanship of each team’s room transformation with guest celebrity judges. Teams faced weekly challenges that would prepare them for the final presentation. In the grand finale, Cameron welcomed the public to view the finished houses and cast their vote on which team achieved the most spectacular home renovation. The public vote, along with the views of the judges, changed the lives of the winning team by awarding them with the ultimate prize.

Competitors House 1 included father and daughter duo, Ray and Crystal Moon; family-focused PJ (Pawan) and N
ina Johar; vibrant and confident couple, and recently engaged pair, Disa Ottosdottir and Russell Schaper-Kotter.

Weekly celebrity guest judges have included Jillian Harris and Todd Talbot from W Network’s Love It or List It Vancouver; Drew and Jonathan Scott from W Network’s Property Brothers; Kortney and Dave Wilson from W Network’s Masters of Flip; Colin and Justin (Colin and Justin’s Home Heist, I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here); Kelly Deck (Take it Outside); and Dee Dee Eustace (Love By Design, Real Designing Women).

About W Network
W Network is the leading destination for Canadian women delivering/with a range of compelling entertainment from original programming to lifestyle series, blockbuster movies and popular dramas. W Network’s online offerings include WNetwork.com, W Dish and W View. With its extensive research capabilities and consumer insights, W Network is recognized as a leading expert in marketing to women. W Network is owned by Canadian-based media and entertainment company Corus Entertainment. For more information, visit WNetwork.com and corusent.com.

About Great Pacific Media (GPM)
Great Pacific Media is a global leader in factual television. Started by TV veterans Blair Reekie and Mark Miller, their programs are seen in more than 170 countries. They specialize in development, production, co-production, and financing of factual, documentary, game show and reality television. Great Pacific Media was recently acquired by the Thunderbird group of companies to accelerate the growth of Thunderbird’s presence in the unscripted television space. The Thunderbird Group includes London-based theatrical distributor Soda Pictures and Vancouver-based production company Reunion Pictures.

Social Media Handles
Website: corusent.com, greatpacifictv.com, Wnetwork.com
Twitter: @Char_Dijon, @SeanDijon, @2fleas, @GameOfHomesTV, @CameronMathison, @CorusPR, @GreatPacificTV, @w_network
Facebook: facebook.com/gameofhomes, facebook.com/wnetwork

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People
Instagram: @thepromotionpeople

STAR AND SCREENWRITER SONJA BENNETT’S FEATURE FILM “PREGGOLAND” OPENS MAY 1ST IN CANADA AND MAY 8TH IN THE USA THE FILM SHOWCASES HER MANY TALENTS WITH CO-STARS OSCAR NOMINEE JAMES CAAN AND DANNY TREJO

Taking two years off to make Preggoland Sonja books her first role back on ABC’s “Mistresses”

Star and Screenwriter Sonja Bennett’s Feature Film Preggoland will be released Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal in Canada on May 1st and in the US on May 8^th to a limited release in 10 cities.

Preggoland is very much Sonja Bennett’s baby (pun intended!). The movie marks her foray into screenwriting; in addition to starring in the Canadian indie, the award-winning actress penned the script. Sonja realized there weren’t as many roles for women over 30, so she decided to be proactive about her career by writing herself the juicy lead she’d been craving. “I was interested in exploring of how motherhood changes female friendships, the artifice of this giant clique of motherhood and the pregnancy pedestal,” Sonja shares. Inspiration came from Bennett’s  own experience of becoming pregnant with her now five-year-old son.

Montreal’s Jacob Tierney (The Trotsky) directs Preggoland, a laugh-out-loud comedy about a 35-year old woman Ruth (Sonja Bennett) whose high school friends have moved onto motherhood, while she’s still partying in the parking lot. But when Ruth is mistakenly thought to be “with child,”  her life changes – old pals embrace her, strangers give up their seats and her father (James Caan) approves of her for the first time. How can she keep up the ruse? Also starring are Lisa Durupt (Ruth’s baby-wanting sister), Paul Campbell (the  boss Ruth bonds with over a song), Jared Keeso (the doctor she surprises) and  Danny Trejo (the co-worker who surprises her).

Photo by Ed Araquel
BCBGMAXAZRIA

The film opened to a much-hyped premiere as a Special Presentation at TIFF and in Sonja’s hometown at the Vancouver International Film Festival where it won the Most Popular Canadian Feature Film Award and was nominated for best BC film by the VFCC. Preggoland won the Best screenplay award at the Fargo film festival and most recently, on March 15^th, the film won the audience choice award for best feature film at the Omaha Film Fest and screened at Miami 2015. Upcoming festivals include Sonoma International Festival on March 27^th, the Gasparilla Film Festival in Tampa Bay Florida where Preggoland will be the closing night film and the film has also been accepted into the Bejing Film Festival.

Dorkshelf says “Preggoland has a stellar script and a star making performance from writer and lead Sonja Bennett.” Scene Creek billed the film “smart and savvy” while NOW Magazine said “Bennett’s written a sharp comedy that explores the societal pressure on women without children and gives a knockout performance as bad girl Ruth.”

After taking two years off to make Preggoland Sonja books her first role back as a ballerina with a blood disorder in the third season of ABC’s drama/thriller Mistresses. She and her husband (Ed Quinn) get tangled up in the lives of one of the Mistresses in an interesting way. Sonja will join the series stars Jes Macallan, Rochelle Aytes, Yunjin Kim, and Jennifer Esposito.

Acting for more than 10 years, Sonja Bennett has appeared in critically acclaimed films such as Atom Egoyan’s Where the Truth Lies, Elegy starring Ben Kingsley and Penélope Cruz, and TIFF opening night film Young People Fucking – for which she earned a Vancouver Film Critics Circle award. The Vancouver native has kept an equally busy profile on the small screen with recurring roles in Eureka, Battlestar Galatica, Blade: The Series. Her performances in Random Acts of Romance, In No Particular Order, Cole and the TV series Godivas and Cold Squad garnered her Leo Gemini, and Genie nominations.

Shot in Vancouver, the film is produced by Kevin Eastwood (Fido) and Dylan Collingwood, Fake-a-baby Productions, Titlecard Pictures Inc. and Optic

Nerve Films Inc. with the support of Telefilm. Preggoland is being released in Canada by Mongrel Media.

Social Media Handles

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People
Instagram: @thepromotionpeople

Celebrity Designers Colin and Justin are guest judges on W Network’s Biggest Competition Show ‘Game of Homes’ on April 28th at 10 pm pt/et

Guest celebrity judges Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan join Emmy^® nominated actor and host Cameron Mathison on the Game of Homes premiere on W Network Tuesday, April 28^st at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The Vancouver-based series follows four teams of two amateur home renovators as they compete for the prize of a lifetime – a house and a plot of land to put it on.

Four teams of amateurs transform four tear downs into their dream homes in Vancouver in their pursuit of a once in a lifetime final prize. The show features contestants with larger-than-life personalities for whom this prize means a lot more than just a great renovation, it will truly be life changing. The action-packed series pits each team’s skill, ingenuity and teamwork against each other. Every week, two expert judges, Cheryl Torrenueva (Home To Go, Restaurant Makeover) and Jeremy MacPherson (The Re-Inventors) assess the design and workmanship of each team’s room transformation and each week they are joined by a celebrity guest judge.

With the interiors finished, Cameron gives the teams four days to attach and transform the exterior of their houses and an extreme facelift to their properties. 60-year-old stucco and shingles make way for 21st century roofs, siding and windows. None of the teams have ever renovated an exterior, and their inexperience brings injury and mistakes. You can easily repaint a room, but a wrong choice on exterior cladding will last a lifetime. Front-runners lose momentum and the harsh criticism of the judges proves too much for some. Yes we can confirm this statement.

Colin & Justin are well known interior designers, style commentators, Hollywood celebrity interviewers and all round lifestyle gurus who hail from Glasgow. The television shows that Colin and Justin host airing world-wide including BBC, ITV shows Million Pound Property Experiment, Trading Up, The Estate, Colin and Justin’s Wedding Belles, How NOT To Decorate, 60 Minute Makeover, Home Is Where The Heart Is, This Morning, I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, HGTV’s Colin and Justin’s Home Heist, Cottage Life Network’s Colin & Justin’s Cabin Pressure.

They’re also resident design experts on City TV’s Cityline and Breakfast Television and regularly featured on UK chat shows and Entertainment Tonight Canada. They are annual Toronto Film Festival Red Carpet reporters. Past interviews include Madonna, George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Hugh Jackman, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Jared Leto, Channing Tatum and Christopher Walken.

Their newspaper columns appear weekly in Canadian newspapers, the Huffington Post Canada and magazine columns in Reno and Décor, Niche and Cottage Life Magazine.

As entrepreneurs they have a growing portfolio of rental properties spread between Toronto, London and Glasgow. Colin and Justin Home is affordable everyday luxuries.’ available across the UK, Canada and the USA. As regular guests in various North American and UK ‘live event’ home show/exhibitions, they appear in person to dispense homes and interiors advice.

Social Media Handles

Website: corusent.com, greatpacifictv.com, Wnetwork.com
Twitter: @colinjustin, @GameOfHomesTV, @CameronMathison, @CorusPR, @GreatPacificTV, @w_network
Facebook: facebook.com/gameofhomes, facebook.com/wnetwork

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
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Alan C. Peterson plays King Minos in OLYMPUS airing now on Syfy in the US, Spike TV in the UK & Super Channel in Canada

Alan voices the villain in animated feature SPARK with Jessica Biel, Susan Sarandon & Hilary Swank

In demand character actor Alan C. Peterson plays King Minos in the popular television series OLYMPUS. Peterson’s character, King Minos’ character is first introduced premieres on April 23 in North America in the episode entitled MINOS.

OLYMPUS, a 13-episode mythological drama set in the world of gods, humans and monsters, premiered on April 2 on Syfy in the US, Spike TV in the UK and Super Channel in Canada and made it’s UK launch on Spike TV last week. OLYMPUS tells the story of how a few brave men and women banished the Gods to the realm of the unconscious – a place they called the Underworld or the Kingdom of Hades. The series follows the protagonist Hero (Tom York, Tyrant) as he seeks the truth about his past, which may be intertwined with the Gods themselves. The series also stars Sonya Cassidy (The Paradise, Vera) as Oracle, Sonita Henry (Star Trek, The Fifth Element) as Medea, Graham Shiels (Guardians of the Galaxy, True Blood) as King Aegeus, and Matt Frewer (Orphan Black, The Knick) as Daedalus. Created by Nick Willing (Tinman, Alice, Neverland), OLYMPUS is a Canada-UK co-production.

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Internationally recognized character actor Alan C. Peterson is known for his ability to disappear into the hundreds of varied roles he has played onscreen and onstage. Growing up as an actor in the impassioned and vital Estonian theater scene in Toronto, after University, Alan was inspired to go to New York City to study with two true greats, Stella Adler and Kim Stanley, and begin his professional acting career.

Soon to be seen, Alan plays “J” in the Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, Whitehouse Down) and major feature film STONEWALL, with Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Ron Perlman.

Alan has worked with many other pre-eminent directors, such as Antoine Fuqua in his film SHOOTER, as Officer Stanley Timmons, with Mark Wahlberg and Danny Glover, in Zack Snyder’s film SUCKERPUNCH as Big Boss, with Jon Hamm and Emily Browning, and in Sydney Furie’s film PRIDE OF LIONS, with Seymour Cassell and Louis Gossett Jr. Other films include DEFENDOR with Woody Harrelson, Joe Carnahan’s NARC with Ray Liotta and Jason Patric, and THE SAMARITAN with Samuel L. Jackson and Tom Wilkinson. Alan is particularly proud of his role as the eccentric conspiracy theorist, Terrance, in THE CONSPIRACY.

Television series work includes, as a regular, BRIDGE TO MOTOR CITY, CRA$H AND BURN, STREET TIME, as well as the mini-series, ZOS: ZONE OF SEPARATION. He has guest starred in many TV series, among them, STARGATE, THE LISTENER, LOST GIRL, COPPER, 19-2. Most recently he reunited with Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara as a guest star on the season finale of their series SCHITT’S CREEK. One of his first onscreen roles was as “Edith Prickly’s Double” on the “Johnny Nucleo Lounge Meltdown” episode of SCTV.

Joining a stellar cast of Jessica Biel, Susan Sarandon, and Hilary Swank, Alan also voices the villain in the animated feature SPARK, an action packed space adventure full of humor and heart.

Social Media Handles

Website: syfy.com/olympus, olympustv.com
Twitter: @AcpetersonAlan, @Olympus_TV, @SyfyTV, @SuperChannel
IMDb: imdb.com/name/nm0012586/?ref_=nv_sr_4

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604.726.5575

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Celebrity Designer Kelly Deck is guest judge on W Network’s Biggest Competition Show ‘Game of Homes’ on April 21st, 2015

Guest celebrity judge Kelly Deck joins Emmy^® nominated actor and host Cameron Mathison on the Game of Homes premiere on W Network Tuesday, April 21^st at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The Vancouver-based series follows four teams of two amateur home renovators as they compete for the prize of a lifetime – a house and a plot of land to put it on.

Another 24-hour challenge causes egos to soar and tensions to overflow. Infighting and rumours of cheating rule the street. Teams turn on each other and themselves. After three weeks of confinement on the set, few teams have the imagination and strength to score with the judges. But one team emerges with an astonishing transformation.

Kelly Deck is one of Canada’s most recognized designers of luxury homes. Her ideas have had a wide reach through her HGTV Television Series; Take it Outside, her national column in The Globe and Mail and ongoing contributions to Western Living Magazine, Canadian House and Home and Style at Home.

Kelly is the Director of her Vancouver based interior design firm Kelly Deck Design. For over eight years, she and her team have serviced the needs of exclusive clients from around the world. From luxury penthouses to sprawling West Vancouver residences, Kelly Deck Design has worked tirelessly through design, construction and décor to meet the needs and expectations of over 100 clients.

In addition to her media contributions and running the firm, Kelly is passionate about giving. She and the team have volunteered their time and skills to several organizations including: The VGH Millionaire Lottery, Kid’s Help Phone, The Love Umbrella Project, LOVE, Ballet BC and Unite with Art.

Social Media Handles

Website: corusent.com, greatpacifictv.com, Wnetwork.com
Twitter: @kellydeckdesign, @GameOfHomesTV, @CameronMathison, @CorusPR, @GreatPacificTV, @w_network
Facebook: facebook.com/gameofhomes, facebook.com/wnetwork

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People
Instagram: @thepromotionpeople