Only by chance did I become a photographer, writer, photo studio owner, freelance photojournalist, movie extra, and eventually actor. In 1973 I bought a huge Chrysler car.
I found an older 35mm camera tucked in the corner of the trunk. My girlfriend at that time was a smart good-looking country girl. Thanks to her smarts she had a big hand in my up and coming career. My good friend Andrew and I had visions of becoming great writers. We freelanced our talents to CBC radio for a while writing comedy skits. We interviewed then famous Pauline Boutal, artistic director of the Cercle Moliere in St. Boniface, hoping to sell the story to MacLean’s Magazine. It was refused. Wanting to be a good photographer I started chasing ambulances hoping for that news-breaking photo. .
I eventually got a job with Lance Publishing as an add salesman. I always had my then new Pentax camera with me. They would give me photo assignments from time to time. I kept bugging the then editor Wes Rosen for a chance to write stories. I eventually wrote an article along with photos on the last of the men’s beer parlours the Nicolette hotel in St. Boniface. I would freelance to other daily and weekly newspapers in Manitoba. I had the good fortune of having photos with a bi-line published in daily and weekly newspapers.
In 1974 I borrowed a $150 bucks from my dad so I could open a photo studio under the name L’image photography in St. Boniface. Business was good in that I had a link with the entertainment industry agents representing local live bands. I did most of the groups publicity photos for a few years. My partner and also did portrait, passport, commercial, industrial, interior, exterior photography. I closed the studio in 1981. Hence a few years have passed. I got involved with the movie industry in 2001. I mostly worked as a background performer until 2008. Thanks to Mick Paulusma writer director and Lori from Next casting I auditioned for a speaking roll in the movie Clear Lake and got the part as Fat Hank the junkyard boss. My latest project was in the Don cherry in Selkirk Manitoba in 2009. I was in twenty-eight projects and one music video since 2001. I’m looking forward to other work in the near future. Winnipeg is slowly getting more projects over the summer.
