eOne launches Canadian development lab

Entertainment One Television is creating an initiative that will workshop and develop Canadian pilot scripts of underlying literary works and creative properties for TV.

The partnership with the Canadian Film Centre will officially begin next spring, known as the CFC / eOne TV Adaptation Lab.

eOne and the CFC will work together to focus on the creative concept process, exploring best practices.

Selected properties and creators will receive support in developing pilots through top-level professional and international expert support. They will also get access to case studies of different approaches.

“Producers and broadcasters around the world are setting new standards of excellence in adapting a variety of creative properties into innovative television series of outstanding quality and originality,” said John Morayniss, CEO, eOne Television.

The new initiative would “accelerate the development of great television content creation in Canada and ultimately bring three world-class projects to life”, he added.

To qualify content creators must own the rights to their creative properties, whether they are comedies, stand-up routines, web series, graphic novels or short series. While they must be Canadian to qualify, the concepts came originate anywhere in the world.

Toronto-headquartered studio eOne will potentially pick up the resulting projects as series deals.

The deadline for applications is January 11, 2016.