My father’s visits from Canada are always a welcome opportunity to unchain myself from my keyboard and take a drive along the beach.  On my last visit, I was captivated by the array of surfers sitting perched on their boards a quarter mile from shore in anticipation of just the right wave.

The surf seemed high enough that day, but every breaker that rose up beneath their boards went ignored.  It was as if they had made a pact that, unless a wave was thirty feet high and carried George Clooney and his fishing boat with it, it wasn’t worth the swim back. Occasionally one enterprising soul would break away from the pack, catch one of those sleeper waves and work it for all it was worth.  And even if he nose-dived into the surf, on the pier, the mere effort created an interesting effect on those of us watching:  faces lit with smiles, some applauded – my father cheered.  It struck me that, in challenging times, people feel a kinship with those who make the most of whatever opportunity comes their way.

It reminded me of a Beverly Hills lawyer who once asked, in a perplexed tone tinged with annoyance, why I got involved with so many “odd ducks.” He couldn’t understand why a writer with a long career in U.S. television would expend so much effort reaching out to companies around the globe where budgets vary widely and co-productions require more effort to finance than they do to produce.  For anyone on the pier that day, the answer was obvious:  You can wait forever for a sure thing – or you can seize the wave.

Anyone out there who could use a creative hand to help bring their ventures safely to shore, give me a shout at info@kathyslevin.com

Movies
There is nothing like the adventure of writing a screenplay.  Still, writing three in just a few months can make one envy Hidalgo his trot through the desert!  Among them was a comedy-adventure for CCI Entertainment, a paranormal drama for television based on the book Flaherty’s Crossing by Seattle author Kaylin McFarren, and a fantasy feature film treatment for Bechert Productions of Halifax.

Web Drama
Another exciting new venture is the web drama I have in development with Toronto creator/producer David Goorevitch of Javelin Interactive.  An experienced independent filmmaker and former broadcasting executive, David brings to new media the perfect blend of artistic talent and business savvy.  Now, after immersing himself in the new media program at the Canadian Film Centre, he is out there riding the wave of cyber-exploration. It is a thrill to ride along with him as he opens up new vistas of creativity.

Animation
I recently had the great pleasure of assisting Ed Rodriguez of Spin Master Entertainment in Los Angeles, and his able marketing team, with the development of a new series of animated direct-to-DVDs. Spin Master, as you know, continues to expand even in these challenging economic times and it is easy to see why with a team that is this enterprising and enjoyable to work with.

New Media Ventures for 2010

In 2010 the focus is on New Media as Kathy brings her international experience, award-winning production expertise, and passion for story-telling to the internet, creating engaging, interactive entertainment with global appeal.  As a television Executive Producer, she has extensive experience in marketing various entertainment properties to a wide range of consumers and, whether the subject is factual or scripted, her creations are crafted to make people care.  Her newest venture involves bringing businesses and consumers together in a blend of entertainment and social networking that makes for an exciting experience for all.  For more information on these tailor-made entertainments, contact us at info@kathyslevin.com

2008 was an interesting year for drama - on many fronts. I had the pleasure of writing both a one hour series pilot and a two hour movie for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 2008. Both are based on my original series concept, “Plunder,” a unique procedural series set in the underworld of the trade in stolen art and looted antiquities. 

In June, with great enthusiasm, I expanded my all too solitary activities as a writer and series creator to include producing partnerships with Toronto producer Phyllis Platt and Los Angeles producers Cathy Malatesta and Bryan Taw of Lawless Entertainment.  Together we are focused on developing and producing a slate of original drama and comedy series for the Canadian, U.S. and international markets. Phyllis Platt is a former head of programming for CBC who has produced numerous award-winning television movies and series under her own banner.  Cathy Malatesta is a former Senior Vice President of Warner Bros. International and Westinghouse Broadcasting, with 20 years of experience in securing partnerships both in the U.S. and abroad.

Included on this development slate are series based on properties from Literal Media, the U.S. rights holder of classic novels and short stories written by some of American’s greatest authors.  “Mallie Stardancer” is a family drama series based on a rare series of comedic short stories by Shirley Jackson, the influential author of psychological horror best known for “The Lottery.”  “Confessions” is a detective series with an unusual twist. This concept is crafted to include stories based on the works of Cornell Woolrich, a master of crime noir fiction best known for “Rear Window.”

Always high on my agenda are quality programs for kids. In 2008 I was delighted to be commissioned to develop a new animated pre-school series for Montreal’s creator of quirky kids’ stuff, Judith Henderson of JudeBox Idea Factory, and her producing partners at Subsequence Entertainment. “Look at Lump” is a wonderful blend of comedy, art and education, developed in association with Canada’s TVO. I look forward to delivering the pilot script later this month.  I also had a wonderful experience teaming with my friend, Canadian writer Sheila Prescott on a script for the BBC preschool series “Garth”, created and produced by Andrew Kavanagh’s wonderful team at Kavaleer in Dublin.  Sheila and I look forward to collaborating on more projects this year.

Feature films are also on my slate for 2009. U.S. producer Grace Ip and the distinguished Chinese screenwriter Liping Wang have invited me and Cathy Malatesta to collaborate with them on a feature film for U.S.-China co-production.

In addition, my original feature film concept, “A Shoe Story,“ funded last year under Telefilm Canada’s Writers First Program, is now at the script stage. This “mid-life fairy tale,” is the story of an aspiring shoe couturier whose big break comes later in life, when putting her life on hold to chase the brass ring is no small matter and may wind up costing her all she has. Feature film producers are welcome to participate at any stage and are invited to contact info@kathyslevin.com for a treatment of the upcoming screenplay.

That’s it for now.  I look forward to hearing your news and wish you a very prosperous 2009!

TORONTO/LOS ANGELES, June 4: Canadian writer-producer Kathy Slevin has aligned with executive producer Phyllis Platt of Platt Productions, responsible for the CBC’s Booky family TV-movie trilogy, and Cathy Malatesta and Bryan Taw of Los Angeles-based Lawless Entertainment, for the production of new scripted series. Platt, Slevin and the Lawless Entertainment team are now seeking international partners for a development slate of drama and comedy series that they plan to jointly produce in Canada.

Slevin is a writer-producer and former long-time development chief for Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby, Crash) with whom Slevin co-wrote features and developed such series as Walker Texas Ranger and Due South.

During Platt’s tenure as the head of programming at CBC, she supervised the development and production of a range of Canadian television series, movies and mini-series, including This Hour Has 22 Minutes, The Newsroom, Wind At My Back, Butterbox Babies and DaVinci’s Inquest. Since establishing Platt Productions, she has produced television movies like Betrayed, Open Heart, Shania and the CBC trilogy Booky Makes Her Mark, Booky and the Secret Santa and Booky’s Crush. 

Malatesta, formerly the senior VP of Warner International and VP and general manager of Westinghouse Broadcasting, is an international television producer with more than 20 years of experience in securing partnerships both in the U.S. and abroad. Taw, Lawless’s VP, brings more than ten years of experience in marketing, production and distribution in both live action and animation.

- By Irene Lew
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