Producers Gilles LaPlante (left) and Richard Greenhalgh (right) in front of a hybrid generator/bank charger from WFWhites.

Vancouver-based producers Gilles LaPlante and Richard Greenhalgh have been accepted into the Performers Peer Group of the prestigious Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the organization that presents the Emmy Awards. 

The Television Academy is the most prestigious group of professionals in the television industry and consists of 30 Peer Groups, each of which represent specific fields of expertise within the television industry. Television Academy members vote for the Emmy Award winners in their respective field of knowledge and experience. 

“Being accepted as a member into the Television Academy is a true honor and the realization of a lifelong dream,” said Greenhalgh. “It’s a testament to my passion for the industry and my commitment to becoming a successful film producer. I am grateful for this recognition and look forward to contributing to the Academy.”

“Being accepted as a member of the Television Academy is a great honor for me, and it’s a recognition of my years of hard work in the film industry,” said LaPlante.

“As a producer, I have always been passionate about creating content that not only entertains, but also has a positive impact on the world. Climate change and social issues are particularly close to my heart, and I believe that film and television have the power to spark important conversations and drive meaningful change. I am excited to use this new platform to continue pursuing my mission of being the change we wish to see, and to inspire others to do the same.”

The news of the producers’ admittance comes after they became the first producers to introduce electric vehicles onto a film set in North America during the production of ‘Goals for Christmas,’ a TV movie that filmed in Kelowna, British Columbia; the innovation was the result of a collaboration between Whiskey Jack Transport and Technologies, which they recently co-founded together, and Sol Vision Productions, a production company owned by LaPlante since 2001.

After 12 years heading up Reel One Entertainment’s vast production operations, Laplante launched another company, Kabinet Productions, in 2021. During his 12-year tenure as the company’s SVP of production, Laplante oversaw a mammoth production slate of around 30 Canadian-content television movies. In his last year at Reel One, he oversaw production on 27 MOWs in B.C. alone. He was also central to expanding Reel One’s production operations into other markets beyond B.C., including Toronto, L.A., New Mexico and Atlanta.

Richard Greenhalgh was born in Edmonton Alberta in 1980. He won a partial scholarship to VFS in 2001. Immediately after graduation he was working as a locations PA for Paramount Canada and Warner Bros on the television series ‘Supernatural.’ Greenhalgh worked his way through the ranks in DGCBC to become a Production Manager, and producer at Reel One Productions, where he began working with LaPlante.