Film Production
Toronto Film School’s Andrew Barnsley Scores Four Emmy Nods with Schitt’s Creek Team
When Andrew Barnsley woke up on July 16, he wasn’t planning on spending much time thinking about the 2019 Emmy Award nominations being announced that morning.
But then something Toronto Film School’s Executive Producer in Residence characterized as “historic” happened – Schitt’s Creek brought home a record four Emmy nods.
“When people are talking about nominations, you don’t think it matters, you don’t think you’re going to react at all,” said Barnsley, who’s acted as an executive producer for all six of the CBC/Netflix hit’s seasons.
“But when you get the news you’ve been nominated, you kind of realize, this is important, this is meaningful, this is significant – not just for me or for the show, but for the Canadian industry, for Canadian comedy. It actually means a lot.”
While Schitt’s Creek was first introduced to Canadian audiences on the CBC in 2015, it wasn’t until Netflix picked it up that it reached cult-like status in the U.S.
In fact, the show’s four 2019 Emmy nominations – which include nods in the categories of Outstanding Comedy Series; Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Eugene Levy (for his role as Johnny Rose), Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Catherine O’Hara (for her role as Moira Rose), and Outstanding Contemporary Costumes for Debra Hanson and Darci Cheyne – mark its first in Schitt’s Creek’s six seasons.
And that, Barnsley said, is a momentous feat worth celebrating.
“I can’t recall any Canadian comedy series getting four Emmy nominations before,” he said. “It feels historic.”
