BIOGRAPHY

 Born in Montreal, I held since early childhood a variety of odd jobs in order to become financially independent:  sale of candies during primary school, newspaper run, snow removal and lawn mowing in the neighbourhood. I had my first REAL job, as a wrapper at the local grocery store, at sixteen years and one day. Then follows a series of jobs up until my early twenties, working for my home-town, the Hilton Bonaventure, Notre-Dame Hospital, CBC and Revenue Quebec. During my university studies in cinema, I started my career as a freelance worker as technician in film and television, occasionally working as an “actor”. While continuing my career as an independent filmmaker, I finally got my break as director in music videos and advertising. Over the next fifteen years I went on to work on many productions wearing different hats , either as director, producer, director of photography, art director, editor etc…I also worked on corporate videos, television series and web productions.

While pursuing my filmmaking career I worked as a photographer, creating the portfolios of various Montreal models. As a filmmaker I took part in close to one hundred international film festivals where I won 20 some prizes and special mentions. Looking for new challenges, I put aside photography and my directing career to undertake the design of furniture as well as the layout of living and work spaces. This would lead me, over the course of the next several years, to work as carpenter/ designer, « all the while trying my hand at various other trades, useful to stay free but foreign to my nature, such as car salesman, magazine promoter, club doorman and real-estate manager.

These were jobs unrelated to creation but which left me free to continue my quest for a better world. Utopian perhaps, but reason enough to get up every morning and start my day. Idealistic, I have done volunteer work since my teens and plan to continue doing so.

With decades of experience organizing hockey games, I set up the LFA, an adult hockey league that stands out from all the others in the field. The league quickly grew and became well known in the hockey world. This project with my community work has taken up almost all my time since.

An amateur athlete, I take particular care of my health and that of others close to me, bringing with me something of the forty or so countries that I have travelled to.

Life is long but it passes quickly! I do what I can for it to have some meaning.
JFD

*Resume available on demand