Sidney M. Cohen
Encyclopedia
Sidney M. Cohen is a Canadian
television director
specializing in live multi-camera productions requiring minimal editing and is also a TV program creator.
He was born in Montreal
, Quebec
and began his career with CFCF-TV
and later CBC Television
. In 1967 he was on the administrative staff of Expo 67
(the world's fair) in Montreal; associated with the TV division and worked with notable TV shows including Ed Sullivan.
He relocated to Toronto at the conclusion of Expo '67 to join Screen Gems Productions with TV game show pioneers Dan Enright
and Jack Barry. This association began his quiz and game show career.
He spent 3 seasons in Ottawa producing and directing numerous series with the CTV affiliate (CJOH-TV
, before returning to Montreal for 8 years where he produced and directed for the CTV affiliate CFCF.
In 1972 his first game show for CTV
was Puppet People
, a series for children featuring live action and puppets interacting. He produced and directed The Art of Cooking in 1974, the first of 9 cooking series he's directed.
In 1976, he started his independent production company Super People Productions which has created many successful TV series including the hit game show The Mad Dash
which was revived in 2001 in Europe. In 1979-1980, he directed Say Powww, a local adaptation of the TV POWWW
franchise in Los Angeles
, hosted by Jack Clark
.
He returned to Toronto in 1981 to begin production of Thrill of a Lifetime
, one of TV's original reality series, telecast internationally and revived in 2002.
Through the 1980s and 90s, he produced and directed 21 different series including Midday
for CBC Television
, Test Pattern
for MuchMusic
, TimeChase
a history quiz series, and Just Like Mom
.
He directed the daytime Canadian coverage of the 1992 Summer Olympics
from Barcelona
. He was also executive producer and director of Canada AM
, CTV's TV morning news program.
Another pet project included Porthole TV
, a show dedicated to cruise ship
s, for international syndication. Sidney hosted many of the episodes. A new series is in development.
In 2007 he directed his second season of the quiz series for the TVtropolis
Network, Inside the Box
. In 2008, he directed his fifth season of Cooking with the Wolfman
for APTN TV and directed @issue, a current affairs series.
In 2009 he produced and directed his 8th and final season of Reach for the Top
(Ontario), for TVOntario
as well as the Canadian national final of the academic competition. He also directs lifestyle programming and some episodes of The Agenda with Steve Paikin. In 2010, he produced and directed the debut season of Who'd You Rather? for Canada's menTV channel (now The Cave) and has just completed season six of Cooking with the Wolfman for APTN TV. His latest 2011 project as producer is Accessibility in Action, a lifestyle/magazine series featuring inspiring stories for The Accessibility Channel (TACtv).
Sidney is married to Susan M. Cohen, a Toronto based artist. They have 2 children, Jay R. Cohen, a TV announcer and art auctioneer and Tracy Cohen
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
television director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
specializing in live multi-camera productions requiring minimal editing and is also a TV program creator.
He was born in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and began his career with CFCF-TV
CFCF-TV
CFCF-DT is a CTV-owned and operated station located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
and later CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
. In 1967 he was on the administrative staff of Expo 67
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
(the world's fair) in Montreal; associated with the TV division and worked with notable TV shows including Ed Sullivan.
He relocated to Toronto at the conclusion of Expo '67 to join Screen Gems Productions with TV game show pioneers Dan Enright
Dan Enright
Daniel "Dan" Enright was one of the most successful game show producers in American television. Enright worked with Jack Barry from the 1940s until Barry's death in 1984. They were partners in creating programs for radio and television...
and Jack Barry. This association began his quiz and game show career.
He spent 3 seasons in Ottawa producing and directing numerous series with the CTV affiliate (CJOH-TV
CJOH-TV
CJOH-DT is a television station serving Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and the surrounding region. Owned by Bell Media, it is part of the CTV Television Network....
, before returning to Montreal for 8 years where he produced and directed for the CTV affiliate CFCF.
In 1972 his first game show for CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
was Puppet People
Puppet People
Puppet People was a TV series produced from 1973-1975 at CFCF-TV Montreal and telecast on most CTV affiliates throughout Canada. It was hosted by ventriloquist Jerry Layne who worked with his "friends" Lester and Herbie, puppets created for the show....
, a series for children featuring live action and puppets interacting. He produced and directed The Art of Cooking in 1974, the first of 9 cooking series he's directed.
In 1976, he started his independent production company Super People Productions which has created many successful TV series including the hit game show The Mad Dash
The Mad Dash
The Mad Dash is a television game show created by Sidney M. Cohen. It first appeared in 1978 on Canada's CTV network and proved to be a family favourite based on Canada's BBM ratings. It was also popular in parts of the northern United States because CTV affiliates were available to Americans ...
which was revived in 2001 in Europe. In 1979-1980, he directed Say Powww, a local adaptation of the TV POWWW
TV POWWW
TV POWWW was a franchised television game show format, in which home viewers controlled a video game via telephone in hopes of winning prizes.-History:...
franchise in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, hosted by Jack Clark
Jack Clark (television)
Jack Clark was an American television game show host and announcer. He is best known for hosting The Cross-Wits, and as an offstage announcer for Wheel of Fortune...
.
He returned to Toronto in 1981 to begin production of Thrill of a Lifetime
Thrill of a Lifetime
Thrill of a Lifetime was a television reality series created by Sidney M. Cohen and Willie Stein. It was telecast from 1981 to 1988 in Canada on the CTV network. Thrill of a Lifetime gave viewers the chance to live their dreams, with thrills ranging from daredevil adventures to the romantic...
, one of TV's original reality series, telecast internationally and revived in 2002.
Through the 1980s and 90s, he produced and directed 21 different series including Midday
Midday (TV series)
Midday can refer to:*Midday *Midday *Midday...
for CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
, Test Pattern
Test Pattern
Test Pattern may refer to:* Test Pattern , a Canadian game show* Test Pattern , an album by Sonia Dada* Test pattern or test card, a television test signal...
for MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
, TimeChase
TimeChase
TimeChase was a history-based quiz show series created by Sidney M. Cohen and Jay R. Cohen originally telecast on Canada's History Television channel....
a history quiz series, and Just Like Mom
Just Like Mom
Just Like Mom was a Canadian television game show which ran from 1980 to 1985 on CTV. A total of 595 episodes were taped at CFTO-TV in Toronto, Ontario. It was hosted by Steven Young during the show's first season, but from the second season it was hosted by the husband-and-wife duo of Fergie Olver...
.
He directed the daytime Canadian coverage of the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
from Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. He was also executive producer and director of Canada AM
Canada AM
Canada AM is a Canadian breakfast television news show, which has aired on the CTV Television Network since 1972. It is currently hosted by Beverly Thomson and Seamus O'Regan, with Marci Ien reporting from the headline news desk and Jeff Hutcheson presenting the weather forecast and sports...
, CTV's TV morning news program.
Another pet project included Porthole TV
Porthole TV
Porthole TV is a travel television series based on Porthole Cruise Magazine, which is available in 40 countries and distributed by Warner Publisher Services....
, a show dedicated to cruise ship
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
s, for international syndication. Sidney hosted many of the episodes. A new series is in development.
In 2007 he directed his second season of the quiz series for the TVtropolis
TVtropolis
TVtropolis is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Shaw Media and Rogers Media.The channel operates two time shifted feeds: East and West .-Programming:...
Network, Inside the Box
Inside the Box
Inside the Box is a Canadian game show which debuted in 2006 on the cable network TVtropolis, and was syndicated in the United States by Program Partners in the 2008 television season...
. In 2008, he directed his fifth season of Cooking with the Wolfman
Cooking With the Wolfman
Cooking With the Wolfman is a cooking series first produced for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, an aboriginal television network in Canada....
for APTN TV and directed @issue, a current affairs series.
In 2009 he produced and directed his 8th and final season of Reach for the Top
Reach for the Top
Reach for the Top is a Canadian game show in which teams of high school students participate in local, provincial and eventually national trivia tournaments...
(Ontario), for TVOntario
TVOntario
TVOntario, often referred to only as TVO , is a publicly funded, educational English-language television station and media organization in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario...
as well as the Canadian national final of the academic competition. He also directs lifestyle programming and some episodes of The Agenda with Steve Paikin. In 2010, he produced and directed the debut season of Who'd You Rather? for Canada's menTV channel (now The Cave) and has just completed season six of Cooking with the Wolfman for APTN TV. His latest 2011 project as producer is Accessibility in Action, a lifestyle/magazine series featuring inspiring stories for The Accessibility Channel (TACtv).
Sidney is married to Susan M. Cohen, a Toronto based artist. They have 2 children, Jay R. Cohen, a TV announcer and art auctioneer and Tracy Cohen
Tracy Cohen
Not to be confused with Treyc CohenTracy Cohen is a Canadian television producer. She has worked on numerous series including Kenny vs...
.