PRODUCTION COMPANIES Soapbox Productions was formed in January 1990 from a partnership between Pat Ferns (Primedia) and Nick Orchard (Pippin). Both brought to Soapbox an extensive background in drama and TV series production, and their first project was four seasons of the acclaimed teen drama series Northwood, an international co-production with the CBC and Sweden’s Sveriges Television. Northwood won numerous awards including the Silver Medal from the New York Festivals, the award of excellence from the Alliance for Children and Television and several Chris Awards. Orchard acquired sole ownership of the company in 1993, producing and directing two seasons of the popular astronomy series Cosmic Highway for the Discovery Channel, winning multiple Leo Awards and a Gemini nomination. In 1997 the company began three seasons of Double Exposure for CTV and the Comedy Network. This series was a multiple Gemini Award nominee and winner of the Golden Sheaf Award and the Gold Camera Award from the International Film and Television Festival. Other recent programmes include Life on the Vertical for Discovery, Shadow Warrior (Life & Times) for CBC, Happy Birthday Blues for BRAVO/CHUM, Cosmic Odyssey, a new documentary series for Discovery Channel narrated by William Shatner, and The Great Race, a reality series for the Travel Channel. Two feature films, The Suspect and Dead Serious, are in pre-production, as are SevBanin.com - a comedy pilot for CBC, Heads Up - a kids astronomy pilot for TVOntario and Shakin' All Over - a 2 hour look at the history of Canadian Rock for CBC. In addition, there are numerous series in development with various broadcasters including a Long John Baldry documentary and two travel series. [Click here to read the Beachcomber Production Notes] THE NEW BEACHCOMBERS : THE FILMMAKERS PRODUCER – NICK ORCHARD Nick Orchard started his career as a child actor on stage and radio, moving to television dramas while still in high school. A degree in theatre and film from the University of British Columbia led first to work in radio; as a documentary producer for the CBC, Production Manager and part-time disc jockey. Moving to television twenty-eight years ago, Orchard has worked for CTV, CBC and the BBC in London. He went to England after a stint as Production Manager on the long-running CBC drama series The Beachcombers. That experience led to work as Associate Producer on Eastenders, the most highly rated series ever produced for British television, following that with various BBC mini-series and the popular serial Brookside. Establishing Soapbox Productions twelve years ago, Orchard created and produced the acclaimed CBC drama series Northwood, and has signed development deals with Universal Television. In addition to producing and directing the Gemini nominated Cosmic Highway - a 26 part documentary series for Discovery Channel, Orchard produced and directed the Gemini-nominated Double Exposure - a 69 episode comedy series for CTV and The Comedy Network. His executive producing credits include Life on the Vertical and Shadow Warrior and other producing credits include a televised concert special with Long John Baldry and The Great Race - for Travel Channel Canada. Having recently wrapped another documentary series (Cosmic Odyssey) for Discovery Canada, Orchard is now at work on SevBanin.com for CBC and numerous development projects with various broadcasters. JACKSON DAVIES – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, STAR Also under cast section. The New Beachcombers is a project very close to actor, writer, and Executive Producer Jackson Davies’ heart. He played ‘Constable John Constable’ for over 16 years on the original CBC series The Beachcombers and, with producer Nick Orchard, is principally responsible for creating a new lease on life for the long-running, much-beloved Canadian icon in this television movie. Originally from Wetaskiwin, Alberta, and now living in West Vancouver, B.C., Davies started acting in 1968 and has appeared in over 160 stage shows in most of the major Theatres in Canada. Prior to start of production on The New Beachcombers, he starred in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Dinner With Friends at the Stanley Theatre in Vancouver. Davies has appeared in well over 300 TV shows. Past credits include: Wise Guy; 21 Jump Street; Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventures; Hit The Spot; Vonnegut Theatre; X Files, and continuing roles in MacGyver and Street Justice. He has also been in 30 made-for-television movies and feature films including: I Still Dream Of Jennie; Christmas Pageant; Hitchhiker; Runaway; Stakeout; Bird On A Wire; Bingo; The Exxon Valdez Story; Catch Me If You Can, and the critically skewered Tom Green movie Freddy Got Fingered. Davies is currently producing and writing the film script for The Foursome, based on the hit stage show he starred in last year, and recently completed Welcome Back - a 30th anniversary documentary on the Beachcombers series. He is also in development with three series, More Great Ideas, a comedy-documentary series on Canadian Inventions, the sitcom Honest Bob's, the comedy Sooke Point Bed and Breakfast and Rebels Without A Clue, a motorcycle travel series. Davies has appeared in, written, produced, and directed over 200 television commercials and industrial films in Canada and the U.S. for which he has won numerous national and international awards. For 16 years Davies starred as Constable John Constable in CBC's longest running TV series The Beachcombers for which he won the TV Week Viewer's Choice Award for BEST ACTOR in 1986, 1987, 1988, AND 1989. Jackson is one of only two Canadians who were made Honorary Sergeants in the RCMP. In 1995 Jackson was inducted into the B.C. Entertainment Hall Of Fame and Starwalk. He also plays right wing (very poorly) for the Vancouver Canuck Alumni team and makes various appearances for charity. MARC STRANGE - EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/WRITER Born and raised in Kitchener, Ontario, Marc Strange has been in the entertainment business for over 40 years as a folk singer, songwriter, painter, poet, TV director, and longtime actor. Strange began in the industry at age ten, doing a weekly radio show in Kitchener (The Bookworms), and acting in Kitchener Waterloo Little Theater stage productions, one of which, All My Sons, took him to the Dominion Drama Festival in Regina. At 16 he left school and worked in factories and picked tobacco before he moved to Toronto at age 19 and started appearing as a folk singer. He played in Coffee Houses up and down the Yorkville/Avenue Road "Village" for a few years before again turning his attention to acting, first on stage at the Village Playhouse, then The Crest Theater in Toronto, and summer stock in Plattsburg, New York. He started getting sporadic TV and film work in his early 20s but his marriage to Lynn Susan Ward, lead singer with the Allen-Ward Trio, helped to focus the young actor on his career. In the mid ‘60s he starred in two CBC television series, Hatch's Mill and The Manipulators then starred opposite Genevieve Bujold in Paul Almond's Isabel. In 1967 he signed a seven-year contract with Screen Gems/Columbia Pictures and moved to Hollywood where he made one picture, Shadow on the Land, opposite Gene Hackman. While waiting for the studio to come up with a series vehicle for him, he received a call from Phil Keatley in CBC Vancouver offering him the lead role in The Manipulators. He wrote and directed one of the last episodes of the series and fell in love with writing and directing, so much so that he turned his back on his acting career to pursue this new passion. At around the same time Phillip Keatley was casting around for a new half-hour series idea, and Strange and his wife came up with the concept for The Beachcombers, a series that was to occupy him for the new 19 years as both a writer and a director. The couple also wrote all 12 episodes of Michael J.Fox's first TV series, Leo & Me, for CBC Vancouver. When Strange and his wife separated, he returned to Toronto and continued his writing, directing and producing career with such shows as Streeet Legal, Night Heat, The Campbells and the MOW Frostfire. Strange has starred or had featured roles in over 30 films including Act Of Vengeance (With Charles Bronson), Big Town (With Matt Dillon, Tommy Lee Jones), Tools Of The Devil (for CBC), The Morning Man, Run (With Patrick Dempsey), Love & Hate (for CBC), Shell Game (The Street Legal Two-Hour Pilot), Hoover Vs The Kennedys (with Jack Warden), Tommy Boy (Chris Farley), and Dieppe (playing Eisenhower), Gridlock (David Hasselhoff), Undue Influence (Brian Dennehy) and Highlander. Strange also acted in six episodes of Traders. Recent writing credits for Strange include the televison series Dauntless Jessie and Dockerty plus Dockerty.com, the screenplays The Waterworks Pond, The Elopement and Wheelcats, two IMAX scripts (Wolves, Four Million Houseguests) an untitled Jackie Chan project, and the original television series concept Wild Eagle. Strange’s extensive songwriting credits include the theme song for Leo & Me, and original songs for two Beachcombers episodes. Strange continues to write every day, plus paint, sculpt and play guitar. He occasionally acts and does a lot of voice work. He lives with Karen Petersen, a former story editor on the old Beachcombers series with whom he became reacquainted in 1998. and his daughter, Sarah Strange, is a successful B.C.-based actor who is a series regular on Da Vinci's Inquest, was one of the stars of Madison, and received a Gemini Award for a three-part guest starring role on Neon Rider. BRAD TURNER – DIRECTOR For Brad Turner, working on The New Beachcombers was something of a homecoming; he directed the final episode of the original series with Director of Photography Rob McLachlan. A multiple Gemini Award-nominee, Brad Turner's directing credits include the television films Must Be Santa, Criminal Instincts, The Inspectors, The Inspectors 2, Peacekeepers, the critically acclaimed four hour mini-series Major Crime, That Matter Of Marriage, and the pilot for Dead Man's Gun. He directed multiple episodes of The Outer Limits, Stargate Sg-1, Hope Island, Two, Dead Man's Gun, Lonesome Dove, Kurt Vonnegut's Monkey House, 21 Jump Street and Ray Bradbury Theatre, as well as a number of episodes of CBC's high profile drama series North of 60, Street Legal, Mom P.I., plus several episodes of the original Beachcombers series. Additionally, he directed for the television series Fx, Strange Luck, PSI Factor Twilight Zone, Magic Hour and The Commish. Turner has been nominated for 6 Gemini Awards, plus a Cable Ace Award-nomination for Best Direction for his work on Kurt Vonnegut's Monkey House: More Stately Mansions. He also won a 1996 Manitoba Film Award for Best Director for Paris or Somewhere. Turner, whose work as a director takes him around the world, is a native of Bayfield, Ontario and owns The Turner Gallery that specializes in Canadian Contemporary Artists. ROB MCLACHLAN – DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Rob McLachlan, who has earned eight Outstanding Achievement Awards during the past 10 years in the annual Canadian Society of Cinematographers competition, plus an American Society of Cinematographers Award nomination, cut his cinematographic teeth on the original Beachcombers series. In the new film he again stamps his cinematic vision, not only as the Director of Photography, but also as in a hands-on capacity as Camera Operator. The son of an artist and an avid photography enthusiast, McLachlan was born in San Francisco and raised in North Vancouver, B.C. He began his career directing, shooting and editing commercials while attending university in Vancouver. He was paying his way through school with part-time work at the Woodward’s department store when he pitched the chain owner, Chunky Woodward, on the idea of a short film about the downtown store’s antique, about-to-be-retired, peanut butter machine. He won an award for the short, and with a fellow film student, formed a small company to produce industrial films as well as TV commercials and documentaries. In the late 1980s, McLachlan turned his attention to television and film drama, as camera operator on a remake of Sea Hunt, filming in Victoria. From there he moved onto the adventure series Beachcombers, and then applied his newly found aquatic experience to the CBS telefilm Adrift. Subsequent credits include the Stephen J. Cannell ABC series The Commish and Fox’s series Strange Luck, which caught the eye of The X-Files creator, Chris Carter. Carter invited McLachlan to join the team of Millennium, where he teamed up with X-Files alumni Glen Morgan and James Wong. They hired him to shoot his first feature film, Final Destination, in 2000 and in 2001, McLachlan collaborated again with Morgan and Wong on the Hollywood action feature, The One, starring Jet Li, which earned him membership in an elite group dubbed the “Neo-Virtuosos – cinematographers”, by The Hollywood Reporter. McLachlan, who has just finished shooting for New Line Cinema’s feature film Willard, was also DOP for The Lone Gunmen and High Noon. He divides his time between Vancouver and Los Angeles. COMPOSER – MICHAEL CONWAY BAKER North Vancouver-based Michael Conway Baker is considered one of Canada’s most prolific and successful composers, with popular works in a variety of musical genres, including symphonic, ballet, film, TV and special events. He has over 180 film, television, and video music scores, and over 125 concert works to his credit and is the recipient of numerous awards, including four Genies, One Juno, And Two Gemini’s. Conway Baker’s best known works include Fanfare for EXPO 86, the soundtrack music for The Savage Land, The Planet for the Taking, the popular Canadian film, The Grey Fox, and two episodes of The Road to Avonlea. He is Composer in Residence for the Vancouver School Board, Sessional Lecturer in Music in Film and Orchestration at UBC and is a retired Elementary School Teacher. He holds the Order of British Columbia and in 2000, won the FANS Award from the North Shore Arts Commission.