Chris McDonald is executive director of Hot Docs

1. I was arrested by the Ontario Provincial Police at my first full-time job in 1989. (I was working for an environmental organization, and we were obstructing a logging road to protect an old-growth forest in beautiful Temagami.) Handcuffs, paddy wagon, fingerprints and a $500 fine for ‘mischief.’ Good times.

2. When I appeared for my job interview at the fancy Canadian Film Centre in 1993, I was mistakenly left alone in the boardroom. I was pacing around (nervously) and noticed the list of ‘confidential’ questions for the candidates on the table. It was one of my better interviews, and my big show-biz break.

3. I was the first full-time employee at Hot Docs in 1998 when I left the Film Centre’s ‘swimming pools and movie stars’ for a musty office on Adelaide Street. It was the best move of my career, thus far.

P.S. Of course I peeked at the questions.