Daniel Cook wins big at ACT Awards
The team behind This Is Daniel Cook carried the night at this year's Alliance for Children and Television's Awards of Excellence, winning the Grand Prize for best program, all categories; best program in the all-genres, ages 3-5 division; and best website.
Daniel Cook is produced by marblemedia and Sinking Ship Produtions. Marblemedia producers Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg also scored the Emerging Talent Award for their work on the live-action children's show that follows its six-year-old redheaded host on a multitude of exciting trips and events.
The ACT Awards, recognizing quality children's television, were held June 1 at CBC's Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto.
Still flying high after its recent win at the Daytime Emmys for outstanding children's animated program, Peep and the Big Wide World, produced by 9 Story Entertainment, won in the animation, ages 3-5 division. The half-hour holiday special Noël Noël (National Film Board/Teletoon) won in the animation, ages 6-8 category, while the sci-fi series Delta State (Nelvana/Teletoon) won for animation, ages 9-14.
The Special Jury Award went to Delta State's design team for their original visual designs and approach to animated images.
The Blobheads (Decode Entertainment/Wark Clements Production/ CBC), a series about 14-year-old Billy Barnes, who must learn to coexist with the two aliens he found in his toilet bowl, won in the all-genres, ages 6-8 division.
Radio Free Roscoe (Decode/Family Channel) and My Brand New Life (NFB/Les Productions La Fête/YTV) shared the award in the all-genres, ages 9-12 division. CTV's Instant Star (Epitome Pctures/CTV) and Street Cents (CBC) shared the honors in the all-genres, teen category. Doodlez (Cellar Door Productions/Teletoon) won the all-genres, all-ages division.
The Outstanding Achievement Award went to J. Kevin Wright, senior VP of Astral Television Networks, for his role in youth programming. Wright oversees the acquisition, commissioning and scheduling of programming for Family Channel, Mpix and The Movie Network.