Red River College embraces new Winnipeg-based web series
Red River College is known for its cutting edge curriculum, state-of-the-art equipment and industry-ready grads driving Manitoba’s economy. So it makes sense the school was an early supporter of WindCity, a brand-new Winnipeg-based web series.
“Red River has shown itself to be really innovative and forward thinking,” says Jean du Toit, the show’s production manager and an RRC grad. “It’s taken over old buildings, it’s renovated, it’s made itself felt as a presence in the downtown. The fact that it was an early supporter of WindCity is just another example of that forward-thinking mentality of the College.”
WindCity is the first locally produced digital sitcom to be situated in Winnipeg. It’s branded content, meaning local businesses and organizations pay to have their products or services featured in the plot. (Think product placement on steroids.)
The College is involved in the project in a few ways. For starters, three RRC grads play prominent roles in the series: There’s production manager du Toit, as well as Ali Tataryn (shown above) and Karl Thordarson (at right), both of whom have prominent roles in front of the camera.
Tataryn plays Morgan, a financial advisor with RBC, and Thordarson plays Duke, the show’s de facto villain. Tataryn, who runs Frame Arts Warehouse when she isn’t acting, graduated from RRC’s Applied Counselling program in 2006.
Thordarson graduated from the Greenspace Management program in 2008, and now works as a Technician for the City of Winnipeg’s Parks and Open Space Division. Du Toit, who works for Frank Digital, the production company that produces WindCity, completed the part-time Professional Photography program in 2011.
Another way RRC is involved is through its sponsorship of the web series, which in its first season follows Dylan, a man embarking on a mission to reclaim his business and the love of his life. The sponsorship led to one of the show’s supporting characters, Sam Fortier, being written as an RRC student. Read More →