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If an Ottawa-based production company has its way, Canadians may someday gather around their television sets to watch “24 Sussex: The Series.”
Tim Alp, owner of Mountain Road Productions, pitched the idea of a multi-part series documenting the makeover of what he called “this once-grand official residence” to NCC chief executive Mark Kristmanson and board chair Russell Mills 10 days after the Liberals won the Oct. 19 election.
In emails to Kristmanson and Mills, released to the Citizen under access to information, Alp called the pending rehabilitation of 24 Sussex Drive “a unique event that should be chronicled and shared with all Canadians on national television.”
Declaring that the series “would become a ‘must-watch’ event for the nation,” Alp said he saw an opportunity “to showcase the best in green-building methods as many of the challenges of a 147-year-old, repeatedly modified stone structure are met and overcome.
“It is my ambition that, much like the UK made series covering the restoration of the Queen’s official residences, the resultant 24 Sussex series will be dignified and a gateway to our history while reinforcing for Canadians that this important residence has been a family home to many great Canadians over the years,” Alp’s email says.
Mills reacted with some enthusiasm to the pitch, telling Kristmanson that the series “could be a fascinating and educational show for the Canadian public.”
However, Mills also said he warned Alp that it would be “very difficult to get past the security factor. There are obviously many aspects of the work that could not be public.”
Security upgrades will be a major part of whatever ultimately happens at 24 Sussex. Indeed, in an Oct. 24, 2014 email to Kristmanson, Mills said the “largest part of the proposed renovations to 24 Sussex Drive involved increased security for the building.”
Kristmanson was lukewarm at best, telling Mills that he “would not encourage this type of coverage, at least at this point.”
In an email to Alp on Nov. 5, Kristmanson said it was too soon to say what shape the 24 Sussex project will take, adding: “I will keep this idea in mind as we go forward and may reach out to you at a later date.”
Founded in 1997, Mountain Road Productions has a special focus on home renovation shows, the latest being I Wrecked My House on HGTV Canada, which featured eccentric and unconventional approaches to home repair by Canada’s least handy homeowners.
In an interview Thursday, Alp said NCC officials have asked him for more details of his proposal. “I think there’s some initial interest, from what I’m hearing, but there’s so many factors at play here,” he said. “They have made no commitments on what it would be, who would do it and what it would look like.”
Alp said his company isn’t wedded to the series idea. “It could be as simple as a documentary. We’re open to anything they’d be willing to do there.”
He’s convinced Canadians would be fascinated. “It’s probably the most important home in the whole country. Just having a show with 24 Sussex in the title would bring an audience.”
Few Canadians ever get to see inside the official residence, he said. “It would be really sad to do something like this and not show it to the public. I think people would want to see how their money’s being spent.”
The material released by the NCC also included an Oct. 23, 2015 email from Mills to Kristmanson in which he said interest in the 24 Sussex story was “building by the minute” and reporters would soon be staking out Justin Trudeau “to find out where he plans to live and whether the necessary work at the residence will be done.
“We should get a decision as soon as possible,” Mills wrote, adding that Trudeau “does not want to appear indecisive on this issue.”
Three days later, the NCC announced that the new prime minister and his family would live temporarily in Rideau Cottage while the agency pondered what to do with 24 Sussex. It has not yet announced its plans for the official residence.
dbutler@postmedia.com
twitter.com/ButlerDon
查看原文...
Tim Alp, owner of Mountain Road Productions, pitched the idea of a multi-part series documenting the makeover of what he called “this once-grand official residence” to NCC chief executive Mark Kristmanson and board chair Russell Mills 10 days after the Liberals won the Oct. 19 election.
In emails to Kristmanson and Mills, released to the Citizen under access to information, Alp called the pending rehabilitation of 24 Sussex Drive “a unique event that should be chronicled and shared with all Canadians on national television.”
Declaring that the series “would become a ‘must-watch’ event for the nation,” Alp said he saw an opportunity “to showcase the best in green-building methods as many of the challenges of a 147-year-old, repeatedly modified stone structure are met and overcome.
“It is my ambition that, much like the UK made series covering the restoration of the Queen’s official residences, the resultant 24 Sussex series will be dignified and a gateway to our history while reinforcing for Canadians that this important residence has been a family home to many great Canadians over the years,” Alp’s email says.
Mills reacted with some enthusiasm to the pitch, telling Kristmanson that the series “could be a fascinating and educational show for the Canadian public.”
However, Mills also said he warned Alp that it would be “very difficult to get past the security factor. There are obviously many aspects of the work that could not be public.”
Security upgrades will be a major part of whatever ultimately happens at 24 Sussex. Indeed, in an Oct. 24, 2014 email to Kristmanson, Mills said the “largest part of the proposed renovations to 24 Sussex Drive involved increased security for the building.”
Kristmanson was lukewarm at best, telling Mills that he “would not encourage this type of coverage, at least at this point.”
In an email to Alp on Nov. 5, Kristmanson said it was too soon to say what shape the 24 Sussex project will take, adding: “I will keep this idea in mind as we go forward and may reach out to you at a later date.”
Founded in 1997, Mountain Road Productions has a special focus on home renovation shows, the latest being I Wrecked My House on HGTV Canada, which featured eccentric and unconventional approaches to home repair by Canada’s least handy homeowners.
In an interview Thursday, Alp said NCC officials have asked him for more details of his proposal. “I think there’s some initial interest, from what I’m hearing, but there’s so many factors at play here,” he said. “They have made no commitments on what it would be, who would do it and what it would look like.”
Alp said his company isn’t wedded to the series idea. “It could be as simple as a documentary. We’re open to anything they’d be willing to do there.”
He’s convinced Canadians would be fascinated. “It’s probably the most important home in the whole country. Just having a show with 24 Sussex in the title would bring an audience.”
Few Canadians ever get to see inside the official residence, he said. “It would be really sad to do something like this and not show it to the public. I think people would want to see how their money’s being spent.”
The material released by the NCC also included an Oct. 23, 2015 email from Mills to Kristmanson in which he said interest in the 24 Sussex story was “building by the minute” and reporters would soon be staking out Justin Trudeau “to find out where he plans to live and whether the necessary work at the residence will be done.
“We should get a decision as soon as possible,” Mills wrote, adding that Trudeau “does not want to appear indecisive on this issue.”
Three days later, the NCC announced that the new prime minister and his family would live temporarily in Rideau Cottage while the agency pondered what to do with 24 Sussex. It has not yet announced its plans for the official residence.
dbutler@postmedia.com
twitter.com/ButlerDon
查看原文...
