The N Hits the Slopes This Winter as New One-Hour Drama Whistler Slides Into Production in Vancouver, BC

The N's First Original Hour-Long Dramatic Thriller Will Premiere Fall 2006

NEW YORK, Nov. 30 -- Snow, scandal, and mystery set in one of the world's most glittering winter playgrounds is the backdrop for Whistler, The N's first ever hour-long dramatic thriller. The N, the nighttime network for teens, announced today they have teamed up with co-producers Toronto-based Blueprint Entertainment and Vancouver-based Boardwatch Productions, in association with Canadian broadcaster CTV, on a new, 13-part dramatic series set to air on The N in Fall, 2006. Production on Whistler continues in and around Vancouver through April, 2006.

Whistler takes viewers behind the tourist friendly facade of Whistler and into the lives of the locals who know all about what happens in the village that never sleeps. They are the ones who can answer the question, "What secrets lie beneath the snow?"

Scripted with wit and style, Whistler tells the story of the seemingly perfect world-class mountain resort that is the Mecca to elite athletes from all over the world. But when local snowboarding legend Beck MacKaye (David Paetkau) returns home from the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics with a gold medal, only to be later found dead on the slopes, it sends shockwaves throughout the community. Beck's mysterious accident forever changes the lives of the friends and family that knew and loved him -- all of whom have their stories to tell -- and their secrets to keep.

Whistler features an exciting, multigenerational ensemble cast that boasts Canada's newest break-out stars -- such as David Paetkau (CSI: Miami, Final Destination 2, LAX) as the doomed Olympic Gold Medalist Beck Mackaye -- along with established veterans such as Nicholas Lea (X-Files, CSI, Chaos ) as Beck's father and manager Ethan McKaye.

Additional rising stars in the Whistler cast include Jesse Moss (The Outer Limits, Final Destination 3) as Quinn, Beck's shy, introspective brother; Amanda Crew (Smallville, Life As We Know It, John Tucker Must Die) as Beck's beautiful girlfriend Carrie Miller; Brendan Penny (The L Word) as A.J. Varland, the local bad boy, thrill-seeker and sometimes-friend to Quinn; Haley Beauchamp (Smallville) as Feeney, Quinn's best friend; Holly Dignard (The L Word, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate SG-1) as Nicole Miller, Carrie's older sister and surrogate mom; and Adam J. Harrington (Show Me Yours, The Dead Zone) as Quinn's uncle Ryan.

Established veteran Ingrid Kavelaars (Dreamcatcher, Final Run) is Quinn's beautiful mom Jen while Chris Shyer (Monk, Traffic) rounds out the talented cast as the powerful Adrien Varland, owner of the Varland Resort Complex.

"Teens will love Whistler's unique blend of drama and mystery," said Tom Ascheim, Executive Vice President, General Manager, The N. "We are excited that Kelly Senecal has created an engaging series to introduce The N's audience to this genre -- a thriller that is an intriguing window into the world and characters behind the glitter of Whistler."

"For years I've wanted to write a drama with a dark side -- a show that was part mystery, part family drama and part night-time soap," said Executive Producer and series creator Kelly Senecal. "Whistler is such a fascinating place. You've got this tourist-friendly facade and pristine mountain environment, yet when the sun goes down there lurks a dark underbelly to resort-town society."

"We are thrilled to be working with The N on their first one-hour drama," said Noreen Halpern, Blueprint Entertainment. "Whistler promises to be a smart, sexy, sophisticated series that delivers great characters in a beautiful setting with a fabulous mystery that will keep the audience guessing."

"The scope and ambition of Whistler is a thrilling challenge that we are all up for," said Janet York, executive producer for Boardwatch Productions. "We have a spectacular cast and riveting stories to tell against one of the most beautiful backdrops on the planet."

Whistler was created by Executive Producer and Show Runner Kelly Senecal (National Lampoon's Going the Distance, Just Deal), who also wrote the first two episodes. He is joined on the creative front by the Writer/Executive Producer team of Tony Blake and Paul Jackson (She Spies, Charmed, The Pretender) as well as Writer/Co-Producers Russ Cochrane (Last Exit, The N's Radio Free Roscoe, MTV's Undressed) and Alison Bingeman (CSI-Miami, FX: The Series).

Blueprint Entertainment and Boardwatch Productions are the production entities for Whistler with Noreen Halpern and John Moraynis from Blueprint and Sam Feldman and Janet York from Boardwatch acting as Executive Producers for their respective companies.

The N, the nighttime network for teens, is a programming arm of MTV Networks and is currently available in 45 million households via cable, digital cable and satellite television. The N's mission is to be the authentic voice for teens and help them figure out their lives with relevant, topical programming on-air and online at the network's web site http://www.the-n.com. The N airs everyday from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. (ET). The N and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

CTV, Canada's largest private broadcaster, offers a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming. It boasts the number-one national newscast, CTV News With Lloyd Robertson, and is the number-one choice for prime-time viewing. CTV owns 21 conventional television stations across Canada and has interests in 14 specialty channels, including the number-one Canadian specialty channel, TSN. CTV is owned by Bell Globemedia, Canada's premier multi-media company. More information about CTV may be found on the company Web site at HYPERLINK "http://www.ctv.ca/" http://www.ctv.ca.

SOURCE The N
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