Jay Firestone | |
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| Born | October 13, 1956 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Film, television producer |
Jay Firestone (born 13 October 1956) is a Canadian film and television producer.
Jay Firestone | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Born | October 13, 1956 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Film, television producer |
Jay Firestone (born 13 October 1956) is a Canadian film and television producer.
Growing up in a suburb of Toronto, Ontario, Firestone was the third child of six born to Jewish parents Esther, the first female cantor in Canada, and Paul. He attended Hamilton's McMaster University, graduating in 1979 with a degree in commerce and aspirations for accounting and business. After wedding University of Toronto student Sherry Barad and earning his CA a few years later, Firestone joined accounting firm Peat, Marwick, Mitchell and Co. [1]
In 1985, disenchanted with accounting, Firestone helped found Alliance Communications with four of Canada's top producers. Firestone began as chief financial officer and set up a tax-shelter lucrative financing arm. He rose to Vice-Chairman, overseeing world operations. [1] [2] In 1995, he left after falling out with Lantos over company direction. [3] Firestone cashed in his company interests, leaving with film and television credits such as ReBoot, for which he received a Gemini Award for "Best Animation Series.". [1] [2] [4] [5]
Days after his one-year non-compete clause expired, he bought SkyVision Entertainment (the film and television production arm of Labatt Breweries of Canada, [2] ) through his newly created company, Fireworks Entertainment, Inc. He attributed the name to his own surname and the exploding film and television industry. He thus acquired 170 program episodes, including reality police series Secret Service , and RoboCop: The Series , based on RoboCop 1987 film.
A year later, Fireworks neared $100 million in production through television series La Femme Nikita , F/X: The Series and Pacific Blue . In Fall 1997, he took Fireworks public, then sold to CanWest Global Communications for over $60 million, making CanWest the sole shareholder and Firestone the chairman and CEO of Canwest Entertainment. [6] He was a finalist for the 1998 Ontario Entrepreneur of the Year. [7]
Firestone was involved in over 20 film and television projects over the next five years. He made films such as Rat Race , Hardball and Rules of Engagement , television shows Relic Hunter , Queen of Swords , Adventure Inc. , Mutant X and Andromeda . The independent film The Believer won the Saint George prize for "Best Film" at the 23rd Moscow International Film Festival. [8]
CanWest founder Izzy Asper fell ill and his son Leonard became CEO in time for downsizing, along with the industry. Firestone left the company in May 2003 along with Fireworks Pictures president Daniel Diamond, and was replaced by Gerry Noble, former CEO of Global TV. Firestone honored his one-year non-compete clause. [9]
In April 2005, Canwest Global sold the name and film and television library to ContentFilm, [10] a British company. From 14 March 2011, the name Fireworks became defunct, re-branded Content Television under the umbrella Content Media Corporation PLC. [11]
Firestone next founded Prodigy Pictures. Stuck, a horror film released in 2007, starring Mena Suvari and Stephen Rea, tells the true story of a man hit by a car and left for dead in the driver's garage. A mini-series out of the popular comic book series XIII was released in 2008, starring Stephen Dorff, then a 13-episode follow-up series starred Stuart Townsend. The series aired in France on Canal Plus in 2011 and on Showcase in Canada in spring 2011. [12]
Firestone produced the supernatural series Lost Girl, starring Anna Silk, which broke Showcase's viewing records for Canadian scripted series premiere when it premiered in 2010. [13] Lost Girl ran for five seasons, the final season airing in 2015 in Canada on Showcase. [14] The popular show aired in several countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Portugal, and Brazil.
Firestone was a producer on the TV show Dark Matter , which is based on a comic book series created by writers Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie. [15] [16]
The Global Television Network is a Canadian English-language terrestrial television network. It is currently Canada's second most-watched private terrestrial television network after CTV, and has fifteen owned-and-operated stations throughout the country. Global is owned by Corus Entertainment — the media holdings of JR Shaw and other members of his family.
Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. was a Canadian media company that operated primarily as a specialty service operator in Canada. Alliance Atlantis also had offices in Halifax, Los Angeles, London, Dublin, Madrid, Barcelona, Shannon, and Sydney.
BBC Canada was a Canadian English language specialty channel that mostly broadcast television series originally produced by the BBC, the public-service broadcaster of the United Kingdom. The channel was owned by Corus Entertainment and BBC Studios (20%).
Canwest Global Communications Corporation, which operated under the corporate name Canwest, was a major Canadian media conglomerate based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with its head offices at Canwest Place. It held radio, television broadcasting, and publishing assets in several countries, primarily in Canada.
Corus Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian mass media company. The company was founded in 1987 as Shaw Radio, Ltd. as a subsidiary of Shaw Communications and was spun-off from Shaw in 1999. It has prominent holdings in the radio, publishing, and television industries. Corus is headquartered at Corus Quay in Toronto, Ontario.
Leonard Asper is a Canadian businessperson, entrepreneur and lawyer. He is a graduate of Brandeis University and the University of Toronto Law School, and is a member of the Ontario Bar Association and The Law Society of Upper Canada.
Showcase is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. Launched on January 1, 1995, the channel primarily airs scripted and dramatic television series.
Michael I. M. MacMillan is a Canadian film and broadcasting executive who is the CEO of Blue Ant Media.
Fireworks Entertainment was an independent studio originally founded in 1991 by Brian K. Ross and later bought out by Jay Firestone in 1996 to produce, distribute and finance television shows and feature films.
WildBrain Ltd. is a Canadian media, animation studio, production, and brand licensing company, mostly associated as an entertainment company. The company is known for owning the largest independent library of children's television programming, including the assets of acquisitions such as Cookie Jar Group, Epitome Pictures, and Wildbrain Entertainment among others, distribution rights to the Jay Ward Productions library, and a stake in the Peanuts franchise.
The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television's 16th Gemini Awards were held on October 29, 2001, to honour achievements in Canadian television. The awards show, which was hosted by Mike Bullard, took place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and was broadcast on CBC Television.
Lost Girl is a Canadian supernatural drama television series that premiered on Showcase on September 12, 2010, and ran for five seasons. It follows the life of a bisexual succubus named Bo, played by Anna Silk, as she learns to control her superhuman abilities, help those in need, and discover the truth about her origins. The series was created by Michelle Lovretta and produced by Jay Firestone and Prodigy Pictures Inc., with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund, and in association with Shaw Media.
Seven Arts Entertainment Inc. is a British independent film production company founded in 1992. Notable films that were made by Seven Arts are Stander, Asylum, Noise and more recently, Night of the Demons.
The 26th Gemini Awards was held on September 7, 2011 to honour achievements in Canadian television. The ceremony was broadcast live from the Canadian Broadcasting Centre in Toronto, and aired on CBC Television. The show was hosted by Russell Peters, and included live musical performances by Jim Cuddy, Deborah Cox and City and Colour.
Lost Girl is a Canadian supernatural drama television series that premiered on Showcase on September 12, 2010. The series was created by Michelle Lovretta and is produced by Jay Firestone, Prodigy Pictures Inc., and Keyframe Digital Productions, Inc., with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund, and in association with Shaw Media. It follows the life of a bisexual succubus named Bo, played by Anna Silk, as she learns to control her superhuman abilities, help those in need, and discover the truth about her origins.
Lost Girl is a Canadian supernatural drama television series that premiered on Showcase on September 12, 2010. The series was created by Michelle Lovretta and is produced by Jay Firestone and Prodigy Pictures Inc., with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund, and in association with Shaw Media. It follows the life of a bisexual succubus named Bo, played by Anna Silk, as she learns to control her superhuman abilities, help those in need, and discover the truth about her origins.
Lost Girl is a Canadian supernatural drama television series that premiered on Showcase on September 12, 2010. The series was created by Michelle Lovretta and is produced by Jay Firestone and Prodigy Pictures Inc., with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund, and in association with Shaw Media. It follows the life of a bisexual succubus named Bo, played by Anna Silk, as she learns to control her superhuman abilities, help those in need, and discover the truth about her origins.
Lost Girl is a Canadian supernatural drama television series that premiered on Showcase on September 12, 2010. The series was created by Michelle Lovretta and is produced by Jay Firestone and Prodigy Pictures Inc., with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund, and in association with Shaw Media. It follows the life of a bisexual succubus named Bo, played by Anna Silk, as she learns to control her superhuman abilities, help those in need, and discover the truth about her origins.
Lost Girl is a Canadian supernatural drama television series that premiered on Showcase on September 12, 2010. The series was created by Michelle Lovretta and is produced by Jay Firestone and Prodigy Pictures Inc., with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund, and in association with Shaw Media. It follows the life of a bisexual succubus named Bo, played by Anna Silk, as she learns to control her superhuman abilities, help those in need, and discover the truth about her origins.
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