TOAST - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Sound Designer / Recording Engineer
Hi, my name is Andrew. Sometimes I go by MCC. I do audio, web development, make award winning beer, and play bass in a punk band. My obsession with audio began as a teenager recording punk bands in my parents' garage. I moved to Toronto to get a diploma in sound recording, and for 13+ years I have been doing sound design, recording voice over, and mixing at Toast + Jam.
Job Titles:
- Music Supervisor / Licensing Specialist
It's hard to believe that it's been fifteen years that I've been placing music, negotiating and licensing for national and international advertising campaigns. I got into it because I write music and it gives me a real buzz to see how music relates to picture and brings it to life. It's led me to doing deals with artists ranging from emerging independent acts to The Beatles. My love of promoting the independents had me create Hook Music, a company where my team and I scouted, catalogued and managed music rights for over 4,000 artists. Licensing keeps me connected to the incredible music industry we have in Canada and keeps my finger on the pulse of our popular culture. As a composer I appreciate that. I also believe that as a writer I understand music in a way that many supervisors do not.
Christian's Reel is available by request.
Traveller, explorer, artist and obsessive learner are probably the best ways to describe me. I have a keen eye for all things detail, but despite my BA in Graphic Design, it is truly my love of travel and desire to shoot all the places I explore that has naturally led me to get in deep with the world of filmmaking. I see my job as putting the heartbeat into motion pictures and mixing video editing with graphics allows me to discover exciting new ways to do that.
A storyteller at heart I've taken those sensibilities to the world of advertising to create dynamic, engaging and modern looking work. I edit TV ads, social media campaigns and most recently created my very own app "Mache" for my travel start up Pangaea.
When I was 12 year old Grant, I developed and printed my first roll of film. It seems that's all it took. I was hooked - I knew I was going to be a visual story teller.
When I attended my first edit of a commercial some years later I knew instantly that I had found my passion. Since then I've worked alongside some of the best editors on the continent. I've had the privilege to cut film directed by amazing directors and worked with some of the most inspiring creative teams the business has to offer.
I believe anything is possible; I like to push to see what happens if we try something different. I will always ask the question, "Can we make it better?" As an Exec, I see my first job being the amalgamation of top notch, high performance teams and creating the right working environment so that we may to bring the creative vision to life. All with a truly collaborative spirit.
Job Titles:
- Composer / Voice Director
Part of the team since 2004, I'm a sworn generalist: I write music, direct voices, manage productions, help with operations and even check to make sure the catering looks good. After finishing a music degree at York University (where I specialized in avoiding specialization) and a diploma in sound recording, I landed in the world of audio post, where my swiss-army-knife tendencies were welcomed. I'm most comfortable when I'm facilitating communication between creative people from different worlds, turning concepts and feelings into sounds, and translating between the languages of art, technology, film, music and storytelling.
Job Titles:
- French Voice Director / Translator
Laetitia has ears that are finely tuned to the unique Quebec version of the language and she brings to Toast + Jam more than a decade of working with some of the worlds biggest brands en Français. Her great attention to detail, excellent communication skills, and her kind and engaging personality make her a perfect fit.
I've had a bass attached to my hands for over half my life. Admittedly, I'm a bit of an odd duck among "musician types"; I'm all about straight, clean lines, symmetry, and being prepared for any eventuality. As a musician, this means I've always been the one taking care of the money, making sure everyone is where they need to be at the right time (more often than not early; something my family calls the De Luca Curse), and packing the spare expendables. So with my work at T+J it's pretty simple - I'm happy when our clients are happy. And what makes clients happier than when we solve all of their problems and do a kick-ass job, on-time and on-budget?
My father, the night owl, could tell his 5 year old son was too hopped up on Christmas sweets to even attempt to put me to bed. So with my mother asleep he turned to me and asked "Do you wanna stay up and watch Rocky 3 with me?" Anything but bed I thought, not knowing who or what a "Rocky" was. From the moment he hit play my life was forever changed. I had seen movies before but not like this. This wasn't Disney. This was something else entirely. This was Sly Stallone. This was Mr. T. This was Eye of the Tiger.
That movie and its simple story changed my life. I began devouring everything I could watch, and other things I shouldn't have at my age, anything that told a good story. I was hooked.
I'm not sure why many years later my parents were so shocked that their son wasn't going to law or med school. In the first year of film school I fell in love with editing and spent an unhealthy amount of time in the basement editing suites. I quickly realized that in my future there would be many days spent in the dark.
In the 20 years that I've been lucky enough to work in this business the industry has changed a lot but the one thing that hasn't is my love for those first couple days where I get to be alone with the footage and look at the story with fresh eyes. To build the scripted but also to explore everything else. And then to share and hone those ideas with a creative team; discussing how best to tell the stories we have to tell.
Job Titles:
- Editor / Graphic Artist / Media Nerd Best Describes What Excites Me and Who I Am
I grew up up in London, England, home of one of the most diverse and interesting music and art scenes in the world. It was fundamental in making me who I am. Three years spent at art school were also a revelation and made it clear where my career path would go. For my parents it was a point of concern; dad still struggles to understand what I do.
I'm fascinated by visual arts of any kind and many things have inspired me to pursue a career in editing: the films of Kubrick, Coppola, and Ridley Scott; early video installations by Bill Viola or Steve McQueen; and even making showreels for Michel Gondry on an analogue Sony edit station. Seeing their work was so stimulating and thought provoking. It gave me a hunger for visual story telling.
I'm also thrilled at the advances I've witnessed in editing technology. The process of editing has become so much more fluid and less about the apparatus. We now have a lot more freedom to experiment and play. It's very gratifying when everything clicks and the images flow. Seeing that grin on the director and clients' faces is the ultimate compliment.
I love the vibe ‘Torono' has and I feel there's still so much to discover.
Job Titles:
- Editor of the Martin Scorsese
My name is Tamara, although everyone calls me Thelma because of my love for Thelma Schoonmaker, the editor of the Martin Scorsese films.
I have been editing for twelve years and during this time I have made national and international advertising campaigns, documentaries, music videos, trailers, fashion, branded content...and I have had the opportunity to meet directors and creatives with whom I have worked hand-in-hand to create the best campaigns.
I love working in the dark, rhythmic montages where the images dance to the music, exploring the possibilities of sound, seeing my selections looped, and having good food around while I edit.
Job Titles:
- Creative Director / Composer
Grade six was a fabulous year. Or was it grade five? I'm not certain but somewhere near the tender age of eleven my courageous mom gave me a drum set. That same year I bought my first microphone and started a band with my twin brother. Later I wired up the family phone so we could record crank phone calls and I discovered sound-on-sound recording as a poor man's alternative to a multi-track. I was hooked. Life bounced from one sonic adventure and musical instrument to the next. Radio programs, albums, music and sound for all manner of electronic media, countless radio and television ads and now I'm the owner and Creative Director of Toast + Jam. The most amazing thing is that after all of this I still feel like I learn every time I step into the studio. And I still get a rush every time the record button turns red.