Feed Your Inner Media Gossip

I first met and worked with Don Young about eight years ago. He’s that rarest of creatures, a successful independent Canadian television and film producer (successful in that special Canadian sense of “does good stuff and isn’t bankrupt yet”). His better-known work includes “The Devil’s Brigade”, “Music Rising”, “Klondike – The Quest for Gold”, and other documentaries and mini-series, including something I’ve never seen in which he interviews the world’s most dangerous soldiers and learns to kills people in various interesting ways.

For the last few months Don has been writing a fascinating and quite unique blog. It’s an online journal in two parts – an account of his current projects, and archival extracts from his production diaries from years gone by. If you have any interest in Canadian media from the perspective of an articulate, cantenkerous, very funny and unsparingly honest professional, check it out.

Here’s a taste – an excerpt from “The Book Of Don“, in which he muses on this special time of year “…when Exec Producers describe newsrooms as “family”, when unit managers drink too much cheap white wine and bore the crap out of everyone by driveling on and on about accounting software upgrades, when freelancers scarf all the shrimps at the buffet table, and Shooters try to bed anyone they can.”

– Christmas 1978. Calgary Sun party. Calgary.

Legendary columnist Fred Kennedy is about to retire so the publisher has a mock front page made with stories about Fred’s career. The gift is blown up to 3 x 4 and we’re all asked to sign it. Late in the evening someone scrawls in black marker…”I never liked you, you fat fuck. Ho Ho HACK !!”.

– Christmas 1980. SCTV party. Edmonton.

Too much Ouzo. Too much Rick Moranis. Too much Catherine O’Hara. Steal milk truck. Lose shirt. Wake up in bath tub.

– Christmas 1982. CBC Edmonton party.

Vicki Gabereau “borrows” goat from local farm. Brings to the party. Goat tries to bite everyone. SPCA takes goat away. Threaten to lay charges.

– Christmas 1985. CBC Calgary party.

Write fake memo with National Reporter, Jane Chalmers announcing appointment of much-loathed line up editor, David Isaac as new Exec Producer. Post said memo on every notice board in the plant. Hide in fear for first week of New Year as Regional Director launches massive investigation to find culprit.

– Christmas 1991. Zagreb, Croatia. Impromptu hotel bar party.

Eat boiled chicken, pureed apricots, and rice for dinner. Try to fight off advances from BBC correspondent Kate Addie. Drink too much sljivovica, (slivovitz) plum brandy with CBC reporter Michael McIvor and friend Clare who he will later marry. Vow never to eat plums again.

– Christmas 1993. CBC Toronto party.

Get in argument with Globe and Mail TV writer, John Haslett Cuff who less than a month later will write entire column trashing me as a “bleeding heart so-called film maker who should never be given another dime from the public purse.”

Mum calls and asks: “Do you think he liked your film ?”

– Christmas 2005. New Orleans. Party alone in empty hotel bar.

Spend Christmas Eve driving around the bleak and dangerous streets. The City of Song has become an American warzone. No lights. No people. No music. Only the incessant barking of starving dogs and the distant lullaby of police sirens.

Decide to count my blessings.

Heh. There’s lots more. Check it out.