Nova Scotia Producer Wins ProShow Competition

Local producer Chris Cuthbertson was recently honoured by the Producers Guild of America as winner of the Producer's Showcase Competition.

Mr. Cuthbertson, chosen for his film Adam and Larry's Killer App, is the only Canadian of 10 international films selected in the ProShow event.

Mr. Cuthbertson produced, wrote and acted in the feature film comedy A Bug and a Bag of Weed, which screened theatrically in Canada and aired on Showcase Television, IFC: The Independent Film Channel and Super Channel. He has also produced and directed short comedy films, which have aired on CBC and the Comedy Network.

ProShow winners get free admission to the Produced by Conference, June 8-10 in Los Angeles, where they will participate in one-on-one meetings with top Hollywood financiers, studios and production companies. At the conference, one of the 10 finalists will be selected for the grand-prize, with more than $20,000 in prizes.

"I am honoured and excited that Adam and Larry's Killer App has been selected for the producers showcase," said Mr. Cuthbertson. "The ProShow is an incredible opportunity for me to present myself and Nova Scotia to international financiers, distributors, and decision makers."

The winning projects were selected by a panel of prominent Producers Guild members, including Gale Anne Hurd (The Walking Dead), Richard Galdstein (The Bourne Identity), Lydia Dean Pilcher (Amelia) and Paula Wagner (Mission Impossible I, II, and III).

Film Nova Scotia is a sponsor of the ProShow Competition, which opened the program to producers in the province.

"We congratulate Chris on being selected as one of the winners of the ProShow competition," said Carolyn Horton, acting CEO and director of finance at Film Nova Scotia. "We are very proud of the talent in Nova Scotia and are always looking for opportunities to showcase their work on an international stage."

Film Nova Scotia is also partnering with the Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corp. and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) to lead a business development mission to the Produced by Conference for 10 film, television and new media producers from each province.

After the conference, participants will attend workshops and meetings with producers, production companies, studios and networks to provide an opportunity to pitch projects and meet people in the Los Angeles market.

Nova Scotia producers participating this year are Marc Almon, Jay Dahl, Jason Levangie, Richard MacQueen, Michael Melski, Paul Rigg, Rebecca Sharratt, Marc Tetreault, Kirsten Tomilson and Chris Turner.

Film Nova Scotia is a provincial Crown corporation reporting to the Minister of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism. The corporation provides a wide range of programs and services to support the province's audiovisual industry. Nova Scotia is among the largest production centres in Canada.