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The comedy, which is produced for HBO Canada and DirecTV in the United States won the Director`s Guild of Canada Best Comedy Award its first three seasons and has been nominated for a total of 27 Canadian Screen Awards in the same period. To judge whether the series is a hit or not, you just have to look at the fact it is broadcast in 84 countries.
Sheri Elwood, pictured above on the right with Jason Priestley and Tracy Dawson at the 2014 Canadian Screen Awards, began in the industry as a writer and story editor on Ready or Not, Flash Forward, I Was a Sixth Grade Alien! and The Jane Show. She directed on Strange Days at Blake Holsey High and added Producer to her skill set on Defying Gravity. She is the Writer/Director of the feature film, Deeply.
The Award is presented by TAWC, a committee of ACTRA Toronto, which tackles key issues faced by female performers. Their video, Get Women Working, is in demand at women’s events globally and makes the clear point that women “can’t be what we can’t see.” TAWC’s Toolkit sessions provide female performers with the tools to write, produce, and direct their own stories.
“We are delighted to honour Sheri with TAWC’s inaugural Nell Shipman Award. She is an unapologetic trailblazer,” said Nicole St. Martin, Co-Chair of TAWC. TAWC’s first Nell Shipman Award honours a female filmmaker for the excellence of her creative work and for her ongoing efforts to create and nourish an inclusive screened entertainment industry. It is named after Nell Shipman, a Canadian actor, born in 1892, who moved into writing, directing and producing her own work in the 1920s.
ACTRA Toronto is the largest organization within ACTRA, representing more than 15,000 of Canada’s 22,000 professional performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada. As an advocate for Canadian culture since 1943, ACTRA is a member-driven union that continues to secure rights and respect for the work of professional performers. |
