TORONTO — Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) announced Tuesday its new original production Level Playing Field, hosted by Paralympian Greg Westlake, will debut on AMI-tv on September 7.
Consisting of eight half-hour episodes, the series celebrates the power of sports by introducing audiences to the athletes, community groups, healthcare professionals and grassroots innovators across the country who are helping to drive positive change through sport.
The premiere episode features Rob Shaw, a 30-year-old para-athlete from North Bay, Ont., who has been playing tennis competitively from a young age and coaching, including coaching wheelchair tennis. After sustaining a spinal cord injury which resulted in paralysis in all four limbs, Shaw has limited mobility but has not stopped playing the sport he loves.
Other season one episodes focus on Paralympic hopeful Anthony Lue (hand cycling), boxer Debbie Haryett, para triathletes Jon Dunkley and Jessica Tuomela, para judo star Priscilla Gagné, wheelchair rugby Canada team members Shayne Smith and Eric Rodrigues-Furtado, as well as the Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and the Canadian Paralympic Committee.
“We’re thrilled and honoured to share these athletes’ stories and celebrate the groups propelling social change through sport,” said Michelle Dudas, senior producer at AMI-tv, in the news release. “Greg Westlake’s conversations are honest, raw, funny and educational.”
Canadians will know Westlake as a long-time team member of Canada’s para ice hockey team. As captain, Westlake helped Canada win the silver medal at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games. At the World Para Ice Hockey Championships in Gangneung, South Korea, in April 2017, Westlake helped Canada defeat arch-rivals U.S.A. to win a record fourth world title for the Canadians. That win marked Westlake’s third world championship gold: he was also on teams that won in 2008 and 2013.
In addition to para ice hockey, Westlake has been developing a successful career as a broadcaster — he worked as a reporter for CBC at the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games and the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio.
Westlake had both legs amputated below the knee at the age of 18 months. He began playing para ice hockey with the Mississauga Cruisers in 2001 and made his debut with Team Canada in 2003 at age 17.
Level Playing Field premieres Monday, September 7 at 8:30 p.m. ET on AMI-tv. Episodes can be streamed post-broadcast on AMI.ca or using the AMI-tv App.
The series was developed following the broadcast of two 2019 pilot episodes featuring para ice hockey and para cycling, which can be streamed on demand on AMI.ca and the AMI-tv App.
In keeping with AMI’s mandate of making accessible media for all Canadians, season one of Level Playing Field features integrated described video (IDV) to make it accessible to individuals who are blind or partially sighted.
