CBC AND BET+ ORIGINAL SERIES ‘THE PORTER’ NOW IN PRODUCTION
OLUNIKÉ ADELIYI (TITANS) AND LOREN LOTT (TAG) JOIN STELLAR ENSEMBLE CAST
June 17, 2021 – The highly anticipated start of production for Inferno Pictures and Sienna Films’ THE PORTER (8x60), a CBC and BET+ original series, is now underway in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Shooting across various locations as well as in studio, THE PORTER continues until mid-September.
Exciting new additions to THE PORTER cast include Oluniké Adeliyi (Titans, American Gods) and Loren Lott (American Idol, Tag). They join Aml Ameen (I May Destroy You, Yardie), Ronnie Rowe Jr. (Star Trek: Discovery, Pretty Hard Cases) and Mouna Traoré (Self Made, The Umbrella Academy) who were announced earlier this year. Plus, series originators Arnold Pinnock and Bruce Ramsay take on series regular roles of ‘Glenford’ and ‘Dinger,’ respectively.
Adeliyi portrays ‘Queenie’, the savvy, seductive and sinister crime boss in Chicago whose lavish lifestyle and power appeals to Junior, but at what cost?; while Lott plays headstrong ‘Lucy,’ a talented performer who yearns for the spotlight as she battles shadeism and an instinct for music that’s out of step with the times.
Set in the roaring 20s, THE PORTER offers a dramatic and compelling look at the Black community in St. Antoine, Montreal — known, at the time, as the “Harlem of the North”. The story is told through the eyes of two Black train porters taking very different paths to liberation. One pushes to create the first Black union in existence, the other chases power on the wrong side of the law, but both have the same goal: to free themselves and their families from oppression. They’re young, gifted and Black, from Canada, the Caribbean, and the U.S., and they find themselves thrown together north and south of the color line. In an era that boasts anything is possible, if change isn’t coming for them, they will come for it.
From Montreal to Chicago and at every stop in between, in a time of extraordinary social and political change, THE PORTER tells the story of the people who fought to ignite the civil rights movement in North America.
A CBC and BET+ original series, THE PORTER is originated and created by Arnold Pinnock (Altered Carbon, Travelers) and Bruce Ramsay (19-2, Cardinal), with Annmarie Morais (Killjoys, Ransom, American Soul), Marsha Greene (Ten Days In The Valley, Mary Kills People) and Aubrey Nealon (Snowpiercer, Cardinal), and produced by Winnipeg-based Inferno Pictures Inc. and Sphere Media’s Sienna Films. Morais and Greene are showrunners and executive producers. Charles Officer (Akilla’s Escape, Coroner) and R.T. Thorne (Blindspot, Utopia Falls) will direct the series, and are executive producers. Pinnock also serves as an executive producer, and Ramsay a co-executive producer. The series is written by Morais, Greene, Andrew Burrows-Trotman, Priscilla White, Pinnock and Ramsay, with Thorne participating in the writers’ room. The series is funded with the support of the Canada Media Fund and Manitoba Film & Music and is distributed internationally by Abacus Media Rights (AMR) and Sphere Distribution.
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About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic and Chinese, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
About BET+
BET+ is the premium streaming service for the Black community. With thousands of hours of hit movies, TV shows, stage plays, and more, BET+ offers the best of Black culture, including exclusive originals from leading creators like Tracey Oliver’s First Wives Club, Tyler Perry’s Ruthless and Bruh, Will Packer’s Bigger, Carl Weber’s The Family Business and American Gangster Trap Queens, to name a few. BET+ members can watch as much as they want anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen and always commercial-free. Visit BET.Plus to learn more and follow @BETPlus for the latest news and updates. BET+ is a joint venture between BET and Tyler Perry Studios.
About Inferno Pictures Inc.
Inferno Pictures is based in Winnipeg, Manitoba and led by President Ian Dimerman, who has financed and produced numerous feature films and television movies including Christmas at The Plaza, The Christmas Club, Cinema of Sleep, Fracture, Percy, A Dog's Journey, The Parts You Lose, How It Ends, Journey Back to Christmas, Goon, and Mr. Hockey: the Gordie Howe Story.
About Sienna Films
Led by EP/Producer Jennifer Kawaja, Sienna Films is one of Canada’s preeminent scripted content companies, producing film and television internationally since 1992. Their most recent series, Trickster (CBC), was named one of TBI and Variety’s top dramas at MIPCOM 2020, and the final season of Cardinal (Bell Media), Season 4, was a continued success internationally including on BBC Two, where it aired to critical acclaim and high ratings. In 2020, Sienna Films was acquired by Sphere Media, which specializes in the creation, adaptation, production and distribution of television and film content.
About Abacus Media Rights
Abacus Media Rights (AMR) acquires and distributes a diverse slate of premium, multi-genre programming in the international market. At the same time, the company also works with producers to facilitate pre-sales and development finance as well as broadcaster commissions. Embracing a fully transparent reporting ethos throughout, AMR focuses on building strong client relationships and generating positive solutions at every stage of the process, from initial financing to worldwide broadcast in order to successfully deliver scripted and non-scripted entertainment that counts to a global audience. Abacus Media Rights is financed by the Amcomri Media Group.
Further information: www.abacusmediarights.com
Winston Ma, CBC PR
winston.ma@cbc.ca
647.327.7408
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