#FIRSTLOOK: “CARING CABIN” TO PREMIERE ON CRITERION CHANNEL

Sean O’Neill, Producer at Visitor Media, announced today that Caring Cabin, a heartfelt new project from beloved musician Beverly Glenn-Copeland (“Glenn”) and his wife and creative partner Elizabeth Glenn-Copeland, will premiere exclusively on the Criterion Channel this July. The magical 11-minute pilot episode will also be featured at a special in-person, free screening at TIFF Lightbox on July 5, 2025 followed by a live performance by Glenn and Elizabeth and a Q&A with members of the show’s creative team. Blending Glenn’s signature warmth and legendary music with handmade puppets and a lush forest setting, Caring Cabin welcomes viewers of all ages into a cozy and colourful world in which Glenn and his animal friends learn valuable lessons about nature, coping with change, and the power of community.

Harkening back to the gently-paced, heartfelt era of 1960s and 70s children’s programming, the pilot was co-directed by acclaimed filmmaker Chelsea McMullan and their husband and creative partner Douglas Nayler Jr., who also wrote the script. The project was conceived by Elizabeth, who co-created the project with Glenn, Ali J. Eisner, and O’Neill, who produced the pilot.

Originally envisioned as a joyful, ongoing children’s series, Caring Cabin is a deeply personal project inspired by Glenn and Elizabeth’s lifelong dedication to creating music and stories for young audiences. Following a health diagnosis shortly after the pilot was completed, plans to move the series into production were put on hold indefinitely. Despite this, the pilot has found new life through the Criterion Channel.

“Caring Cabin began as a serendipitous phone call in the early weeks of the pandemic,” said Sean O’Neill. “Elizabeth had a vision for a series that would bring together Glenn’s warmth and playfulness, inspiring music, and amazing puppets. Glenn described hosting a children’s show as a dream he’s held since he was a cast-member on Mr. Dressup. After years of collaboration, and some curveballs along the way, we’re all so thrilled that the pilot episode will find an audience on the Criterion Channel, and in-person at the TIFF premiere. The project is a tribute to Glenn’s spirit—a celebration of his music, his joy, and the path he has spent a lifetime laying for others.”

“We’re thrilled that Caring Cabin has found a home on the Criterion Channel, and we’re so looking forward to sharing it with audiences in person at TIFF,” say Elizabeth and Beverly Glenn-Copeland. “This project emerged from our years collaborating to bring theatre, music and the arts to young people across Canada and around the world, offering ‘the ones ahead’ tools for resilience, calming their nervous systems, and facing difficulty. The core to that work, for us, has been community — and we’re so grateful to the community who came together to make this beautiful pilot.”

After decades of quiet creativity, Glenn’s music reached a global audience in his mid-70s following the rediscovery of his 1986 masterpiece Keyboard Fantasies. Since then, he has released a series of albums, including 2023’s The One’s Ahead, toured internationally, and was the subject of the BAFTA-nominated documentary feature Keyboard Fantasies. In the 1980s and 90s, Glenn was a recurring castmember on the iconic Canadian children’s series on Mr. Dressup and composed music for Sesame Street and Shining Time Station. Together with Elizabeth, a theater artist, writer, producer and arts educator, Glenn spent years leading music and theatre workshops for young people in community settings in New Brunswick and Ontario.

About Visitor Media

Visitor Media makes film, television and digital media in collaboration with visionary filmmakers spanning documentary and scripted formats. The Toronto-based production company was founded by producer, writer and director Sean O’Neill in 2020 and has since produced a series of award-winning projects, including the feature documentary Crystal Pite: Angels’ Atlas (VIFF 2022, Showcase Audience Award); the CBC Gem variety series Lido TV (TIFF 2022) and Swan Song (TIFF 2023), a feature film and four-part CBC documentary series following the creation of ballet legend Karen Kain’s farewell production of Swan Lake. Swan Song screened at TIFF, BFI London Film Festival, Lincoln Center and CPH: DOX, and won the $50,000 Toronto Film Critics Association Rogers Prize for Best Canadian Documentary in 2024. Fortcoming projects include the documentary series Snow King (CBC/Dogwoof), and the Beverly Glenn-Copeland children’s show pilot Caring Cabin (Criterion Channel).

About Criterion

Since 1984, the Criterion Collection has been dedicated to publishing important classic and contemporary films from around the world in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements. No matter the medium-from laserdisc to DVD and Blu-ray to streaming on the Criterion Channel-Criterion has maintained its pioneering commitment to presenting each film as its maker would want it seen, in state-of-the-art restorations with special features designed to encourage repeated watching and deepen the viewer’s appreciation of the art of film. For more information and to join the Criterion Channel visit here.