CraveTV adds to Letterkenny offering

CraveTV has announced it will add an extra episode to the second season of its original series Letterkenny, a special St. Patrick’s Day-themed episode to debut on March 17. So far the second season of Letterkenny, which debuted Christmas Day, has out-performed the first season in terms of views (although Bell Media did not release the specific viewer numbers) and the series is the most-watched title on Bell’s SVOD platform. The first season was recently nominated for eight Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Comedy Series and Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role (Jared Keeso). The third season of Letterkenny is set to begin production at a date to be announced later this year in Sudbury, Ont.

Sandbox brings in new VP, media director

Former Edelman national account director Saeed Zaman has taken on the role of VP and media director at agency Sandbox. Zaman replaces Brad Clarkson, who left Sandbox in April to join Cairns Oneil as its senior communications director. While at Edelman, Zaman helped establish and run the company’s paid media division, which he led for three years. He has also spent time with agencies Mindshare, PHD, Maxus, Starcom and Mediacom.

Instagram Live goes all-out in Canada

Canadian Instagram users can now go live on the mobile app. The live feature, which was launched for American users in November, made its way north of the border as of Jan. 18. Prior to the update, Canadians have been able to watch live streams but could not post their own. The new Live feature is found in the app’s “story” camera, which now includes a “live” option. Unlike parent company Facebook, which also added live-streaming in 2015, live videos on Instagram aren’t archived on users’ profiles and disappear instantly following the conclusion of the broadcast. While Instagram is currently testing an ad unit for its Snapchat-like “stories” feature, a Facebook spokesperson told MiC the company has no plans to add any form of advertising to the Live feature.

Kim’s Convenience, Schitt’s Creek and Orphan Black score big in CSA nods

The Canadian Screen Awards released its full list of nominees this week. Top nominations honours went to Space’s Orphan Black has 14 nominations, CBC’s Schitt’s Creek and Kim’s Convenience, received 13 and 11 nominations, respectively. Top comedy titles included CraveTV’s Letterkenny (eight nominations), CBC’s Mr. D (six nominations) and APTN’s Mohawk Girls (three nominations). Leading in the drama nominations was Discovery’s Frontier (seven nominations), while CTV reality series Amazing Race Canada received seven nominations. The CBC’s A Merry Murdoch Christmas, which featured brand integration from the Sick Kids Foundation, was also nominated for Best TV Movie or Limited Series. The full nomination list is available online.

Comedy pushes Carrie Fisher special ahead

In anticipation of the annual Bell Let’s Talk Day on Jan. 25, the Comedy Network has moved up the date for its one-hour Just For Laughs: All Access gala special starring the late Carrie Fisher. The special, original slated for a broadcast later in 2017, will now air Jan. 21 at 10 p.m. on the Bell Media-owned Comedy Network. Fisher, a longtime mental health advocate, filmed her special on location at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal in July 2016. Her special will also feature performances by Ivan Decker, Nathan Macintosh, Cristela Alonzo, Joel Creasey and Brian Posehn. The special will be available on the Comedy Network’s website following its airing.