Co-creator of big-budget comedy series set in Nunavut 'wouldn't do this with anybody else'

Stacey Aglok MacDonald says she feels pretty lucky to be able to work with Alethea Arnaquq-Baril to create a new Arctic comedy series that has been commissioned by Netlifx, CBC and APTN.

It doesn't have a name yet, but the big-budget series will be set in a fictional Nunavut community and written by the two Inuit filmmakers. The two co-own Red Marrow, a production company.

"I wouldn't do this with anybody else," says Aglok MacDonald, laughing in the interview with CBC News.

Arnaquq-Baril adds she wouldn't have done it if Aglok MacDonald hadn't made her.

"I've been having so much fun laughing all day," says Arnaquq-Baril. "It's such a beautiful experience, and sometimes it feels like we have one brain now between us."

The show follows a young Inuk mother trying to build a new future for herself in a small Arctic town where everyone knows each other, say the two women. It's completely fictional, but Aglok MacDonald says it is "rooted in real life experiences" and thinks it will be relatable for many people around the world.

The show will be 10 episodes long, and is currently still being written, they said. That means that exact filming locations haven't been determined, but it will be in Nunavut.

A studio will be built in Iqaluit to film the show — which the two said is important for authenticity, training, and the economic development benefits. 

It's not yet clear how many jobs may come from the production. That said, the two told Iqaluit city council last year that it is expected to create hundreds of jobs over a period of six months. At the time, it was said to be the most expensive TV production ever in Nunavut.

"We just couldn't imagine shooting a show that's supposed to be set in Nunavut but shoot it in a studio in Toronto. It just would not have made sense," said Arnaquq-Baril. "We're hoping that this studio will not only allow our show to be made in the North, but be available for other filmmakers to create bigger projects in Iqaluit as well."

Construction of the studio has not yet started, they said, but they are partnering with a northern construction company and are still looking for funders. 

Given the show is still being written, they said the release date is still to be determined. Five Inuit are involved in the writing process.

In a news release Thursday, APTN's director of TV content and special events Adam Garnet Jones called the show "a dream come true" for the company.

"A very short time ago, it would have been impossible to imagine an Indigenous comedy shot in the Arctic, with massive national and international reach," he wrote, adding Nunavut's film industry would "receive a huge boost in a way it never has before."

Aglok MacDonald says they are nervous but excited to be part of such a big production. Arnaquq-Baril hopes it teaches the audience about Inuit while making them laugh. 

The show will come with a global reach, thanks to being on Netflix. The two hope to follow in the path of other CBC comedies like Schitt's Creek and Kim's Convenience.

"Those are fantastic shows and we definitely hope to be up there with the big ones," Arnaquq-Baril said 

"Time will tell, but that's the hope — the dream," added Aglok MacDonald.