Monthly Archives: September 2023

“LIVE FROM THE POOL DECK” INTERVIEW WITH CANADIAN COMEDY ICON, EVAN CARTER

EVAN CARTER is one of my all-time favourite comedians. When I worked as agent for Toronto’s Yuk Yuk’s Komedy Klub back in the 80s, he was my go-to guy for corporate gigs when the client required a clean comic, and he was a brilliant MC for in-house shows as well as gigs across the country – Evan was always reliable and could deliver the goods no matter who the audience may be.
Back then, record labels and concert promoters would frequently use comedians to open for their touring music artists and I booked Evan for gigs with some pretty big names such as the chart-topping Aussie pop duo Air Supply and the late R&B legend Marvin Gaye when he stopped in Toronto on his Sexual Healing tour…oh my!Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of not only working with Evan but sitting in the audience as a civilian and watching/listening to him kill it on stage. Now we can all watch him on YouTube and listen to his recent comedy album You Speak So Well.I was thrilled when Evan agreed to come visit me for a Live From the Pool Deck series of video Q&As talking about his current “Legends of Motown” musical stage show that’s successfully packing ‘em in across North America, as well as past triumphs and stories from the comedy trenches.  His new website has just been launched [www.evancarter.com] so check Evan out for yourself and see why he’s considered “the comedian’s comedian…”

Thanks for sharing all the laughs over the past four+ decades…keep it up, we need all the laughs we can get, Evan. LOL
Again, visit Evan’s new website for social media links plus videos and concert soundtracks – www.evancarter.com

 

CANADIAN WRITER/DIRECTOR TRICIA LEE COMES HOME FOR TORONTO INT’L FILM FEST

Ten years ago, I was contracted by Canadian (local) writer/director TRICIA LEE to undertake PR/publicity for her feature film Silent Retreat, a horror-genre film. I was intrigued by this modest young woman and her ability to bring the thrills, chills and screams to the screen; in fact, she was only one of a handful of women filmmakers around the world working in that genre.  I was thrilled to see the film become a resounding success at the Toronto After Dark and Blood in the Snow film fests.In the years since I worked with her, Tricia has become an accomplished AAPI female filmmaker with the ability to blend heart-warming and heart-breaking stories with uplifting humor has earned her recognition on the 2020 and 2021 Black List.  As a fellow of SONY’s Diverse TV Writers Program, Tricia’s films explore themes of belonging, voicelessness, and shared humanity. Her feature script, Good Chance has received numerous accolades, including being a top 50 finalist in The Academy Nicholl Fellowship, winning the grand prize at Francis Ford Coppola‘s Zoetrope Screenplay Competition, a top 14 finalist Universal Studios Writers Program, on the CAPE List and being selected for the prestigious Producers Guild of America Power of Diversity Master Workshop and The Writers Lab (supported by Meryl Streep & Nicole Kidman). A CDDP Commercial Director finalist, Tricia’s impressive directing credits include working with top talent such as Eva Longoria of Desperate Housewives fame, Simu Liu (star of Shang-Chi ,Canada’s famed tv comedy Kim’s Convenience and most recently Barbie), Ingrid Rogers (Bosch), and James Kyson (Heroes).  She has written a pilot for and will be a showrunner of the animated anthology A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts produced by 108 Media. She has directed 3 award-winning features including Blood Hunters which sold to Hulu and was presented in Cannes by Frontieres, and Silent Retreat, which was theatrically released across Canada and sold to NBC Universal’s Chiller Network.

I invited Tricia to join me for this “Live from the pool deck” celebrity blog so I’ll let her tell you all about her career and her latest projects….

I’ve followed Tricia’s career spanning her move to L.A. several years ago, her ongoing participation in high-profile workshops and programs where she’s honed her script writing chops, and having established herself as a film and commercial director and an accomplished writer. Tricia has returned to Toronto to soak in the vibes of our annual Toronto Int’l Film Festival so watch for her on the various red carpets, industry events and celebrity soirees.

You can learn more about Tricia via her website https://www.tricialeedirector.com/ and follow her on social media (see direct links on website)