BC Business
Brains and Bron Netflix has acquired rights to a Ricky Gervais film co-produced by Bron Studios, based in Burnaby, B.C., and U.K.-based Unanimous Entertainment. Special Correspondents, a remake of the 2009 French comedy Envoyés Très Spéciaux, premieres worldwide in 2016. Gervais wrote, directs and co-stars in the film with Eric Bana, who plays a radio journalist who files fake war reports from his New York apartment. Bron Studios develops and produces original live-action and animated motion pictures and series television.
Creative rewards The Lotus Awards are back. Founded in 1989 to honour B.C. advertisers and marketers, the awards were suspended in 2014 due to lack of interest and funding. The Institute of Communication Agencies, organizer of the Lotus Awards 2015, has appointed co-chairs Frank Palmer, chairman and CEO of DDB Canada; Nadine Cole, SVP general manager of Cossette; and Scot Keith, founder and CEO of 123w. Call for entries begins June 1; the awards take place November 5 in Vancouver. BCBusiness wrote about earlier efforts to salvage the awards in 2013.
Fire alarm Over the Easter weekend, Teck Resources reported a flash fire at its Greenhills open-pit coal mine in the Kootenays near Elkford, B.C. The fire, which occurred in the dryer complex at about 10 a.m. PT on April 5, was quickly extinguished and there has been no major impact to the operation, but three people have non-life-threatening injuries. An investigation to discover the cause of the fire is underway.