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- Tracy Ryan was born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada in 1971. She went to school at the University of Toronto and graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Drama/Irish Studies combined major. A multitalented actor, she made her mark in theatre, film and television and has recently turned her talents to writing. Her first break in television was a regular spot on the soap opera "Family Passions", where she played Calla, a blind girl. It was a rigorous schedule of 130 episodes. "It felt like the boot camp of acting" says Ryan. A graduate of the University of Toronto's drama program, she has been a regular on the Toronto theatre scene, appearing in such stage productions as Cafe Naked, Controlling Interest, Amazon Dream, Born in the Grave and Coyote Ugly. In film and television, her credits include the lead role of Nancy Drew in thirteen episodes of Nelvana's "Nancy Drew" (1995), two episodes of the "Hardy Boys" (1995), "Dark Angel" (2000), "Twice in a Lifetime" (1999) in a episode with Wil Wheaton, Al Waxman and Paul Popowich. She also appeared in the films 'Stealing Harvard' (2002) and 'Comeback Season' (2006). Ryan played a leading part in the Canadian Film Centre featuring Kiss, directed by Laurie Colbert. Tracy has "a mind boggling array" of cartoon voices at her disposal, is also the voice behind several cartoon characters, including Ned's girlfriend Linda in Nelvan's Ned's Newt and 14-year-old diva Ruby in Flying Rhino Junior High. After much hesitation, she recently gave in a nd applied for a green card because of the numerous opportunities in the U.S. but Toronto, she assures, will always be home.
- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Emmy award winning actor and writer, Jo Vannicola, began their professional career at the age of eight. They made their television debut in their hometown of Montreal and moved to Toronto to study and pursue their career. By the age of seventeen, Jo had written their first play. Acting credits include: Love and Human Remains (TIFF), directed by Denys Arcand, which earned Vannicola a Genie nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Jo reunited with Arcand for his film, Stardom. Jo won an Emmy for their work in Maggie's Secret, directed by Al Waxman, and was also nominated for a Gemini award for best actress in a continuing role for the CBC series 9B, as well as an ACTRA award nomination for best voice/animation as Toot in the animated series Toot and Puddle. Vannicola also received the Margaret Trudeau Advocacy Award, 2021, The Firecracker Department's Blaze Award, 2021, and the Leslie Yeo award for volunteerism and advocacy in 2020. Jo was recently nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance by a Guest Star in the show Diggstown, 2023.
Among their 70 + credits in film and television, they can be seen in Slasher as Enid in season 5, Renee in season 2, and Amber in season 3 and 4 (2017-2021) on Netflix. Other credits include Stonewall (TIFF), Stardom (Cannes), DNA, (TIFF), PSI Factor series, Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce, Rookie Blue, Degrassi, Derby, Ultimate Betrayal, Animal Project, the hit series, Being Erica, as Doctor Naadiah (streaming on Netflix), and as Sam in, Street Legal, the reboot for CBC.
Jo is a public speaker and has hosted numerous events including the York Film Festival, the METRAC fund-raising campaign to raise awareness about domestic violence, and founded a non-profit to raise awareness about child abuse (2004-2009). Jo is also passionate about social justice and equity issues, including LGBTQ2S+ and women's rights. They are the founding chair of the LGBTQ2S+ committee, outACTRAto, and sat on the sexual assault adhoc committee in the actors union.
Vannicola's memoir, All We Knew But Couldn't Say, was published by Dundurn Press in 2019, and was shortlisted for a Kobo Emerging Writer Prize in 2020. Their book was listed as a top 21 non-fiction book by Bustle Magazine, a CBC top 40 pick, and featured on numerous shows, including The Next Chapter with Shelagh Rogers, the Toronto Star, the Globe, CTV mornings, NOW Magazine, The Girly Club, and Lambda Literary Reviews.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Billy Van was born in Toronto, Canada in 1934. He was a manic comic actor who starred in CBC-TV's Nightcap in the 1960s and the Hilarious House of Frightenstein in the '70s. The Hilarious House of Frightenstein starred Vincent Price, with Van as host and a variety of characters, including The Count, a vampire who preferred pizza to blood, and who wore tennis shoes as well as a cape. The hour-long episodes were taped at Hamilton's CHCH-TV and are still seen in syndication around the world.
While a familiar fixture on Canadian TV for decades, he also worked in the United States on variety shows such as The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, The Ray Stevens Show and The Bobby Vinton Show. He even gained fame for the Colt .45 beer commercials he made for 15 years and for which he won a Clio Award. Eventually Billy returned to Toronto to work in shows like Party Game, Bizarre with John Byner, the Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show and Bits and Bytes. Billy Van was in show business from the age of 12, and back in the 1950s he and his four brothers formed a singing group that toured Canada and Europe.
Billy had a triple heart bypass in 1998. After his heart surgery, he was semi-retired but continued to do voice-over work for commercials and animated programs. Van and old-time colleagues Dave Broadfoot and Jack Duffy made appearances in recent years to support the fledgling Canadian Comedy Awards. "I'm all for that enthusiasm," he said about the awards launch in 2000. Van's picture is on the Canadian Comedy Wall of Fame at the CBC broadcast centre in Toronto, along with those of Al Waxman, Wayne & Shuster and Don Harron.- Rosemary Radcliffe is a Canadian comic actress, writer, composer and painter. A Toronto native, she graduated from Ryerson College, and began her television career on Sunday Morning at CBLT Toronto.
Most of her career has been based in Canada.
1970's: Rosemary performed in cabaret and theatre productions across Canada and then appeared in the off-Broadway production of Leonard Cohen's Sisters of Mercy, an anthology of the Montreal poet's songs and poetry. In 1974, she was a member of The Second City comedy troupe performing in Toronto and Chicago. From 1975 to 1978, she played the title character in the CBC Television children's show Coming Up Rosie.
1980's: In 1980 and 1981, Radcliffe toured Canada with two revivals of the venerable revue Spring Thaw. In 1982, Skin Deep, the musical show she composed (libretto written by Nika Rylski) won the Eric Harvie award for best new Canadian musical and was presented for the summer on the main stage at the Charlottetown Festival. The story of a beauty pageant, the musical offered four separate endings, enabling the audience to vote for their favorite beauty contestant. Radcliffe spent a season starring as Tina, the King of Kensington's sweetheart, playing opposite Al Waxman on the popular CBLT television series.
Rosemary also created the role of Mrs. Barry in Kevin Sullivan's successful series Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Green Gables: the Sequel, and Anne of Green Gables, The Continuing Story spanning 3 decades. - Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Gregory Harrison (III) is the founder of Destiny Stone Productions in 2024. He is the Co-Author and Co-owner of the screenplays "The Last Apostle's Prophecy I" and "Destiny's Stone". Greg is executive producing/producing both projects as well as "Soul Jumpers" and hopes to begin filming in 2024.
In late 2022, he executive produced a short film entitled "Chuck", which won best drama award in the Hollywood Just4Shorts Festival, in June 2023 as well as an award for the Cinema World Fest Awards 2023 and Best Cast Award in the Autumn's Dawn Film Festival 2023. Most recently, in 2024, he also optioned "Soul Jumpers" from filmmaker/director, Jeff Chaffin. Greg is most excited about this prospect as he sees its commercial viability as a cult classic and many sequels.
Prior to this experience, Gregory worked as an Executive Producer, Creative Producer, Line Producer, and host for a weekly television talk show entitled "The Greg "Who?" Show" that aired on CTS in Canada and the US, for 26 weeks in 2006 (13 Episodes that were officially aired twice). Some of his past credits included producing and acting in the WTD (Watkins Tool and Dye) Industrial Video, and various other promotional and musical videos. The most interesting highlight that started Greg's filmmaking career was his role as New Kid in "Death Junction" (1994) that was directed by and starring Al Waxman.
However, it was "The Greg "Who?" Show's Demo Reel in 2005, featuring a Tribute to Red Skelton with his manager, Tom Kalyn and live performance by founding member and keyboard artist Fritz McIntyre of the band Simply Red, that was key to Gregory Harrison (III) acquiring the Television Program License Agreement. The agreement was between Crossroads Television System and Greg for the first season of "The Greg "Who?" Show".
Early in his career, Greg apprenticed as a news writer for City TV. He also graduated from the Independent Producer Program at Centennial College in 2014. Greg wrote, directed and acted for a 2017 pilot for the Ethnic Channels Group Limited.
In 1994, Michael Anderson of Amicad International Productions Inc. who was a critically acclaimed Director, best known for The Dam Busters (1955), the epic Around the World in 80 Days (1956) and the dystopian sci-fi film Logan's Run (1976), optioned Greg's screenplay entitled, "Small Fish". In 2002, Amicad International Productions Inc. submitted a treatment to CBC for a T.V. series, called "Young Street". Had the T.V series received its funding: Greg's script would have been included as one of the episodes.- Jennifer was born in Ottawa, Canada. Her sister is an actress in N.Y.C and her brother trains at the North Carolina School of the arts. Jennifer spent four seasons as a leading lady at the Stratford Festival in Canada. She is currently starring in the Canadian premiere of Neil Simon's 'Proposals' at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto alongside Al Waxman. In November 1998, she appeared on Broadway at the City Center as Hero in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.
- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Glenn Forbes is a Toronto-based screenwriter. He wrote and directed the sci-fi thriller, Amplifier and was awarded the $100,000 OMDC Al Waxman Calling Card grant and the Canadian Film Centre Worldwide Short Film Festival screenplay award for his comedy film Masterpiece Monday. He is a former winner of the Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition (Best out of over 4000 entries) for his comedy screenplay Head First Face Down. In 2012, he was awarded a Telefilm Canada New Voices/Golden Quill Award as one of the top emerging screenwriters in Canada. His sci-fi thriller The Wreckage placed on the 2014 Blood List. (First place winner, along with Netflix's Bird Box, of the Search for New Blood) -- a list of the top unproduced dark-genre screenplays of a calendar year, voted on by over 100 Hollywood executives. In 2020, he was named a semi-finalist for The Future Prime (top 150 scripts out of almost 8000 entries) in the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, run by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Recently, he has completed several feature film work-for-hires; the slasher film Burning Lake for 2019 BAFTA Best Picture nominee's, Misfits Entertainment; An adaptation of Desmond Fosberry's novel The Man Who Forgot for Voyage Media in Los Angeles, and an adaptation of Bill Scott's memoir The Day Satan Called for Third Culture Films in Toronto. Now titled The Day Lacey Called, the film began production in April 2022 in Sault Ste Marie Ontario. Recently, he completed a page-one rewrite on Albion, a fantasy thriller for Hacienda Pictures and A Bigger Boat.- Writer
- Additional Crew
Drawing on a youthful athleticism, Don Truckey has written three produced television movies about sports. "Net Worth" (CBC 1995; Al Waxman, Aiden Devine) was the multi-award winning true story of Detroit Red Wing star Ted Lindsay's attempt to form the first NHL Players Association. "Chicks With Sticks" (Cable 2004; Jessalyn Gilsig, Jason Priestley) was the world's first women's hockey movie (released as "Anyone's Game" in USA and "Hockey Mom" internationally). "Crazy Canucks" (CTV 2005) told the story of Canada's legendary, fearless downhill ski team.
Truckey's first career was in print journalism (The Calgary Herald, 1979-1986). There he looked for stories as he developed a parallel talent in screenwriting. Two years on the court beat yielded "Rough Justice" (CBC, 1984), his first dramatic script, for which he won the national screenwriting award in 1985 (ACTRA Award Best Dramatic Script). Don moved to Toronto in 1986 to become the first Head Writer on CBC's breakthrough series "Street Legal." His two years-plus on the series, involved in 25 episodes as writer, story editor, and co-writer helped shape a hit. Truckey had a hand in writing four award-winning performances for the series; he has helped send six actors to the awards podium in his career.
He was the Co-creator and Executive Story Editor of "Urban Angel" over two seasons (CBC; Telescene Productions; 1990-1991), the first Canadian series picked up by a US network (CBS). The story of a streetwise kid working the cop beat on a major urban newspaper drew on Truckey's experience in print journalism, and was the launching pad for the distinguished acting career of Louis Ferreira.
Truckey converted his childhood in a freer time into two published children's novels: "The Adventures of Caraway Kim... Southpaw" and "The Adventures of Caraway Kim... Right Wing" (both from Thistledown Press). The latter is the basis for his script "All I Want for Christmas is to win Top Scorer!" (not yet produced).
Also in the vault are "Paper Tiger" and "Captives of the Warlords; Arthur Kent vs. the Taliban", both journalism-themed; "D Con", a high-budget futurist thriller; "Canook of the North... Hollywood League," a cross-cultural spoof; and "Rockets", a sitcom set in the world of semi-pro hockey.
Truckey's eclectic bent continues with his latest project, "Below The Belt", an 8 X 60 series proposal, pilot written, meditating on the nature of masculinity in the face of the serious health challenge posed by prostate cancer. A survivor of the disease, Don has again employed personal experience to craft the narrative.