Jeff Campagna
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Michael Campagna (born November 3, 1982) is a Canadian film
and music video
director
and screenwriter
. He is best known for his film Six Reasons Why
.
working in upscale restaurants, country clubs and health management clinics in Toronto
. After some unsuccessful attempts at becoming a television cooking personalty he began pursuing a career in the film and entertainment industry.
shot largely in Ireland
. Roots Of A Man marked the first film collaboration with his brother, Matt Campagna and screened in international film festivals including Foyle Film Festival
, Gloria Film Festival and Barrie Film Festival.
Using the attention garnered from Roots Of A Man, Campagna, along with his brother, Matt Campagna
, would write, direct, edit and produce the post-apocalyptic spaghetti western
Six Reasons Why
starring Colm Feore
. The film, made on a shoestring budget of $12,000 was purchased in a quarter million dollar bidding war by THINKFilm
for North American distribution after the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival
and was released in theaters and on DVD in August 2008. The film was not however a selection of the film festival. It took the brothers almost a full year after principal photography to get Colm Feore
to agree to act in the picture after a chance meeting between Colm Feore
and Campagna in 2005 at Toronto International Airport. Six Reasons Why had mixed reviews online due to its somewhat art house tone.
In 2009 Campagna was brought on as a story editor
, co-writer and associate producer on Shark City
, a gangster/poker comedy starring Corey Haim
, Vivica A. Fox
and Carlo Rota
. The company behind Shark City
, Stardust Pictures, then hired Campagna as screenwriter
on the romantic comedy Boy Toy.
Campagna teamed up with his brother again in 2009 on Roll The Hard Six another post-apocalyptic spaghetti western and the follow-up to Six Reasons Why
.
rock band Klooch. The budget for the entire video was $1,200 and, in January 2008, it charted at #9 on the MTV
Rock Video Charts in Eastern Europe. Campagna then collaborated with Klooch once again for their North American single 'Beautiful'. Again, the video was a lowbudget production costing $3000 and would chart for multiple weeks on Much More Music's Top Ten peaking at #6.
. The festival showcases strictly Canadian independent film
and video. In the 2008 year the winner for the best feature film went to Matt Bissonette's Who Loves the Sun
, and in the 2009 year, Dean Bajramovic's Gangster Exchange.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
director
Music video director
A music video director is driven by a given music track. These are called music videos and are then used as promotional tools for popular music singles...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. He is best known for his film Six Reasons Why
Six Reasons Why
Six Reasons Why is a 2008 film directed by The Campagna Brothers. It stars Daniel Wooster as the Nomad, a vigilante sent into the badlands by a preacher . He wanders the Badlands with his horse killing every stranger he meets...
.
Background
Born and raised in Mississauga, Campagna was a mediocre high school student and achieved lower than average grades. He was known to convince his teachers to let him produce short 'subject specific' films instead of writing essays and reports. After high school, Campagna began his career as a professional chefChef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
working in upscale restaurants, country clubs and health management clinics in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. After some unsuccessful attempts at becoming a television cooking personalty he began pursuing a career in the film and entertainment industry.
Film
Campagna's film career began with Roots Of A Man, a feature length dramatic documentaryDocumentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
shot largely in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Roots Of A Man marked the first film collaboration with his brother, Matt Campagna and screened in international film festivals including Foyle Film Festival
Foyle Film Festival
Foyle Film Festival is an annual film festival based in Derry, Northern Ireland. The 21st festival took place from 21 to 29 November 2008 and included the Northern Ireland premiere of Brideshead Revisited and the Irish, United Kingdom, and European premiere of Deborah Kampmeier's film Hounddog...
, Gloria Film Festival and Barrie Film Festival.
Using the attention garnered from Roots Of A Man, Campagna, along with his brother, Matt Campagna
Matt Campagna
Matt Campagna is a director, writer, editor and new media producer from Toronto, Canada. He is known for his film Six Reasons Why as well as his work on web series BSGcast, Your Geek News, The Naked Wine Show and WHIRtv....
, would write, direct, edit and produce the post-apocalyptic spaghetti western
Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
Six Reasons Why
Six Reasons Why
Six Reasons Why is a 2008 film directed by The Campagna Brothers. It stars Daniel Wooster as the Nomad, a vigilante sent into the badlands by a preacher . He wanders the Badlands with his horse killing every stranger he meets...
starring Colm Feore
Colm Feore
Colm Feore is an American-born Canadian stage, film and television actor.-Early life:Feore was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Irish parents who lived in Ireland for several years during Feore's early life. The family subsequently moved to Windsor, Ontario, where Feore grew up.After graduating...
. The film, made on a shoestring budget of $12,000 was purchased in a quarter million dollar bidding war by THINKFilm
THINKFilm
THINKFilm is a privately held production and distribution company founded in September 2001. It has been a division of David Bergstein’s Capitol Films since 2006. Bergstein also serves as the company’s chairman...
for North American distribution after the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival
2007 Toronto International Film Festival
The 2007 Toronto International Film Festival was a 32nd annual film festival held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It ran from September 6, 2007 to September 15, 2007. The lineup consisted of 349 films from 55 countries, selected from 4156 submissions...
and was released in theaters and on DVD in August 2008. The film was not however a selection of the film festival. It took the brothers almost a full year after principal photography to get Colm Feore
Colm Feore
Colm Feore is an American-born Canadian stage, film and television actor.-Early life:Feore was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Irish parents who lived in Ireland for several years during Feore's early life. The family subsequently moved to Windsor, Ontario, where Feore grew up.After graduating...
to agree to act in the picture after a chance meeting between Colm Feore
Colm Feore
Colm Feore is an American-born Canadian stage, film and television actor.-Early life:Feore was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Irish parents who lived in Ireland for several years during Feore's early life. The family subsequently moved to Windsor, Ontario, where Feore grew up.After graduating...
and Campagna in 2005 at Toronto International Airport. Six Reasons Why had mixed reviews online due to its somewhat art house tone.
In 2009 Campagna was brought on as a story editor
Story editor
Story editor is a job title in motion picture and television production, also sometimes called "supervising producer". A story editor is a member of the screenwriting staff who edits stories for screenplays....
, co-writer and associate producer on Shark City
Shark City
Shark City is a comedy written by Evan Shear starring Jefferson Brown, David Phillips, Carlo Rota, Corey Haim, Vivica A. Fox, Jordan Madley, Samantha Gutstadt, and Tony Nappo; with Skye Collyer, Adam Rodness, Sean Tweedley, Michael Gelbart, and Dylan Ramsey.-Plot:At the infamous club Shark City,...
, a gangster/poker comedy starring Corey Haim
Corey Haim
Corey Ian Haim was a Canadian actor, known for a 1980s Hollywood career as a teen idol. He starred in a number of films such as Lucas, Silver Bullet, Murphy's Romance, License to Drive and Dream a Little Dream...
, Vivica A. Fox
Vivica A. Fox
Vivica Anjanetta Fox is an American actress and television producer. She is best known for her roles in the films Independence Day, Set It Off, Soul Food, Why Do Fools Fall In Love,Kill Bill and Juwanna Mann....
and Carlo Rota
Carlo Rota
Carlo Rota is a British-born Canadian actor, best known to Canadian audiences for his role on Little Mosque on the Prairie and to international audiences for starring on the FOX series 24.-Early life:...
. The company behind Shark City
Shark City
Shark City is a comedy written by Evan Shear starring Jefferson Brown, David Phillips, Carlo Rota, Corey Haim, Vivica A. Fox, Jordan Madley, Samantha Gutstadt, and Tony Nappo; with Skye Collyer, Adam Rodness, Sean Tweedley, Michael Gelbart, and Dylan Ramsey.-Plot:At the infamous club Shark City,...
, Stardust Pictures, then hired Campagna as screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
on the romantic comedy Boy Toy.
Campagna teamed up with his brother again in 2009 on Roll The Hard Six another post-apocalyptic spaghetti western and the follow-up to Six Reasons Why
Six Reasons Why
Six Reasons Why is a 2008 film directed by The Campagna Brothers. It stars Daniel Wooster as the Nomad, a vigilante sent into the badlands by a preacher . He wanders the Badlands with his horse killing every stranger he meets...
.
Music videos
Campagna made his music video directorial debut with the song 'The First Time' or 'Pershyj Raz' by UkrainianUkrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
rock band Klooch. The budget for the entire video was $1,200 and, in January 2008, it charted at #9 on the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
Rock Video Charts in Eastern Europe. Campagna then collaborated with Klooch once again for their North American single 'Beautiful'. Again, the video was a lowbudget production costing $3000 and would chart for multiple weeks on Much More Music's Top Ten peaking at #6.
Film Festival Founder
In July 2008, Campagna and his brother founded and hosted the 2008 Mississauga Independent Film Festival in Mississauga, OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. The festival showcases strictly Canadian independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
and video. In the 2008 year the winner for the best feature film went to Matt Bissonette's Who Loves the Sun
Who Loves the Sun
Who Loves the Sun is a 2006 Canadian comedy/drama/romance film directed and written by Matt Bissonnette.- Plot :Will Morrison and Daniel Bloom were the best of friends. They grew up together, went to the same schools, liked the same records, loved the same girls. Daniel was Will’s best man at his...
, and in the 2009 year, Dean Bajramovic's Gangster Exchange.