#FIRSTLOOK: PARAMOUNT’S THE LODGE RETURNS TO FAN EXPO 2024

For a second consecutive year, Paramount’s THE LODGE returns to Fan Expo Canada where every room is another universe, offering the ultimate fan experience. Enter THE LODGE and cozy up by the Paramount fireplace rustic ambiance and get ready to experience a mountain of entertainment! Pick up your Lodge pass at THE LODGE welcome desk and become immersed in themed activations featuring iconic franchises.

For the first time, the STAR TREK Menagerie makes its debut at THE LODGE at Fan Expo displaying creatures across renowned STAR TREK properties. Come one and all to get an up-close look at exciting specimens from STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS, STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES, and more! Attendees can become part of the Menagerie as they enter the display for an immersive STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS, photo opportunity.

Other fan-favourite Paramount worlds to explore at THE LODGE:

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: Enter the streets of New York City, pose for a photo with the four turtle brothers and fight crime by checking out the new Mutants Unleashed exclusive gaming preview before the official launch on October 18! Guests will be immersed in the turtles’ den beneath the streets where these heroes trained in ninjitsu to fight evil. 

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS 25th ANNIVERSARY: Head to front porch queue of THE LODGE to step into SpongeBob’s Pluto TV world! Join SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward, Sandy, and Plankton in a mini golf experience for a chance to win branded swag! A new prize every day!

The Paramount experience doesn’t end there! Don’t forget to check out the HALO Artifact at booth #1651, just around the corner from THE LODGE. Direct from the set of the series, ”the artifact” was left behind by the ancient race known as the forerunners which, reveals a star map that leads to the sacred ring known as the “Halo.”

THE LODGE, located at booth #PM01, is open and available for you to experience or to use as a backdrop for news hits on Thursday, August 22, from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday, August 23 and Saturday, August 24, from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, August 25 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

#FIRSTLOOK: PARAMOUNT+ CANADA AND THE SHINE NETWORK INSTITUTE ANNOUNCE NEW COURSE AND RESOURCE

Today, Paramount+ in Canada and The Shine Network Institute (TSNI) announce the Indigenous Producers Budgeting Intensive, an online course and new resource to support the professional development and mentorship of Indigenous women in film, television and media. This first virtual course will be geared toward budgeting for film. It will be accessible on TSNI’s @Learnatshine platform and will launch on National Indigenous Peoples Day – Friday, June 21, 2024. 

Geared toward emerging and mid-level Indigenous female producers, this first intensive course of 10 x one hour modules offer students hands-on learning accompanied by Indigenous framed tutorials designed to empower students as they prepare to produce their first feature film. The course will also include candid conversations with Indigenous female producers to inspire and motivate students by giving them access to industry veterans who can dispel myths and misconceptions about producing. 

“Working with The Shine Network Institute on this course is truly the first step in our partnership,” said Doug Smith, SVP Streaming & Content Licensing Paramount Global, Canada. “After listening and consulting with Jennifer Podemski and her team over the past few months we are proud to collaborate on this online course which will provide tangible skills to those interested in line producing, one of the most important jobs on any set. It is also a project we can build on in the months and years to come to support even more of TSNI’s membership and the next generation of Indigenous producers.”

“I am thrilled to be partnering with Paramount + Canada for this course,” said Jennifer Podemski, President & CEO, The Shine Network Institute. “Partnerships like this allow TSNI to offer the highest level of training and mentorship while building capacity for Indigenous people within the screen sector. Although our mission at TSNI is to foster the careers of Indigenous women who are the least represented across the sector and experience the most disproportionate outcomes, this course, which will be offered on our @Learnatshine platform, is open to all Indigenous professionals working within Canada’s film, television and digital media space.” 

This initiative is the third partnership Paramount+ in Canada has announced that reinforces its long-standing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Earlier this fall, the company announced a collaboration with the Black Screen Office for the Black Creators Festival Initiative; a joint venture with BIPOC TV & Film, and the National Screen Institute Partner for the new ELEVATE program; and now TSNI’s Budget Online Intensive.

These programs are intricately connected to the mission of Paramount Global’s Content for Change initiative, which seeks to counteract narratives that enable bias, stereotypes and hate using the power of our content, the creative supply chain that powers it, and the culture that underpins everything we do.

#FIRSTLOOK: LUCKY TORONTO LYFT CUSTOMERS TO RECEIVE DUTTON RANCH RAM PICKUPS

For one day only on Friday, November 18, 2022, Prime Video Channels, in collaboration with Lyft, RAM and Paramount+, are offering premium Lyft rides across Toronto to celebrate the new season of Yellowstone, now available to stream on Paramount+, part of Prime Video channels. Three Dutton Ranch RAM pickup trucks will be released across Toronto surprising Lyft users who use the rideshare service on Friday, November 18^th, picking up lucky passengers at random all morning long.  Fans and rideshare customers alike will get to experience riding in an exact replica of the Dutton Ranch RAM pickup truck that transports them to Montana’s western landscape and receive a free 7-day trial of Paramount+.

Prime Video Channels is a Prime benefit that lets members subscribe to their favourite TV and movie channels through Prime Video – including Paramount+, STARZ, hayu, and STACKTV. Yellowstone S5 (along with all previous seasons)are now available to stream Paramount+. Via Prime Video Channels.