Jay Firestone
Encyclopedia
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
-winning film
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
.
Early career
Growing up in a suburbSuburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Toronto, Ontario, Firestone was the third child of six born to Jewish parents Esther and Paul. He attended Hamilton's
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
, graduating in 1979 with a degree in commerce
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
and aspirations to springboard off of accounting into business. After wedding University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
student Sherry Barad and earning his CA
Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...
a few years later, Firestone joined accounting firm Peat, Marwick, Mitchell and Co.
KPMG
KPMG is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC. Its global headquarters is located in Amstelveen, Netherlands....
Alliance Years
Firestone found himself disenchanted with the profession of accounting, and left the firm in 1985 to help found Alliance CommunicationsAlliance Communications
Alliance Communications was a former Canadian-based movie distribution company. Based in Toronto, Ontario the company was formed in 1984 by Stephen Roth, Denis Heroux, John Kemeny, Robert Lantos and Jay Firestone. It acquired a Montreal-based Francophone production company, Vivafilm, in 1990. In...
with four of Canada's top producers. Firestone began as chief financial officer, but rose quickly, gaining a reputation as a talented dealmaker and creative businessman. In addition to his role as CFO, Firestone set up a tax-shelter
Tax shelter
Tax shelters are any method of reducing taxable income resulting in a reduction of the payments to tax collecting entities, including state and federal governments...
financing arm which made the company plenty of money. He rose to the position of Vice-Chairman, and was the principal dealmaker for the company, overseeing its worldwide operations.
However, Firestone and Lantos (both known to be short-fused) had a serious and publicized falling out over the direction of the company, which lead to Firestone's abrupt departure in 1995 and "stunned the Canadian film and television industry."
Firestone cashed in his company interests, leaving with respectable film and television credits such as ReBoot
ReBoot
ReBoot is a Canadian CGI-animated action-adventure cartoon series that originally aired from 1994 to 2001. It was produced by Vancouver-based production company Mainframe Entertainment, Alliance Communications, BLT Productions and created by Gavin Blair, Ian Pearson, Phil Mitchell and John Grace,...
, for which he received a Gemini Award
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
for "Best Animation Series."
Building Years
After his departure from Alliance, Firestone was required to honour a one-year non-compete clauseNon-compete clause
A non-compete clause , or covenant not to compete , is a term used in contract law under which one party agrees not to pursue a similar profession or trade in competition against another party . As a contract provision, a CNC is bound by traditional contract requirements including the...
that prevented him from taking advantage of the surging Canadian film industry. But days after the clause expired, Firestone made headlines by purchasing SkyVision Entertainment (the film and television production arm of Labatt Breweries of Canada,) through his newly created company, Fireworks Entertainment, Inc.
Fireworks Entertainment
Fireworks Entertainment was founded by Jay Firestone in 1996 to produce, distribute and finance television shows and feature films. Fireworks was acquired by Canwest Global in May 1998, and was later sold to ContentFilm, a British company, in April 2005...
Firestone has said the name for his company was derived from his own last name, but is also symbolic of the exploding film and television industry. He often alludes to his company name in press, such as when asked by Daily Variety of the significance of his SkyVision purchase:
In SkyVision, Firestone acquired 170 program episodes, including reality police series Secret Service
Secret Service (TV Series)
Secret Service was an American action drama television series, created by Gilbert M. Shilton and George Mendeluk, which premiered on NBC on August 16, 1992 and ended on November 17, 1993. The show was a re-enactment of real Secret Service cases. It aired 21 episodes...
, and RoboCop: The Series
RoboCop: The Series
RoboCop: The Series is a 1994 television series based on the film of the same name. It stars Richard Eden as the title character. Made to appeal primarily to children and young teenagers, it lacks the graphic violence that was the hallmark of RoboCop and RoboCop 2...
, a television series based on the movie of the same name. Firestone and SkyVision also acted on plans for a pilot episode of a series based on the successful F/X
F/X
F/X is a 1986 American action-thriller film about Rollie Tyler , an expert in the art of special effects with a reputation built by his work on many low-budget hack-and-slash films such as I Dismember Mama...
films.
A year after Fireworks started, the company and its leader had gained a reputation for a quirky but highly effective method of conducting business, approaching $100 million in production through television series La Femme Nikita, F/X: The Series
F/X: The Series
F/X: The Series was a television series based on the film F/X, starring Cameron Daddo, Christina Cox, Kevin Dobson , Jacqueline Torres , Carrie-Anne Moss and Jason Blicker. It ran for 40 episodes from 1996 through 1998....
and Pacific Blue
Pacific Blue (TV series)
Pacific Blue is an American crime drama series about a team of police officers with the Santa Monica Police Department who patrolled its beaches on bicycles. The show ran for five seasons on the USA Network, from March 2, 1996 to April 9, 2000, with a total of one hundred and one episodes...
. As Fireworks "came out of nowhere to nip at the heels of Canada's big integrated film and television companies," Firestone was pitching shows with a squirt gun in his hand, casually referring to his company's unparalleled success as "having fun."
Less than a year later, Firestone was able to cash in this "fun" when he took Fireworks public in the fall of 1997. The stock offering came after Alliance, the company he helped build with Lantos, issued shares of its own in an attempt to capitalize on the increased appetite of investors for stock in Canadiant entertainment companies. The IPO saw about $30 million in shares sold by the company, with shares selling at over 10 times the expected 1997 earnings per share.
Acquisition by CanWest
A few months after taking Fireworks public, Firestone caught the eye of media magnate Izzy AsperIzzy Asper
Israel Harold "Izzy" Asper, , Canadian tax lawyer and media magnate, was the founder of the now defunct CanWest Global Communications Corp and father to its former CEO and President Leonard Asper, former director and corporate secretary Gail Asper, as well as Executive Vice President David Asper...
, founder of CanWest Global Communications
CanWest Global Communications
Canwest Global Communications Corporation, which operated under the corporate brand Canwest, was a major Canadian media company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with its head offices at Canwest Place...
. In another headline-making move, Firestone sold the company to CanWest for over $60 million, making CanWest the sole shareholder and Firestone the chairman and CEO of Canwest Entertainment.
The deal gave Firestone access to a new pool of resources, and along with his past success earned him worldwide recognition. Firestone was a finalist for the 1998 Ontario Entrepreneur of the Year, and was featured prominently in the news media.
Firestone was involved in over 20 film and television projects over the next five years and furthered his reputation as an intelligent and creative businessman.
Earning credits on films such as Rat Race, Hardball
Hardball (film)
Hardball is a 2001 American dramedy film directed by Brian Robbins. It stars Keanu Reeves, Diane Lane and D. B. Sweeney. The screenplay by John Gatlins is based on the book Hardball: A Season in the Projects by Daniel Coyle. The original music score is composed by Mark Isham. The film is known in...
and Rules of Engagement
Rules of Engagement (film)
Rules of Engagement is a 2000 American film directed by William Friedkin and starring Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson plays Marine Colonel Terry Childers, who is brought to court-martial on charges of disobeying the rules of engagement in a military incident at an American embassy...
, as well as successful television shows Relic Hunter
Relic Hunter
Relic Hunter is an anglophone Canadian television series, starring Tia Carrere and Christien Anholt. Actress Lindy Booth also starred for the first two seasons; Tanja Reichert replaced her for the third...
, Mutant X
Mutant X (TV series)
Mutant X is a science fiction television series that debuted on October 6, 2001. The show was created by Marvel Studios, and it centers around Mutant X, a team of "New Mutants" who possess extraordinary powers as a result of genetic engineering. The members of Mutant X were used as test subjects...
and Andromeda
Andromeda (TV series)
Andromeda is a Canadian-American science fiction television series, based on unused material by the late Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, developed by Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and produced by Roddenberry's widow, Majel Barrett Roddenberry. It starred Kevin Sorbo as High Guard Captain Dylan Hunt...
, Firestone cemented his place as one of the world's premier producers and dealmakers. Firestone also received accolades for the independent film The Believer, which won the Saint George
Saint George
Saint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
prize for "Best Film" at the 23rd Moscow International Film Festival
Moscow International Film Festival
Moscow International Film Festival , is the film festival first held in Moscow in 1959. From its inception to 1995 it was held every second year in July, alternating with the Karlovy Vary festival. The festival has been held annually since 1995....
.
Through all of his success, Firestone maintained his casual persona and fun-loving nature. Upgrading from a squirt gun to an elastic band gun, Firestone understood the importance of a positive work environment and employee loyalty, though neither stopped him from shooting rubber projectiles at his officemates. A chalk outline of a dead body bearing the inscription "here lies the last person who said 'I don't know'" lay on his office floor, a fun reminder of his free but no-nonsense style of business.
Though a leadership change in CanWest would not affect Firestone's unique style of business, his relationship with the parent company would falter. After Izzy Asper fell ill and was unable to continue maintain his role in the company, his son Leonard
Leonard Asper
Leonard Asper , is a Canadian businessperson and lawyer. He is a graduate of Brandeis University and the University of Toronto Law School.Leonard Asper is the son of the late Izzy Asper, founder of CanWest Global...
was made CEO of the company. With the film industry rounding off its upward spiral and heading in in the opposite direction, CanWest implemented plans to downsize its entertainment arm, limiting the freedom Firestone had enjoyed previously as owner.
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 had a one year non-compete clause, which he honoured.
Acquisition by Content Film
Canwest Global sold the name and film and television library to ContentFilm, a British company, in April 2005.From March 14, 2011 the name Fireworks became defunct when rebranded as Content Television under the umbrella Content Media Corporation PLC.
Present
Firestone's current work is done under the name Prodigy Pictures, his most recently founded company.He produced Stuck a horror film released in 2007 starring Mena Suvari
Mena Suvari
Mena Alexandra Suvari is an American actress, fashion designer, and model. Shortly after beginning her career as a model, she appeared in guest roles on 1990's television shows such as Boy Meets World and High Incident...
and Stephen Rea
Stephen Rea
Stephen Rea is an Irish film and stage actor. Rea has appeared in high profile films such as V for Vendetta, Michael Collins, Interview with the Vampire and Breakfast on Pluto...
, which tells the true story of a man hit by a car and left for dead in the driver's garage.
Firestone a mini series out of the popular comic book series XIII released in 2008 starring Stephen Dorff and is currently producing a 13 episode follow up series starring Stewart Townsend. The series is set to air in France on Canal Plus in 2011 and on Showcase in Canada in spring 2011.
Firestone produced the supernatural series Lost Girl released 2010 starring Anna Silk, which broke Showcase's viewing records for Canadian scripted series premiere.