Just For Laughs Solo Shows - TV Taping

Comedy and I go way back, even further than the hospitality / crafts industry. I recall as a kid watching old comics like Bob Hope, Abbott & Costello, and Lucille Ball with my mom and of course kids shows including - dare I say it - Fat Albert with Cosby doing the voices. But it was George Carlin who first drew my attention to stand-up, with his record that contained the 10 words you couldn't use on television. Too young to partake, it was invigorating when I did.

How dare someone say these things? But when they were funny it was alright to say them. Laughing was like therapy, and by extension, becoming a "class clown" on occasion, a signature even today, my original online content and TPE internet shows often using comedy to deliver the message.

Make People Happy

Now, despite all the movies, tv sitcoms and online opportunities these days for content, it's often hard to find fresh, daring material, particularly with the sensitive nature of today's society, so it's nice when we discover gems that do the genre justice such as the Just For Laughs folks, also infamous due the the growing spotlight on the 4 years young JFLs Festival #JFLF42 which sports the tagline of  simply"Make People Happy".

Toronto Just For Laughs Festival Sept 21 - 30 - 2017

Passes and Tickets available here #JFLF42 

In addition 42 different acts performing in the 2017 JFL Festival there are also headliners like Bill Burr, John Mulaney, Tom Segura, Mike Birbiglia, My Favorite Murder, Tim & Eric and Ali Wong for who they've had to add another night at the Sony Performance Centre due to 3 sold out shows, so you'd need act fast to in on that.

Just For Laughs I'd say cut its teeth and got it's branding power by presenting live stand-up comedy on tv though, reminiscent of that forgotten raw era of simply a comedian and a microphone for the most part, with JFL showcasing the funniest bits, while also engaging some of the talent, to infuse quippy, back-stage banter-like exchanges reminiscent of a style I myself once used on Out & About when interviewing comedians like Derek Edwards, Mike Bullard, Heidi Foss and Christopher Hawes backstage before going on. It's also re-mindful of comedy workshops with the seasoned pro's I'd attended years ago and participating in the then Canada's Funniest New Comic - losing to Jeremy Hotz as I recall at the time - before Just For Laughs was born! Ha. memory lane...

I Knew Her When...!

However as good as the Just For Laughs forum has been for showcasing new and established talent, what viewers may not know is that the television versions have to be edited for time logistics reasons and very possibly sometimes, because the material is to risque for tv, and often the very gem performance clips you don't want to miss!

See a JFL Live Taping in Toronto! Book Tickets 

Ever wanted to be part of a comedy show audience?

Best kept JFJ Secret - Just For laughs Solo Show TV Specials are taping with a live audience in Toronto, Monday, Sept 25, 26, at the 1871 Berkeley Church, located at 315 Queen St East, featuring some of the hottest comedians - upcoming and seasoned - including...(I could tell you who, but I would have to kill you. Lol)...and is sure to be memorable for anyone attending live!

Doors open to the audience at 7:30 pm Monday Sept 25 and 7:00 pm Tuesday Sept 26th 2017.

Check JFL42 to book for a live taping of the Just For Laughs Solo Shows 

You can Follow TPE on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram 

Bonnie & Clyde Craft Services

OMG for Gelato @ G For Gelato Toronto

I'm not sure Ben & Jerry's ice cream started out with the philosophy that G For Gelato's restaurant owner Shant Behesnilian has but it's his and he's sticking to it. And what philosophy is that you ask? Well Shant follows the three 1's. He must be first in freshness / quality, service, and price and feels if he does that he can't lose. Whassup G!?

" It's a very competitive market for gelato in Toronto", Behesnilian says.

He won't buy a cheaper chocolate for example, and it must be imported from Belgium.

"Being number one in those categories give me the edge on competitors."

And in a 4 short years, Shant's philosophy seems to be paying off at his 75 Jarvis St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada location getting such a reputation for the best gelato around that he's sought out to supply top end restaurants and through packaging is now delivering the fresh product too. Demand has been such he's had to lease more space to make more gelato to keep up. He knows they can't rest on their laurels, but the proof ,as they say, is in the pudding... and, in this case, a cold, creamy one.

Great spot across street to enjoy a walk or sit and enjoy gelato! 

And judging by the ongoing foot traffic at the downtown Jarvis at Adelaide Street location, even during non peak hours, he's right on the money. Or perhaps in the money, albeit with smaller margins because of his quality standards and as winters are slower, he's incorporated espresso coffees and some Italian style bistro food like pizza - as I understand also a city's top fave pick - again made in-house fresh to keep sales up and more staff employed year round one imagines. I'll have to try the pizza next time!

Now supplies fresh gelato with refrigerated truck 416-792-1761

Check G For Gelato out for yourself. you won't be disappointed...OMMMM G For Gelato a definite Tom's Top 10 for deserts in Toronto! www.gforgelato.com

The Business of the Movie Business

Studio location sunset view in Mount Albert, Ontario

The older I get, the less I know it seems at times, and with technology today, sometimes it's hard to keep pace.For example, at the time I finished film school, there was no need for thinking about short video clips creations for online media nor many of the nuances of media forms that can now be found online for various uses today, mostly related to branding or promotion.

Between takes

Editing was of course digital then but in its infancy, as sound record and video record was still on digital tape which then went through long rendering processes. Snap Chat was not even a concept.

Prior to even attending the school, I'd already (CO) hosted a TV shows on Rogers then Shaw Cable, Chronicle Beat, then Out & About, which focused on entertainment and often the hospitality industry and always featured a local cause - invariably presented in a wacky TPE signature form when the time called for it.  Those were the days where we really cut our teeth, (click here to view my interview with Mike Bullard before getting his talk show) and, of course Rogers and Shaw still had a lot of manual editing devises that our crew would have to work with, but it was all good experience.

When my kids rolled around into my full custody I was in full bloom, hosting for tv, shooting often at night and or taping some weekends while also writing as an Entertainment Editor for Cover Story Newspaper, York Region Edition during the day, and had an agent booking me on tv spot roles like The Steven Truscott Trial, Top Cops, Secret Service and series' like Forever Knight, a first vampire detective type American produced series, shot here, appearing in the last 2 ever taped episodes, as a model / bartender. Lol. But the after-hours call times of the business clashed with the reality of suddenly becoming a single dad and finding out there's no such thing as all night daycare or a trusting babysitter available to stay in your home during those occasions and perhaps see them off to school.

Somehow, during this period, I'd returned to film school while producing an improv show for Aurora Cable TV and live shows at the same time as juggling the kids and occasionally waiting tables or performing menial jobs, and somehow we got through it. But again, upon graduation, reality check was that industry hours were still the same late calls and so I took on a more 9 to 5 (or 7 to cover LA time) position as an Associate Producer of feature family films under an Executive Producer of over 30 feature films, David Borg, who I learned "the art of the deal" from. I worked as an Associate Producer on a number of films with him including SuperCross the movie, Miracle Dogs (Kate Jackson, Rue McClanahan, Ted Shackleford) and Hansel & Gretel (Howie Mandel, Dakota Fanning, Taylor Mumsen)

He was a master of "the close" and we raised funds for our movies without often meeting the investors in person as he / we looked for those looking to just expand their portfolios and be part of the excitement of making a movie and maybe attending the premier. That is the key. Also a limited partner who could afford to lose their entire investment of up to $100,000 and not bat an eye. But it was not a creative job in the industry and certainly never my dream to sell to investors.

This Mount Albert barn studio was made for a scene in the movie Titanic 

It was a great learning experience though,

I'd been told by the boss-man continually, as part of his motivational style for the previous four years, that, "We don't need anything in life, we want things". And I guess he's right, because I wanted to stay creative and I have and will continue to as long as I'm able, and with the use of video and images online as well as for tv and film, I feel like I've made the right decision.

Click here for insider tips from TP on cold calling for film partners!

Recently TPE 's services were acquired to videotape interviews of some prominent folks of a particular town with connections to its history for personal and online use. One interviewee was 95 years old. Another 92. Incredible tales that I had a hand in capturing for eternity for the town and those families now - all using knowledge gained to set up the make shift studio and force an affect on the lights using a trick of the trade. It was an opportunity to try out some of my newly acquired sound record equipment as well and the Tascam 4 channel unit worked just great!

Mostly it's short clips these days though that seem to be most effective for marketing campaigns and social media, the attention spans of the new generation shorter and shorter it seems in this age of instant gratification. All you can do is adjust. But whether it's an hour and a half or 10 seconds or 60 seconds, getting that message through is the key to success. I called them Commotions before they had a term. Half comedy, half promotion. Now they come in serious mode too.

Final thought....sometimes when a production is running behind it can get very stressful as the players crew and perhaps even Director sometimes get a little anxious or short tempered or more demanding of those around them. During those times everyone from the PA to the Actors can feel the effects and anything that alleviates that goes a long way.

So when this occurred at the last shoot I worked on, catered to by Bonnie & Clyde Craft Services, which brought in a late afternoon snack of warmed pita bread wedges along with a specially made dip that stopped all production for several minutes, it was much appreciated and you could see a noticeable inmprovement in production and performance from that point forward. It was just enough to get everyone happily through another night that ran long.

Showstopper by Bonnie & Clyde Craft Services

The unique warm dip served with made from a base of cheeses and seafood is a show stopper in itself and goes to show that every element in a  production is an important one and you just never know who will emerge a star!

Until next time TP out! Visit TPE on Facebook.

Titanic Movie Location a Production's Dream

Location with a view could be any era

I've written before about how Newmarket, and often its Main St., had been utilized a number of times in various movie productions including this short scene from Tommy Boy and most recently the Remake of Carrie as well as Regression with Ethan Hawke and Emma Watson. But close by Newmarket, some even more famous movies have had segments shot here too, and one particular location even had a building paid for and built by the Producers on the property just for the movie - that being the Titantic - and that that building, along with another studio space totaling 20,000 square feet, only minutes from Newmarket and is available for production use and bookings today. 

2016 Image

Catch Me If You Can and Night at the Museum were also shot here with Ben Stiller in the latter using prepared animals owned by then previous property owners who were taxidermists. Some of the scary looking features still adorn the upstairs "lair" of Studio A, including a fighting zebra and lion as seen in the flick, a fierce looking tiger, and polar bear. Click to see photo album highlights.

The gorgeous property studio minutes from Toronto and surrounded by farm fields also features a fully functional five bedroom house and 98 acres of tree lined bush, a natural waterway and complete with cleared vehicle pathways, making way for resilient vehicles to travel through. In fact the area was used for a live launch of Tomb Raider with 50 participants flown in from around the world to play in a live version of the game in the launch followed by a screening at the Studio A projection lounge and no worries about storage of equipment from day to day either as the entire grounds are under 24 hour video surveillance.

Studio B - Built by Producers to accommodate the famous car love scene in the Titanic's parking deck

Located outside the foot of Studio B

You can book this gorgeous historic G.T.A. location whether that be for a production or function - as the Studio B can also easily be converted to host a large wedding, large group reception or live music event. Imagine telling your guests or potential clients you're hosting your production / wedding in the very building the famous fancy car love scene from The Titanic was shot with Leonardo Dicaprio! For those able to afford it, we may even find you a similar car to adorn the studio room turned hall for the night.

Shot Main St Newmarket during the filming of Regression with Ethan Hawke and Emma Watson

Newmarket is in the heart of Hollywood North and convenient to G.T.A. productions with the studio located only 40 minutes from downtown Toronto and minutes from historic downtown Newmarket and Main St.. So this prime studio, house and grounds location offer more than just in-house convenience, but nearby access to time travel scenes as well within a vibrant York Region / GTA community, brimming with acting and production crew talent.

Call TPE @ 289-221-0928 to inquire. Bookings by the day, week or month depending on availability. Studio space booking use without the house also negotiable depending on availability.

Rare Props owned by a taxidermused in Night At The Museum

High Ceiling in house for convenient lighting and unique shot angles

Direct off road drive access to remote spots for shooting scenes

Studio A has 3 sections. Both lower areas have slide up door access.

Beautiful Victorian 5 bedroom Home

Room with a view

The View Part 2

Local Caterers also benefit from local productions and on site cooking access

That's a wrap

Born To Be Blue & Regression to hit screens

Main St Newmarket, Ontario, Canada - movies location

 Born to be Blue is a feature film bio pic coming out in theatres this week that tells the story of a jazz legend, Chet Baker, during a certain period of his life in his forties. The lead role, played by Ethan Hawke, nearly never came to be, yet seemed destined to always. Explanation....

The only reason Hawke took / was offered the role is because it was convenient for Director Robert Budreau to drop off a copy of the script at the hotel to read while he was staying in Toronto filming the Alejandro Amenabar horror film, Regression, in Newmarket, Ontario which open in theatres next month as well, and then pop by on occasion to meet at the bar and discuss his vision on the role / movie while Hawke was missing his family, and between being on set. Geez Canada has paid off well for this Ethan Hawke lad.

The ironic part, and reason for my earlier, "yet seemed destined to always", statement refers to the fact that earlier in his career Hawke had been involved in his own production for a Chet Baker film with Richard Licklater but the film about the legend jazz/blues player, which took place at another time period in the performers life, never got off the ground. So this role has actually been 12 years in the making for him.

Well you never know, maybe York Region will prove yet another set location for the next music legend bio-pic or Tommy Boy scene, what with Newmarket becoming Main Street USA of late, and even the winter blues can be dispelled at Aurora's Winter Blues Festival this weekend!

All Star jammers @ 2015 Aurora Winter Blues Festival click here for 2016 info

TP out

Yoko Ono Art now available online

Queen St, Toronto, Canada

Recently, ha, like yesterday, TPE heard from the people who handle Yoko Ono's art, Artsy - having found us online from one of our optimized entertainment / art blogs.

In the blog in question, I took readers and viewers into the unveiling of some rare Beatles art, and later interviewed the host and man who was instrumental in being the one that lured John Lennon to Canada - with Yoko Ono and The Ono Band - to play his first ever gig outside The Beatles.

Although Paul Mcartney announced his separation from the band first, it was actually John who 1st played apart and had made known his intentions to the band that he was leaving. Yoko of course has been infamously blamed by some for the break-up, but if not for a savvy Canadian promoter, Johnny Brower, able to convince John to leave his stash at a time when he was a junky, it may never have come to be...So Let It Be!

Kensington Market, Toronto

At any rate, the creators at New York's ARTSY, whose mission is to make all of the worlds art available online, also handles Yoko Ono's work and other prominent artists works for sale online and for shows, and have thus far amassed a very impressive stable of relevant artists.

TPE has agreed to look at what we can do to assist them towards their mission so you can look forward to a more in depth look at Artsy and, perhaps, convince them to stage a showing in the Toronto / GTA area!



"I saw that nothing was permanent. You don't want to possess anything that is dear to you because you might lose it." Yoko Ono

Check out TPE's latest blogs here.

Check out updates on the TPE website here.

Hollywood North Act 2 - The Boom Resurgence Begins

Back in the 90's, I was working as an actor in minor roles on mostly American productions shot in Canada. I had bit parts on TV shows like Secret Service, Top Cops, Canadian TV movie The Steven Truscott Trial, "cult following" vampire cop series, Forever Knight ( twice, aired on CBS), and on...There were some major films shot here back then too, lots of them. Harvey Keitel was like a resident he was here so often.  Toronto was booming due to the combination of our low dollar and tax incentives and granting formulas that had American productions shoot here often. TommyBoy Scene

Later there became somewhat of an outcry from U.S.A. industry crews, that shows and movies depicting New York should be shot in N.Y. etc, and that by making productions in Canada, they were somehow un-American. And being un-American was uncool. That, politicized, mixed with some US states beginning to wise up with their own incentives started an an end to that era. Almost overnight it dried up to almost nothing. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise for me, as around that same time I'd acquired full custody of my kids, and 3:00 am shoot starts for Forever Knights and the like I simply could no longer manage. Many Toronto and Canadian actors and industry people had to find other vocations or pursue live performing. Like me.

In recent years however, more and more productions rely on in-studio special effects like green screen technology and thus state-of-the-art indoor studios and special effects editing became more and more in demand, for which, Toronto industry folks were early to jump on, opening up one of the biggest and best in all North America while surrounded by a core of skilled industry professionals at the ready for hire should the projects arise.. and arise they have.

Toronto's studios and production have slowly, almost quietly, climbed back into bed with the big boys, with more and more major productions again being shot here. With 1.1 million square feet of studio space available inside the city now it's no wonder. Pinewood Studios alone has 250,000 sq feet of studio space under one roof. And none too soon, as Canada's dollar goes low, all-time low-like, which has always served as a tipping point for productions shooting in Canada. Nothing pleases a Producer more than being able to save several hundreds of thousands of dollars, other than one going on to earn $millions for them.

In 2015, I was focused on producing low budget documentaries, entering one into and winning the Playr Festival awarded Best Documentary, but somehow I still felt unfulfilled, and realized I itched for more onscreen roles. When I had an accident that resulted in being unable to physically lift a camera for some time, I decided what better opportunity to revisit acting and on-screen roles, taking a part in an on-line production featuring Super Heroines to hone up on my skills and collect some $.

Before spending two weeks shooting there, I hadn't even known there was a production facility this (40 mins) north of Toronto, near Newmarket Ontario, Canada, let alone it had been used to shoot scenes for The Titanic, Night at the Museum and Catch Me If You Can.  The town of Newmarket itself, ironically, has served a number of times as 'downtown USA in movies like 2013 remake of Carrie and 2015's Regression, but those are the exceptions over the past decade.

Recognize from Night at The Museum? 

Smaller budget productions also have had a place in the sub-culture of the craft / industry, feeding the hungry acting minions whilst the industry has suffered, even alternative / fetish style, and with online abilities today, can be easily viewed to a broad audience. Although I look forward to my episodes 'airing", shot in winter and being released on-line in mid summer, but still, for those that dream, the big screen is the goal, and, to that end, the conditions here are just ripe now for an influx of mainstream productions to start popping up.

Canadians themselves need to open up their minds to how productions are financed as well, as US productions don't rely on government grants to finance their productions, but private and corporate investors. Risk takers. Something we Canadians are not as we are typically conservative investors and may never be as adept at "the making of" therefore, methinks...but boy..can we act!

Watch for Canada's "New" boom industry. 2016 will be a resurgence of TV and Film productions shot here...because $ talks.

TP out!

Cheers to the resurgence of Hollywood North!

Main St USA, Canada and Whatnot...

Dynamic Toronto