I was born in British Columbia, Canada. At the age of four, my family moved to the Toronto area. When I was twelve, my father's company transferred us to England. I started at TASIS England and became part of the Class of 1982. I remember with great fondness my friends Beth, Lauren, Stephanie, Tracey, Deanna, Ginny, Beryl, Lynn, and Laura. We had great times hanging out in Staines, racing to the gym in the vans, hanging out by the pond, school dances, playing with Crumble the Brunos' dog, going to the P.O., and painting the snack bar walls. Even though I was only at the school for a few years, I look back now and realize that my time there definitely influence the person I am today.
I had so many teachers who nurtured my creative side, my love of English literature, history, music, and art. I especially remember my drama teacher, Mr. Nevens, who exposed us to Shakespeare with such passion and proved to all of us that everyone can apply their talents to the theatre, whether it is behind the scenes or up on the stage. He taught us the importance of a good script and the best way to tell the sotry. I think this planted the seed.
Following my years in England, my family moved to Illinois for a year, and then back to Oakville, Ontario, Canada. While deciding what I wanted to do with my life, I happened upon a music video shoot for Bruce Cockburn at the local library. I was completely fascinated by the filming process, and when I saw it weeks later all edited together, I decided this was something I wanted to be involved in. I put together a portfolio of my photography and short stories, and I was accepted into the film program at Sheridan College. I produced and directed three films and a music video for a local band that aired on Much Music and MTV. I discovered that my favorite part of filmmaking was the editing, which allowed me to combine my love of storytelling, music, and art through moving images.
Through a placement program offered in my final year of college, I joined the film company headed up by director Deepa Mehta (Water, Fire and Camilla). There I was mentored by a well established editor, Steven Lawrence, who started by teaching me how to make the coffee, then allowed me to rewind the film and file trims away. Eventually, after I graduated from Sheridan with honors, he took me on full time as his first assistant editor.
I worked with Steve for many years, leaving him a few times to get married and to have a couple of kids, but eventually learning the craft along the way. He taught me how to assemble scenes on a Moviola, and how to tell stories through editing, acting, rhythm, and pace. Eventually, he and I knew I was ready to move up and edit myself.
Luckily for me, Steve was in demand and when he was too busy to take on another project, he recommended me. I was handed my very own movie Mr. Music (for Showtime Networks) and never looked back. Steve and I both worked together again, this time both as editors, on a series called The City for CTV and following that, I landed a cable feature film entitled The Ride. I have cut music videos, documentaries, and even Canada's Next Top Model, but my first love is drama.
In 2000, I was selected to work on the U.S. version of Queer as Folk, which was the biggest show shooting at that time in Canada. This offered an amazing opportunity to experiment with cutting styles, creating musical montages, and to work with top Canadian directors like Bruce McDonald, Jeremy Podeswa, Kelly Makin, and David Wellington.
Between seasons, I went off to work on other projects, which included a movie entitled The Rosa Parks Story for CBS (starring Angela Bassett) and my first feature film entitled Say Uncle. I worked on a show called Darcy's Wildlife, which my children could enjoy, and a comedy series, Billable Hours. Queer as Folk ran for five seasons, and I won two Director's Guild Awards.
Today I am working on my dream job. The Tudors is an Emmy Award television drama series starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Natalie Dormer, Sam Neill, and Peter O'Toole. It is an extremely successful Irish/Canadian co-production and is seen all around the world. The series is written by Michael Hirst, who also wrote Elizabeth starring Cate Blanchett, and we are presently shooting our third season.
The series is shot in Ireland, which doubles for England, but all of the post-production is completed in Toronto. We shoot in high definition, and the special effects are all done digitally, for example, our effects team will add Hampton Court Palace or Whitehall in to the background of a scenic shot or the Thames in the foreground of a castle. The sound and music is mixed in Toronto as well and I edit on a system called Final Cut Pro.
Working on The Tudors is the perfect job for me. It reminds me daily how lucky I was to live in the UK, my love for England, and my days spent at TASIS England. It seems like a lifetime ago, but I look back with great fondness and feel very proud and fortunate to be able to call myself a TASIS England alumna.
This article first appeared in the TASIS England Today magazine, Autumn 2008 issue.