1/15/10

Cristina S. has put up a great new Collector site!  Check it out at http://morganpym.wordpress.com/.

9/26/09

An update on the season 2 DVD's from our distributor:

From: "Jason Moring"
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:18:26 -0400
Subject: Collector Season 2 Update

Hi Guys,

Wanted to update you on what’s going on with Season 2.

The following retailers are on board for Season 2 release on October 13th.

Wal-Mart
Future Shop (will be featuring Season 2 in their flyer the week of release)
Best Buy
HMV
Indigo Books
London Drugs
Amazon.ca

We are talking about the top 4 major retailers in the country are supporting this release. Please do what ever you can to spur interest within the Collector community. We will have roughly 4 weeks at most of the retailers to generate 80% sell through of inventory (so roughly 2000 units need to sell between release date and mid November) in order for these retailers to keep it on shelf.

Any press leads you have please send them our way.

If you have any questions please let me know.

Best,

Jason

SO TELL YOUR FRIENDS!

8/4/09

Update from Jason Moring at Morningstar Entertainment (our DVD distributor in Canada) about the release of the Season 2 box set of Collector:

>>>Collector S.2 is scheduled for October 13th. October hasn’t been announced fully to the Canadian market which is probably why Amazon.ca cancelled (they are known to be very behind in proper updating – and probably had the original May release date on the site)

They should get the October release feed in a few weeks and then consumer would be able to order. <<<

So for those of you who pre-ordered and got cancellations from Amazon.ca, help is on the way!

5/7/09

News from the UK:

Hi Jon
Has been a while. You probably know this already but, just in case you don't, Virgin TV are finally showing The Collector on their On Demand TV Choice selection. Still can't buy the DVD from any UK (or US) suppliers, as far as I can see, but I've just ordered seasons 1 and 2 from amazon.ca. Hurrah! Good luck with other projects.
Cheers
Liz

Thanks Liz!  Most of our news about Collector internationally actually comes from the fans.

In other news, Moon Knight appears to have gone by the wayside for lack of a US sale.  But the series I ran in late 2008 - The Best Years - is currently airing on E! in Canada and The N in the US.  Check it out!

I've also just a rough cut of "How to Boil a Frog", my eco-comedy.  Seeking money to finish that up for release.  But hoping to do at least a little world-saving in the meantime!

2/4/09

Yet another DVD update - Amazon.ca is back in stock, and our DVD distributor (Morningstar Entertainment) is working with customers who ended up with defective disks from Wal-Mart or other outlets.  If you got one of those disks, let us know through the site.

Gary M. wrote in to ask when Seasons 2 and 3 would be released, and whether there will be a Blu-Ray version of the series.  Hears the answer from Jason Moring at Morningstar:

>>>We are looking at either the last or second last Tuesday in April [for season 2 release].

We will not be doing a Blu-Ray release at this time. For a Canadian market only release the economics just aren’t there yet to support BR.

Since the complete series is only 3 seasons… if demand is there around this time next year (after successfully releasing S.2 & S.3 this year on Standard def)… we may be able to look at The Complete Series on Blu-Ray. By then the supply/demand ratio should bring costs down significantly.

What we really need is to have Season 2 be hugely successful… we had some issues that affected the Season 1 performance – so our goal is a clean and productive Season 2 release, with Season 1 tag along promotion.

We could use all the help from the fan base. If Season 2 does not perform, we could lose retail support for a Season 3 release. <<<

So there you have it!  The future is in our hands.  If you know Collector fans, or people who could become Collector fans, let them know about the series and the upcoming release.  More news as it develops!

12/11/08

DVD update - due to a flood of orders and some delivery problems, the DVD's on Amazon.ca have been out of stock for a while, but the word from our distributor is that they'll be back on the shelves (virtual and retail) by December 18th or 19th.  So mark your calendars!

Also, The Collector now has two new pages, thanks to dedicated fan Walter R from Italy.  Everybody who speaks Italian please visit and send Walter a message!  Grazie Mille!

The Collector on Facebook

The Collector on MySpace

10/8/08

Great news!  TVShowsOnDVD.com has just announced that The Collector will be coming out on DVD on Novermber 4, 2008!  The DVD is already available for pre-order on Amazon.ca.  Thanks to all of you who waited so long!

9/1/08

Hello again - something new from the mail bag, and a bit of early news for those checking in with the blog:

Hi! I just discovered the series and i’m hooked! The only thing is, Australian TV is notoriously bad with their programming so I have no idea When the next show will be on. Are there any DVD’s available to buy? I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of this show before!

Hope to hear from you soon!
Jeannette, from Down Under

ANSWER:  We seem to be on the verge of our first DVD release in Canada – should know more about that next month – I think the release is set for October. What I DON’T know for sure is that people outside the country will be able to buy the set, but obviously I’m hoping they can. As for Australia and other countries, local DVD releases would be handled by our international distributor, and I don’t think they’re there yet.

If you haven’t already, sign up for the email list on the Collector site and/or check in with the Creator’s Blog in September. As soon as I have specifics, I’ll post them in the blog and we’ll do a mailing!

7/6/08

Hi all - got an email from Fernanda in Brazil that sums up the three questions people are asking:

Hi, my name is Fernanda, and I'm sending this email to say I was really sad when the tv show was cancelled. I have been searching for the dvds but never found it. Some people are selling the "pirate dvd". They have recorded it from tv and now they are selling, and some, expensive, because the tv show is not available anymore. Now, I was searching for the original dvd, and in the site www.thecollectortv.com nothing said about the dvds. But I found another site that is selling this dvds. Are them original? Can I buy it safely?

ANSWER:  The DVD's being sold online are pirated – not made by us. We've been waiting on a US sale to make a DVD deal, but it's possible we'll soon have a DVD deal in Canada, so perhaps you could buy them here? We really appreciate your not buying the fake DVD's, and hope you'll sign up for the Collector mailing list at http://www.thecollectortv.com/105.html - we'll send out an email when the real DVD's become available.

And #2...

I have already subscribed for the mailing list, but since the first time, I haven't received anything anymore. I hope the emails from The Collector Tv are still available for me.

ANSWER:  The mailing list still works - we just haven't had any new news to send out.  So please sign up for the day we do!

And #3...

And I'd like to ask one more thing: will you keep recording the tv show? Because I know it has 3 seasons, right? And it didn't finish. At least, only for dvds, you could record the rest. I have written you an email some time ago and you told me the channels don't want to buy The Collector Tv Show anymore. And it doesn't have an end. And that's not cool for the fans, you must know that already. I just want to know if you will record the rest some day!! I know many fans that really support you to keep recording it. Please, think about it!

ANSWER:  It's true that The Collector got cancelled before we had a chance to tell the whole story (which was planned out over 88 episodes).  We ended on #40 ("The Exorcist"), while we were in the middle of planning and writing the 4th season.  Our actors also loved the show and the possibility of some kind of reunion is always there - maybe in a TV movie?  But financing for that would only come following a very positive reaction from fans in the US (since the US is the largest market) - we're still working on a sale to US TV, so any talk of a further installment will have to wait on that.

Thanks to all for writing and we hope you're enjoying connecting with other Collector fans on our message board.  More news as it comes in!

12/21/07

Saw Chris Kramer in LA a few weeks ago -- he looks great and has been looking to add a bit of writing and producing to his acting work.  Also hear regularly from Ellen Dubin, who's also in LA though heading home to Toronto for the holidays.

Larry and JB have wrapped season 1 of their new series "jPod" for the CBC, which will be airing soon.  Meanwhile, Larry is exploring the idea of packaging the 3 seasons of "The Collector" with series-in-development "Moon Knight", which could make an attractive package for a broadcaster in the US. 

Wishing you all a great holiday, and here's hoping that Santa - not Satan - makes all your wishes come true! 

9/27/07

Good news!  the Collector Community bulletin board is up and running again, thanks to the timely arrival of new volunteer Admin guy Fred L.  Fred has un-banned everyone, blocked the evil spam-bots, and spruced the board up a bit with new graphics.  He and moderator Beth B are waiting for you to stop by, so drop in and have a chat with others in the Community.

No further news on our second go-round with syndication in the US, but it's very likely it'll be all the way into Fall of next year, and that further delays the release of DVD's.  Appreciate everyone being so patient! 

Nearly done developing the first 6 scripts for "Moon Knight", the next series with Larry Sugar.  Larry is already starting to contact possible networks and distributors, to get that one going by Spring of 2008 (or sooner?).   Have been working some former Collector writers (Mark Leiren-Young and Christina Ray) and one that would have written for the 4th season (David Schmidt).  The scripts are great (and BIG!) and it's been a lot of fun creating that world.  Look forward to sharing it with you!

Have also done a bit of re-design for the How to Boil a Frog website -- right at the top you'll see a new mini-doc in which I play a clueless corporate tool.  Lots of fun video and links there, plus a chance for Collector fans around the world to help out on the People's Video Project.  I want to hear from YOU!

8/26/07

Hi all -- I've been away working on scripts for "Moon Knight", which Larry will be taking to LA next month to see about a US sale, as well as working on my documentary.   As mentioned in the previous post, Collector's US premiere is now delayed till 2008, and the DVD's along with that.  Clearly the Devil is at work here!

Also had a technical glitch in the Collector Community bulletin board -- all the participants (including the moderator) ended up getting banned!  This has produced a few emails like this one:

>>>Hi,

My name is Raoul..., Im Originally from India and I now work and reside in Dubai – UAE . I am a very big fan of the Collector and would love to be a part of the Collector discussion community However when I tried to enter the discussion forum I got a message saying that I am Banned and to to contact the webmaster or Admin , I hope I can do that by writing to you.

I am a devout Catholic and just love your show , There is a very valuable lesson to be learned from every episode and though it could be theologically much more deep it still has an outstanding theme that has never been portrayed on TV before especially the enigma that is Gabe – well I have my own theory of what he maybe but lets see time will tell if I am correct.

Please do keep up the excellent work , and I sincerely wish you all heady success.

I can be contacted at [email] . I do hope I will be allowed into your discussion forum.

Thanks and best regards

Raoul<<<

As juicy as it is to say that you've been banned, it's actually nothing you did, so no need for confession (though it is good for the soul).  We'll work on getting the technical problem fixed, and in the meantime, if you'd like to have other community participants get  in touch for email chats, let me know!

5/24/07

Well, looks like the US premiere of Collector may be delayed.  Our distributor developed financial trouble, which threw it's ability to deliver into question, so we lost some of our slots for Fall 2007.  Doesn't have anything the to do with the marketability of the show (the response has been VERY positive), but there's only so much shelf space each year and we might have to wait a year to get back on a shelf in every US city.  But that's not entirely decided yet -- we still have a couple of options we're exploring.  Will return with more detail when we get it.

Meanwhile, continuing to develop scripts for Moon Knight.  The first draft of the pilot is done, and we have 3 outlines in progress, with an eye towards having at least 6 scripts when we head to the US to sell the show during the summer.  Really loving the new series, which carries on the conscience, spirituality, and emotion of Collector in very different ways, with even more humor and action.  Should be a blast!

4/24/07

Hello all.  Been busy working on several things, including script development for "Moon Knight" -- we're working on premises now and will be turning out scripts soon.  Loving it!

Also, we got an email from Dhirendra, who played the Devil in "The Chef":

>>>Hi Larry

Hope all continues to bode well with you. Just wanted to say a quick Hi from London. As i was preparing a stuffed quail this afternoon for dinner tonight and surfing the TV channels as one does at the same time , i came across my ep of The Collector-how bizarre is that, they are running it now -3 pm-again as i write and will run later tonight at 730 pm. The channel is zone horror on satellite.

Thought you'd like to know that The Devil lives on.

Catch up with you when i get back. Love to JB .
Hugs
Dhirendra<<<

Coincidence, or is there some Greater Power in charge of scheduling TV shows!?

2/16/07

Good news!  Thanks to Beth B, we've got our Official Collector Message Board up -- here's the page.  So start trading theories about Gabe, fan fic and whatever else you've been waiting to share with other Collectorites!

2/5/07

A little news on the process of getting the series syndicated in the US, via an ad taken out by syndicator First Look:

>>THE COLLECTOR :
Available barter once per week beginning Fall 2007.
Already cleared on ABC, Cox, Viacom, Belo, Media General, Northwest, and Meredith station groups!<<<

So it appears progress is being made!

Also, we're very close to getting our Official Collector Forum up and running, so get ready with your fanfic, comments and theories about Gabe!  More on that soon.

1/19/07

Hello all -- happy belated new year!  Haven't had much news to report; Moon Knight (the next series for the Collector producing team) is still working its way through funding hoops.  Ellen Dubin sent an email a few days ago:

>>>I am in Vegas
saw the booth today ( NATPE) that is selling THE COLLECTOR
they are working hard to sell it
they tell me
so we shall see

miss your faces

heading Vancouver way for a few days to do BLOOD TIES
playing a shape shifter<<<

And we've been getting several emails from the UK since Collector started playing over there.  Here's a thoughtful second email from Carole E., who's wanting to know just what Gabe's story is all about (and is developing her own theories):

>>>You know I was just thinking about the show going onto US television. The problem with it is that there are not many guns in evidence to please a US audience. For example, a group of people find themselves on a 'desert' island in 'Lost' and discover a cash of high tech guns! Even CSI Miami has a gun battle raging with the stars in tow although they are supposed to be crime scene investigators! Guns even appear on Westeria Lane. I could never watch the Sopranos because I could never understand the acceptance and affection for a group of killers! They seem just like the Taliban: gun runners and drug pushers! I have noted that the BBC has produced programmes with Canada and I think this is propably because we like similar things which use the brain and not the gun.

By the way I liked Gabriel's dad showing up. I think in the seance episode he was in hell . He must have made a deal which ended just before his son's birth. The bad luck must be that he is autistic. That's what I am thinking at the moment. <<<

Still working on getting a chat room up for viewers to trade views & ideas.  More on that as it develops!

12/1/06

Been busy with other projects while waiting to hear from Marvel about the "Moon Knight" bible.  Finally had a conversation about that, and now waiting to hear from the network.  Progress is slow but sure!

Don't have any further info yet about where Collector will appear in the US, but my understanding is that it'll start in a limited cable run on January.  Will pass on the particulars when I get them.

10/30/06

Courtesy of Mark L-Y, we found out that the new series with Larry Sugar has been officially announced - click here.   MOON KNIGHT is the story of a superhero suffering from multiple-personality disorder, who fights criminals and struggles with his long-term nemesis, BUSHMAN, in the present-day real world.  It's been a fascinating story to develop, and promises to be unlike any other superhero story done before.  Watch for further news!

10/18/06

NEW SECTIONS!  Thanks to the work of website helper Beth B, we've now put up matching sections in Episode Guide and Credits for Season 3!  Thanks Beth!!

10/16/06

Another new country!

>>>hi, guys!

I'm writing to tell you that I've been a Collector devotee for quite a while...and fear that soon I'll become a Collector mourner. I was really devastated when I read on this page that the series will not air again unless the U.S takes it on. Is it true? Because in my country, Season Three has just ended, and uncertainty started.

Isn't there anything we fans can do? I remember hearing that, when some network decided to cancel the show "Roswell", tons of angry fans sent millions of bottles of tabasco sauce as protest. Now, I doubt that tabasco sauce would do the trick, but maybe some other form of show-cancellation denial from your fans across the globe? Collector-ites, unite! Is the decision final or is there still hope? If it is, then could you please tell where I could find the series' DVD? (if there is one, and I really hope so!). It would mean a lot.

Well, that's mostly it, though I would like to follow the cliché and congratulate you guys on the series. No, seriously, it was wonderfully refreshing after so many C.S.I spin-offs and disgustingly moronic reality shows. Amazing job! Really deep, makes you think and re-live episodes over and over, it has so many subtle signs of differente matters.

Sincerely keeping my fingers crossed that the show won't end,

Bettina, Uruguay<<<

Well, we're still hoping for a further chapter, at least -- we'll have to wait and see!

10/2/06

A new country on our list of fans who have written in!

>>>Hi guys,


Since last month I've been trying to write to You. Sometimes I didn't have enough time, others I couldn't. Anyway, I can not stop thinking of doing it, so I at this time I decided to do, and what I want to say is: ''thank you'' to all the staff of the serie ''The Collector''... is the best I ever seen.

By the way, I beg you not to stop the serie in the season 3... It'll be unforgivable.


Best Greetings,


Guillermo C
Bogotá D.C. - Colombia<<<

Thanks Guillermo!  Sorry to report we were cancelled after Season 3, but popularity in the US next year might mean another chapter of The Collector -- we never lose hope!

Also from Gareth at Skewed and Reviewed:

Here is an interview I did recently with Ellen Dubin. I think your readers may like it.

http://sknr.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=716&Itemid=75

9/29/06

From Ide C, about our own SS:

>>>Hi there.

I'd like to give Collector fans a heads-up that Sonya Salomaa's new movie, Black Eyed Dog, opened on two screens in Montréal cinemas today. Small local films don't usually stay in theatres long, so those who'd like to see her on the big screen -- in a leading role, no less!
-- should see it soon.

Ide<<<

9/25/06

The new project with No Equal Entertainment (Larry & JB) is a couple of weeks away from an official annoucement.  Will be able to talk more about it soon!

Thanks to Beth B, who has been volunteering her services getting the 3rd season episode guide and credits together.  Hope to have that up soon as well.

First Look continues their work on the US sale, and there may even be a new piece to that.  More news as it comes in!

Trivia of the week:  Morgan's cell phone was a Motorola T720 Model #92562XZBSA.

9/5/06

For all of you who like the Collector website, now's the time to show some love!  The Gemini Awards gives a prize for best website, and Cat G. points out that you can vote once a day!  Click here to vote for The Collector, and spread the word!

9/4/06

And a Spanish translation of our reply to the fan letter, courtesy of Beth B and friends...

Gracias por escribirnos. Es siempre agradable recibir emails de todas partes del mundo. Tus opiniones sobre el Demonio son muy profundas, y de hecho Él esta planeando hacerte una visita para discutirlas más a fondo. (no te preocupes, Él es multilingüe) Entonces si cualquiera te propone hacer un Trato en las próximas semanas, te recomendamos que antes consultes con un sacerdote, o al menos con un abogado. El puede ser menos que sincero alguna veces. Y muchas gracias por recomendar The Collector a tus amigos. Esperamos ansiosos tener noticias tuyas otra vez, a medida que veas más de la serie.

Thanks to all for the help!

9/1/06

And now, for the English translation of the fan letter below -- thanks to Beth, Ali, and a friend of Beth's who goes by bugliaheh:

>>>Hi guys,     
    I'm writing to you in order to let you know that I am crazy about the series. Lamentably, I don't have the level of English that lets me write to you guys so that you can read it directly, although I'm confident that someone there can translate it. 
    I'm telling you guys that I discovered "The Collector" recently this year, a little by chance, channel surfing late at night. Here in Argentina, it's on channel AXN. 
    I, personally, believe in the existence of the Devil, and that we human beings all make pacts with him, in one way or another, whether we are conscious of it or not. We do it simply when we desire, and we desire because we feel lacks of all types, and we feel lacks because we are far away from God, our Father. I don't want to sound like a religious fanatic, nor a mystic, since I'm not, believe me. 
    The work that the scriptwriters as well as the producers, technicians, directors, and of course actors produce is really fantastic! Although the TV program is a work of fiction, that is to say, an artistic work, at the same time I think it's very useful to make us reflect upon the course that the history of the world has taken, and the course of our own lives in particular. 
    It seems to me that it takes up again - with a very interesting spin - the history that has been told many times, from the "Faust" of Goethe to the film "Devil's Advocate" with Al Pacino, creating a really genial Devil; but that it seems that we give our word obstinately in ignoring/not knowing. Many times art has the ability to dive in our deepest and worrying suspicions, and every one will have his own (fair shares for all, in other words). One of mine, since a long time ago, is that we are not the only authors of our destiny, and that that eternal/everlasting fight of good versus evil (expressing it in simple terms) takes place right inside of us. 
    Well, I don't want to bore you guys with my personal lucubrations, but yes, I want you to know that I am recommending the series to all my friends so that they will see it. Again sorry for writing in Spanish. I wish you much luck and success because without a doubt you guys deserve it. 
    Hoping to hear from you soon.

Fernando A.
Buenos Aires, Argentina

P.S.: How pretty is Carly Pope!!!!!!!!! <<<

And now, the process in reverse -- anyone up for translating our reply?

Dear Fernando,

Thanks for writing to us!  Always a thrill to get emails from around the world.  Your thoughts about the Devil are very profound, and in fact he's thinking of paying you a visit to discuss them further (don't worry, he's multilingual).  So if anyone asks you to make a deal in the next couple of weeks, we recommend you first consult a priest, or at least a lawyer.  He can be...well, less than straightforward sometimes.  And thank you so much for recommending The Collector to your friends.  Looking forward to hearing from you again as you see more of the series!

8/30/06

Here's one for the whole Collector community -- our first fan letter entirely in Spanish (and a very thoughtful one at that)!  I've already done the bad software-generated translation, but if anybody out there is an expert, write us a good one and we'll post it here!

>>>Hola,amigos. 
    Les escribo, para hacerles saber que soy un fanático de la Serie. Lamentablemente no tengo un nivel de idioma inglés que me permita escribirles, para que ustedes puedan leerlo directamente, aunque confío en que alguien allí pueda traducirlo. 
    Les cuento que descubrí " The Collector " recién este año, un poco por casualidad, haciendo zapping en los canales de cable tarde por la noche. Aquí, en Argentina, la transmite el canal AXN. 
    Yo, personalmente, creo en la existencia del Demonio, y que todos los seres humanos hacemos pactos con Él, de una u otra forma, lo sepamos concientemente o no. Lo hacemos simplemente cuando deseamos, y deseamos porque sentimos carencias de todo tipo, y sentimos carencias porque estamos alejados de Dios, nuestro Padre. No quiero parecer un fanático religioso, ni un místico, pues no lo soy, créanme. 
    El trabajo que realizan tanto los guionistas, productores, como técnicos, directores, y por supuesto los actores, es realmente fantástico !!! 
    Si bien su programa de televisión es una obra de ficción, es decir, un hecho artístico, creo que a la vez es muy util para hacernos reflexionar sobre el curso que ha tomado la historia del mundo, y de nuestras propias vidas en particular. 
    Me parece que retoma - con un giro muy interesante - la historia que se ha contado muchas veces desde el " Fausto" de Goethe hasta el film " Devil's Advocate " con Al Pacino, componiendo a un Demonio realmente genial; pero que parece que nos empeñamos obstinadamente en ignorar. Muchas veces el arte tiene la capacidad de bucear en nuestras más profundas e inquietantes sospechas, y cada cual tendrá las suyas. Una de las mias, desde hace tiempo, es que no somos los únicos artífices de nuestro destino, y que esa eterna lucha del bien contra el mal (por expresarlo en términos simples) tiene lugar justamente dentro de nosotros. 
    Bueno, no quiero aburrirlos con mis elucubraciones personales, pero sí, quiero que sepan que estoy recomendando la serie a todos mis amigos para que la vean. 
    De nuevo disculpas por escribir en español. Les deseo mucha suerte y éxitos que sin duda se los merecen.
Hasta pronto.

Fernando A.
Buenos Aires, Argentina

P. D.: Qué bonita es Carly Pope !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<<<

8/23/06

OK, it's picture day!  Have links here to photos from the Timeless Destinations convention:

First, from Beth B - click here.

Second, from Lori T - click here.

And we've also just re-done our behind-the-scenes photos page, and added a bunch of never-seen-before photos from our first shoot in Lithuania, which supplied Morgan's backstory flashbacks in first season and beyond, as well as the episode "1348 AD".  Click here.

Also, got an email from another fan:

>>>Hi my name is Darrell T, I suffer from Cerebral Palsy and use an electric w/chair to get around.

I just wanted to let you know how much I'm enjoying the series "The Collector" which is currently being shown in Australia on Foxtel (pay TV provider).

I think that all the chracters in the show are fantastic, must say I do feel for Maya and all I have to say on that matter is stick with it, you'll end up with Morgan sooner or later.

Is there any chance some of the cast (Chris) would be visiting Australia anytime soon? If so which States and on what dates?

Anyway congradulations on such a great series, keep up the great work, compliments to the cast, crew and writers.<<<

We passed this one on to the cast -- you never know who might be visiting Down Under!  That's all for now...

8/9/06

Had dinner with Larry a few nights ago, and chatted about Project X.  He says he's already agreed on all the terms for acquiring rights to the underlying property, and now just has to sign the agreements.  He anticipates that we'll be able to start developing some scripts in September -- and I'll finally be able to tell you what the project is!

Larry also might help with my ecosode idea, which might actually be the largest sci fi project of all time, in the sense that we could all join together and write our own future!  Anyone who'd like to participate can write me through that website.

The Devil's been busy with his summer reading, and has contributed a couple of new reviews.  Check them out here.

Have been seeing flyers around for the upcoming VCon convention -- hope to see you all there!

8/4/06

Did the writer's panel at the convention today with Jeffrey Hirschfield from "Lexx" -- Jeff and I had never met and could've spent the hour talking amongst ourselves!  But we had a fine time on stage, thanks to many good questons from Steve Eramo, our moderator. 

After that, signed programs and chatted with fans from all over:  Mississippi, Germany, Australia, Italy -- good fun.  And signed one particular program for a little girl named Victoria -- she's 7 years old and has leukemia.  It's a reminder that Timeless Destinations is unusual in giving its proceeds to charity, in this case the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  If you've got five bucks you won't miss, why not click the link and donate them to kids like Victoria?

Also just got one of my all-time favorite emails through the site:

>>>One month ago, we discover your series on AXN, we are from an small country in central america, Costa Rica.  The serie is great, you actually have a good cast, and every day is a new story, we actually stop working every day at 4pm local, to see the series, our boss says, that the only reason he allow that is because he is actually thinking to hire the services of Morgan' boss.  Keep working you guys are doing a great job. Thank you for giving us so many hours of fun and entreteiment.

Just one more of the fans.

Ahmed Somarribas

P.S. There is any episody with a wiccan? or something like that?<<<

Thanks for writing Ahmed!  Actually we did consider various witch/Wicca stories, but never found the right one -- though it was very tempting to have Morgan show up for the Salem Witch Trials!

8/3/06

The Collector panel at Timeless Destinations was fun -- didn't go too far into Season 4 but dropped a few tidbits.  Still hoping to get that info out in another medium; Larry is even looking into novelization.  Will be back at the con for the Writer's Panel tomorrow, along with Jeffrey Hirschfield from Lexx.  Hoping Beth and others will send me some pix through the site that I can post for you!

7/31/06

Got an email this evening:

>>>Today the camera truck broke and they can't shoot anything. I will be here at least till wednsday. I'm so sorry but I'm not going to be able to make it to the convention. It would have been a fun little reunion. Instead I'm stuck in Volcan, Alberta with no cell phone reception, I hope you get this
message.  All the best, Christine Chatelain<<<

There you have it -- a country song in the making.  We're sad we won't get to see Christine, but the rest of us will be there tomorrow -- hope to see you all!

7/30/06

As noted in my News from the Igloo blog, I'll be on the writer's panel at Gatecon, on Friday Aug. 4 at 11:45 a.m., with Jeffrey Hirschfield from "Lexx" (Ali will be out of town and can't make it). And though the agenda still doesn't reflect it, Christine Chatelain & JB Sugar will be joining us for the panel, and Ali & I will be staying for the banquet (not sure about the others on the panel -- I know Sonya has to go home and pack as she's leaving for somewhere exotic the next morning). Ali & I will also be around between panel & banquet in the pub, for those who want to stop by and say hi. In the theatre, by the way, about dozen episodes will be in rotation, including the faves of all the panel members.

7/20/06

Saw Larry and JB yesterday.  Our new project together seems close to coming together -- still can't give out details but will as soon as the contracts are signed.  It's very cool.  Meanwhile, CBC has let us know that they're not doing movies anymore, so our little Christmas movie script is in turnaround -- we love the story, and are talking about other places we could sell it.  Lots of possibilities, in Canada and the US.

The conventions are imminent.  I think we're all set for Timeless Destinations -- JB will be joining us on the panel.  Cat Girczyc (writer of "Vampire" and "Ufologist") will be at VCon and is suggesting a Collector panel there.

Have asked around about what the purchase of CHUM by CTV will mean for Canadian broadcasting -- for those of you outside the country, there's really only 4 major broadcast networks, so consolidation would take us down to 3.  As far as I can tell CHUM will remain independent and functioning for the foreseeable future, which is good for those of us in the show-selling business. 

Christine Chatelain writes >>>I will be doing a fun little role in one of the "Masters of Science Fiction", I'm off to be transformed into a blonde, should be interesting!<<<  As it happens, we're off tonight to meet Sam Egan, who's one of the producers on the show, and -- small world -- started in the biz with Ali's brother Richard.  Chris K is headed back to LA in a few days, while Ellen Dubin is headed west to our neck of the woods for the convention. 

Back to work!

7/11/06

Just received a bonus M. Night Shyamalan retrospective from the Devil -- check it out on the Movie Reviews page.

Got more pix from JB of his time with Chris K at the Monte Carlo International TV Festival -- click here to check them out.

Also got news from Sonya Salomaa on what she's been up to:

>>>Hey Jon!  Sorry it took me so long to reply, I've been out of town visiting family! Anyhoo, what have I been up to since our cancellation is...  Guest starred on an episode of Saved on TNT (only airs in the States) playing the role of Ellen, did an episode of Kyle XY for ABC, did another episode of Stargate SG-1 where we find out that my character Charolette Mayfield is actually [episode spoiler deleted!].  I also did 2 Lifetime movies, "The Ties That Bind" and "The Stranger Game" that I think have already aired.

But the most exciting news is that I just found out that a film I did last fall called "The Black Eyed Dog" will be premiering in the Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland! This is very good news. In this movie I also sing and perform my own song! So I will be headed there in August and I can't wait!  I really miss all you guys and am really looking forward to getting together at Timeless Destinations for a bit of a reunion!!
xo
S <<<

Did we pick a talented cast or what?

For those just checking in after reading our newsletter, be sure to check out the entries below!

7/10/06

Changed our Gatecon page into an Appearances page, since we have a couple of conventions coming up.  Also added a couple of new links (for Ellen Dubin & Chris Heyerdahl fan sites) to our Links page.  And now, here's the scoop on the Collector set sale:

“THE COLLECTOR” SALE

Friday, July 14: 12:00 PM – 6:00PM
Saturday, July 15: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday, July 16: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

At

THE EDGEWATER STAGE
PLAZA OF NATIONS
750 Pacific Blvd. South
Vancouver, B.C. Canada

SET DEC
PROPS
WARDROBE
ELECTRONICS
APPLIANCES
FURNITURE
ART
ANTIQUES
MEMOROBILIA
BRIC A BRAC

Everyone Welcome

Parking Available at Impark Lots adjacent to the venue and across the street at BC Place

I am going to ask for a few things (like the ruby ring) to be held back, in case that MOW comes about, but there'll be a lot of amazing stuff, so check it out!

7/9/06

Put up a link to the Timeless Destinations website -- Ali & I will be on a panel there with most of the stars of Collector (Chris K will be out of town) on Aug 1 at 5 p.m.  Will have some clips for those who aren't familiar with the show, or have missed some of the season 3 shows, plus it'll be a chance to chat with the fans -- love that.

Got some news from Christine Chatelain (who will also be on the panel):

>>>Hey Jon! Hope you're enjoying the summer... I have a Guest star episode coming up on a New show called "Psych" which is on the USA Network right after "Monk". This year I've also played a vampire on "Supernatural" and will next be working on "Sandlot 3"...there is my news!  Take Care Christine<<<

Finally, added a couple of pieces by Mike Plowman to his music page -- if you have any first season requests, let me know, as I have the music from all those episodes on CD.  Also received a new book review from the Devil.  Enjoy!

7/8/06

Got some news from Colin Cunningham, and a couple of photos of him in character for his role in "Masters of Horror",  a series currently shooting here in B.C.  (Small world note:  last season, Ali's brother Richard brilliantly adapted a short story called "Dance of the Dead", by Ali's dad, for an episode of MOH directed by Tobe Hooper.)  Colin's email:

>>>Hey man. Great hearing from you. Right now I'm guesting on Masters of Horror.  And on August 5th, Saturday night - the Vancity Film Center is honoring that little indie film I made five or so years back with a special screening and after party. Gonna be one of those celeb/glitzy/who's who kind of nights, and I'd love to have you guys all there... The theatre holds 175 and they're reserving a 100 more for their own VIP's. It's basically unprecedented and I'm flattered beyond belief. Anyway.
I'll keep you posted.  C.<<<

So if you're in the area, stop by to check our Colin's film!

Also heard from the ever-busy Ellen Dubin:

>>>I hope you are well.  I am in Toronto... I just finished a movie of the week for LIFETIME (80 gazillion movies for LIFETIME are shooting in canada).  I play Molly Ringwalds' best friend (yup me and the Pretty in Pink gal) - then I did an independent film - quirky comedy with a new film director.

Just re-watched THE CHILDREN"S BOOK WRITER - what an eerie episode. It aired tonight.
I am introducing our show to new people all the time who have missed it. <<<

And a last bit of news -- I'm told the Collector set sale will be next Friday, a source of both memoribilia and unbelievable bargains (especially on the clothes rack).  Will post the details when I get them!

7/7/06

The news from Monte Carlo is that "24" and Kiefer Sutherland walked away with our category -- the nerve!  But I'm sure Chris & JB were able to drown their sorrows somewhere in the glamour & free champagne. Will post their first-person accounts when received.

In the meantime, the Devil has sent in a new review, for Superman Returns.  See it on our Satan Goes to the Movies page!

6/30/06

Working on uploading the content & fixing all the links.  Managed to upload the pix that JB & Chris sent from their first day in Monte Carlo (poor sods) -- click here.

Also want to work on keeping track of what's going on with all the many talented people connected with our show, so if you've got news or links, send them in!  News about Ali & me, separate from Collector, can be found on our website -- anybody else out there blogging?

6/29/06

Our first dispatch from the correspondents abroad!  Here it is:

Greetings from Monte Carlo-

Exhausted but here are a few tidbits.

We got off the plane in Nice and were awaited by a handful of fans armed with photos of Chris and sharpies eager for his signature. Nice to see some fan support here.

The hotel is extravagant and we are being treated extremely well. After we cleaned up, Chris and I went out for some pizza and met up with a group of people including "chef to the stars", Mark Kearny, who is throwing a caviar and champagne dinner on Friday hosted by Gina Davis, whom we met earlier today. We hung out at the beach all day before going to the palace to be
presented to Prince Rainier and sip cocktails in the courtyard overlooking the glorious city; along with stars from 24, Lost, Grey's Anatomy, Wildfire and others...

Afterwards, TF1, the French broadcaster, threw a dinner for the guests of the festival. More schmoozing and boozing before checking out the opulent casino here.

Tomorrow we have press throughout the day then going to grub on some caviar. It's rough, I know.

Crashing now but thinking of you guys.

JB

6/28/06

Got calls from both Chris Kramer & JB Sugar on their way to the airport -- they left for Monte Carlo on Tuesday evening.  I made them promise to send us news from the road if they found an internet cafe.  Chris reports that he just finished filming the movie "Her Fatal Flaw" for Insight, directed by George Mendeluk (who directed "Prosecutor", "Yogi" and "Miniaturist").  Before that was the Lifetime movie "Circle of Friends" in Montreal, with Julie Benz ("Angel", "Dexter") as his co-star.

Meanwhile, the potential new project with Sugar & Son is looking promising.  Still can't give any details, but may have news soon.

Also, have been notified by fans that we have a number of non-working links on the site, an unnoticed result of our server crash a while back.  Will be getting those fixed up ASAP.

6/26/06

Got an email from Video Kid in Costa Rica, whose English is infinitely better than my Spanish, so I'm grateful for his translation.  The response turned into an FAQ, so I thought I'd include it here.  For those of you unfamiliar with Solid Snake, he's the main character in the Metal Gear video game, and there are certain pictures where he bears a remarkable resemblance to Chris Kramer:

Hi Jon, i finally saw the final episode and i'm in a big let down now, i don't know why the series was cancelled, do you think could it be the devil issue? i mean a lot of people try to avoid that topic when i try to tell them that watch the show, i always need to say: -hey there is a guy that looks like Solid Snake, watch the show. Are the religious themes hard to handle, the whole good vs evil theme? Can we said the devil is evil? or that's too surface.

>>>Per the network, we just didn't get the ratings they wanted. As for the Devil -- I'm mad at him -- we gave him this great showcase, and he just didn't deliver the demon Nielsens!  (I'm kidding -- if anything, I think the religious aspects were a plus for the people I talked to -- they liked the questions raised by the show.)

About the exorcist, why the devil doesn't appear in that episode and why Morgan said something about Jesus christ, that was a big shock, isn't he more faithless than a believer. Can we consider the exorcist an ending, since Morgan embraced god with that words.

>>>If we had to end on any show, the Exorcist was probably the one to end on. Morgan's faith was challenged -- and he does have some faith, though he struggles with a lot of (justified) doubt -- and he seemed to get some sign of the presence of God at the end. (Though the Devil would have thrown that into question in the 4th season.) The last shot was all about Maya's willingness to embrace this positive occurrence -- even though she's an atheist -- and Morgan's painful skepticism, fighting his desire to believe.

Why Carly Pope leaves the show, that belongs to the script or she just don't want to go on?

>>>We have long lag times between seasons, and Carly was only signed for the first season. By the time the second season finally got funded, she was already moving on to other projects. We regretted losing her, because she did a wonderful job, but we were also very lucky to get Sonya. And it was fun to weave the change of body into the storyline.

Did you think kill Jeri Slate was a good idea? A lot of people disagree with it.

>>>It was always part of the original storyline, since before the pilot. The dreadful unfairness of it was part of the point, and it was going to have huge long-term plot implications.

I don't know if you watch Buffy the vampire slayer, but the final season is about an entity called the first evil, do you think Joss Whedon copy your devil for make this character. I mean they are very similar both take form of dead people, both vanish at times and both taunted people, of course your devil is more powerful since it can make deals and send people to hell, the entity the first evil can't touch people but it can raise an army for destroy everything.

>>>I don't think Joss Whedon was even aware of our show, and he certainly doesn't need to copy from anyone! He's very talented.

When i spoke with people about the collec+or they said it's a good series, but there isn't an arc on it, why the series doesn't have an arc?

>>>It had a very large arc, but unfortunately interrupted prematurely. The 4th season would have seen a lot of changes in the characters, and a great deal more revealed about Gabe.

Are there any news about a DVD release?, i always want to keep my series ready for watch.

>>>As far as I know, DVD release in Canada & elsewhere will follow the debut of the show in the US, in Fall 2007.

I think the show could it make it on USA since the supernatural series are already cancelled or end, like Charmed, Buffy, Angel the only series who is alive is Ghost whisperer but it isn't a big problem. I hope the series on usa will appear with the intro of season three the whole time, since it the best intro ever, even it's similar to the music of solid snake, love this show.

>>>We love the revised opening as well, but the shows are already completed, so they'll all air as you saw them. The original opening was probably a good thing at the time, because the narration helped viewers catch up with the premise of the show. Later, that wasn't as important.

I need to let you know that i send emails to all networks even HBO and Hallmark and finally mcfarlane productions. Because i want the show back.

>>>Thank you!  So do we!

6/16/06

Got an email from Kaue in Brazil (unless the domain name .br stands for Banana Republic, which sells excellent hats) asking:  "Which is the importance of Gabe in the series?"  A short question that would require a very long answer! And the answer will have to wait until we find out if the Collector will continue, to any degree, in some other form (TV movies, graphic novels, etc.) In the meantime, there are many clues buried in the existing epsiodes, and the discussion continues in very interesting ways on the IMDb discussion boards, particularly on pg. 5.

Also this week, the Devil sent in a movie review for "An Inconvenient Truth", to which he gave an unprecedented five-devil-head rating.  In his email, he said this rating translates as "Apocalypse imminent, with pina coladas served poolside."  Drink up!

6/9/06

A little advance notice on the upcoming Timeless Destinations convention (prevously known as GateCon), coming up August 1-6 in Richmond, BC.  Sonya, Christine, Aidan, and Ellen will all be there representing the regular cast (Chris will be in LA, alas) and there will be numerous guest stars also in attendance.  Ali & I will be there for one or two panels; not sure yet which days. 

There's also VCon, coming up in Vancouver October 6-8; that one's more of a literary sci fi convention, and Ali and I have been invited to do a presentation or join a panel.  We'll bring along some clips to both, for newbies who still haven't seen the show, and existing fans can come to talk about all those hanging series threads.  Just what was up with Gabe, anyway?  Hope to see you all there!

6/4/06

Here we are in the lull between cancellation and Monte Carlo, waiting patiently for those outside the Canadian Club to get on board the Collector train.  Ali & I are writing a Christmas movie for Larry and the CBC, and also developing a project or two that might be of interest to Collector fans -- more on those when they're a bit further along.  In the meantime, the Devil has posted a new review on The Da Vinci Code and says hello to all his fans.  He misses the weekly exposure on TV, of course, but is looking forward to working on some of his own projects, and of course collecting residuals.

5/23/06

JB forwarded an article from www.variety.com about the in-progress sale in the US -- note the change in projected air date:

>>>Posted: Sun., May 21, 2006, 10:00pm PT

'Collector' calling

First Look flexes syndie arm with anthology

By JOHN DEMPSEY


First Look Pictures has set up a TV syndication division and started pitching the 40 episodes of supernatural sci-fi anthology series "The Collector." Series is in repeats after completing its run on City TV stations in Toronto, Vancouver and other Canadian cities, as well as on the Space Channel (Canada's equivalent of the Sci Fi Channel).

Chum TV, which owns City TV and Space Channel, helped to finance the series at $1.1 million an hour, making it one of the most expensive scripted Canadian shows ever produced. Canuck government tax shelters also offset production costs.

Skein is offbeat, to say the least.

The job of the collector, played by Chris Kramer as an Earth-bound but immortal employee of Satan, is to tell people who have sold their soul to the devil that the contract (always for 10 years) will expire in 48 hours. Characters who engineered deals with Beelzebub include a rapper, a prosecutor, a supermodel, an ice skater, a photographer, a medium, a yogi and a children's book writer. They each get a chance at redemption to relieve the gloom of the show's premise.

"We think 'The Collector' is a departure from all of the crime, police, forensic shows on TV stations' schedules," said Gene Lavelle, VP of TV sales for First Look.

Spearheaded by Ken DuBow, exec VP of worldwide sales, First Look is marketing "Collector" for weekend timeslots beginning in fall 2007.

The syndie competition for "Collector" in fall '07 includes weekend reruns of such series as "CSI: Miami," "Cold Case," "Without a Trace," "The Dead Zone" and "Las Vegas."

As is typical of weekend syndication deals, stations don't pay cash for "Collector" but hand over seven commercial minutes to First Look to sell to national advertisers. (The stations also keep seven minutes for local sale.)

First Look is asking stations to schedule two runs of each "Collector" hour during the weekend and to sign two-year deals.

Exec producers of "Collector" are Larry Sugar (who also directed some episodes) and the team of Jon Cooksey and Ali Marie Matheson (who created the series and wrote a number of episodes). <<<

That's all the info I have at the moment.  Thanks to Kelly C.  and Shaun McC. for being on top of this and volunteering to help spread the word.  I don't know what the chances are of a successful run in the US triggering some sort of additional filming (TV movie?) down the road, but I'm certainly hoping. 

5/14/06

Well, we went 0 for 6 on the 2nd night of the Leos -- the pain!  Not really.  Actually it was great to have a mini-reunion:  Chris, Sonya and Christine were there, along with Henry Chan, Mike Plowman and several of our great guest stars (Ryan from Jockey, Ellie from VJ, Julie from Alchemist, Mackenzie from Rapper & Mother, even Gabrielle Miller from Roboticist, who won a Leo for "Corner Gas").  Also met Beth B, who put up one of the two petitions to save the show; she stopped by on a visit to BC, and got a chance to meet everyone (see photos here).  Thanks for coming, Beth!

Next up, Monte Carlo at the end of June.  More news as it develops!

5/13/06

Collector won 3 Leo Awards on the first night:  Best Makeup for Leslie Graham (Vampire), Best Male Guest Actor for Chris Heyerdahl (Alchemist) and Best Female Supporting Actor for Sonya Salomaa (Person with AIDS)!  Way to go guys!!

Another big night of Leo action coming up tonight, so stay tuned...

5/12/06

Night one of the Leo Awards are tonight, and will be reporting on the results when they're in.  Finally got the newsletter sign-up link fixed, for any who have been frustrated thereby.  And got in a new movie review from the Devil, on Mission Impossible 3 -- see it here.  The Devil will be continuing to contribute to the site as we welcome new viewers from around the world, and hopefully we can put up some other new goodies along the way.  Fingers crossed for tonight!

4/29/06

Slight pause (for 3 weeks) while our server crashes, but we’re back online now and I’m told these changes should publish presently. The short summary of the latest news: no, Collector hasn’t found another home, but we continue to be nominated for lots of awards.

It doesn’t appear that any other Canadian network is going to pick us up, though I do hold out hope that a strong reaction in the US might get us some sort of closing chapter somewhere down the line. As it stands, First Look Distribution has already sold 80% of the US, including major markets, and Collector will start to air there in early 2007, when a timeslot becomes available.

On the awards front, we were nominated for 21 Leo Awards, including:
Best Dramatic Series
Best Direction in a Dramatic Series
    Larry Sugar – The Exorcist
Best Screenwriting in a Dramatic Series
    Jon & Ali – The Alchemist
Best Cinematography in a Dramatic Series
    Henry Chan – The VJ
Best Picture Editing in a Dramatic Series
    Daria Ellerman – The Exorcist 
    Richard Schwadel – The VJ
Best Overall Sound in a Dramatic Series 
    Greg Steward, Ian Emberton, Craig Staufer – The Exorcist 
Best Sound Editing in a Dramatic Series 
    Stephen Cheung, Ian Emberton, Chester Bialowas, 
            Rick Senechal – The Exorcist
Best Musical Score in a Dramatic Series 
    Michael Richard Plowman – The Alchemist
Best Production Design in a Dramatic Series 
    Katterina Keith -- The Watchmaker
Best Make-Up in a Dramatic Series 
    Leslie Graham – The Vampire 
Best Guest Performance By A Male in a Dramatic Series 
            (the whole category!) 
    Dhirendra – The Chef 
    Ian Tracey – Customer Service Rep 
    Robert Kaiser – The Junkie 
    Colin Cunningham – The Media Baron 
    Christopher Heyerdahl – The Alchemist
Best Guest Performance By A Female in a Dramatic Series 
    Tricia Helfer – The VJ 
    Ellie Harvie – The VJ 
    Brittney Wilson – The Watchmaker
Best Supporting Performance By A Female in a Dramatic Series 
    Sonya Salomaa – The Person with AIDS
Best Lead Performance By A Male in a Dramatic Series 
    Chris Kramer – The Person with AIDS

Congrats to everyone!

Then came the nominations for the Monte Carlo TV Festival, where we were nominated for Best Series, Best International Producers, Best Actor (Chris) and Best Actress (Sonya), based on the run of our first season in France. It’s a sacrifice, but JB & Chris have agreed to go in early June and represent the show. Be strong, guys!

Oh, and a DVD update from Larry: As we’ve said in the past, DVD release in Canada will follow the airing of the show in the US, so, sometime in 2007. DVD release internationally will be handled by Fireworks, and be decided on a country-by-country basis, but presumably also in 2007 or later. As for a DVD sale in the US, that would happen after we see what the ratings are for the show as it airs there, so late 2007.

Once again, thanks to all who have continued to write us to support the show. We’ll continue to post the news as it comes in!

4/10/06

Just got back from overseas (Istanbul and London the last 2 stops), and haven't been online much till today.  Thanks to all for the emails of appreciation, condolence and/or outrage over the series' cancellation.  Not sure what future there may be, in particular whether the prospective US sale might make any difference.  We're going to wait and see before thinking about releasing season 4 materials in some other medium -- much was already written and we certainly want to give our fans the chance to see where the story goes, in that and later seasons.  Meanwhile, another email from Annie in Quebec:

"I want to tell you that The Spy and Alchemist were too hot, huge and with great scenarios and action scenes and i hope we gonna see those trailers on the official site. Morgan was too cool with his long hair ! For The Exorcist i will see that on Space monday night ( it's gonna be a sad day for me )."

Although I'm hoping that the series at least has some coda (movie?  mini-series?  final few episodes?) I'm pleased that we had a chance to do Alchemist & Exorcist, which between them contain so much of what the series was about.  Hope you enjoy Exorcist!

3/22/06

Continuing saga of the air dates. Several viewers notes that Calgary, Edmonton & Winnipeg are apparently still airing on Tuesdays, with "The Alchemist" airing on March 28. So "The Spy" aired there last night, and presumably "The Alchemist" will air March 28. The other changes are for Toronto and Vancouver only.

Heartfelt email from Alan L:

"It's a sad day. I just found out that my favourite show got cancelled. The story lines are always interesting and keeps you at the edge of your seat. Chris Kramer is definitely an excellent 'Collector' and will be missed. I have signed petitions among others, and hope that others will sign it in droves in hopes that someone will keep this show on the air.

A disappointed and depressed fan."

We feel the same!

3/16/06

OK, the mystery of the air dates has been solved:  as noted on our home page, CityTV will be airing the last 3 episodes of Season 3 on Fridays at 8 p.m., starting March 31st. 

Ide C. also contributed the following:  "If it's any help, I attach a quick and simple image I made to promote the efforts to save the show, which only requires webmasters or bloggers to add a hyperlink to the relevent fannish or official website, although it's far from professional publicity standards."  To see it and/or grab it, click here.

Also got a great email from Sean M, an ex-pat American now living in Canada: 

"Dear Creators of the Collector,

I just wanted to write in and let you know how thoroughly I've enjoyed your show. I also wanted to let you know that, while they're small in number, you have some American fans. You see, I moved to Canada from the States, largely because [political commentary omitted] and I also like it a lot better up here. Anyway, when I got here, I found "The Collector". I absolutely fell in love with the show and I began taping every episode. I knew my buddies back home in Chicago would love it, too, so once I had a full tape of episodes, I mailed it back to my buddy Sisco labelled "MUST WATCH!!!" Long story short, Sisco fell in love with the show, too, and began showing it to his friends. Flash forward to now, there's about a dozen people back in Chicago who get together and have monthly "Collector" parties when my tapes come in. Anyway, they're all really upset that "The Collector" is ending, and I just felt like writing in to let you know that you do have fans in the States, and they will miss you.

Sean

P.S. Maya's story seems almost wrapped up and we're learning a lot about Gabe lately... is there any possibility that the series is going to end with an episode that's even mildly satisfying as an ending?"

In response to the last part, Maya's story was only getting started with the revelations in "The Person With AIDS", and of course there was much more to be revealed about Gabe.  Absent some development in efforts to resurrect the series, "The Exorcist" would be the last episode, and it's certainly very signficant in the overall story of the series, for reasons that you'll soon see.  It does show Maya beginning her new chapter in Morgan's life, but given that Gabe's not in it, doesn't say anything further about his story.  So we'll have to see if there will be some further chance to tell those stories on TV, or whether it'll have to wait for some other medium. 

3/15/06

Jane K. wrote in to point out that Collector has been taken off the CityTV schedule, following Media Baron.  Still checking on when and if Spy, Alchemist and Exorcist (3 of our best episodes!) will air.  Those DVD's may become collector's items (no pun intended) at the rate we're going. 

Meanwhile, Annie from Quebec has put a save-the-Collector petition online.  Click here if you're interested in signing.  We'll certainly explore every option on our side as well!

ADDED:  Beth B. just sent me the link to her website dedicated to saving the series -- click here to see it.

3/13/06

Greetings from Rome -- Ali and I got the news about the show on our way to Europe.  We're still absorbing the news -- it's strange to be here and seeing so many things that would be significant to Morgan, and not be thinking about how to use them -- we're obviously both very disappointed. 

We've gotten many emails from fans, friends, people who have been involved with the show as cast and crew -- we thank all for your kind words and support.  Here's just one, from Nikki:

"just want to write and express my sincere disappointment in Chums decision to cancel 'our' show.

Despite Chums decision (and if I take my personal emotions out of it I'm sure, in the complicated workings of TV land, it was a purely financial one) there are those of us who really appriciate it all the effort you have put in.

Personally I have never missed an episode and would like to send out heartfelt thank-yous to you, Ali, Larry, the rest of the crew, and all the actors involved for all the time and effort put into making such a terrific, thought-provoking show.

Special thanks to Chris and Sonya for bringing to life the writers compelling characters."

Several people have asked about the possibility of a write-in campaign to try to resurrect the show (the Devil would enjoy THAT choice of words!).  I think it's appropriate for fans to let CHUM know their feelings about the cancellation, though I don't know that it would have any more effect AFTER their decision than it had before.  As to writing to OTHER Canadian networks to encourage them to take over the show, that's an entirely different matter -- a long shot, certainly, but it has happened occasionally (Buffy being an example).  As Morgan demonstrated, nothing is impossible.  And after all, we do have the Devil (and possibly God?) on our side.

Will also keep you up on the DVD deal, which still depends on a US sale.  Larry and JB are working on that, and hope to have more news soon.

3/10/06

Well, we just got the news from Larry -- the Collector is not being renewed. 

We deeply appreciate all the support we've gotten from our viewers and friends in the past few weeks, and have been very glad for the opportunity to make 40 episodes of Morgan's story.  He'll still be out there in our imaginations.

3/8/06

The word from CHUM is that we will hear tomorrow whether we're renewed or not -- apparently they're waiting to see the ratings from Tuesday's episode.  Larry says they are aware of our write-in campaign, so this would be the last chance to chime in at the links on our home page.

Meanwhile, have heard from more viewers.  Here's a question from Bernadette:  "Will Colin be appearing as the devil this season? He is by far the best devil. He looks great and his voice is so commanding! He is also very charming and humourous. I hope to see him in some new episodes soon."  As it happens, Colin Cunningham is returning...in next week's episode!

And here's one from Ide: 

"Just watched "The Watchmaker" on Space this evening. Fantastic episode. The ones where you use science-fictional concepts ("The Roboticist", "The Ufologist", and now this one, with the time-traveller) are among the very best of the series, in my opinion, because they are creative fusions of the genres and put fascinating twists to the mythology of the show.

But, I wanted to ask: from what I can tell, neither "Morgan" nor "Pym" are actually German names, and yet they've been established in the flashbacks and the origin episodes as Morgan's given name. Do you have any plans for explaining this incongruity within the series's narrative?"

Morgan's name was originally Gunter, but Larry didn't think anyone would ever pronounce it correctly, so we changed it to Morgan.  I could say this is just a variation on the German word "morgen", but I think the real reason is that I've been in love with the name since I saw the movie "Morgan" as a kid.  As for Pym (which has only been Morgan's name since moving to Vancouver), I guess I was thinking of the Poe story about Arthur Gordon Pym, one of the great names in literature (and also reflective of my childhood reading preferences).  Maya's name, of course, came out of the Hindu roots of the series concept.  But that's another story.

Thank you all for your support of the series.  Hope to have more news for you tomorrow.

3/4/06

Have been getting lots of emails of support from viewers who are writing the network.  Check out the links in this one from Roy in Israel:

"I love your show a lot, I watch it here in Israel and it is amazing, every episode makes me think a lot about everything.

I heard the news about it being up for a review and I hope it will have another season.

I spread the word as much as I could around the web.

http://www.quake3world.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17700

http://www.xfire.com/xf/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=56079  

http://chaos.daynighthosting.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=891  

http://forums.invisionpower.com/index.php?showtopic=208744  

http://diane-kruger.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=294  

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=412675

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=177525  

http://www.3dgameman.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41661  

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=38&threadid=1815564&enterthread=y

http://forum.eagames.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=19315  

http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?s=d4386991a4b9707ec85e4489b2c922d8&threadid=239798 "

Also got a cc of the email Kelly C sent to CHUM -- an excerpt:

"I am writing to cast my vote for another season of 'The Collector'...  Over the past two years, this series has amassed a die-hard international following, with numerous websites, fan clubs and message boards all dedicated to the series and its remarkable cast of talented performers, including Chris Kramer in the title role.

I, personally, have never missed an episode, and I take great joy in discussing the show online with my fellow fans from all over the world...  The passion people have shown for this series has been overwhelming -- as evidenced by the 10-20 emails I get per day from fans regarding the show -- and there is not a single doubt in my mind that its ratings and popularity would only grow if allowed to continue on for another two to three years in world-wide syndication."

Thanks to Pete and Kelly, and everyone who has written!

3/3/06

I mentioned previously that Annie in Quebec had written in to support the Collector.  I asked her if she was also in contact with our French-language viewers, and told her she could be our Francophone ambassador.  Her reply:

"Hi jon,

I hope you're fine? Me, I'm ok and i put a message on one of my blog in France and now i contact all the persons i know on MSN and i gave all the links i have and what to do for saving the show ( i'll make my devil ) So yes i have a forum in Quebec that i will sent messages and thanks a lot for makes me the ambassador i am very proud of that! So, let's visit that link...

http://superlisa.tchatcheblog.com/  

Have a nice day (it's cold here today -25!)

Cheers

Annie"

Check out her website and join her campaign:  Sauvons Le Messager Des Ténèbres!

PS - Annie has also added a post to the French site Allocine that has a version of our "Save the Collector" message en Francais, including a link to Z tele in Quebec: click here.

BONUS:  click here to see Chris Kramer's appearance on Entertainment Tonight Canada!

3/2/06

Still no word from CHUM as to whether we'll be renewed for a 4th season; apparently they'll be deciding next week.  Again, anyone who a) likes our show, b) wants to see it come back, and/or c) enjoys writing to networks, may do so by emailing them at space@spacecast.com.   We've also added a couple of links directly to the Vancouver and Toronto CityTV stations on our home page -- thanks for your help!

Globe & Mail TV critic John Doyle was lamenting the small number of thoughtful Canadian dramas on the air, a couple of months ago, and that was before the recent cancellation of "Da Vinci's City Hall" and "This Is Wonderland".  We're trying to do our bit for being thoughtful -- this season we're tackling multiple personality disorder, espionage, exorcism, alchemy, saving the family farm, drug addiction and recovery, media monopolization, and the usual 7 deadly sins -- and entertaining (if not shockingly inappropriate!) at the same time.  Or as the Devil said at our recent staff meeting:  "If you can't be disgustingly deep, at least be deeply disgusting."  Words to live by.

Mike Plowman has sent in 3 pieces of music from his score for "The Spy", which we've put in the music section.  As you'll see (or hear), one of them is the soundtrack to the Devil's movie in the episode.  With any luck we'll also put that movie up on the site before the episode airs as a teaser.  Watch this space!

3/1/06

Did the mix on the "sizzle reel" yesterday (the five minute commercial that we'll be using as a sales tool in the US).  Mike Plowman smoothed out the music a bit and the gang at Post Modern Sound cleared up all the dialogue and sound effects from about 30 different episodes -- it rocks!

Also got an email from Tim in Ontario:

"Hey I wanted to say I love the show and I have been watching right from the beginning.  Admittedly the first time I saw the premier commercial I wasnt sure about it, I mean let's face it, the past has shown us that Canadian TV shows don't always make it big, well I can tell being in your 3rd season you have a huge fanbase, which is wonderful considering so many sci fi shows dont make it. 

Thanks, and good work with keeping the new and inventive ideas going, you manage to keep the storys enticing, yet realistic. (to the point a sci fi show could be).   Keep up the good work and lets hope for another 3 seasons! (at least)"

Thanks Tim (and to Annie in Quebec who also wrote to the network) -- we really appreciate the support!

2/27/06

Got this email through the site just a few hours after putting in the entry below, and thought I'd put it in here as a (funny) valentine to our talented bunch of writers, directors, actors & crew:

"My name is Lanny and I am 21.  Me and family of 6, 5 others and myself, are regular viewers of the Collector, we try never to miss an episode.  I normally do not make a point of writing into TV shows at all, but the collector is so good that without any reserve I say that it is the best canadian show on TV. Although that is not saying much I would like to add that it is the best show on Television.   I would like to continue to add that we will be purchasing all the DVD's.  Also we make a point of buying products that advertise during the collector time slot. (j/k)

I am writing this so that your producers can put 6 more people on the support list.  Another thing, I have successfully convinced many of my friends to become regular viewers.  I am hoping that by writing this letter it may help to getting a season 4 or 5."

Thanks Lanny, and thanks to all who write us and/or the network (space@spacecast.com) to support the show while we wait to hear about renewal.  We really appreciate it!

ADDED NOTE:  if you haven't already done so, check out our new section on Morgan's online research articles here.

2/26/06

In between working on premises, we've been editing a "sizzle reel" -- sort of a 5 minute commercial for the series to be used as a tool in pursuing a US sale.  It's been very cool to draw images and moments from all the episodes and tell the story of the Collector that way -- in particular it's been great to rediscover the first season episodes we haven't seen for a while ("Hey, that shot from Roboticist is cool!")  Mike Plowman is smoothing out the music this weekend and we'll do a mix on Tuesday -- after that, fingers crossed!

Back on the Canadian front, we're still waiting to hear if we'll be renewed for a fourth season; CHUM/CityTV hasn't made any final decisions.  Anyone who wants to chime in or comment on the series can, as always, send the network an email at space@spacecast.com.

2/5/06

Just got back from the Women In Film seminar -- showed a few clips and talked about the history of the show and how we do things.  Came home to a nice email from Felix N., a viewer in Singapore, who'd written to comment (favorably) on our bringing Hinduism into the series with "The Yogi":  Dear Sir, This was certainly a pleasant surprise. I never expected to hear from one of the Executive Producers of the show!  Thank you for taking the time to answering my questions.  "The Collector" is currently showing in Singapore on StarWorld every Friday on 9pm. I have always found your stories to be most thought provoking.  Season 3 is currently being shown right now, I've just watched "The Chef"... Kudo's to another of your episodes. The one with the Children's story [writer] in Season 1. That was an unexpected twist! One of the themes of your show seems to be that people are usually much more than they seem. Unbelievable!  I've already subscibed to www.thecollectortv.com and I look forward to more episodes in the future. Good luck to you!"  Thanks Felix!  We always love hearing from our viewers around the world.

Oh, and a couple of special additions today.  The Devil has added a new book review to his reading list page.   And we've also put up an alternative theme for The Collector, composed and performed by our sound mixer Mark Hensley -- check it out at the bottom of our music page.

2/3/06

In preparation for the airing of "The VJ" next week, we've posted the teaser of that show on our clips page.  Time to alert all the Battlestar Galactica fans -- Tricia's a knockout in the episode.  And you also get to see Taylor dance!

1/31/06

A couple of additions to the site today.  In honor of the Oscar nominations, the Devil has contributed a review of "Munich" -- see the Devil's reviews here.  And on the eye candy front, we've put up some photos of the cast from our Season 3 gallery shoot.  Feel freee to download them and spread them around to show people what they're missing if they don't watch the show!  Click here!

1/28/06

Mixed "The Spy" yesterday -- the music is fantastic, really an integral part of the show.  Thanks Mike!  (And thanks to JB, the cast, and the Canadian and Hungarian crew for such a great episode!)  Finalizing the structure of "The Actress" now with writer Mark Leiren-Young -- love the beginning, where Morgan discovers that the Devil has arranged it so that the client's last movie is shooting inside Morgan's apartment building (it's a film noir).  And the Devil is the bitchy hairdresser on the movie!

Got a note from Robert Falconer at Hollywood North Report -- the revamped Collector section of their website is now up and running -- check it out here.   Also, for those in Vancouver, the whole producer team from the Collector (Larry, JB, Ali and I) will be on a panel at the Women In Film producer's workshop on Feb 5th, from 1:15 to 3:15 p.m.  Location is CBC's Theatre B (700 Hamilton between Robson and Georgia).  Call the WIFVV Office at               604-685-1152        if you'd like to register.

1/25/06

Alchemist is now locked, and Mike Plowman is hard at work on his music for "The Spy", which mixes this Friday.  Here at home, we're into the rewrite on "The Hacker" while simultaneously working ahead on other season 4 episodes.  Thanks to all who have written in to say how much they're enjoying the season 3 episodes -- much appreciated as we toil away!

Special bonus this week:  at the urging of 2 Peter Wingfield fans (Harlene F & Dianne S), we have put up the teaser from episode 8 of the new season:  "The Watchmaker".  (Regular blog-readers will remember me thinking this was the best Collector Teaser ever after it was written -- you be the judge!)  The clip is #13 on the clips page -- click here.

1/11/06

Happy new year!  Managed to get the Occasional Collector Newsletter out in advance of our 3rd season premiere, which was last night.  It's been fun hearing about the ads on buses in Vancouver -- that's the most visible we've ever been here.  Hope they've brought us some new viewers.

We've been getting a steady stream of emails from fans, which is always encouraging.  Most-asked question is still about DVD's, as in this one from Angela:  "Just started watching the show by chance, and love it! Are the first seasons available on DVD? I want to see all of the episodes! Thanks for a great Canadian show to watch! Can't believe I never watched it before now!"  (As noted here before, the Canadian DVD release waits on a US sale and broadcast, so encourage all the American's you know to use our convenient email links to write the US networks -- click here.)  Also a popular theme is how great Chris Kramer is (we think so too), as in this one from Iris:  "Just wanting to let you know that I have been watching the show since the begining and I think it is an awesome show. I love the actor who portrays Morgan he does it so well and so naturally. I am hoping that we see much more of him in the future."  (This one was complemented by the email from Chris' Uncle Dave in Regina, who wrote:  "We are all so proud of him, especially his 91 year old Grandpa.")

Maybe the best emails of all are from people who have just discovered us, like this one: 

"I thought I would e-mail you guys, and tell you about the wonderful work you are doing. Keep up the hard work and don't give up. You are making higher quality shows then most US networks make for their fall line-ups. I even got my own father hooked on the show and he completely agrees with me!  Besides, how often do you get to see Vancouver and Canada featured so prominently and well on TV? 
A new fan,
Laura."

Meanwhile, Sean writes from overseas:  "Here in the Philippines they started airing the first season last summer."  We love hearing from fans around the world -- write us and tells us what you're seeing!

Back on the home front, The Spy is locked now, and we're coming up on the mix for Media Baron.  Still developing 4th season premises while working on the stories already approved.  Hope everyone enjoyed "The Jockey"!

12/22/05

I still get regular emails asking when DVD's of Season 1 will be released, and so asked Larry about it again.  Unfortunately, we'll need to have a US sale before we can release DVD's in Canada -- US broadcasters would be reluctant to pay for exclusive rights to something that could be had so easily right across the border. (DVD release in the US would then have to wait till after an initial broadcast window in the US.) Anyway, hopefully a US sale will come soon -- we'll be taking another stab at that in January, now that we have 40 episodes completed.  Watch the website for news!

12/20/05

Director's cuts are done for Spy & Exorcist, both terrific shows.  Alchemist is still being put together, hopefully assembled by Christmas break.  Media Baron is locked now, and the visual effects all done, so that one is on its way to Michael Plowman for scoring.

Got an email from a fan in the UK named Ellie:  "Dear Sir, I just wanted to email you to say how much I love 'The Collector'!!
Even though I'm British, my friend has sent me some episodes and I have seen
a few episodes from Season 1!!  I first got interested in 'The Collector' after attending 'Gatecon 2005', where they showed a few episodes and I got to meet Ellen Dubin and Chris Kramer in person, who are both really nice, down to earth people!!  I am looking forward to seeing more episodes to see how the show and characters develop and I really hope that it eventually gets aired here in the UK!"

The last news I had about the UK was that Fireworks had interest in starting the show off in London, then possibly expanding it to the rest of the country if it had a good response.  In the meantime, it's cool that Collector is spreading by word of mouth, not least through the ambassadorship of our cast -- a bunch of sweet, funny, talented people. 

On the season 4 front, things are in process for obtaining all our various bits of funding.  Beth, a Canadian fan, wrote to ask if she and others could write in somewhere to let our network know how much they like the show, and the answer is yes -- the people at CHUM tell me that emails sent to space@spacecast.com will make their way to the bigwigs.  Your support always appreciated!  

As for me, I'm dreadfully behind as usual.  Fortunately, 3 of our regular writers (Christina Ray, Frank Borg, and Mark Leiren-Young) are out there working away on new outlines, so at least something is getting done somewhere.   From all of us at the Collector, happy holidays and a soulful new year!

12/11/05

Back in Vancouver now, opening two months' worth of mail and fighting off jet lag.  Editor supreme Daria Ellerman is hard at work on all 3 of the overseas episodes, as JB & Larry go in to do their director's cuts.  We'll be doing mixes on several shows this week, catching up on our post production backlog; I've already heard Mike Plowman's drafts of the music for Junkie, Watchmaker and PWA, and he is definitely doing his best work ever on the series.

I've been studying up on Islam for the Terrorist, and working on getting our freelance writers going on their own Season 4 episodes.  CHUM is gearing up their press releases for the Season 3 premiere, and rumor has it a contest is in the works to give away a major prize.  More on that as it develops!

11/30/05

Time continues to speed by.  Tomorrow is Day 3 of The Alchemist already.  Larry finished off Exorcist and flew out the next day, back to Vancouver.  Now JB is back at the helm and we're all braving the FREEZING weather out at the Fot film lot to take advantage of the great sets there.  Chris Heyerdahl, Duncan Fraser and Julie Patzwald are all giving great performances, with Lindsay Collins starting tomorrow.  And of course at the center of it all is our own Chris Kramer, whom I don't praise here nearly as much as he deserves.  Chris has bravely put up with everything we've put him through over here (including being shirtless and wet in a freezing cold warehouse for a whole day), and is always our anchor -- totally prepared, great choices, gracious and generous with other actors.  What you see on screen is often his first and only take.    Phenomenal.

Heard this week from Annie, a viewer in Quebec, who wrote to find out when the Collector DVD's will be coming out, including translations into French and Spanish.  (The answer is still that it will be a while, since we have to wait a set period of time past the broadcast window.)  Here's Annie's email, and I duly note that her English is much better than my French: 

"I 'll be waiting for the DVD of The Collector and it will be more exciting! The Collector is presenting in French in Quebec on Z Télé (Astral Media), but for now only season 1 and I listen to the season 2 on Space in English.  Au revoir et à bientôt ! Long Live to the Collector!

Cheers

Annie big Fan of Collector from Quebec

PS: I saw the new entrance for the season 3 on the official site and I love it so much...it'very artistic, beautiful and it's look like a computer game! It's Huge.  Wow...always better each season."

Speaking of which, we've gotten some story ideas approved for next season, including The Soldier, The Daredevil, The Actress and The Terrorist.  Season 4 is definitely going to be Huge!

11/21/05

Dashing this off before another 6:15 a.m. pickup to go to set -- I'm usually in prep and post production and leave these long hours to others!  We're starting Day 3 of Exorcist, which has been a great experience so far -- 5 terrific actors including Fernanda Dorogi, a Hungarian actress who's playing Jasmina.  Spy is already shot and in editing after 7 days shooting on location, including incredible days by the Danube and in Heroes Square.  The night shoot in Heroes Square was particularly fun; it looked absolutely spectacular after DOP Henry Chan lit it with a "tube light" (essentially a zeppelin with two 4K lamps inside) supplied by Sparks, our camera and lighting supply company here.  Gotta run!

11/1/05

Last week was the prep on Alchemist, another whirlwind.  Most of the episode will be shot at the studio lot out in Fot, where we shot Ripper, Historian and Beginnings last year.  Those with sharp eyes may recognize bits of what will now be a 17th Century Dutch village -- see photos of the location and tech scouts here.  For those interested in the local Hungarian culture, we've also put up some of line producer Charles Lyall's photos of the recent commemoration of the 1956 uprising against the Communists, dramatically staged on the Chain Bridge, where we'll soon be filming.

This weekend was a national holiday, and a chance to get back to working on premises and story arcs for Season 4, which will be upon us all too soon.  The only foray out was with script supervisor Jen Oberem on Halloween night, to see the local cemetery, traditionally decorated with candles.  For the macabre at heart, a few photos here.

10/22/05

Apparently days can speed by even while living in a hotel room -- we've now done the first five days of prep on Exorcist -- see a new batch of photos here.  Much of the time was spent location scouting, and we've found 2 great locations that will take care of our 3 days of shooting outside the studio.  The first location is the Literature Museum (a museum devoted to writers -- this must be Europe), which will not only play for Morgan's sumptuous hotel room in Vienna, but also for the exteriors of the flat where one of the exorcisms take place.  The other location is the one where the client does his work, and brings with it a terrific square we'll use for a street market.  Possibly also a place for Morgan's side of a phone conversation, though Larry is also thinking about taking Chris Kramer up to Vienna to get some actual shots of Morgan walking through the streets there -- perhaps past the plague memorial monument on the Graben.

Meanwhile we continue to work on bits of prep for Spy:  prop show and tells (for everything from guns with silencers to dolls for the Devil's movie), wardrobe discussions ("What can we put lots of bullet holes in?"), and a detailed playback meeting about computers and PDA's, done over Skype with our amazing programmer Gladys Tong, still in her jammies for a late afternoon conference call (we're 9 hours later).  Also did local casting for both Spy & Exorcist, filling out a number of roles in both episodes.

Up next:  The Alchemist, but also a new phase of the prep period as our fab DOP Henry Chan arrives to start to put together our camera package with local supplier Sparks, and visit the locations.  And after Henry comes Jen Oberem, script supervisor, Jeff Petry, stills photographer, Chris (coming in via Rome after a trip to the Vatican), and finally Steve Hodgson from Rainmaker, rounding out the Canadian crew.  Welcome aboard!

10/15/05

Returned to a few locations to work out details for stunts; see some additional photos here.  Except for the fact that every third person here has the flu (I'm one of them), things are going well.  We'll now postpone days 6 & 7 of prep on "Spy" and go into prep on "Exorcist", followed by the same arrangement on "Alchemist".  Then, later in the month, we'll do all our tech scouts and production meetings in a 3 day period, to get everyone ready for the month of shooting that will follow.

10/13/05

Got all our locations set for "The Spy" yesterday -- click here for some photos from our location scout.  Staying in today to work on other stuff, including doing selects from our gallery shoot.  We'll try to get you a sneak preview of one of the gorgeous shots Jeff Petry has taken of our cast -- they're amazing.

The big news yesterday was the announcement of the Gemini Award nominations.  "The Collector" picked up four nominations (listed in detail on our home page).  Congratulations to Ellen Dubin (our own Doobie!), to all the folks at Rainmaker and Post Modern Sound (the absolute best places to do Post in Canada), and to guest star Diana Pavlovska, who writes:  "Well I owe it all to you folks :) I've said it before and I'll say it again...THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! That role and experience was just the gift that keeps on giving!!!!"  That one email used up all the exclamation points in her computer.

Soon to come on the website -- production stills for Person With AIDS and Watchmaker, and also some Vancouver Star articles from various episodes, so you can see the extra details (and callback jokes) we always pack into those articles.

10/8/05

Got a copy of the article in TV Guide France from our interviewer, Henry Arnaud, heralding our premiere there.  Lisez ici.

Also, here are the first airdates for the special that BC newsmagazine Urban Rush is doing on The Collector:

Monday October 10 at 5pm, 7pm, 11pm
Tuesday October 11 at 1am, 7am and noon
Monday October 17, 5pm, 7pm, 11pm
Tuesday October 18 at 1am, 7am and noon

The special will also play in late November or December.  Thanks to our friends Mike & Fiona for making us laugh (and look good)!

10/7/05

"Person With AIDS" and "Watchmaker" are both locked, leaving just "Media Baron" still in editing.  We've done the mix on "Farmer" with Plowman's lovely music complementing JB's bucolic images.  Larry, JB, Charles (our line producer) and Matthew Blecha (this year's AD) will all be in Budapest by tomorrow, with yours truly following the day after.  And so starts a month of prep meetings, scouting and goulash.

Got the production stills up for "Customer Service Rep" and "Junkie" -- some startling pix in there.  Check 'em out!

10/5/05

Wrapped our BC shoot last night -- sad to say goodbye but it was a great season and everyone did a FANTASTIC job!  And of course the season isn't really over; those of us gong to Budapest are dazedly packing and hopping planes all week.

More online bonus stuff -- Mike Plowman sent two of his gorgeous music cues from "The Farmer" as mp3's, and we've put them up on his page.  Give a listen.  Will also have more production stills up soon (4 more episodes worth) as well as some stills from our gallery shoot.

10/3/05

Last day of shooting in BC is tomorrow -- day 7 of "Media Baron".  We've been busy with post production; mixed "VJ" and will lock picture on "Person With AIDS" and "Watchmaker" before we go -- both great shows and part of a huge turn in the series arc.  Larry's already gone to London and then Budapest; JB leaves on Thursday, I follow on Saturday, and Ali comes over during shooting in November. 

Courtesy of Mike Plowman, we've put up a Quicktime of our brand new Season 3 title sequence, as a special preview for our online fans.  There's a link to it on our clips page, or you can go directly to it by clicking here.   We love it!

9/19/05

Henry Chan (our beloved Director of Photography) forwarded this email from his friend Glen:  "Henry ni hao, Been watching The Collector in Hong Kong. Good DP work. Really enjoy watching the show."  So a hearty shout-out to all our new viewers in Hong Kong!

Settled on the casting of the Blind Devil in "Media Baron" today -- Colin Cunningham will be returning for his 4th time in the role.  Our Original Satan always shows up at key points in the series, and this is certainly one of them.

9/17/05

"Media Baron" is in prep -- last one in BC this year.  The client, Warren Park, will be played by Tom Butler, with David Orth playing his son.  Still deciding on the Devil.  Huge amounts of playback in this one, another logistical puzzle to be solved, so we're glad to have back one of our veteran directors (and old friends) Michael Robison, who's just come to us from directing an episode of Bruckheimer's "E-Ring".

Meanwhile Mike Plowman is working on the score of "Vampire", JB's working on his director's cut of "Person With AIDS", and Ali and I are on the edge of being able to properly focus on Season 4.  (We've done quite a bit of work already in planning the arc and thinking about stories, but only one episode -- "The Hacker" -- has actually been approved.) 

In website news, we got out our first newsletter (with a minor glitch), and got some wallpaper up with Morgan's ringtone to fill up the Downloadables section.  Also working on getting production stills up for "Customer Service Rep' and "Junkie" -- more soon!

9/11/05

News from Valerie Ferland (mother of our first little Devil) at the Film Festival:  "I've just spoken with the French (Jodelle had a photo-shoot and an interview with them today) and heard some terrific news from them. France will now have The Collector. They spoke of the meeting they had with Larry and they seemed very pleased. I wish to send congratulations to ALL !!! Even though they spoke quite freely to me on the subject, I will only tell Susan and Brittney Wilson (your upcoming devil), as I don't know if you want the word out yet. BUT WOW!!!!!!!"  Thought we'd let the word out.  Ali & I had a great dinner with Henry Arnaud, a freelance journalist for the French press, and he was very supportive.  By the way, Jodelle and Brittney are best buds.

9/8/05

Long discussions about the theory of relativity during the visual effects meeting today -- "Watchmaker" is just that kind of episode.  Peter Wingfield will play the client, Maurice Jeanrichard, and Brittney Wilson will be playing the Catholic High School Girl Devil.  Worked late into the night on locations for this one -- everything's more challenging now that so much production is happening in Vancouver again.  The place is hopping!

Still trying to find a spare moment between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. to finish going through the script for "Media Baron", which goes into prep in a week.  Things get like that late in the season.  May fall asleep while blogging.  Meanwhile JB's out in the rain getting a climactic scene in "Person With AIDS" -- naturally, it always rains during night shoots.  Thanks JB!

9/4/05

Another email received:  "Hi my name is Laura and I'm a huge fan of the show. I was just curious if there are any plans to release the series on DVD?? I hope so!"  I checked with Larry this time to see if I could give any more detail on the subject, and got some more info.  Here's the scoop:  In each country, the broadcaster gets a window (say, a year or two) after they premiere an episode, before it can come out on DVD. Fireworks will be determining those windows, and then selling the DVD rights, outside North America. We won't sell the show on DVD in the US, obviously, until we sell the show to a network and that window has passed.  Canada is still the wild card; we don't want to hurt the possibility of a US sale by bringing out the DVD in close geographical proximity, but on the other hand it might work out if it was only sold through local retailers. Hope to have more details on this soon.

9/3/05

Got an email from Nadia, in Chicago IL:  "I live in the U.S. and "The Collector" doesn't air here. I'm a fan of Erica Durance who played Rachel Slate in Season One's "Another Collector." Many of her fans, myself included, are curious to know what her role on the show was like..."  Since that's an interesting story in the evolution of the characters, here's the reply:  "Erica played Rachel, one of the three sisters of Jeri Slate, an investigative reporter who is working to find out the truth about the lead character, Morgan Pym. Rachel's scenes in that episode involved both talking to Jeri about her suspicions (which Rachel feels are becoming obsessive) and also taking care of Jeri's autistic son, Gabe, who asks if his (deceased) father is in Heaven. We had planned for Erica to continue on in Season 2 and eventually become a regular on the show, but she got the role in "Smallville", so we let her go -- with regret, because she was absolutely terrific as Rachel, but also with a little pride because we found her first!"  As regular viewers know, Jeri's youngest sister Taylor (played by Christine Chatelain) then appeared and took over that slot. Christine and Erica actually look a lot like sisters, so we're hoping to have Erica back sometime, if it fits her schedule and ours.

Locked picture on "The VJ" -- the editing of the show has evolved this year, and "VJ" is another advance in our movie aesthetic -- very cool.  "The Junkie" finished filming last night with what I'm told was an extremely moving finale scene.  JB starts directing "The Person With AIDS" on Tuesday, as Pat Williams moves in to start prep on "The Watchmaker" (which is shooting out of order -- it actually airs before "Person With AIDS").  Returning for "Person With AIDS" are Jesse Moss as Maya's little brother Ty, last seen in Season 2's "The Tattoo Artist"; and also Mike Rogers and Johannah Newmarch as Hank and Gillian, both seen in "The Comic".  Let the callbacks begin!

Got the Shop The Collector page up, with some frame grabs from Season 3 episodes, and also put up stills from 3 more episodes on our Season 3 Photos page.

Working more on stories for Season 4 this weekend.  We'll start to talk a little more about those as they're approved, to give you a preview of what's to come (but no spoilers).

8/27/05

Already doing some advance work on locations for "The Media Baron", even though we've just gotten the outline done.  Setting up a newsroom is extremely expensive, so we'll try to get the real newsroom of the local Province newspaper.   Our location manager Carson (a one-namer) and our production designer Kat Keith typically work several episodes ahead, which makes everything much more organized (and less expensive). 

Got an email from Valerie Ferland, mother of Jodelle, who played the little girl Devil in both "The Rapper" and "The Prosecutor", our first episodes.  She writes:  "Just thought I would let you know what your little devil is up to.  The publicity hasn't really started yet, but here is a little blurb by the director (Terry Gilliam) of Tideland.  See paragraph 20, starting with "I adapted Mitch Cullen's novel..."  Check out the article here.  Jodelle is an astonishing actress, and "Tideland" may well make her a star.  But of course she was our little Devil first.

Have locked picture on "The Vampire", and have finished the first producer's cut of "The VJ".  Next week we do the sound mixes on "The Jockey" and "The Customer Service Rep".  Soon after that will come the mix for "The Chef" and our new title sequence, which is amazing!  (We saw the final version of the locked picture today, meaning Mike Plowman can get to work on the new music.)  We'll be putting the new titles up on the website when we're done, as a special perk for our online fans -- sneak preview!

"The Farmer" is in editing, and "The Junkie" is shooting now -- everybody's planning to go see Joan-E do his fabulous opening number on the stage Kat designed.  And Monday we finalize casting for "The Person With AIDS", but any info about casting would constitute a spoiler, so I'll say no more about that.

Keep an eye out for new season 3 pix, going up soon!

8/19/05

Time is flying -- it'll be Budapest again for the overseas episodes this year, and we start prep there Oct 10 -- soon!  Much to be done in the meantime...

We're finalizing a new title sequence for the series that will start with our Season 3 episodes -- definitely a work of art shepherded by our own visual effects wizard Steve Hodgson and the talented artists at Rainmaker.  I hope we can get it up on the site as a Quicktime when it's done so that online fans will get a sneak peek.

Casting is done for "The Junkie", which is in prep this week.  The client, Gloria, will be played by Paula Rivera, who's crossing over from Hispanic cinema, and the drag queen Devil will be played by the fabulous Joan-E (aka Robert Kaiser).  Holly Dale is again directing, and this is subject matter that's close to her heart -- she's done a lot of documentary work in this arena. 

8/14/05

Working on getting the last outline of the year ready -- "The Media Baron" -- that will be the 10th episode of Season 3 and the last to shoot in B.C. before we go overseas.  It'll also be an opportunity to put in another appearance of the adorable electric vehicles made right here in B.C. by Dynasty Electric Cars.  We snuck a peek at their car into "The Campaign Manager", and this time it'll be their electric pickup truck.  Take a peek at their website -- the cars are cute, zero emissions and use no gas at all!

And while I'm acknowledging the cool stuff we get to use for free, let me mention the Levis that adorn our gorgeous cast, the sleek Buell motorcycle that Morgan's riding this season, and Dell Computers for supplying the laptops for both Morgan and Taylor's house.  Having real stuff in the episodes not only saves us money, but makes the world of The Collector feel more real too -- we love it.

Also, a reminder to write anyone you know in the countries that still don't have The Collector, and encourage them to join our write-in campaign.  For the US & the UK, we've actually put in email links for all the networks, so it's as simple as clicking the link and saying "I want my Collector!" 

8/10/05

Finally got Morgan's ringtone up on the site, with instructions for download -- click here.   We're also reorganizing our Collector Music page, to collect Mike Plowman's music, song lyrics, and some new songs and videos all under one roof -- check it out!

Casting is done for "The Farmer" -- the client, Henry Tollin, will be played by Tim Webber, and the episode will also feature Donnelly Rhodes as a businessman who's very key to the story.  Rhodes played Det. Leo Shannon on Da Vinci's Inquest and also Dr. Cottle on the new Battlestar Galactica.  As for the Devil, well, this one is secret...

8/9/05

Got the first of the Season 3 photos up last night -- see here.  Working on getting them for the other episodes ASAP.

Have also heard from CityTV that our timeslot will be changing to Tuesdays at 8 p.m. as of September 20th in B.C., Ontario and Alberta.  (CityTV in Saskatchewan will air the episodes Thursdays at 10 p.m.) Also got the premiere date for the Season 3 episodes:  Tuesday, January 10, 2006.

8/8/05 - Jon

Tony Tellado at Sci Fi Talk sent us a link to the interview Ali & I did at Gatecon; it's available for download as a podcast or you can listen to it here.  And in fact (as mentioned in the interview) we have put up contact info for networks in the US, UK and German -- it's as easy as clicking on an email link, so write them and let them know you want your Collector!

By the way, we've had many people ask us when the Collector will be available on DVD.  We mention in the interview that Larry already has a DVD deal in place, but unfortunately putting the series out on DVD now would mean no US sale in the future -- so we need to get that US deal in place first.  Spread the word!

Also check out the new book & movie reviews by the Devil!

8/7/05 - Jon

Working on getting a section together for behind-the-scenes photos of Season 3.  We've got a brilliant stills photographer in Jeff Petry and can't wait to upload his stuff for you to see. 

Currently scouting locations for "The Farmer", which will see the Devil in a very surprising new form.  JB will direct that one.  Have locked picture on "The Jockey", which is going to start the season off with a bang.  Locking "Chef" next week; that will fill in the pieces of the puzzle between "Jockey" and "Customer Service Rep", which we shot out of order.  Meanwhile, working not only on this season's scripts, but premises for Season 4 -- we'll mention the titles, at least, as the premises get approved.  You can never be too far ahead!

8/5/05 - Jon

OK, we've got the clips of the show up -- see here.   It's cool that everybody can get a taste of the show online.  And we're hoping to turn that into action to get us into more countries, so we've added links for people to write the networks in their country, if Collector isn't available there.  So if you like what you see, email everyone you know and let them know about the clips!

The VJ starts shooting today.  We had an absolute coup in casting David Coles in a role in the show -- he's better known as Kyprios.  Not only is he a great actor, but he's granted us the right to use the video of his song "Ignorance Is Beautiful" in the episode, and it has become an integral part of our story, for reasons that will become immediately obvious when you see it (the video can be played on his website).  It's a great song with really intelligent lyrics -- check it out!  We've also got songs by other local artists for the episodes, including Billy & The Lost Boys -- we'll see Taylor dancing to their video "You Get What Everyone Gets".

Great story from the filming of "The Chef".  There's a poignant/sexy scene where Maya actually takes her top off in front of Morgan as part of an invitation to take a relaxing bath together.  We were shooting from behind Sonya's back, and even though she had privacy patches on over her breasts, Chris was trying to be a gentleman and not look down.  But something caught his eye, and he looked down to see that Sonya had written "Stop staring at my boobs" on her belly.  Now I can't think of anything else when I watch the scene!

7/29/05 - Jon

Had fun at Gatecon.  Most of the people that came to see the Collector panel hadn't seen the show, so the clips were a great help and got people excited about the show.  To all those in the UK and the US especially:  write your networks!  Sci Fi, Spike, USA in the US are all likely suspects in the US; Channel 4, 5 & Sky are all good prospects in the UK.  Don't know the networks as well in the other countries that haven't got Collector yet, but make noise there too!  We shall overcome!  (And for you Aussies & Kiwis -- Collector has apparently already sold Down Under -- I'm working on finding out where/when it will air.)

Keeping with the sci fi theme, it so happens that we just cast Tricia Helfer --  Number Six in the new version of "Battlestar Galactica" -- as the client in "The VJ".  And opposite her will be our homegrown comic lovebug Ellie Harvey as the Devil.

And for fans of Mike Plowman's music, check out the new downloadable Collector music -- recorded with a live orchestra -- here.

7/26/05 - Jon

Today's the first day of shooting on Vampire -- everyone's been looking forward to this one, especially camera crew & makeup:  shadowy lighting and long incisors, always a great combination.  Also getting ready for the Gatecon panel tomorrow; we've worked it out so that Chris Kramer, Sonya Salomaa, Ellen Dubin and possibly Ona Grauer (Katrina) will be there, along with Ali and me.  We'll be taking the audience through some clips from the show, including some montages of clients, Devils and visual effects -- should be fun!  And at the suggesion of Cory, our editor at TV.com, we're hoping to put the clips up on that site as well as this one, so that those in unsold countries can get a taste of the show. 

7/20/05 - Jon

Locked picture on Customer Service Rep today -- great ep & very different from anything we've done (always love that).  Kudos to JB & editor extraordinaire Richard Schwadel.  We're also working on a new opening title sequence, to be done by our talented friends at Rainmaker, complete with new music by Mike Plowman.  We'll be shooting the elements for that on Saturday.

Holly Dale is at work directing The Chef, while Jon Rosenbaum is prepping The Vampire.  Casting for that episode was yesterday -- Daniella Evangelista will be playing Ash, the client, and Richard Side (who co-wrote Season 2's The Comic) will be playing the Devil.  The Jockey is finally safely in the editing room, and we're looking at bands and singers for The VJ, which is coming up soon. 

The planning for Gatecon is coming along -- Chris K will be there for the opening panel, with Ali & me and probably Ellen Dubin & Andrew Jackson as well.  We'll all be there for the banquet that night was well.  If all goes as planned we'll also have a special guest for our writer's panel on Thurs the 28th:  Ali's dad, Richard Matheson, who along with Rod Serling and Chuck Beaumont wrote all the original Twilight Zone episodes, as well as innumerable famous books and movies (Shrinking Man, I Am Legend, Stir of Echoes, Somewhere in Time, What Dreams May Come -- the list goes on).  Looking forward to spreading the word on Collector around the world!

7/12/05 - Jon

The time is flying by!  Lots of stuff happening.  John Cassini injured his knee on the 3rd day of filming for Jockey, and we had to re-cast.  (Ryan Robbins, a friend of John's, will be taking over the part.)  We've also been ducking rain, which makes shooting at the track very tricky (the horses are okay, but the camera car can get stuck in the mud).  Things are back on track now, partly thanks to JB shooting some second unit stuff to help out Anthony.  Meanwhile we're prepping "The Chef", which as you may imagine involves having to look over some delicious possible meals with our food stylist.  It's a tough life.  Alex Zahara will be playing the client in that one, with Dhirendra (from the MOW's "Jinnah On Crime") playing the Devil.

Had a question from Matthew B. about whether we'll be seeing any of the Devils from Season 1 return (his fave was the breast-feeding Devil from "Children's Book Writer").  The answer to that one is probably not; Mackenzie Gray (from "The Rapper") came back in "The Mother", but generally we like to do a new Devil each time (even Mackenzie went from homeless guy to tourist).  That doesn't mean, however, that some faces won't be familiar...

New section added to the website -- "Satan Goes To The Movies" -- he's only reviewed one film so far, but we're hoping he'll fill in more material soon.  After all, he's omnipresent, so he could be in every part of the cineplex at once.

And Gatecon is coming up -- the sci fi convention here in Vancouver, starting July 27 and running 5 days.   We'll have a Collector panel to start things off at 10:45 on Day 1, showing a clip and talking about the show.  Later on Ali & I will be there for a writer's panel (Thurs) and JB will be on a director's panel (Fri).  Ellen Dubin, Andrew Jackson & Aidan Drummon (Jeri, Danny & Gabe) will also be appearing at 8 a.m. Thursday on Breakfast Television as "the Collector family".  Then Sat night is the big charity auction (benefiting Make-A-Wish and other charities), which will include some spots in a "Collector" studio tour.  Sunday has the photo-signing sessions -- Chris Kramer, Ellen, Andrew & Aidan are scheduled to be there.  Should be fun!

6/25/05 - Jon

Three days in to our shakedown cruise with the new HD cameras.  I haven't actually seen them yet but my vision of the cameraman is that he looks like the alien in the Ridley Scott movie -- a human body but a gigantic long tube for a head (except this one contains recording heads and various other mysterious devices).  The cameras apparently require frequent mystical tweaking by Henry and his crew of camera elves, and at one point they stopped working altogether -- a puzzle solved only when someone inferred the existence of an electrical field being generated by buried cables under the camera.  So it's bringing to mind the early days of daguerrotypes and box cameras, with the difference that by next year the camera will be imprinted on a microchip and you'll need a tweezers to hold it.  As for the episode itself, it looks great -- like film, only sharper -- you can read the tattoo on the extra 30 yards in the background ("Wino Forever").  Dailies come on DVD, now, which means I'm not watching them on my laptop, instead of not watching them on my TV.  (OK, I try to watch them.  But there are only so many hours in the day.)

Meanwhile, we've started prep on "The Jockey", which will shoot second but air first.  Anthony Atkins ("The Campaign Manager") is back to direct, with a stable of horses and various other equine accoutrements from stuntman supreme Danny Virtue.  The episode is going to be huge -- yes, it has a horse race in it -- and take us yet again into a completely different world from anything we've seen.  John Cassini will be playing Morgan's client; John was lately the lead in the excellent BC-shot series "Robson Arms", produced by our sweet & talented friends Susin Nielsen (who wrote "The Ice Skater" and this year's "The Chef") and Gary Harvey.  The Devil will be played by someone we've seen before on Collector -- the Devil will be taking familiar forms a few times this season.  No spoilers on that, though.  More soon.

6/9/05 - Jon

First day of prep for Season 3 today -- got everyone together in our swank new production office, or it will be swank when it has furniture.  And phones.  But hey, there were donuts, and really talented people, many of them old friends.  Ali sat at the far end of the table during the concept meeting, which not only prevented anyone from nodding off ("Holy crap, there's an exec producer here!") but also allowed her to eavesdrop on the grumblings of Henry Chan, our multi-award-winning cinematographer, who is charged with figuring out how to pull Collector into the 21st century by filming it in HD. As near as I can tell, the actors will have to wear dark clothing, stand really far from the camera, and speak Latin, but perhaps I'm misunderstanding the advanced technical discussion they were having down there.  First episode up is "The Customer Service Rep", and we've been lucky enough to get Ian Tracey (from Da Vinci's Inquest, features, and his own upcoming series) as Morgan's first client of the season.  JB & co went out scouting locations for the afternoon (welcome to Carson, our new location manager), while the construction crew labors in the distant land of Langley to get the sets ready.   It's going to be a great episode, and a real departure from anything the audience has seen.  Love that.

6/9/05 - Jon

Ali & I just got back from LA, where we chatted up the series here and there, building awareness for that eventual US sale.  We start prep on our first episode -- "The Customer Service Rep" -- on Monday, and go to camera on June 22.  This will actually air as the third episode of the new season, but we're shooting it first because of guest star availability and also so we can start the season with our own JB Sugar in the director's chair, and he can whip us all back into fighting trim after our months spent alone sitting in a chair in front of the computer...oh wait, that was just me. 

Larry's off taking a second Grand Eastern European Tour, being wined & dined by the folks in Prague, Budapest & Bucharest, all of whom are vying for our business later in the year.  So hopefully that will all be settled in a couple of weeks.  Back home, we're just filling in the last couple of script slots and getting everything ready.  The crew is on board, the studio and offices have been found, and casting starts next Tuesday.  We're rolling!

5/29/05 - Jon

Have been at the Leo Awards the last two nights -- kudos to Walter Daroshin & Sonny Wong for throwing a great party and getting the BC TV & film community together -- it's like an annual high school reunion!  The Collector ended up snagging 11 awards in the dramatic series category: 

Best editing (Daria Ellerman/"The Dreamer")
Best sound editing (Post Modern Sound/"The Historian")
Best overall sound (Post Modern Sound/"The Historian")
Best production design (Troy Hansen/"The Tattoo Artist")
Best male guest performance (Ben Ratner/"The Comic")
Best female guest performance (Thea Gill/"The Mother")
Best female supporting performance (Sonya Salomaa/"The Tattoo Artist")
Best cinematography (Henry Chan/"The Historian")
Best musical score (Michael Richard Plowman/"The Historian")
Best direction (J.B. Sugar/"The Historian"), and...
Best series!

Michael Eckford & Fiona Forbes did a bunch of interviewers with attendees and award winners for a special edition of their show Urban Rush (which won for best talk series), so there'll probably be a clip of us in there somewhere.  (I'll be the one with no voice -- lost it a few days ago.)  So it was all very glam.

But now it's back to the grindstone.  We're in series prep, and will be starting in BC again this year, then going overseas at the end.  Which means, once again, I've been working on the wrong scripts, though working on the overseas 3 was cool, and the third one will have Maya in it, for a nice season finale.  Tentative start of filming is June 27, so my days of (relative) sanity working at home are numbered.  But still periodically distracted by ideas for season 4...must...focus...

5/13/05 - Jon

Working on the third overseas episode now, and waiting...  Will probably hear in a few days about our funding.  Living with not-knowing is the Zen of TV.  Fortunately I have learned that elves do not come during the night and write our scripts for us (alas), so I always have something to keep me occupied.  More soon.  UPDATE HALF HOUR LATER:  We're funded!  Thanks to CTF & Telefilm!  Woo-hooo!

4/28/05 - Jon

Just finished the "Alchemist" outline, which is actually a nexus of series threads & clues.  Not saying to what, of course.  (Larry often talks about how I'll have to explain my especially obscure clues by visiting each individual viewer and having fireside chats.)  Decided to move it to the year 1666 for various reasons, not least of which is it's so Devilish, Mark-of-the-Beast-wise.  Great news on the 22nd was the announcement that we got 30 nominations for the Leo Awards!  Categories include Best Dramatic Series, Best Direction (Larry AND JB nominated -- family feud!), Best Screenwriting, Best Cinematography, Best Special Effects, Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Music, Best Male Lead Performance (Chris Kramer), Best Female Supporting Performance (Sonya Salomaa), and Best Female Guest Performance (Christine Chatelain -- now a regular).  Go team!

4/14/05 - Jon

"Spy" outline is done.  Studying alchemy now for another of the overseas episodes -- fascinating, especially for how it fits into both Morgan's spiritual and medical interests.  This story will probably be set in 1526, arguably the tipping point when modern medicine was born.  In other news, this seems to be awards season; we're waiting for the Leo nominations to be announced -- that awards ceremony is next month -- and we've submitted ourselves for the Geminis, though those nominations won't be announced till October.  (We aired too late to qualify for last year's Geminis.)  We're also encouraging everyone to vote for us on the Space website at http://www.spacecast.com/spaceys05/viewerschoice.asp, for the Spacey awards.  Hmm.  Perhaps the Devil needs to get his own awards show.  The Evies?  The Saties?

4/7/05 - Jon

Changing gears now to work on the overseas scripts, since we may go there first.  First on the overseas slate is "The Spy", which we're tailoring for all the cool locations we explored in Budapest last year.  (If it turns out to be Prague, we'll adapt.  I have a feeling the locations may get modified even if we're in Budapest, when we're actually in prep and see things we like even better, but places like Heroes Square and Castle Hill are just too cinematic to ignore.)   "Spy" is one of two episodes where, for the first time, we'll see Morgan get permission from the Devil to leave Vancouver temporarily -- in one case to chase a client who runs, and in another because the client is a "special case" and Morgan is the only collector who will do.

4/2/05 - Jon

Just back from a trip to Montreal and Quebec City -- interesting to explore Sofia's home turf ("Another Collector").  We've contemplated shooting episodes here and the locations would be great for it -- everything from 1600's to ultra-modern.  Shooting schedule this year is still subject to change; a lot of big movies are coming in to BC this summer, which could make it hard to find studio space, so the possibility remains that we might shoot overseas first, then return to BC in the Fall to shoot the locally-shot episodes.  Summer in Prague, perhaps?

3/21/05 - Jon

The three episodes we shot last year in Budapest are just now airing in Canada -- "The Ripper", "The Historian" and "Beginnings".  As Larry says, the stuff we shoot overseas is an incredible opportunity to open up the show visually, and in terms of story-telling.  The earliest concept of the series was actually Morgan harvesting the souls of the guilty, rather than seeking redemption, but it seemed kind of gloomy, so that became his backstory instead (a backstory that ends with the first episode of the series).  "The Ripper" and "Beginnings" are the first episodes in which we actually see more than a glimpse of Morgan during his years collecting souls, and I think it works much better to have waited:  by this point, we know who Morgan is -- the real Morgan -- and so we can see the moral conflict in him when we watch him do that grim reaping.  We'll be going overseas again this year, and will do at least one more of these historical episodes -- we'll be working on those scripts soon.

3/9/05 - Jon

Had a meeting yesterday with Robert Kaul of iCAT Media Inc (our web design company) to talk about the future design of the website game.  It's going to grow in stages -- we talked about the first phase, how it'll tie in to the user's cell phone & other cool ideas -- but also talked about the longer run, specifically about tying an episode into the online game, later on down the road.   More announcements about that later.  Also met with the folks at Telefilm here in BC, to talk about the third season, bring them up to date on some of the surprises that are coming up, discuss our progress toward more overseas sales, and so on.  They're gathering data on our viewership numbers, which will be very important to the success of our application; if you feel inspired to express your support I guess you can contact them through their website.  Other than that, it's been typing typing typing, working on scripts and outlines for this year as well as planning ahead for next year -- a lot of things we've laid in from the beginning of the series are going to start paying off this season.  Freaky!

1/3/05 - Jon

We got our first lesson on uploading content to the site today, so we're starting to put up pictures, articles, etc.  We're even going to get the Vancouver Star articles glimpsed in the show and put them up on the site -- we write all that text but hardly ever see it!  This will be a great way for me to distract myself when I'm sitting home working on scripts (like I need another way).  Snapshot of where we are:  Season 2 is airing in Canada -- this week's episode (in Vancouver and Toronto) is "The Tattoo Artist", #5 of the second season.   (The Prairies are a little ahead of us in the airing order, and Quebec just got into the game -- they'll be starting to air Season 1 there on the Z Channel.  Bienvenue!)  Ali & I are working on one of our 3rd season outlines -- "The Watchmaker" -- which maybe has the best opening EVER!   Fellow Exec Prod Larry Sugar and Biz Affairs whiz Morgan Tincher are preparing this year's funding applications, and we'll be giving them whatever we've got written down (scripts, outlines, premises) to send in with that.   And Larry is currently off looking at locations for this year's overseas episodes -- Budapest again?  Prague?  Somewhere else?  Stay tuned.  J