Tag Archives: producer

HANNAH: BUDDHISM’S UNTOLD JOURNEY SCREENS AT VIFF ON SEPTEMBER 24th and 26th

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY AT  17TH ANNUAL ARPA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Hannah: Buddhism’s Untold Journey—the award-winning documentary by co-director/producers Marta György Kessler and Adam Penny which chronicles Hannah Nydahl’s story of bringing Tibetan Buddhism to the West—makes its Vancouver debut at VIFF (Vancouver International Film Festival) on September 24^th and 26^th. The film was edited by Sundance Grand Jury Prize and Emmy award-winner Simon Barker. Hannah recently made its New York City debut at The Rubin Museum of Art.

Watch the official trailer via Vimeo HERE. Tickets are available at www.viff.org

Filmed in India, Nepal, the Far East and Europe, Hannah is the untold true-story of a young Danish woman’s life, searching for greater levels of perception in the 1960s until as an adult, she becomes a pillar of living Buddhism with her husband Ole Nydahl. In 1968, the two were the first Western students of His Holiness the 16th Karmapa in Nepal. After a period of study, they were sent back to Europe where they made his teachings of Tibetan Buddhism relevant for Western minds. Over the following 3 decades they travelled throughout the world bringing the teachings to all walks of life. “Hannah is not just a story about an exceptional and brave woman,” says co director/producer Marta György Kessler, who spent 15 years traveling with Nydahl and some of the most renowned Buddhist Lamas. “It’s an adventure of historical significance with such a profound, rich narrative, it was important that we not just tell the story—but also really touch people with it.”

In 2006 Hannah was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. She and Ole returned to Copenhagen to live out her last days together in the center they founded in 1974. Almost exactly three months after the diagnosis, Hannah passed away whilst in meditation with her husband and a few friends around her. On June 13, 2015 Hannah and Lama Ole Nydahl received the award for dialogue, coexistence and peace of the UNESCO Association for Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue. As another award winner, the Association honored Pope Francis I.
lama-ole-nydahl.org/blog/unesco-award-ceremony

“Hannah” recently screened in New York and has been accepted into the Festival Internacional de Cine Documental de la Ciudad de Mexico this October 15 – 24, 2015.

HANNAH: BUDDHISM’S UNTOLD JOURNEY VIFF SCREENINGS
September 24, 6:30 pm SFU Woodwards Vancouver, BC
September 26, 11:00 am SFU Woodwards Vancouver, BC

What are they saying about “Hannah”?
HUFFINGTON POST “The excellently crafted film led the spellbound audience from fascination to tears.”
VILLAGE VOICE “The film is a pleasure – lush jewel tones on tapestries, temples, and statues”
MOVIEFIED “Cinematic as the best of today’s documentaries”
JB SPINS “Highly recommended”

Co-director/producers Marta György Kessler and Adam Penny will be in attendance for both screenings and available for interviews before or during VIFF upon request.

Please contact: Lesley Diana | Lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca | 604-726-5575

About Adam Penny
Adam Penny has worked in media for 12 years, producing documentaries, commercials and brand campaigns. In 2002 he produced his first feature documentary Movimento, about street children and the favelas of Rio for Channel 4. Other documentary credits include The Urban Chef for BBC2, World’s Youngest Daredevils for Sky and The Four Year Plan, a feature documentary following debt ridden football club QPR being taken over by billionaires. As Creative and Managing Director of Connected Pictures Adam has also worked on a vast array of campaigns for brands including Microsoft, SABMiller, British Airways, HSBC, Nissan and for agencies such as TBWA, Saatchi&Saatchi, CHI&Partners and Adam&EveDDB.

About Marta György Kessler
Marta was an actress in Hungary when she met Lama Ole and Hannah in 1990 and started to practice Buddhism. Since then she has lived and worked in different Buddhist communities around Europe. In 2002 she began to give lectures on Buddhism and has continued to do so in many different countries. Marta also travelled with Hannah and Lama Ole for more than 15 years all over the world. During this time she saw firsthand their activity and developed a very close connection to Hannah. In 2009 she came up with the idea to write Hannah’s life story, an inspiration that developed into this film. This is Marta’s first feature documentary.

About Simon Barker
Simon has been an editor for over 20 years. In that time he has worked on countless award-winning feature documentaries including Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer (Special Jury Prize award-winner 2013), Google and the World Brain (Sundance award-nominee for Grand Jury Prize 2013), Reagan (Emmy award-winner Outstanding Historical Documentary 2012) and 9/11 Heroes of the 88th Floor (Emmy award-nominated Outstanding Informational Programme 2012).

About Connected Pictures  
Connected Pictures is a London-based production company, specialising in documentary and branded video content. Documentaries include The Urban Chef for BBC, World’s Youngest Daredevils with Mylene Klass for Sky as well as co-productions on Turing for Channel 4 and most recently The Four-Year Plan.

They have been involved in campaigns for the re-launched British Airways, behind the scenes documentaries at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as work for SABMiller, Levis, Moet & Chandon, Footlocker, JD Sport, John Lewis, Nissan and many others.

Social Media Handles

Website: hannahthefilm.com, viff.org, docsdf.com, connectedpictures.com
Twitter: @HannahtheFilm
Facebook: Hannah: Buddhism’s Untold Journey
Vimeo: Hannah: Buddhism’s Untold Journey – Official Trailer

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 GAME OF HOMES TV CONTESTANTS PJ (PAWAN) and NINA JOHAR PASSION FOR DESIGN SHINES WITH THEIR NEW RENOVATION IN NORTH VANCOUVER

W Network Game of Homes TV Contestants PJ and Nina Johar discovered their passion for design, construction and flipping homes and launched PNJ property investment group. Selected for their great personalities, teamwork, can-do attitude and past property success stories, PJ and Nina displayed their amazing skills and abilities in design and construction on every episode.

PJ had to make the hard decision when his six-figure job was not waiting for him after the TV show. Plans for a design+build company was something that PJ & Nina had been pondering for quite some time. Nina has a deep interest in design planning and layout which started as a hobby and has developed into a business all while still working as a nurse full time and raising two children while managing their household. They have a goal of building a successful real estate empire and currently partner with silent investors on real estate venture projects where PNJ does everything from sourcing the property, renovating/building to selling the property. The hot Vancouver real estate market can be unaffordable for the average investor, however through PNJ they make it possible. They also take on a select few client renovation projects.

Their focus, when possible is on saving old and heritage homes with a view to the future in new construction also. By far the biggest house transformation they have done, PJ & Nina have spent the last six months transforming a house in North Vancouver inside and out. The house sat vacant for five years and was on the market for over 60 days, likely scheduled to be demolished. They brought life back in the family home that two generations grew up in. The house needed extensive work and a complete back to the studs renovation. A challenge far beyond anything on Game of Homes!

With city and Grouse Mountain views they used glass and large doors to bring the outside in. Known for their family friendly designs on the show the house also features a 3-hole putting green to create family fun times. PJ only uses trades that are highly tech savvy and has installed smartphone home automation, a new high velocity heating/ cooling system, in-built sound system, touch tap and to boot the house boasts a massive 500sq ft. deck and huge quartz kitchen island for entertaining. Nina signature designs, like her wall & ceiling headboard and great use of colors inside and out bring life to the house.

Strong-willed and tenacious, this fan favorite couple has all the design and construction experience to take on any challenge. Nina and Pawan have done numerous home renovation projects together including gutting and refurbishing an entire 101yr old heritage home. They love to use color to bring any space to life. With Nina’s strong design background and Pawan’s patience in structural work, the two have a passion for and desire to buy and flip many more houses and on the horizons are two new build projects in the vibrant Commercial Drive area.

PNJ Property Investment Group recognizes its responsibilities beyond the financial aspects of their work. They believe that helping the community and homeowners is important. Protecting our environment through greener redevelopments as well as supporting philanthropic causes in every community is fundamental to their core values.

About PNJ Property Group
PNJ Property Investment Group Ltd. is a privately managed and family owned business that is locally owned and has been operating for a number of years. PNJ has a strong portfolio of successful property acquisitions and strong returns on investment. Pawan Johar (PJ) and Nina Johar are both founders of the company and a strong team focused on solid results and fast growth.

The North Vancouver property at 3348 Mahon Avenue is listed for sale. More information can be found at http://www.pixilink.com/84442.

The beautiful designer home, structured and designed by PJ and Nina from W-Network’s Game of Homes. It is a corner & LARGEST lot on the block. Completely transformed from the studs (Permits) this home has everything you can ask for and more including 3Bdrm up, 2Bdrm down, legal suite (option for fourth bedroom/office/media for owners use), a 3 hole putting green, XL entertainers deck with city and mountain views & 2 huge yards for the kids. Vaulted Ceilings, Smartphone Home Automation, High velocity heating & cooling system, built in audio surround system, LED lighting & Electric car plug-in! This one of a kind gem won’t last!

Social Media Handles

Website: corusent.com, greatpacifictv.com, Wnetwork.com, pnjpropertyinvestmentgroup.com
Twitter: @PNJPropInvestG, @NinaJohar, @GameOfHomesTV, @w_network
Facebook: facebook.com/gameofhomes, facebook.com/wnetwork
YouTube: http://youtu.be/2I27ZUr6Kj4

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
Facebook: The Promotion People
Instagram: @thepromotionpeople

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

Celebrity Designers Property Brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott are guest judges on W Network’s Biggest Competition Show ‘Game of Homes’ on April 14th

Guest celebrity judge Property Brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott joins Emmy^® nominated actor and host Cameron Mathison on the Game of Homes premiere on W Network Tuesday, April 14^th 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.

Dated, dirty and decrepit bathrooms await each team. In a struggle to gain momentum and regain the favour of the judges, each team pulls out all the stops. But in the end, with the clock ticking down, only one team finishes their room before Cameron calls time.

Drew and Jonathan Scott are the charismatic twin brothers who star in W Network’s hit series Property Brothers, Buying & Selling with the Property Brothers and Brother Vs. Brother. Along with their winning blend of sibling rivalry and humor, they have a rare knack for finding fixer- uppers and turning them into perfect properties. Jonathan, a renowned designer and licensed contractor, and Drew, a seasoned agent, have bought and renovated real estate for over 15 years. The brothers’ fresh, functional approach has found success in cities across North America. With their broad experience and complementary skills, the dynamic, design-savvy duo can solve any property problem.

In addition to their on-screen success, Drew and Jonathan founded Scott Brothers Entertainment, which produces engaging content for TV, film and digital platforms. The brothers have been featured on ET Canada, Today, The View, Good Morning America, Bloomberg TV and other shows, and in People, Forbes, USA Today, The Globe and Mail, National Post, Men’s Health, Redbook and many other publications. In early 2014 they launched the Scott Living Collection, a growing line of indoor and outdoor furniture and décor, combining quality, luxury and affordability.

When not working on their popular series, they pursue other projects—Drew as an actor and director, Jonathan as an award-winning illusionist. As sports enthusiasts both brothers hold 2nd-degree black belts in karate and have taken part in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Games. They also serve as global ambassadors for World Vision, working to improve child protection domestically and abroad.

Social Media Handles

Website: corusent.com, greatpacifictv.com, Wnetwork.com
Twitter: @MrSilverScott, @MrDrewScott, @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

Celebrity Designers CMT’s Kortney and Dave Wilson are guest judges on W Network’s Biggest Competition Show ‘Game of Homes’ on April 7th

Guest celebrity judge CMT’s Kortney and Dave Wilson joins Emmy^® nominated actor and host Cameron Mathison on the Game of Homes premiere on W Network Tuesday, April 7^th 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.

Exhausted from the previous challenge, Cameron sends the teams over the edge with another 24-hour challenge, this time to renovate and completely redesign the master bedroom. After weeks of sleeping on the floor, teams will finally have a bed – but not until they can each create a stunning master bedroom. One team reigns supreme and a surprising new contender emerges.

Aspiring country music artists, Kortney Kayle & Dave Wilson arrived separately in Nashville within a week of each other from their native Ontario homes, both pursuing solo careers. As fate would have it, they met each other soon after at songwriter, Deric Ruttan’s farm. As the old saying goes, they have been inseparable ever since.

After both testing the waters with solo projects, they felt their true musical harmony was with each other and so was born the musical duo, The Wilsons.

In 2009, CMT Canad The Promotion People - Game of Homes a debuted a reality show called Meet the Wilsons that brought Kortney & Dave into our homes and hearts. Cameras followed them around their Nashville home, where they play many roles: house flippers, musicians, and most importantly, Mom and Dad to Jett and Sully. During the filming of the show, they also adopted a beautiful baby girl, Lennox. We laughed and cried with them, and you couldn’t help but love this family.

Following the success of Meet the Wilsons, two singles and hit CMT videos, and The Wilson’s: Flip Out, Kortney & Dave began interacting with their fans as hosts of their own show on CMT Canada – Kortney & Dave: By Request. It’s become a favorite of CMT viewers across Canada, all while making music, performances, house flips, and raising their kids.

Social Media Handles

Website: corusent.com, greatpacifictv.com, Wnetwork.com
Twitter: @KortneyWilson, @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

Vancouver filmmaker Matthew Campbell vies for CineCoup’s Million Dollar Prize with his feature film “The Wounded” starring Patrick Sabongui

Film follows Afghani father’s trek to Canada to find revenge against the man who killed his son

Filmmaker Matthew Campbell has submitted his action-packed thriller, The Wounded to the social media platform CineCoup, answering their call for indie filmmakers to post trailers of their projects and navigate their way through the selection process. The final five films (voted by fans) will be optioned for development. Among those five is the $1 million prizewinner.

The Wounded is a story of two fathers. The emotional thriller focuses on Naseer (Patrick Sabongui) an average working-class man from Afghanistan who travels to Canada to seek revenge on the Marine (Rob Hayter) responsible for his son’s death. Meanwhile, Patrick (the marine) is grappling with the effects of war on his mental health while desperately trying to patch things up with his own family upon his return. When Naseer puts a plan into motion hoping for justice, both fathers are pushed to the unthinkable as they come to terms with the effects of violence in their lives.

“Think of the classic American ‘my family is dead, now I will avenge them’ flick, a.k.a. Collateral Damage,” Campbell explains. “But put the twist on a normal Afghani, middle class father who has never willed ill upon anyone, who decides to make the trek to North America to find the man who killed his son believing this will bring him peace.”

For The Wounded, Matthew pulled together a great cast to join Patrick Sabongui (The Flash, Godzilla, 300) who plays Naseer, the Afghan father who wants revenge for Patrick the soldier who killed his son played by Rob Hayter (Falling Skies, The 100). Paula Giroday (Once Upon a Time, Psych) who plays the mother and Madison Guppy (Fringe, Jake and Jasper) plays the daughter. Sasha Proctor (Underworld: Awakening, Arrow) is the Director of Photography and Leif Haydale (The Interview, White House Down) coordinated the stunts.

Over the last eight years, Matthew Campbell has worked on some of Vancouver’s most buzzed-about projects – including hit shows like Arrow, Godzilla, and the upcoming Disney flick Tomorrowland starring George Clooney. Now the young director is gearing up to helm his very first feature, The Wounded, with the potential help of a $1 million prize.

Voting for the Top 60 opens April 6 and runs for the following four days. Campbell hopes to make it all the way to the Top 5. The Wounded trailer has garnered seven pages worth of comments on the movie’s CineCoup page – most of which are overwhelmingly positive. One user wrote it was an “action-packed teaser with great stunts!” Another commented: “Great action and editing, looks like strong acting as well. I’ll be following this one!”

Campbell has been hard at work on this project for more than a year. He’s personally invested nearly $35,000 into the film and received an amazing amount of help from friends in the industry. Next up is a longer ‘investor’s trailer’ featuring visual effects from ILM, the Oscar-winning studio that’s worked on blockbusters such as Star Wars and Transformers.

To vote and share the project, visit www.thewoundedmovie.com.

When to Vote
The three Voting Windows are:
Top 60:
April 6 @ 9 PM ET – April 10 @ 9 PM ET
Top 30:
April 20 @ 9 PM ET – April 24 @ 9 PM ET
Top 15:
May 4 @ 9 PM ET – April 8 @ 9 PM ET

About Matthew Campbell:
Born just outside of Vancouver in Delta, B.C., Matthew Campbell grew up having two strong passions: film and adventure. As a kid, he loved to climb, slide and jump on anything and everything he possibly could. He followed through on both interests by going into film and working on action-packed movies and shows. The young filmmaker landed his first industry gig as a production assistant for the sci-fi drama The Last Mimzy.

Campbell then went on to study Motion Picture Production at Capilano University. He made his directorial debut shortly afterwards with the short film To Save One’s Self (2012). The movie was screened at festivals worldwide and nabbed the “Royal Reel Award” at the Canadian International Film Fstival.

Since then, the B.C. native has worked as a Lead/On-Set Greensman on some of the province’s biggest productions, including Godzilla (2013), Arrow, This Means War and Once Upon A Time.

Campbell is currently working on his feature debut, The Wounded, a dramatic thriller about two fathers from opposite ends of a war.

About Patrick Sabongui:
Patrick’s acting career spans over a decade. Patrick grew up in a 3-language household speaking French, English and Arabic. Patrick earned a BFA in Drama and MFA in Acting. Patrick currently plays Captain David Singh on CW’s The Flash. Patrick has had the opportunity to work with some of the world’s most influential directors including Steven Spielberg, Zack Snyder, Tarsem Singh, John Cassar, Yves Simoneau, Richard Donner, Joss Whedon, Drew Goddard and Roland Emmerich. On television, he has appeared on several hit shows such as “24”, Flashpoint, Covert Affairs, Psych, Smallville and Stargate: Atlantis to name a few. His athletic background and martial-arts training has also landed him work on action films “300”, Immortals, MI:4, A-Team, The Bourne Legacy, Tron: Legacy and more.

As a creative artist he has also written, directed and produced several short films. Patrick is also the co- director of the not-for-profit mentorship program, Fulfilling Young Artists: an organization dedicated to helping young actors and actresses find fulfillment in their pursuit of a positive, sustainable acting career. As a father, artist, actor, director, producer, mentor and athlete he is the embodiment of a renaissance man in today’s entertainment industry.

Social Media Handles

Website: thewoundedmovie.com
Twitter: @thewoundedmovie, @greensman, @patricksabongui, @cinecoup
Trailer: cinecoup.com/the-wounded/trailer

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