February 2007
Ottawa, Canada
(February 1, 2007): If you’ve ever written a love letter or received one from an
ardent admirer you will fall in love with Season II of The Letters: Rediscovering the Art
of Courtship. It’s
a different kind of TV show where sparks fly on paper instead
of in hot tubs.
Ten Suitors set out
to court a mysterious woman known to them only as
“Roxanne,” but with one very romantic twist.
They must woo her with the power of the pen.
Anonymity is key as the Suitors and Roxanne never lay
eyes on each other and use pen names to mask their true
identities.
In each episode the Suitors embark on exciting challenges to
inspire them in their letters to Roxanne while she must decide who stays and who goes...Until she is left with two
Suitors and one final heart-stopping decision…
Whom will she choose to meet face to face for a very special
first date?
“It’s absolutely fun and romantic!” says producer Hoda
Elatawi. “It encourages us to show a more heart-felt
side of ourselves and sparks our creativity.”
Elatawi, who conceived the series was inspired by friends who
were in a long distance relationship and fell in love via
letters.
“The Letters…Rediscovering the Art of Courtship motivates us
all to spice up our own love lives. Who doesn’t
appreciate getting a passionate love letter? It’s one of the
most amorous gestures there is,” says Elatawi.
The
Letters…Rediscovering the Art of Courtship
was filmed at the spectacular Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in
Golden, British Columbia. Elatawi promises the usual twists
and turns that audiences have come to love about unscripted
television but with a difference.
“It taps into our whimsical and romantic desires.”
“The
Letters…Rediscovering the Art of Courtship” is produced by Ottawa-based GAPC Entertainment Inc. and Alberta's
Corkscrew Media in association with Canadian Learning
Television, Access Alberta, Book TV and BRAVO.
This season is directed by Blake Horobin of Corkscrew Media
and hosted by Ottawa-based writer, Sylvie Hill.
GAPC has produced numerous documentary specials and TV series
for Canadian and international broadcasters. Programs
include
Christopher Plummer: A Man For All Stages (CBC “Life
and Times”) and
Oscar Peterson: Keeping the Groove Alive (CBC “Life
and Times”) and the new kids hit magic show Spellz
(TVO).
For more information about “The
Letters…Rediscovering the Art of Courtship”or any
other GAPC program, please contact: Hoda Elatawi, Senior
Producer, GAPC Broadcast Division. Tel (613) 723-3316 ext. 237
fax: (613) 723-8583 email: helatawi@gapc.com or visit us at
www.gapc.com
____________________________________________
June 2006
The
Letters...Rediscovering the Art of Courtship...Season 2.
The
Letters… Rediscovering the Art of Courtship
is in preliminary pre-production for Season 2! Scheduled
to go into production early this fall, The Letters
Season 2 will be shot on location in beautiful Alberta.
The
Letters… Rediscovering the Art of Courtship
is a dating show with a difference. Using the art of writing
love letters, the show follows eight young men who compete for
the affections of one woman. In each episode the suitors are
challenged to write their way into the woman’s heart. But
there’s a twist. The woman never sees what the suitors look
like and they only get a sense of her throughout the show,
until the last episode. To make things more inspiring - they
use pen names.
The
Letters… Rediscovering the Art of Courtship
is produced
by Ottawa-based GAPC Entertainment Inc. and Alberta's
Corkscrew Media in association with Canadian Learning
Television, Access Alberta, Book TV and Bravo.
The series
will be directed by Corkscrew's Blake Horobin and hosted by
Ottawa-based writer, Sylvie Hill.
“It’s
absolutely fun and romantic!” says producer Hoda Elatawi.
“This show gives everyone a chance to show a more creative
and heart-felt side of themselves because it’s all about the
writing.”
“The
Letters…Rediscovering the Art of Courtship inspires
us all to spice up our own love lives.
Elatawi
promises the usual twists and turns that audiences have come
to love about reality TV shows but with one distinctive
bonus--stay tuned in to find out more!
____________________________________________
January 2006
The
most popular genre in fiction is the subject of an intriguing
new documentary.
“Who’s
Afraid of Happy Endings?”
is
a witty, revealing and often surprising one-hour documentary
that takes us into the fascinating realm of romance fiction
Romance
generates over $1 billion in sales every year in North America
alone, beating mystery and sci-fi as the top seller. Yet
despite its success romance remains the “Rodney
Dangerfield”
of the fiction world. Critics pan the books as trashy and
formulaic, calling the writers hacks and labelling readers as
desperate housewives.
“This
documentary will look at why something so popular is also so
put down,”
says producer Hoda Elatawi.
“Who’s
Afraid of Happy Endings?”
is
written, directed and co-produced by Joanna D’Angelo
and Christine Alexiou who’ve been developing it for the past
year. The
documentary follows the stories of three up-and-coming
Canadian romance authors as they manoeuvre their way to the
top and shows us an insider’s
view of the romance-writing world.
“Many
of the most successful romance authors in the world are
Canadian,”
says D’Angelo.
“So
don’t
be surprised that romance is alive and well in Canada –
after all Canada is also the home of uber romance publisher
Harlequin Enterprises.”
“Who’s
Afraid of Happy Endings?”
shines a spotlight on an industry that has turned the unending
desire for love into a cultural phenomenon and a booming
world-wide business.
The
documentary also features interviews with the biggest
superstars of the romance world including: Nora Roberts,
Debbie Macomber, Jayne Ann Krentz, Jennifer Crusie, Susan
Elizabeth Phillips, Jo Beverley, Eloisa James and Christine
Feehan.
“No
matter where you live in North America –
there are women writing romance novels in your hometown or
city…and maybe a guy or two,”
says Alexiou.
“Who’s
Afraid of Happy Endings?
also
includes interviews with a few lone wolves among the pack -
including Howard Lowry who writes as Leigh Greenwood and Tony
Karayianni who writes with his wife Lori under the pen-name
Tori Carrington.
____________________________________________
October 2005
| 
