Who’s Hot

Vancouver’s production industry now brings an estimated $400 million into the province annually. By August, the number of productions shot in Vancouver had already exceeded last year’s total. It’s an industry that has developed immense talent in the ranks as a result of the staggering amount of production it services from south of the border.

At the same time, Vancouver’s indigenous industry has been maturing and in the process is creating its own stars. The two camps used to operate in isolation; lately, however, they’ve finally started to mix and evolve into a thriving production community.

It’s been five years since we took a look at some of the local heroes working behind the scenes in Vancouver’s growing production community – who they are and why they’re hot. Some names have held their place, others naturally have been replaced by newcomers.

Playback polled 25 insiders from a broad cross-section of the industry to compile this list by consensus of Vancouver’s hot properties. Here’s what they had to say:

Agents

Elizabeth Hodgson

(Hodgson & Company Artist Management)

‘While most other agents in town only seem interested in getting double rates for their day players, Elizabeth works hard for her clients, she digs deep and thinks about star-making. She takes her clients down to l.a., introduces them to the networks, and gets them pilots.’

Leonard Bonnell

(The Characters)

‘He has great clients and stays on top of things. He really goes to bat for them, but he has good balance between looking out for the best interests of his clients and having a realistic understanding of the producer’s needs.’

‘He tries to get all his clients the best possible role – he doesn’t sell them out on one-liners. He’s also very sympathetic to local producers who are trying to work with no money.’

Janet York

(Composers rep, S.L. Feldman & Associates)

‘She’s extremely aggressive, thoroughly professional and seems to really understand how this business works.’

Animators

Marv Newland

(International Rocketship)

Newland is currently animating a tv special for cartoonist Gary Larson of The Far Side fame.)

Danny Antonucci

(AKA Cartoon)

Formerly with International Rocketship, Antonucci is now on his own writing and directing The Brothers Grunt, an animated series intercut with music videos, for mtv.

Dick Zondag

A native of Vancouver, Zondag has spent the last decade in l.a. working with Irish animation wiz Don Bluth and Steven Spielberg. He served as animation director on The Land Before Time and An American Tail and is now working three weeks a month in London, Eng. for Universal and one week a month in Vancouver on abc’s hot new computer-animated series Reboot, coproduced by Universal and Toronto-based Alliance Communications.

Casting

directors

Stuart Aikins

‘What can I say, he’s fabulous! He’s extremely knowledgeable about talent from across the country, knows how to spot, and can cut to the chase real fast.’

Michelle Allen

‘She knows talent and knows how to get a performance out of them during the audition. Having some theater background, she also knows how to take the time with talent and give great feedback.’

Sid Kozak

‘Works real hard to find fresh faces that haven’t been seen before.’

Caterers

Jane Mundy

(Reel Appetites)

‘Works her tail off. She keeps on top of her staff and consistently produces a great product.’

‘M.E.’ McKnight

(Focus On Food)

‘The best chef in town, almost impossible to get her.’

Composers

Graeme Coleman

One of the original founders of the jazz fusion band Skywalk, Coleman recently completed musical scores for the last three Keystone Entertainment films.

‘He’s innovative, has a very broad musical vocabulary, and his music is definitely accessible.’

Terry Frewer

‘Has a tremendous ability to digest a vast array of information and blend it together with his own ideas that can satisfy everyone. He’s also very reliable – not that any musician wants to be described that way.’

Simon Kendall

(Cadillac Girls, The Horseman, Trial at Fortitude Bay)

‘He’s always a surprise. You never know what you’re going to get from him but it’s always great.’

Peter Allen

A Winnipeg native with a Master’s degree from ucla, Allen has scored such films as Crackerjack, Heaven’s Tears and Cyborg II.

‘A bundle of energy, phenomenally creative, ideas appear to come out of nowhere.’

Construction co-ordinators

Paul Wilson

Wilson made his name by virtually rebuilding the town of Nelson, b.c. for Roxanne. He’s currently creating otherworldly sets on The Odyssey.

‘You can never faze him with your demands. You can give him an enormous job, he’ll organize his team and get it done on time. He also comes up with marvelous twists.’

Doug Hardwick

‘He’s organized, computer literate, quick and knows how to get the job done with style.’

Directors

Brad Turner

Turner is a five-time Gemini nominee, a repeat ‘hot shot,’ and the most consistent selection of anyone in this survey.

‘He has a great eye and a dry sense of humor which he can bring to the screen.’

‘I think he gives the most bang for your buck on the tv screen of any local director. Great rapport with the cast and crew, strong dramatic sense.’

‘Very talented, dedicated and works like a dog.’

Mina Shum

(Me, Mom and Mona, Double Happiness)

Shum’s first feature film directorial debut, Double Happiness, is considered the hidden gem of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and the hot ticket for Vancouver’s upcoming festival. Shum is well positioned to make the big break.

DOPs

John Bartley

‘He’s unique in that he doesn’t have a `look,’ he’s very versatile. He delivers what the script and the director require no matter what it is. Having come from a lighting background rather than camera, he’s more European in his approach.’

Tobias Schliessler

‘Incredible eye, very efficient, always gets your day. Great with talent and has a great `look.’ With his talent, he should move up into directing real soon.’

Ron Orieux

‘A real pro. Knows what he’s doing and is game to try anything or go anywhere to get the shot.’

Peter Wunstorf

After attracting attention for his work in John Pozer’s The Grocer’s Wife, he’s proving he’s not just a one-shot wonder with his most recent work on the Mina Shum film Double Happiness.

Dave Geddes

‘He has an incredible talent, a great feel for the material and a desire to make the picture great. His films always exceed expectations, even when those expectations are mighty high.’

Drivers

Some people laughed when we asked for a hot driver (more than a few people mentioned Fred Moroz, the driver who recently got popped at the border for allegedly bringing in illegal pharmaceuticals, but I think they had a more literal take on the word ‘hot’ than we intended).

Scott Irvine

Irvine got the most legit votes as Mr. Popularity with producers. He just finished doing Roland Joffe’s The Scarlet Letter and has now moved over to the tv series Outer Limits.

‘Just one of the nicest, smoothest guys around. And he’s no donut-popping dummy either; he’s a major owner of the Teamsters’ multimillion-dollar equipment company.’

Editors

Lara Mazur

(Curse of the Viking Grave, The Diviners)

‘Lara brings a maturity to the cutting process. She can actually give the director insight, and she always has a way out of every problem.

Alan Lee

(Glenorky)

‘Very much in demand. He’s young, innovative and extremely knowledgeable about all the cutting-edge technologies.’

Rick Martin

(Northwood, Madison tv series)

‘He works fast, doesn’t need a lot of explanation, and gets it right the first time.’

Entertainment lawyers

Ken Dangerfield

(Boughton Peterson Yang Anderson)

‘Gets the job done – no bells, no whistles, no ego trip.’

Location managers

Louisa Gradnitzer

(X-Files)

‘She’s an innovator, she has an incredible creative talent. A lot of people don’t realize what a creative job this can be. She looks at what the story requires, not just what the script asks for, and as a result, always comes up with better ideas.’

‘A strong sense of aesthetics, she goes out of her way to find interesting new locations.’

Rob McLaren

‘Has a real affinity with people in the neighborhoods. When he was doing locations for The Substitute and they were filming until 4 a.m. on the west side of Vancouver, the production company still got thank-you notes for McLaren – most unusual, let me tell you.’

Reno Pace

Producers Kathleen Kennedy, Marty Katz and director John Badham all repeatedly request him.

‘Charm, charisma, respect and a dry wit that comes through hell. This man is pure joy to work with.’

‘He thinks on his feet and follows through. He can get in places or back into places nobody else can.’

Makeup

Victoria Downs

As head of the department at IATSE Local 891, Downs is one of its most sought-after members.

‘She knows her craft inside out and stays up on new trends. Actresses like Farrah Fawcett, Kirstie Alley and Isabella Rossellini trust her implicitly.’

Patricia Murray-Morgan

‘She’s exceptionally clever at using makeup to push the character. There’s a very imaginative quality to her work – always on the edge.’

Todd McIntosh

McIntosh did all the special effects prosthetics makeup on Mr. Saturday Night, City Slickers and Clan of the Cave Bear.

PM/Producers

Justis Greene, Warren Carr, Grace Gilroy, Fitch Cady, Bob Gray

With b.c.’s long history of service work, this category has always been rock-solid. Naturally industry veterans like Justis Greene, Warren Carr, Grace Gilroy, Fitch Cady and Bob Gray are always in demand. But with the number of productions in town this year, several others are finally getting deserved breaks to make names for themselves.

Brent O’Connor

O’Connor is making a rapid ascent in the pm ranks after putting in several years as business agent for IATSE Local 891.

‘He’s obviously learned a lot, at least TriStar, which just hired him for their mega-budget pic Jumanji, must think so.’

‘He’s a good synthesizer of information and has the cajones to tell producers what to do and why to get the job done properly.’

Ogden Gavanski

Gavanski comes from a strong commercial production background in Czechoslovakia and is now making his way into features on the West Coast.

‘Extremely competent and a joy to work with. Saved our day more than once.’

Fran Rosati

With three shows under his belt for rhi, Universal snapped up Rosati for its Mantis series, considered by many in the industry as the most ambitious tv series ever mounted in Vancouver.

Michelle McLaren

McLaren started out as a pa at Cannell Films and quickly rose through the ranks to become a pm and more recently a producer. Now based out of l.a., McLaren has been responsible for bringing many productions up to shoot in Vancouver.

Patti Allen

Allen left the development department at Pacific Motion Pictures to production manage the Birdland tv series and has worked back-to-back shows ever since.

‘Positively unflappable, she’s been in the business for so long you can’t faze her. Always a professional.’

Colleen Nystedt

Nystedt has her own production company, New City Productions, to develop her own projects. However, recent changes in tax incentives and the financing game have forced Nystedt back into the service business to pay the bills.

‘Sometimes confrontational without even tryingÉbut she definitely knows how to get the job done.’

Production companies

Keystone Entertainment (‘The Vince Kids,’ Robert, Bill and Lynn)

‘The company everyone loves to hate, but the truth is they’re pumping out movies and makin’ money, and in Vancouver, that’s a rare combination.’

Forefront Productions (Helena Cynamon, Gillian Lindsay, Mickey Rogers, Teri Woods McArter)

‘Those four women – now they’ve got chutzpah and enthusiasm in overdrive. That’s exciting and so damn refreshing. With the teen dramatic tv series Madison under their belts and more productions in development, look out for these gals.’

Pacific Motion Pictures (Tony Allard, Matthew O’Connor, Tom Rowe)

‘With Mr. Moneybags Tony Allard recently joining the company as ceo, maybe now they can get down to business on developing their own projects instead of just servicing others.’

(Editor’s note: pmp has just completed production on one of its own projects, Glenorky.)

Production designers

John Willet, Michael Bolton

Again, there is so much depth in this department in Vancouver it’s hard to believe some American productions still bother to bring their own people up here.

John Willet (Mississippi Burning, The Firm) and Michael Bolton (White Fang, Hideaway, Gold Diggers) are still big names, but up-and-comers to add to the list include:

Ian Thomas

French director Jean-Jacques Annaud raved about Thomas after using him on his latest big-budget imax pic, Wings Of Courage.

‘He is one of the few that can deliver an overall design for a picture with texture, color and mood that blends with the costumes and set and creates a total look for the picture.’

Clyde Klotz

(Glenorky, Dangerous Pursuit)

‘He has a great visual sense and comes from a no-budget background so he’s used to achieving big results with very little resources.’

Doug Higgins

‘A true artist who communicates well with everyone on the set and understands how the camera will work with his designs.’

Graeme Murray

Murray is currently working on the X-Files tv series.

‘Can really pump out the dollar value on screen.’

Publicists

Brigitte Prochaska

Even though she’s on maternity leave, Brigitte Prochaska is always the first choice when studios call. Publicists take note: the consensus from the industry is that this department is still weak in Vancouver.

Special effects

Following the death earlier this year of John Thomas, long considered the West Coast’s leader in special effects, no clear contender has risen to succeed him. However, the legacy he left for all to follow was his unwavering commitment to excellence and safety.

Mike Vezina

Vezina, who has a background in physics and engineering, is famous for developing the ‘swivel car’ used in Intersection and Hideaway. He also created the effects for the major battle scenes in Legends of the Fall.

‘He’s an all-round good effects specialist. He’s very innovative, and at the same time, very budget-conscious.’

Bill Orr

Orr was the mechanical effects specialist on Little Women, White Fang and Outer Limits.

‘Orr has a unique ability to be able to both visualize and research an effect as well as deliver it, and in the time frames available. One of the best I’ve ever worked with.’

Stills photographers

Doug Curran

‘A true artist and technically superb. Stays on top of everything and understands what the studios need. He doesn’t waste frames and doesn’t get in the way.’

Doane Gregory

‘I don’t even blink when I work with him, I know everything will be just great.’

Stunts

Betty Thomas

‘Like her late husband (John Thomas), Betty has an unflinching commitment to excellence and an `icy calm.’ Her competence makes everyone feel comfortable, everything’s always under control.’

‘She’s extremely versatile, there’s not much she can’t do. She’s completely safety-oriented and she’ll tell you no if it won’t work.’

Writers

Rick Drew

After going through growing pains and several story editors during its start-up season, syndicated tv series Lonesome Dove has settled Drew in as senior story editor.

‘A good, solid storyteller.’

Chris Haddock

Creator and producer of the tv series Mom P.I., Haddock is currently developing a new kids’ tv series, Underground, with Richard Davis for Atlantis Films.

‘He has a strong commercial style that is very palpable to the American network buyer. Good sense of character, story structure and dialogue. He doesn’t hang around belaboring psychological angst.’

Hart Hanson

(Cowriter of Trust In Me, story editor on North of 60)

‘He has a real way with story structure. He can take a rough idea and turn it into a wonderful script, and do it quickly. He’s one of the few Vancouver writers who really understands tv format and structure.’

Brad Wright

Previously senior story editor on Neon Rider, Wright has written episodes for Forever Knight, The Odyssey and Outer Limits.

‘He has a great sense of story and a wild imagination and can really get inside a show, which is essential in writing for episodic tv.’