Shaftesbury Films is a

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

and

digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, an ...

production company founded by Christina Jennings in 1987. It is based in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada.

Background

Shaftesbury is a creator and producer of original content for television and digital platforms. Shaftesbury's slate includes 18 seasons of Murdoch Mysteries for CBC, UKTV, and ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment; detective drama Frankie Drake for CBC; Houdini & Doyle for Sony Pictures Television, Corus Entertainment, ITV, and Fox; thriller series '' Slasher'' for NBCUniversal's Chiller and now available on Netflix; and CBC Kids series The Moblees. Shaftesbury's digital arm, Smokebomb Entertainment, produces original digital, convergent, and branded entertainment projects including the YouTube series and upcoming movie Carmilla; mystery series V Morgan Is Dead; fashion comedy series MsLabelled, produced in partnership with Shaw Media and Tetley Tea; supernatural drama Inhuman Condition; and the ''Slasher'' VR app for iOS, Android, and Oculus Rift. In June 2014, Shaftesbury partnered with Youth Culture to launch shift2, a branded entertainment agency. In 2013, the company signed a first look deal with ABC.

Productions

Productions include '' Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures'' for

HBO Canada HBO (previously known as HBO Canada, and still referred to as such on social media) is a Canadian premium television network from Crave (formerly The Movie Network), which is owned by Bell Media under license from Warner Bros. Discovery. The c ...

, based on the Giller-prize winning book by Dr.

Vincent Lam Vincent Lam (born September 5, 1974) is a Canadian writer and medical doctor. Early life and education Born in London, Ontario, and raised in Ottawa, Lam's parents came to Canada from the Chinese expatriate community in Vietnam. He attended S ...

; five seasons of '' The Listener'' for CTV and

Fox International Channels Fox Networks Group (FNG), formerly known as Fox International Channels (FIC), was the television networks division of News Corporation and later 21st Century Fox that operated from 1993 to 2021. It oversaw the production, broadcasting and distrib ...

; and now in season ten of ''

Murdoch Mysteries ''Murdoch Mysteries'' is a Canadian television drama series that premiered on Citytv on January 20, 2008, and currently airs on CBC. The series is based on characters from the ''Detective Murdoch'' novels by Maureen Jennings and stars Yannick ...

'' for

Citytv Citytv (sometimes shortened to City, which was the network's official branding from 2012 to 2018) is a Television in Canada, Canadian television network owned by the Rogers Sports & Media subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The network consis ...

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

and

UKTV UKTV Media Limited, trading as UKTV, is a British multi-channel broadcaster, which, since 2019, has been wholly owned by BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide), a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. It was formed on 1 November 1992 through a join ...

Alibi An alibi (, from the Latin, '' alibī'', meaning "somewhere else") is a statement by a person under suspicion in a crime that they were in a different place when the offence was committed. During a police investigation, all suspects are usually a ...

. Shaftesbury also produced a variety of award-winning programming, including the global hit series ''

Life with Derek ''Life with Derek'' is a Canadian television teen sitcom that aired on Family Channel (English) and VRAK.TV (French) in Canada and on Disney Channel in the United States. The series premiered on Family on September 18, 2005, and ran for four s ...

'' and the movie follow-up to the series, ''

Vacation with Derek The following is a list of episodes of the Canadian sitcom ''Life with Derek'', which also appeared on Disney Channel. The show premiered on September 18, 2005 and ended its run on March 25, 2009, spanning 4 seasons, with 70 episodes produced. ...

''. Shaftesbury's newest series, ''

Good Dog ''Good Dog'' is a Canadian television comedy-drama series which aired for one season on HBO Canada. The show follows the life of character George Findlay, a role that Ken Finkleman reprised from ''The Newsroom (Canadian TV series), The Newsroom''. ...

'', is a half-hour comedy created, written and directed by

Ken Finkleman Ken Finkleman (born 1946) is a Canadian television and film writer, producer, director, actor, and novelist. Biography Finkleman was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In Canada, Finkleman is best known as the writer, creator and producer of the CBC ...

that premiered on HBO Canada in 2011.

Divisions

Shaftesbury's divisions include Smokebomb Entertainment, the company's digital media division responsible for the development and production of original online series and companion web experiences for Shaftesbury's slate of properties; Shaftesbury Kids, their division responsible for several children's TV shows and movies; and Shaftesbury Sales Company, which manages international sales and distribution for the company's content.

Television

The company's television series projects have included: * '' 11 Cameras'' * ''

Aaron Stone ''Aaron Stone'' is a science fiction action-adventure television series created by Bruce Kalish. Originally broadcast with the launch of Disney XD on February 13, 2009, it was the first original series to air on the network. It was produced in ...

'' * ''

The Atwood Stories ''The Atwood Stories'' was a Canadian television drama series, which aired on W in 2003. A short-run dramatic anthology series produced by Shaftesbury Films, the series dramatized six short stories by Margaret Atwood. It was one of the first orig ...

'' * '' Backpackers'' * '' Baxter'' * '' Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures'' * ''

Connor Undercover ''Connor Undercover'' is a Canadian teen action comedy television series airing on Canadian specialty channel Family Channel. It stars Max Morrow as the title character Connor Heath. It is co-produced by Heroic Film Company and Shaftesbury Film ...

'' * '' Dark Oracle'' (co-produced with

Cookie Jar Entertainment The Cookie Jar Group, commonly known as simply Cookie Jar and formerly known as CINAR, was a Canadian animation studio, media production and distribution company that existed from 1976 until it was folded into DHX Media, now WildBrain, on Dec ...

) * '' Dead Still'' * ''

Fool Canada ''Fool Canada'' is a Canadian television series, airing on CBC Television in summer 2015.

'' * ''

Frankie Drake Mysteries ''Frankie Drake Mysteries'' is a Canadian drama that ran on CBC Television from November 6, 2017 to March 8, 2021. The series stars Lauren Lee Smith and Chantel Riley as Frankie Drake and her partner Trudy Clarke who run an all-female privat ...

'' * '' From Spain with Love with Annie Sibonney'' * ''

'' * '' Good God'' * ''

Houdini & Doyle ''Houdini & Doyle'' is a television drama series loosely based on the real-world friendship of Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A 10-episode first season was ordered by Fox in the United States, ITV in the United Kingdom, and Global i ...

'' * ''

Hudson & Rex ''Hudson & Rex'' is a Canadian police procedural drama television series, based on the Austrian-Italian drama ''Kommissar Rex''. Played by John Reardon, Detective Charlie Hudson is a policeman in the Major Crimes Division of the St. John's Polic ...

'' * '' The Jane Show'' * ''

'' * '' The Listener'' * ''

Mischief City ''Mischief City'' is a Canadian animated children's television series based on the book of the same name by Tim Wynne-Jones. It follows the adventures of eight-year-old Winchell Adams in the extraordinary world of Mischief City. While in this fan ...

'' * '' The Moblees'' * ''

'' * ''

Overruled! ''Overruled!'' is a Canadian children's television sitcom about high school kids with problems, which are taken to Teen Court, hosted by Judge Tara; the series aired on Family Channel in Canada and Disney Channel in the United Kingdom. It prem ...

'' * ''

ReGenesis ''ReGenesis'' is a Canadian science-fiction television series produced by The Movie Network and Movie Central in conjunction with Shaftesbury Films. The series, which ran for four seasons from 2004 to 2008, revolves around the scientists of Nor ...

'' * '' Ruby and the Well'' * '' Screech Owls'' * ''

The Shields Stories ''The Shields Stories'' was a Canadian television drama series, which aired on W Network, W in 2004. A short-run dramatic anthology series produced by Shaftesbury Films, the series dramatized six short stories by Carol Shields. The series was a s ...

'' * ''

SisterS A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to r ...

'' (co-produced with Peer Pressure Productions) * '' Slasher'' * ''

The Sounds The Sounds are a Swedish indie rock band. Formed in Helsingborg in 1998, the group's musical style has been compared to new wave acts such as Blondie, The Cars, the Epoxies and Missing Persons. Their debut album, '' Living in America'', was ...

'' * '' Splashlings''

Film

Television films produced by Shaftesbury have included: * '' External Affairs'', an adaptation of

Timothy Findley Timothy Irving Frederick Findley, (October 30, 1930 – June 20, 2002) was a Canadian novelist and playwright.

's play '' The Stillborn Lover'' * ''

Diverted ''Diverted'' is a 2009 CBC made-for-TV miniseries. The film was directed by Alex Chapple and written by Tony Marchant. ''Diverted'' is a fictionalized account inspired by what actually happened to the people of Gander, Newfoundland, and the passen ...

'' * '' In the Dark'' *

Michael Ignatieff Michael Grant Ignatieff ( ; born May 12, 1947) is a Canadian author, academic and former politician who served as leader of the Liberal Party and leader of the Opposition from 2008 until 2011. Known for his work as a historian, Ignatieff has ...

's novel ''Scar Tissue'' * ''Hemingway vs. Callaghan'', an adaptation of

Morley Callaghan Edward Morley Callaghan (February 22, 1903 – August 25, 1990) was a Canadian novelist, short story writer, playwright, and Television, TV and radio personality. Biography Of Canadian/English-immigrant parentage,Clara Thomas, ''Canadian No ...

's ''That Summer in Paris'' * '' Except the Dying'', '' Poor Tom Is Cold'' and '' Under the Dragon's Tail'', the first three novels in Maureen Jennings' ''

'' franchise which was later adapted by the company into a weekly series * '' Torso: The Evelyn Dick Story'', a dramatization of the murder trial of Evelyn Dick * ''

Terry Terry is a unisex diminutive nickname for the given names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence (given name), Terence, Terrance (masculine). People Male * Terry A. Canales, American politician * Terry A. Doughty (born 1959), American district ...

'', a biopic of

Terry Fox Terrance Stanley Fox (July 28, 1958June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, having had one leg amputated due to cancer, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for can ...

* six

Joanne Kilbourn Joanne Kilbourn is a fictional Canadian detective, who appears in mystery novels by Gail Bowen. Overview In ''Deadly Appearances'', the first Kilbourn novel, she is a political strategist and advisor to Andy Boychuk, a politician who is murdered ...

mysteries, based on the novels by

Gail Bowen Gail Dianne Bowen ( Bartholomew; born September 22, 1942) is a Canadian playwright, writer of mystery novels and educator. Biography Born in Toronto, Ontario, Bowen was educated at the University of Toronto, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts ...

* '' Eight Days To Live'' * '' In God's Country'' * ''Mount Pleasant'' * ''The Good Times Are Killing Me'' * '' Skyrunners'' * '' Me and Luke'' * '' The Summit'' * '' Sleep Murder'' * ''

She Drives Me Crazy "She Drives Me Crazy" is a song by British group Fine Young Cannibals, released in 1988 by London Records as the first single from their second and final album, '' The Raw & the Cooked'' (1989). The song was written by the group's frontman Ro ...

'' * '' The Robber Bride'' * ''Lay Them Straight'' Cinema films have included: * '' Swann'', based on the novel by

Carol Shields Carol Ann Shields (née Warner; June 2, 1935 – July 16, 2003) was an American-born Canadian novelist and short story writer. She is best known for her 1993 novel ''The Stone Diaries'', which won the U.S. Pulitzer Prize for Fiction as well as t ...

, * ''

Conquest Conquest involves the annexation or control of another entity's territory through war or Coercion (international relations), coercion. Historically, conquests occurred frequently in the international system, and there were limited normative or ...

'' * '' Painted Angels'' * '' Camilla'' * '' Long Life, Happiness & Prosperity'' * ''

People Hold On "People Hold On" is a song by British band Coldcut and singer-songwriter Lisa Stansfield, released as the first single from the band's debut album, '' What's That Noise?'' (1989). It was written by Matt Black, Jonathan More and Stansfield, an ...

'' * '' An American Dream: The Education of William Bowman'' Digital films, produced by digital arm Smokebomb Entertainment, include: * '' Darken''

Digital

The company's digital series projects, produced by digital arm Smokebomb Entertainment, have included: * '' Backpackers'' * ''

Carmilla ''Carmilla'' is an 1872 Gothic fiction, Gothic novella by Irish author Sheridan Le Fanu, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. It is one of the earliest known works of vampire fiction, predating Bram Stoker's ''Dracula'' (1897) by 25 years. First published ...

'' * '' Emerald Code'' * '' Houdini & Doyle: World of Wonders'' * ''

Inhuman Condition ''Inhuman Condition'' is an EP by the American death metal band Massacre. It was released in 1992 by Earache Records. Track listing # "Inhuman Condition" – 5:41 # "Plains of Insanity" – 4:48 # "Warhead" – 5:16 (Venom cover) # "Provoked ...

'' * '' MsLabelled'' * '' Murdoch Mysteries: The Curse of the Lost Pharaohs'' * '' Murdoch Mysteries: The Murdoch Effect'' * '' Murdoch Mysteries: Nightmare on Queen Street'' * '' State of Syn'' * ''Unlikely Heroes'' The company's digital arm also oversees KindaTV, the company's distribution channel through

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

hosted by Natasha Negovanlis.

References

External links

Shaftesbury Films

Shaftesbury Films About Us

Shaftesbury Films at imdb

Shaftesbury Films Inc. archives
at the University of Toronto Media Commons {{Authority control Companies based in Toronto Mass media companies established in 1987 Film production companies of Canada Television production companies of Canada