TORONTO – Canadian pubcaster CBC has chosen former MTV Canada production head Mark McInnis and Chris Irwin to mastermind its 2014 Olympic Winter Games coverage.
McInnis comes over to the CBC from rival broadcaster Bell Media, where he was vp of production for the Much/MTV group of cable channels.
Along with Irwin, a CBC veteran, McInnis will will executive produce the marquee Olympics from Sochi, Russia.
As the pubcaster looks to produce Olympics-related entertainment far ahead of the Sochi Games, McInnis will produce live event programming for the CBC’s TV network to get Canadians ready for the 2014 Oympics.
His credits at Much/MTV included the MTV Live series and Over the Bolts, a year-long documentary series that followed the Canadian snowboarding team as they prepared for the 2010 Vancouver/Whistler Games.
Irwin, who helped stickhandle the CBC’s Olympic coverage between 1996 and 2008, will oversee live programming during the Sochi Games.
“Mark brings a wealth of experience and expertise, and with his background in entertainment programming, we’re sure he’ll bring an added value to our sports broadcasts that Canadians will love,” Julie Bristow, executive director of studio and unscripted programming at the CBC, said Tuesday.
“Chris is simply the best at what he does, and he’s proven that several times over in his time with the CBC,” she added of Irwin, who is most recently executive producer of sports content at the pubcaster.
