I got to hold a Gemini award today. They're much lighter than they look on T.V., but just as shiny.

"There's No "I" in Hockey". the pilot episode for Wapos Bay, won the Canada Award at last week's Gemini Awards. The award "honours excellence in mainstream television programming that reflects the racial and cultural diversity of Canada." Given that the crew on Wapos Bay is over 50% Native, and that the show itself is focuses on a fictional reserve in Northern Canada, it was hailed as an achievement in First Nations filmmaking. It's also quite the achievement in Saskatchewan filmmaking, proving that the province does indeed have the pool of talent necessary to pull off an animated series.

Our directors just came back today from the awards ceremony in Toronto and called us all into the production bay for a big party. They were practically dancing with delight. I was less delighted, since I was in the midst of scrambling to pull the last of episode 6 together, but I still came out of my office for a few minutes while things were rendering to take a look at the award and to congratulate the directors.

I didn't work on Episode 1, but I've seen it. There's a huge jump in quality between it and the next run of episodes. (The pilot was shot two years ago, and episodes 2-6 were shot this past year. Post-production wraps this week.) The sets are more solid, the animation is better, and most importantly, the new puppet designs are easier to work with and look a thousand times better. And, not to brag, but the VFX is looking pretty good too. (It better, after all the time I've put into it!) So, if the pilot is winning awards, I'm excited to see where this season will go.