Television

Dispenser of desserts: How U of T pharmacy alumnus Christopher Siu won MasterChef Canada

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 16:47:06 +0000

Dispenser of desserts: How U of T pharmacy alumnus Christopher Siu won MasterChef Canada

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 06/02/2021 - 12:47

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Christopher Siu, an alumnus of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, recently took home the top prize on MasterChef Canada – and says he continues to draw on his U of T education to inform his baking and cooking (photo by Geoff George/CTV)

Eileen Hoftyzer

Topic

City & Culture

Alumni

Cooking

Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

Television

Christopher Siu long dreamed about being the owner of a bakery and pastry shop following a successful career in pharmacy. But two appearances on the reality TV cooking competition MasterChef Canada and a $100,000 win in the series’ most recent season have accelerated – and expanded – his culinary ambition.

The owner and head baker at Daan Go Cake Lab and graduate of the University of Toronto’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, is growing his reputation in Toronto’s food scene by combining his interests and passions: Western pastry making, Asian ingredients and techniques – even his U of T education.

“When I cook or bake, it’s all about the passion and the story I’m trying to tell with the food I’m creating,” he says.

Siu says he first became interested in baking as a child, when his father made him a cheesecake for his sixth birthday.

“It created these memories of joy and this fascination with baking,” says Siu, who grew up in North York and Markham, Ont. after his parents emigrated from Hong Kong.

As a young person, baking was among Siu’s favourite hobbies, and he progressed from simpler recipes to more complex pastries and desserts – mostly using traditional French techniques.

Siu applied to be on MasterChef in 2015, during the final year of his doctorate in pharmacy (PharmD) program at U of T. He was accepted, but the shooting schedule landed squarely in his final block of experiential pharmacy rotations, which he deferred to accommodate the show.

While he came in fifth in the competition, the judges and other competitors recognized Siu’s baking skills.

He says the experience changed his life.

“It really opened my eyes to a whole new realm of possibilities,” he says. “I met amazing people from different backgrounds, including the judges, and I had the communal experience of living with the other competitors and sharing our food.”

The group would have potluck dinners in the evening after filming, which Siu says were like a typical potluck with family or friends – but more competitive.

The variety of food at the potlucks exposed him to many different flavours and ingredients, which in turn inspired him to learn more about cooking and savoury dishes, and incorporate more of his East Asian heritage into his food.

When shooting for the season wrapped, Siu returned to the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy to finish his rotations and degree, then worked as a community pharmacist in Oshawa, Ont.

After two years, he had saved enough money to open Daan Go Cake Lab, a bakery specializing in desserts that blend East Asian and Western techniques and flavours.

The bakery was successful and had expanded to two locations in Toronto when MasterChef producers asked Siu to return for the show’s seventh season, which would reunite competitors from previous seasons.

Siu jumped at the chance.

“One of the most difficult things about such a huge career change is that you always have a bit of self-doubt,” says Siu. “I thought this was an amazing opportunity to show the other competitors, the audience and the judges how much I’d grown – and to prove that to myself.”

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A post shared by Daan Go Cake Lab by @bakersiu (@daangocakelab)

Shooting ran in summer 2020, with competitors quarantined in a hotel and tested regularly for COVID-19. Siu says the experience was intense – competitors were often at the studio for 12 hours a day, five days a week – and anxiety was high because one competitor was eliminated after each culinary challenge.

Siu cooked his way through 10 challenges, each with different themes. They included: cooking with insects, creating vegan versions of comfort food and reinventing legendary desserts – Siu’s favourite.

For the finale, he and two competitors each prepared a three-course meal.

Siu’s winning dishes told the story of his evolution as a chef, featuring Thai seasonings in a ceviche, a smoked tea egg served with duck breast and a modernized take on a Chinese dessert with elements of cheesecake.

Today, his desserts at Daan Go follow a similar fusion approach.

For example, a signature cake features a French-style base layered with Osmanthus jelly, a common element in Asian desserts.

He also uses the skills he picked up while studying at U of T – including finding new ingredients and approaches that help maintain a texture after freezing, or to reduce sugar content.

“I’m always trying to push my understanding of the pastry world, so I read and critically appraise food science studies and think about how ingredients can be used,” he says. “In almost every cake, there is some element of my pharmacy background that has improved it in some way.”

Tea, Earl Grey, hot! U of T researchers examine how Alexa, Siri stack up against Star Trek

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 18:39:49 +0000

Tea, Earl Grey, hot! U of T researchers examine how Alexa, Siri stack up against Star Trek

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 03/23/2021 - 14:39

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Researchers at U of T Mississauga combed through thousands of lines of dialogue from Star Trek: The Next Generation to compare how digital assistants such Alexa or Siri compare with those onboard the USS Enterprise (photo by George Rose via Getty Images)

Kate Martin

Topic

Breaking Research

Artificial Intelligence

Television

U of T Mississauga

Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.

If you read that in the voice of Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the Starship Enterprise, this research is for you.

Benett Axtell, a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto Mississauga, is looking at the influence of the television show Star Trek on Voice User Interface (VUI) technology and how the TV version compares to real-world digital voice assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa.

“Alexa and those sorts of tools are often presented as the ideal speech interaction but that’s a very limiting view,” says Axtell, who works with Cosmin Munteanu in U of T’s Technologies for Ageing Gracefully lab.

“I wanted to look at what we are not getting, and thought, ‘You know who’s been talking to computers since the ‘80s? Star Trek.’”

As examples, Axtell points to automatic doors at supermarkets, flip phones, and touchscreen tablets as some of the real-world tech inspired by the popular sci fi television show.

“(Star Trek) is what we imagined as our ideal speech interaction,” says Axtell, who watched both Star Trek: The Next Generation and the original 1960s series in syndication with her family growing up.

“So, we should at least investigate it as a starting point to think about where we are going next.”

The study is an offshoot of Axtell’s master’s thesis, which examined how seniors interact with digital space. As digital assistants like Alexa (Amazon), Siri (Apple), Cortana (Microsoft) and Bixby (Samsung) become more common, Axtell says there is a hope that such technologies can be made more accessible to those who are less computer literate, including older adults.

To supervise her research, Axtell turned to her lab co-director Munteanu – a fellow sci-fi fan.

“We are the Trekkies in the lab,” says Munteanu, an assistant professor at U of T Mississauga’s Institute for Communication, Culture, Information and Technology whose area of expertise is human-computer interaction. “When Benett floated this idea, I said, ‘Sure, let’s do this.’”

It wasn’t an excuse to watch TV, however. Instead, Axtell chose to work from transcripts of the show, reading 69,355 lines of dialogue in all.

Although the original 1960s Star Trek series also shows characters interacting with computers using voice commands, the researchers decided to focus on Star Trek: The Next Generation, which aired from 1987 to 1994 just as home computers and the internet were becoming mainstream.

Axtell divided the 1,372 individual exchanges between the show’s characters and the ship’s computers (including those operating the turbolift, holodeck and replicators) into seven categories: command, question, statement, password, “wake-up” words, comments and conversation.

The variety of interactions yielded a dataset similar to one that could be captured from in-the-wild conversations, according to Axtell.

“It’s such a huge series, over 100 episodes, 45 minutes each,” she says. “If we had just looked at one movie, it would be just [asking computers to do] really interesting things. With Star Trek, you also get mundane, practical things – like making a cup of tea.”

The data revealed 95 per cent of interactions with the computer are brief and functional, not conversational.

“One of the big pushes in interaction like Alexa and Google Home is to get it as close to human conversation as possible, but maybe that’s not what we really want,” Axtell says. “People on the Enterprise aren’t having conversations with the computer. It’s very targeted interactions: They say ‘Deck Five’ in the turbolift – and they don’t say ‘thank you’ or ‘please.’

“It’s not an equal back and forth. They just get on with it.”

Axtell also compared how Star Trek characters and Alexa users interact with technology.

“They lined up amazingly well,” she says. “Entertainment is big for both – playing music, using the holodeck or VR – or smart home things like making tea, starting your car or adjusting your thermostat. What the (Enterprise computer) can do that we can’t is heavy lifting analysis, like scanning an alien life form. We aren’t there yet.”

That’s the downside to growing up seeing the utopian technology of Star Trek, Munteanu says.

“There’s an expectation that interfaces will work beyond their capabilities,” he says. “It gives us the dream of what is possible, but also a little disappointment that we aren’t there yet because even if someone is not a Trekkie, [the Star Trek influence is] still in the media exposure of what can be done, and what we are inspired to do when we work in these spaces.”

Axtell says this study was a high level look at how Star Trek uses their VUI, but there are plenty of other facets to explore in the data set, so they are sharing it online for others to explore.

In May, Axtell and Munteanu will virtually present their research at the Association of Computing Machinery’s Chi 2021 conference.

U of T alumnus who advocates for actors with disabilities featured on CBC's The National

Romi Levine — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 14:31:27 +0000

U of T alumnus who advocates for actors with disabilities featured on CBC's The National

Romi Levine Tue, 08/13/2019 - 10:31

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George Alevizos is working with ACTRA to audit the accessibility of casting agencies (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Topic

University of Toronto alumnus George Alevizos wants to ensure actors with disabilities are supported and represented in the Canadian entertainment industry.

Alevizos, who uses a wheelchair, is working with ACTRA, the Canadian actors’ union, to audit the accessibility of casting facilities in Toronto.

His efforts were highlighted in a recent report on CBC’s The National, which looked at how the entertainment industry is becoming more inclusive – particularly for people with disabilities.

**Watch the report on The National:**

As seen on TV: U of T grad is changing the channel on representation in film and television

Romi Levine — Wed, 29 May 2019 16:27:51 +0000

As seen on TV: U of T grad is changing the channel on representation in film and television

Romi Levine Wed, 05/29/2019 - 12:27

Cutline

George Alevizos has already appeared in Star Trek and TV commercials, and hopes to one day star in an action film like James Bond (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

A year ago, George Alevizos received his first fan letter.

“I never thought it would happen at the age of 21,” said Alevizos, who will graduate from the University of Toronto in June with a degree in theatre and drama studies – a joint program between U of T Mississauga and Sheridan College.

The fan who wrote the letter had seen Alevizos on Star Trek: Discovery, the latest iteration of the long-running sci-fi television series. Though he doesn’t have any speaking parts, Alevizos’s appearances as a uniformed Starfleet engineer stood out to him – and to many other viewers.

On the show – and in real life – Alevizos uses a wheelchair.

For those who caught him on camera, Alevizos’s Star Trek role was proof that the worlds of television and film are changing. One woman – who identified herself as quadriplegic – tweeted that she hoped Alevizos’s role would be expanded, adding: “Representation matters so much to people like me.”

“I think it's really important to see yourself being represented properly on screen or in theatre,” says Alevizos.

And that’s what he is setting out to do, armed with some serious acting chops, a passion for his craft and determination to break down barriers in the entertainment industry.

Alevizos’s love of acting began in elementary school. In the sixth grade, he played Oliver Warbucks in the musical Annie – his first-ever theatre performance.

By the time he reached Grade 12, Alevizos had decided to make his pastime a career.

“If I want to do something that makes me happy, I'm going to go for it,” he says.

Alevizos auditioned for post-secondary theatre programs, including U of T’s and Sheridan’s theatre and drama studies. He was drawn to the joint aspect of the program because it combines intellectual study with hands-on training.

“I thought this would be the perfect program for me. The best arts school in the country and best university in the country – it's a really high-powered program,” he says.

Alevizos made an impression at his audition and got accepted along with 19 other students.

Spending four years in a class of 20 is both intense and rewarding, according Alevizos. The key to maintaining those relationships, on and off stage, is trust, he says.

“Especially with acting, you have to be able to trust people because we're doing a lot of very intimate and very vulnerable work.”

Alevizos and his classmates learned about every aspect of theatre and drama – from being a part of the production crew to how to file taxes as an actor.

And, of course, central to the program is performance.

In his final year, Alevizos performed in two Theatre Erindale productions: Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses, in which he played Apollo’s son Phaeton and Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters, in which he played Chebutykin.

For Metamorphoses, actors performed in a makeshift heated swimming pool on stage.

“The physicality of the work was tiring for a lot of people, including me because I was pulling myself everywhere. I didn't have a wheelchair or anything,” says Alevizos.

Despite the challenges, he says, it was “the coolest production I've ever done.”

Alevizos performing in Three Sisters at Theatre Erindale (photo by Emma Ratcliffe)

For Alevizos, acting is an exercise in empathy.

“Putting yourself into another person's world – that's probably the most exciting thing about acting,” he says. “In a world where people, especially men, are scared of being vulnerable, I think it's really interesting when you're not scared of that and you can dive right into it.”

At U of T, Alevizos’s ability to connect with the characters he plays didn’t go unnoticed.

“George is a wonderful example of the kinds of actors we want to graduate,” says Jacob Gallagher-Ross, an assistant professor of English and drama at U of T Mississauga “He's tremendously talented and he has great range. But he's also a very curious and intelligent student of theatre and is as interested in the academic side as he is in the artistic side.”

Even before his recurring role on Star Trek, Alevizos found success on the small screen, starring in an ad for Hallmark’s Care Enough campaign, in which he plays a concert-goer who, with the help of strangers, crowd-surfs in his wheelchair at a show.

The role was the first Alevizos had ever auditioned for.

“That really helped me get more confident in my ability to act on camera.”

Now that he’s completed his studies, Alevizos is getting used to a change of pace. But with a new commercial airing soon, and other projects on the go, he’s keeping up the momentum.

Alevizos is currently partnering with the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) to improve accessibility in the entertainment industry. He’ll soon be participating in an accessibility audit alongside Theresa Tova, ACTRA’s Toronto President, and David Sparrow, the union’s national president.

“I want to be involved in the initiatives they have with the casting houses in Toronto and on the lack of accessibility there is in Toronto in general for actors,” says Alevizos. “It's really important to work together as a team to make sure we can build a more accessible and welcoming environment.”

Tova says she is impressed by Alevizos’s talent and enthusiasm.

“What an amazing spirit this young man has,” she says. “He’s intelligent, he’s inspiring.”

While the entertainment industry has made great strides, “there is always more to do,” she says. “I don’t want to do this work without his point of view.”

Changing casting practices is at the root of making a more equitable and inclusive industry, says Gallagher-Ross.

“The first bad argument that a casting agent will make is to say they can't make a more interesting and more inclusive acting choice because performers aren't available. They'll say, ‘We would love to do this, but there's a pipeline problem.’”

Gallagher-Ross says the U of T-Sheridan program can play an important role in addressing the issue.

“The best thing we can do running a training program is to make sure we are ready to receive talented actors like George, and that we can give them the best experience possible,” he says. “He's been a path-breaking member of our program in that way.”

For Alevizos, representation isn’t just casting actors in roles centred on their disability.

“It should be more like, 'Yeah I'm in a wheelchair, but I fall in love or I'm an assassin. I can be anything that I want.’ That should be the magic of movies,” he says.

“What a lot of people are still having trouble with is understanding that, the more out of the canon you go – building a new canon – the more people are willing to watch it because they're seeing themselves represented.”

Alevizos says he would love to be in an action film one day.

“I've done a lot of stage combat and I'm very strong and can move around quickly,” he says.

His dream role?

Bond. James Bond.

“I think it would be pretty cool,” he says. “You can make gadgets on the chair. You just have to be creative about it.”

As Alevizos prepares for convocation, he shares some advice for young people pursuing an acting career.

“Go out there and make your own opportunities. Be proud and confident in your ability, knock down those doors and go in there and show who you are.”

Degrassi, Rookie Blue creators talk #MeToo, the golden age of TV and Drake

Romi Levine — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 05:00:00 +0000

Degrassi, Rookie Blue creators talk #MeToo, the golden age of TV and Drake

Romi Levine Mon, 11/27/2017 - 00:00

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Tassie Cameron (second from left), alongside the stars of TV drama Ten Days in the Valley (photo by Disney|ABC Television Group via Flickr)

Romi Levine

Topic

City & Culture

Alumni

Faculty of Arts & Science

Humanities

Television

Subheadline

Alumni Linda Schuyler and Tassie Cameron to speak at U of T event on Tuesday

Tassie Cameron is at the top of her game.

The U of T alumna and award-winning television writer and executive producer is having a busy year with her show Ten Days in the Valley, starring Kyra Sedgwick and airing on ABC in the U.S. and CTV in Canada, a second season of her well-received dark comedy Mary Kills People on the way and a new half-hour comedy for CBC.

“It's an amazing time to be making TV,” says Cameron, who graduated from the University of Toronto in 1991 with an English degree from the Faculty of Arts & Science.

With A-list talent flocking to the small screen and cinema-quality production, critics are correct in calling it the golden age of television, says Cameron, who is also the creator of the hit cop drama Rookie Blue.

On Tuesday, Cameron will be joined by fellow alumna Linda Schuyler, the creator of the longstanding Degrassi TV franchise, for a discussion about what it takes to create a hit TV series, at Innis Town Hall on U of T’s downtown Toronto campus.

Register for the event

“I'm thrilled I'm going to be there with Tassie because Tassie started her television career writing scripts for me on Degrassi: The Next Generation,” says Schuyler, who graduated in 1974 with a bachelor's from Innis College and received an honorary degree from U of T in 2016.

Degrassi has also made a big move in recent years with its latest iteration, Degrassi: Next Class, airing on Netflix and the Family Channel.

The current season marks 38 years since Degrassi first aired as a series of short films in 1979.

“One of the keys for Degrassi's success is we've allowed ourselves to keep abreast of the times and keep up with how kids communicate with one another,” says Schuyler.

In staying timely, the show has never been afraid to tackle tough issues like abortion and sexual identity.

“We have some clear principles in terms of how our storytelling is built, and one of them is that we're fearless in terms of our subject matter,” Schuyler says. “So often our storytelling leads to discussion and we had many incidents where parents and kids had discussions on difficult topics because we made it safe for them from having watched a TV show.”

While Degrassi is a cultural phenomenon in and of itself, it also launched the career of one of Canada’s most famous stars – Drake a.k.a. Aubrey Graham, who Schuyler remembers hiring as a “gangly 12 year old.”

“Obviously I'm incredibly proud of him,” she says. “We don't see him a lot, but when we do, it's a great big bear hug and we’re happy to see one another.”

Schuyler received an honorary degree from U of T in 2016 (photo by Steve Frost)

Creating one of Canada’s most iconic TV shows wasn’t the first thing Schuyler had in mind after graduating from U of T.

“I spent eight years in a classroom as a junior high teacher before I ventured out as an independent producer,” she says. “Those eight years, who would have known they'd have such a huge influence on what I would be doing as an entrepreneur.”

Schuyler’s path to success should be encouraging for U of T students who are still finding their way.

“You don't start with the end game in mind, you just start with what feels right and truthful at the time,” she says.

For students who are interested in working in the television industry, Toronto is the place to be, says Cameron.

“It's super busy in Toronto compared to when I started,” she says. “It's a thriving, excellent community for television and film here.”

There’s also a push for better representation in the industry, says Cameron.

“People are really looking for diverse voices – actors, storytellers and crew,” she says. “Women, LGBT, racial diversity – people are really keen to build an industry where those voices are included right now.”

With the #MeToo campaign exposing widespread sexual harassment in the entertainment industry, Cameron is also optimistic that the movement will give way to a safer working environment, especially for people who are starting their careers.

“I don't think this kind of behaviour will be tolerated in any way like it was when I was first starting out,” she says. “I'm sure there's lots of men I worked with in the past who are nervously sitting there hoping their lives aren't about to implode.

"I think it's a huge relief. It's depressing and exhilarating, and I think all the women I know in this industry are feeling this is a real housecleaning that needs to happen and a reckoning that needs to be addressed.”

Schuyler is also glad the “floodgates have been opened.”

“Hopefully there's going to be a next generation with a much more respectful and supportive environment, particularly with women,” she says.

John Tory in Tinseltown: U of T industry expert on how mayor can lure TV, film producers

Romi Levine — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 20:06:09 +0000

John Tory in Tinseltown: U of T industry expert on how mayor can lure TV, film producers

Romi Levine Tue, 01/24/2017 - 15:06

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Oscar-nominated Suicide Squad was shot in downtown Toronto, requiring the closure of Yonge Street (photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Romi Levine

Author legacy

Romi Levine

Topic

City & Culture

Innis College

Faculty of Arts & Science

Subheadline

Strong infrastucture and low dollar make “perfect combination,” says Charlie Keil

Start drafting your Oscar pools, this year’s Academy Award nominations are here – and the Canadian film industry is revelling in the nominees’ northern connections.

La La Land is expected to rack up the golden statues and the film’s star, Canadian native Ryan Gosling, is up for best lead actor. Quebecois director Denis Villeneuve’s extraterrestrial drama Arrival has eight nominations.

As a proven source of talent and a popular filming location, Canada is in Hollywood’s good books and Toronto Mayor John Tory is looking to capitalize on that. He’s currently in L.A. drumming up support for the city’s film and television industry alongside a group of Canadian industry representatives. Tory hopes to woo content producers like Netflix to film in Toronto.

Read about the new TV series based on crime thrillers by alumnus Giles Blunt

U of T News spoke with Charlie Keil, principal of University of Toronto’s Innis College in the Faculty of Arts & Science and professor at the Cinema Studies Institute and the department of history, about Tory’s trip and the future of Toronto’s film and television industry.

What draws filmmakers to Toronto?

Non-American filming centers offer certain financial perks. The two most obvious ones for Toronto would be tax credits and the lower Canadian dollar. The single most important factor for the percentage of business Toronto draws is the dollar. When the dollar is high, the number of productions tends to go down; when it's lower they go up.

Filmmaking by and large is private enterprise and they are looking at as much profitability as possible so lowering production costs can aid in that.

But with all that being said, the other thing Toronto has that is quite appealing is a developed infrastructure. The scope and depth of the kinds of assets Toronto provides stems from everything from the kinds of sound stages to the personnel being trained and capable to do projects on the level of American filmmakers and television producers. That becomes a real calling card for Toronto. In that way, success begets success because the more familiar different producers and companies are with Toronto and what it has to offer, the more likely they are to return to Toronto. All of those things work to reinforce Toronto's desirability.

Will Tory then try to emphasize the quality of Toronto's infrastructure over the value of the Canadian dollar?

What Tory's doing makes sense from a municipal standpoint because the dollar is right now at one of its lower points so it's advantageous to capitalize on an interest in Toronto that is spurred by the lower dollar. Also to sustain those ties and build on those that exists because of the superior infrastructure and services. In a way, it's the perfect combination right now. Toronto is in growth mode for quite some time in terms of developing that infrastructure and can really capitalize on it by virtue of the lower dollar.

You have to keep reminding the industry that Toronto is a great place to make film and television because there is a lot of competition, not just in Hollywood and other places in the United States. Film and television is a global enterprise and there are lots of different places that are trying to entice what tends to be American-focused production to their cities and countries.

President Donald Trump vowed to bring back jobs to the U.S. Is that likely to affect the entertainment industry?

It's got to be a concern for any industry and for any so-called trade partner. Trump's rhetoric and so far demonstrated actions indicated he's quite serious about protectionism. I think it becomes more difficult with film and television production.

It’s easy to identify the culprits in the auto industry – if you're Trump you can point your finger at a Ford or General Motors and say 'look where their plants are.’ But when it gets to film and television production, there's now so much co-production and film making is a global enterprise so to say company X should be filming in America doesn't make a whole lot of sense if half of its financing coming from countries or companies that exist all across the world. The case gets a whole lot harder to make.

Is Canada's home-grown film and television industry growing?

What's good for Canadian producers is there's more possibility for things being picked up. It used to be pretty slim pickings when it came to the prospects of Canadian programming finding its way onto American screens because when you think about the big networks, the chances they'll take a Canadian-made film or television programming and show it happen so rarely. Now, because there are so many possibilities for broadcast, there are greater chances for a show that catches on to be shown on multiple outlets in different ways.

But by and large the productions that tend to generate a lot of the income for people who work in that industry are still in support of a production that doesn't necessarily originate from this country.

It's unfortunate the structure isn't set up to support a more vibrant in-house form of production but it just isn't. For it to exist on the level it does, it has to work this way.

Election 2015: when it comes to political ads, it's a mixed bag

sgupta — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 14:14:20 +0000

Election 2015: when it comes to political ads, it's a mixed bag sgupta Mon, 08/24/2015 - 10:14

Alan Christie

Author legacy

Alan Christie

Racial bias "entrenched" in Canadian advertising

sgupta — Mon, 05 May 2014 10:03:22 +0000

Racial bias "entrenched" in Canadian advertising sgupta Mon, 05/05/2014 - 06:03

Cutline

The television program they're watching may be just fine but what about the ads? (photo by r. nail bradshaw via Flickr)

Elaine Smith

Author legacy

Elaine Smith

Topic

Breaking Research

Watching Jeopardy! on Christmas Day?

sgupta — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 12:00:23 +0000

Watching Jeopardy! on Christmas Day? sgupta Wed, 12/18/2013 - 07:00

Cutline

Professor Anthony Niblett with Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek

Lucianna Ciccocioppo

Author legacy

Lucianna Ciccocioppo

Subheadline

Law professor a contestant on quiz show

“I’ll take really cool academics for $500.”

Answer: “He’s a law professor, was born in England, and will be on Jeopardy this Christmas Day.”

Question: “Who is Anthony Niblett?”

That’s correct!

The University of Toronto's Niblett will appear on “America’s Favorite Quiz Show” Dec. 25, 2013, ready to show the world the depth and breadth of his knowledge from matters weighty to seemingly trivial.

Niblett, a much-loved assistant professor in the Faculty of Law, has a penchant for lively, interactive, YouTube-enhanced lectures, and a regular gig hosting trivia nights at local Toronto pubs. That’s in addition to the improv classes he took “as a way of meeting people when I first arrived.”

The quiz show first hooked him back in 1993. “I used to watch Australia’s version of Jeopardy! when it ran for about six months. But then it was cancelled. I guess there weren’t enough people like me watching it.”

His interest in Jeopardy! persevered, and when he moved to Canada, after teaching at Harvard and University of Chicago, he found out about the show’s casting call last March. The Anglo-Australian Niblett shone among the 2,500 possible contenders.

An online 50-question test screens the first round of participants.“I then received an email requesting another test and an in-person interview,” Niblett says. So he drove to Detroit in June, at his expense, faced a three-person panel, wrote the second test, and participated in a mock show. “They want to ensure you don’t ‘freeze’ on camera,” he explains.

The call from Los Angeles came in September. “I was unbelievably shocked.”

The show was taped in L. A. in October, in front of a live audience of mostly school children and contestants’ family members. Except his. “Mine didn’t make the trip from Australia,” laughs Niblett.

“It was a lot of fun, especially meeting Alex Trebek,” Niblett says. “It was all very surreal but very fun.”

The studio is large, the topics screen is small. Everyone in production is kept busy, churning out five shows a day.

“It takes 22 minutes to tape one episode, and it went so quickly. It's a little anticlimactic, but overall it was fantastic experience and a really exciting day.”

Watch Niblett on Jeopardy! at 7:30 pm Dec. 25, 2013 on CHCH TV’s Channel 11 in Toronto or on the ABC network affiliate in your area.

Lucianna Ciccocioppo is a writer with the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto.

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Television

Dispenser of desserts: How U of T pharmacy alumnus Christopher Siu won MasterChef Canada

Tea, Earl Grey, hot! U of T researchers examine how Alexa, Siri stack up against Star Trek

U of T alumnus who advocates for actors with disabilities featured on CBC's The National

Read more about U of T alumnus George Alevizos

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As seen on TV: U of T grad is changing the channel on representation in film and television

Degrassi, Rookie Blue creators talk #MeToo, the golden age of TV and Drake

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John Tory in Tinseltown: U of T industry expert on how mayor can lure TV, film producers

Read about the new TV series based on crime thrillers by alumnus Giles Blunt

Election 2015: when it comes to political ads, it's a mixed bag

Racial bias "entrenched" in Canadian advertising

Watching Jeopardy! on Christmas Day?

**Watch the report on The National:**