TAKING IT OFF IV

Program Overview

Taking It Off is back with an East-West twist this season, bumping up its number of pound-shedders from six to 10 participants, with an even Calgary-Halifax split. The fourth season of this award-winning series is rife with clashes between Atkins lovers and nay-sayers, testosterone-laden competitions, there-for-ya relationships, and all the successes—big and small—we’ve come to expect from Taking It Off.

The Calgary contingent includes a vivacious young woman with her eye on a recording career, an opinionated mother of two out to show her husband what she’s made of, a young woman just beginning her broadcasting career, a hotel executive planning her dream wedding, and finally a father and aircraft maintenance professional with the most pounds to lose. The Halifax crew features a larger-than-life father of three trying to stave off a heart attack, a lingerie-lover looking for work, a pair of competitive brothers with a $100 riding on each pound they lose, and a call-center supervisor looking to reconnect with the daughter she gave up for adoption 19 years ago.

Taking It Off won a Gemini Award for Best Lifestyle/General Interest series in its second season (2003) and has received thousands of heartfelt e-mails over the last three years from viewers responding to its stories, proving that the desire to affect change in ourselves strikes a chord in all of us. Taking It Off’s website offers viewers an opportunity to track the participants’ progress, pick up weight loss tips and connect with others who are fighting the good fight. Visit us at www.takingitoffonline.com and join the journey toward a healthier lifestyle.

Taking It Off Team

Executive Producer - Margaret Mardirossian

President of Anaid Productions, Margaret Mardirossian is a graduate of Montreal's McGill University. Margaret began her career in theatre as director and stage manager. She produced and directed her first documentary on internationally renowned puppeteer entitled Ronnie Burkett: A Line of Balance garnering the Canadian Conference for the Arts' Rogers Communications national award for most innovative documentary in 1994.

Margaret went on to produce: 39 episodes of The Tourist, a comedy travel series currently airing on the Travel Channel (Canada, US and UK) and in numerous other countries around the world; 52 episodes of the award winning children's dramatic television series Mentors for Family Channel, 49 episodes of the weight-loss documentary series Taking It Off for Life Network which was awarded a Gemini for Best Lifestyle series in 2003 and the documentary special KEEPING IT OFF?, the follow-up companion to TAKING IT OFF.

Margaret has also directed two episodes of Mentors: the second season finale entitled "Future Tense" featuring Gordon Pinsent and the third season finale entitled "Homesick" as well as co-directing and co-writing the documentary special KEEPING IT OFF?

In addition, Margaret volunteers her time on numerous industry-related committees and has been a guest speaker at a number of industry and business related panels. She has been invited as a guest speaker at the University of Alberta Business School and the Red Deer College film program. She served as member of the Board for the Alberta Economic Development Authority (Finance and Taxation committee) from 1997- 2000 and the Board for the Canadian Independent Film and Television Fund from 1996 - 2001. She is currently on the Board of Governors of the Banff Centre (member of the finance committee) and a member of the Advisory Board for the Alberta Film Commission. She served as president of the Alberta Motion Pictures Industries Association (AMPIA) from 1996-1998 and is presently VP North (chair of the funding committee).

In 2000, Margaret was featured as Global Television's "Woman of Vision".

Creative Director - Connie Edwards

As a producer/director, Connie Edwards counts the documentaries, Listening to Soul Pain and The Lullaby Lady among her credits. She is producer/writer of the documentary Who Is Watching the Children?, co-producer of the 26 part series RIP Great Cemeteries of the World, and producer of The Millionaire s Club, a one-hour documentary that asks if money buys happiness. Connie has directed the past two seasons of Taking It Off.

A passionate champion of the film and television industry, Connie is past president of the Alberta Motion Pictures Industry Association and has served as a juror for numerous provincial and national awards programs. She has also mentored many up-and-coming filmmakers.

Supervising Producer - Erin Berube

A graduate of the NAIT Television Program, Erin began working with Anaid Productions as assistant to the producers in the third season of the award-winning Mentors, and on the first season of the Gemini Award-winning documentary series Taking It Off. She went on to become Associate Producer on the fourth season of Mentors and on the second and third seasons of Taking It Off. She was also Line Producer on four episodes of Exchanging Vows, produced by Breakthrough Films and Television. The fourth season of Taking It Off brings new challenges for Erin in her role as Supervising Producer.

Creative Consultant/Post Production Supervisor/Editor - Sophie Mardirossian

An accomplished producer, editor and photographer, Sophie graduated from SAIT’s Cinema, Television & Radio program, and began her career working at CFRN television writing and producing commercials.

She was Editor of the one-hour documentary Holiday Train, featuring Tom Jackson, as well as the travel series The Tourist. She was Producer/Director of the 13-part series Snow Safari, and produced the 2000 Ampia Awards. Having been with Taking It Off since the beginning, Sophie brings a wealth of experience to its fourth season.

Story Editor/Writer - Helen Metella

Helen Metella's writing credits span all realms of the media. She has been a newspaper reviewer, reporter, columnist, national and front-page editor; a writer/broadcaster for CBC radio; an ad copywriter and DJ in commercial radio; a record company publicist and a film analyst. Since 2001, she’s worked as a freelance writer with bylines in the Globe & Mail, Saturday Night, Elm Street and Alberta Venture. She's written a web-TV film short, a 30-second PSA and dramatic scripts. In 2004, she was a CTV Fellow at the Banff Television Festival and a finalist in the Praxis Film Screenwriting Competition. In addition to being the story editor on the fourth season Taking It Off, she is a co-writer of the one-hour special Keeping It Off?

Writer - Donovan Workun

Donovan Workun has wowed crowds for over 10 years with his fast-paced, high-energy improvisational comedy. As a founding member of The Atomic Improv Co., he has performed countless shows from the Yukon to Mexico, and from Vancouver Island to The Grand Cayman Islands, always delivering his astonishing brand of improv. Atomic Improv has been featured in several CBC television and radio comedy specials, and was twice voted both the best Comedy act and Variety act, of the year by the Canadian Association of Colleges and Universities. Donovan’s talents have made him a crowd-favourite in clubs all across Canada and the U.S., including L.A.’s Laugh Factory, were he has co- featured with Paul Reiser.

Donovan has competed in many national and international improv tournaments winning several awards including three world improv championships and Montreal’s “Just for Laughs” International Improv tournament.

Donovan’s improv skills have translated well to television. He hosted 13 episodes of the hilarious fan-based hockey streeter show “Fan Face-off” for the NHL network, and his weekly CTV Edmonton history segment on the 6 p.m. news is quickly become a viewer favourite. Donovan’s quick wit and wild sense of humour have landed him roles on several video games, television and radio commercials, television movies and feature films. Donovan has just completed his second season on the CBC television animated series “ICE” and also CBC Radio’s “The Irrelevant Show.” He has performed with S.C.T.V alumni Dave Thomas and Joe Flaherty, as well as Colin Mochrie and Wayne Brady of ABC’s “Whose Line is it…” More recently he has worked with Mike Myers and WWE superstar Bill Goldberg.

Calgary Director of Photography - Allan Leader

Allan brings over 15 years of experience as a cinematographer in the television industry. He has worked on a variety of programs including The Amazing Race, Entertainment Tonight, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Dr. Phil. An award winning cinematographer, Allan has been recognized by organizations such as The National Press Photographers Association, Gemini Awards, Western Canadian News Photographers Association, The Can-Pro Television Awards and The Southern Alberta Iris Awards.

In 1994, Allan was recognized as Television Photographer of the Year by the Western Canadian News Photographers Association, and was runner up the following year. In 2002, Allan received a Kodak Spectrum Award at the annual Gemini Awards for Best Photography in an Information or Series. The Discovery Channel project focuses on the artwork left on rocks by nomadic Hopi Indians as they traveled North America.

Allan received a 2003 Gemini award for Best Photography in an Information Special or Series for his work on The Discovery Channel feature “Daily Planet.” Shot in Panama, this program took a hard look at the country’s only legal opium grow operation.

Halifax Director of Photography - Patrick J.C Doyle

Patrick Doyle is an independent videographer based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. A 1991 graduate of Loyalist College, Belleville, ON, he has over 14 years of experience in the film and television industry. As one of Atlantic Canada’s top camera operators, his work has been featured in award-winning shows such as “Made in Canada” and “This Hour Has 22 Minutes”. His body of work includes numerous network and specialty television series such as: Theodore Tugboat, The Inn Chef, Chef at Large, Snakes & Ladders (HDTV), Caribbean Workout.

Personal Trainer - Paul Plakas

With 15 years of personal training behind him, Paul strives to make every workout a memorable experience. He takes every opportunity to educate the public, and has appeared on a number of local news and morning shows to share his knowledge and experience. His regular appearance on ITV, CFRN, Global and Access networks have made him one of Alberta’s best known personal trainers. His program strives to create healthy lifestyles by balancing and integrating nutrition, resistance training, cardiovascular health, proper movement mechanics and participation in sports.

Personal Trainer - Jeff Woods

A former track and field athlete, Jeff Woods has 14 years of experience as a personal trainer. Jeff is involved is promoting fitness, sitting on the Advisory Board of Alberta’s fitness magazine, Impact, and acting as a Fitness Lifestyle Commentator for the Canadian Learning Channel. Jeff has also made appearances on other nationally televised programs such as CBC’s Rough Cuts with Colin MacLean. In his spare time, Jeff can be found on the golf course or pursuing his hobbies of wine, art and photography.

Credits

Taking it Off - Season IV

Taking It Off is produced by Anaïd Productions in association with Life Network Inc. and with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund; CTF: Licence Fee Program, Telefilm; Equity Investment Program, the Alberta Film Development Program of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Government of Canada Canadian Film and Video Production Tax Credit Program, and is produced with the assistance of the Nova Scotia Film Industry Tax Credit.

Executive Producer

Margaret Mardirossian

Creative Director

Connie Edwards

Supervising Producer

Erin Berube

Post Production Supervisor/Editor

Sophie Mardirossian

Editors

Dwain Hicks
Paul Smart

Post Audio Supervisor

Dean McElwain

Supervising Production Coordinator

Candice Tipton

Story Editor

Helen Metella

Writers

Donovan Workun
Helen Metella

Story Consultant

Conni Massing

Calgary Directors

Eppo Eerkes
Peter Swain

Halifax Directors

Scott Simpson
Heather MacCormac

Calgary Director of Photography

Allan Leader

Halifax Director of Photography

Patrick J.C Doyle

Location Sound

Igal Petel - Calgary
Stephen Outhit- Halifax

Trainers

Paul Plakas
Jeff Woods

Trainer Calgary

Jason Josue

Trainer Halifax

Kris Andrews

Publicist

Fran Humphreys

Stills Photography

Dan Callis
Ellie Brewer
Angela Davies

Anaid Productions
www.anaid.com

Life Network
www.lifenetwork.com