Vinessa Antoine

July 16, 2018 – CBC, Canada’s national public broadcaster, in association with Circle Blue Entertainment and Freddie Films Inc., today announced that Toronto-born actress Vinessa Antoine (Being Erica, Heartland) is set to star in the new CBC original one-hour drama DIGGSTOWN (6x60), created by Floyd Kane (Across the Line).

Set in the gritty arena of legal aid, Antoine will play the title role of Marcie Diggs, a star corporate lawyer who reconsiders her priorities after her beloved aunt commits suicide following a malicious prosecution. Landing at a legal aid office in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Marcie is driven by one thing – to never again allow innocent lives to be destroyed by the justice system.

The team of lawyers that Marcie works with are a curious band of do-gooders, cynics and scrappers - messy souls struggling to keep personal disappointment and demons out of their practice as they work directly in the community to find justice for their diverse clients, exploring issues of racism, poverty and gender bias.

"We’re very fortunate to have Vinessa give life to the tenacious and complex character of Marcie Diggs," said creator, executive producer, and showrunner Floyd Kane.

Antoine most recently starred in various television roles including ‘Jordan Ashford’ in General Hospital, ‘Sarah Willis’ in NCIS, ‘Nicole’ in Heartland, ‘Judith Winter’ in Being Erica, and ‘Evi Ryan’ in Haven. In addition, she has been on stage in several Off-Broadway plays in New York, including the original New York cast of Four. Antoine started studying ballet at the age of 4 with the Royal Academy of Dance in Toronto. After graduating high school she went on to study dance at the acclaimed Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. She is repped by The Characters Talent Agency, Buchwald, and manager, Brinda Bhatt.

A CBC original drama, DIGGSTOWN is co-produced by Circle Blue Entertainment, Freddie Films Inc., and DHX Media. Floyd Kane is creator, executive producer and showrunner, and Amos Adetuyi (Across the Line) is executive producer. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Programming; Helen Asimakis is Senior Director, Scripted Content; and Deborah Nathan is Executive in Charge of Production.

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About CBC/Radio-Canada:
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.

About Circle Blue Entertainment:
Established by award-winning producer Amos Adetuyi in 2011, Circle Blue Entertainment is a television and film production company based in Toronto and Los Angeles that produces content across a range of genres, from drama to non-scripted, for television, theatrical and digital markets in North America, and internationally. Recent productions include: ANGELIQUE’S ISLE (Level Film/CBC), an Indigenous thriller set in the 1800’s; BEAT THE WORLD (Sony Pictures/ Wild Bunch/eOne), the first dance movie to blend hip-hop and parkour; ACROSS THE LINE, starring Stephan James (RACE, SELMA, HOME AGAIN), directed by the renowned music video director, “Director X”; the critically acclaimed comedy film, JEAN OF THE JONESES, which premiered at SXSW and TIFF; and the upcoming dramatic series, DIGGSTOWN (CBC).

About Freddie Films Inc.:
Freddie Films Inc. creates, develops, writes and produces one-hour drama and theatrical feature films.  It was founded in 2010 by lawyer Floyd Kane who has won numerous awards and critical acclaim for his debut feature ACROSS THE LINE, about the destructive nature of racism. He has also served as Production Executive on numerous award-winning projects for both theatrical release and broadcast television and is currently the creator/showrunner of the upcoming dramatic series, DIGGSTOWN, for CBC.

About DHX Media:
DHX Media Ltd. (TSX: DHX; NASDAQ: DHXM) is a leading children’s content and brands company, recognized globally for such high-profile properties as Peanuts, Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, Caillou, Inspector Gadget, and the acclaimed Degrassi franchise. One of the world’s foremost producers of children’s shows, DHX Media owns the world’s largest independent library of children’s content, at 13,000 half-hours. It licenses its content to broadcasters and streaming services worldwide and generates royalties through its global consumer products program. Through its subsidiary, WildBrain, DHX Media operates one of the largest networks of children’s channels on YouTube. Headquartered in Canada, DHX Media has offices worldwide.

For further information, please contact:
Sarah Goddard – publicist, CBC
sarah.goddard@cbc.ca 
416.205.2983