Production Has Begun on New Filipino Sketch Comedy Series, ABROAD – Coming to OMNI Television in 2022

– New series produced by Longhope Media Inc., co-created by and starring Filipina comedian Isabel Kanaan, has begun filming and continues through to February 2022 –

TORONTO (November 25, 2021) Longhope Media Inc. and OMNI Television announced today that production has begun on an all-new satirical sketch comedy series ABROAD, in English and Tagalog. Co-created by and starring Filipina comedian Isabel Kanaan (Second Jen, Air Farce NYE, This Hour Has 22 Minutes), the 12-part, 30-minute per episode series is based on Isabel’s experience as an immigrant with her comedic perspective. ABROAD is slated to air in Spring 2022 on OMNI Television. Additional broadcast details to be announced at a later date.

ABROAD challenges misconception about immigrants from all walks of life, be it first or second generation. Emigrating to a new country can be challenging, but ABROAD is here to prove it can also be funny.

“Isabel is one of Canada’s fastest-rising comedy stars with her work garnering a loyal fanbase on social media given her authentic voice. OMNI is proud to be working with Isabel and the talented creative team and cast, to bring this fresh brand of comedy to viewers,” said Nataline Rodrigues, Director of Original programming, Rogers Sports & Media.

Isabel moved to Canada from the Philippines when she was 16 and spent her teenage years learning how to navigate culture shock, language barriers, and – brrrr! – Canadian winters. Isabel co-founded the award-winning Filipina sketch group Tita Collective. She now has more than 187,000 followers and 5.5 million likes on TikTok and is a recipient of the NBC Bob Curry Fellowship and RBC’s Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award.

“We’re thrilled with Rogers Sports & Media’s support in bringing OMNI’s first sketch comedy series to life. While the immigrant experience is unique to each person, the universal feeling of being on the outside resonates with everybody,” said Lucy Stewart, Co-Founder, Longhope Media. “With strong representation in front of and behind the camera, guided by Isabel’s unique POV, we look forward to introducing audiences to the comedic world of ABROAD.”

Starring alongside Isabel Kanaan are Aldrin Bundoc, Joy Castro, Nicco Garcia, Justin Santiago, Carolyn Fe, Jon Blair, Natalie Metcalfe, Sharjil Rasool, Nile Seguin, Christian Smith, and Jillian Welsh.

ABROAD is produced by Longhope Media Inc., in association with OMNI Television, a division of Rogers Sports & Media. ABROAD is co-created and written by Isabel Kanaan, Kevin Wallis and Wayne Testori. Executive producer is Lucy Stewart, with showrunner Kevin Wallis, directors Kara Harun and Carly Heffernan, and writers Byron Abalos, Monica Garrido, Nour Hadidi, Mona Hersi, Josette Jorge Aliya Kanani, and Paloma Nûnez. From Rogers Sports & Media, Nataline Rodrigues is the Director of Original Programming for Citytv and OMNI Television, Hayden Mindell is Vice President of Programming & Acquisition, and Julie Adam is President of News & Entertainment.

About Longhope Media Inc:
Based in Toronto, LONGHOPE MEDIA was co-founded in 2020 by veteran producers Lucy Stewart and Kevin Wallis. With deep roots in the production community, and strong relationships with broadcasters and streamers, Longhope specializes in scripted comedies and documentaries for Canadian and international audiences.

About OMNI Television:
OMNI Television is Canada’s only multilingual and multicultural television broadcaster. Available in 11 million Canadian households, the OMNI brand includes the national TV channel OMNI Regional plus five local television stations. OMNI offers a wide range of locally produced and acquired programming in more than 40 languages, including news, current affairs and entertainment content in Arabic, Cantonese, Filipino, Italian, Mandarin, Portuguese, and Punjabi. OMNI is part of Rogers Sports & Media, which is a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX, NYSE: RCI). Visit OMNITV.ca.

Social Media Links
Isabel Kanaan on TikTok
Isabel Kanaan on Instagram
OMNI Television on Twitter
OMNI Television on Facebook
OMNI Television on WeChat
Rogers Sports & Media PR on Twitter

Media Contacts
Damien Nelson, Unit Publicist, damien@wantandable.ca, 416.693.4425