Capturing Cooperman · 2020-07-27 · Jim Gifford Editor, HarperCollins Engel’s chief...

12
A One Hour Documentary He’s absolutely in the top ranks as far as Canadian crime writers go. Jim Gifford Editor, HarperCollins Engel’s chief contribution to Canadian writing has been his character, Benny Cooperman. It’s the only distinctive, truly Canadian sleuth. Philip Marchand Book Reviewer, Toronto Star Photo Credit: John Reeves Capturing Cooperman: A Not So Private Investigation of Howard Engel Media Kit

Transcript of Capturing Cooperman · 2020-07-27 · Jim Gifford Editor, HarperCollins Engel’s chief...

Page 1: Capturing Cooperman · 2020-07-27 · Jim Gifford Editor, HarperCollins Engel’s chief contribution to Canadian writing has been his character, Benny Cooperman. It’s the only distinctive,

A One Hour Documentary

He’s absolutely in the top ranks as far as Canadian crime writers go.Jim Gifford

Editor, HarperCollins

Engel’s chief contribution to Canadian writing has been his character, Benny Cooperman. It’s the only distinctive, truly Canadian sleuth.

Philip MarchandBook Reviewer, Toronto Star

Photo Credit: John Reeves

Capturing Cooperman:A Not So Private Investigation of Howard Engel

Media Kit

Page 2: Capturing Cooperman · 2020-07-27 · Jim Gifford Editor, HarperCollins Engel’s chief contribution to Canadian writing has been his character, Benny Cooperman. It’s the only distinctive,

This one hour documentary pays tribute to a remarkable author who suffered a debilitating stroke in 2001 that left him unable to read, yet not only did he return to writing, but according to reviewers and critics, has never written better than in his most recent work.

Reel Girls Media is a content-driven company dedicated to fostering a deeper understanding of the world and the human spirit through the production of smart and original entertainment delivered across multiple platforms including television, web and mobile. The company’s projects have been recognized internationally with more than 35 awards and 65 festival screenings.

Contact us:9860A - 33RD avenueEdmonton, Alberta Canada T6N 1C6P:780.488.0440 F:780.452.4980E:[email protected] www.reelgirlsmedia.com

Capturing Cooperman chronicles the life and work of novelist Howard Engel, creator of Canada’s most enduring crime fiction series and private eye, Benny Cooperman. A founding member of the Crime Writers of Canada, a recipient of the Matt Cohen Prize in Celebration of a Writing Life, and most recently a member of the Order of Canada, Engel’s achievements in Canadian crime fiction writing are unmatched.

[Howard Engel] broke new ground as the author of the Benny Cooperman mystery series featuring heroes, villains and locations that are unequivocally Canadian. With his tales of a private investigator based in small town Ontario, he has given readers across the nation and around the world a sense of our stories, our values, and our various regional characteristics.

WRITTEN and DIRECTED by SCOT MORISONPRODUCED by AVA KARVONEN and FRANCO DOTTOR

Produced in association with Bravo! and with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund created by the Government of Canada and the Canadian Cable Industry, the Alberta Film Development Program and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit Program.

Capturing Cooperman:A Not So Private Investigation of Howard Engel

A One Hour Documentary

-excerpt from Engel’s citation for his 2007 investiture to the Order of Canada

Photo Credit: John Reeves

Page 3: Capturing Cooperman · 2020-07-27 · Jim Gifford Editor, HarperCollins Engel’s chief contribution to Canadian writing has been his character, Benny Cooperman. It’s the only distinctive,

Capturing Cooperman: A Not So PrivateInvestigation of Howard Engel

A One Hour DocumentaryProduced by Reel Girls Media Inc.

Brief Overview

Capturing Cooperman: A Not So Private Investigation of Howard Engel chronicles the life and work of the creator of Canada’s most enduring crime fiction series and private eye, BennyCooperman. Filmmakers capture the story of the man behind the sleuth, from his early days growing up in St. Catharines, Ontario – which would become the inspiration for Benny Cooperman’s fictional hometown of Grantham – to his many professional successes. A founding member of the Crime Writers of Canada, a recipient of the Matt Cohen Prize in Celebration of a Writing Life, and most recently, a member of the Order of Canada, Engel’s achievements in Canadian crime fiction writing are remarkable.

Equally as remarkable is Engel’s personal story. In 2001 he suffered a debilitating stroke that left him unable to read. “I opened up the newspaper and looked at the headlines, and they seemed to be written in Russian or Serbo-Croatian,” recalls Engel.

Colleagues, critics and family recount Engel’s struggle to maintain his writing career without the ability to read his own writing. In the face of such a daunting obstacle, Engel himself has remained strikingly pragmatic. “I don’t have a lot of ego invested in what I do. The work is the important thing and I try to get on with that as well as I can.” Amazingly, Engel has managed to do more than just get on with it – not only did he return to writing, but according to reviewers and critics, has never written better than in his most recent work.

Capturing Cooperman Media Kit Page 3 of 12

Page 4: Capturing Cooperman · 2020-07-27 · Jim Gifford Editor, HarperCollins Engel’s chief contribution to Canadian writing has been his character, Benny Cooperman. It’s the only distinctive,

Synopsis

Capturing Cooperman: A Not So Private Investigation of Howard Engel is a one hour arts and entertainment documentary that profiles the life of Canadian crime fiction writer, Howard Engel, who keeps writing despite the challenges he faces.

Engel’s career began in 1957, not as a novelist, but as a correspondent, writer, and producer for CBC Radio. After many years featuring and interviewing authors for CBC’s flagship program, Anthology, Engel had a go at writing himself. When he began writing in the late 1970s, he challenged himself to create a one-of-a-kind character. “When I started to write what became The Suicide Murders – the first of the Benny Cooperman books – I thought, let’s make a detective who is not like any of the others,” remembers Engel.

Enter Benny Cooperman P.I., a rumpled, unarmed, decidedly quirky, Jewish detective who lives and works in a small Canadian city. Not exactly a stereotypical crime fighter. “The first time I started writing in his voice, the voice was his voice,” and twelve novels later, Engel’s success with Benny Cooperman is indisputable.

Then, in 2001 Engel’s writing life came to a screeching halt when he woke up one morning and found he couldn’t read his morning paper. He soon realized that he had experienced a stroke that impaired his ability to read. Such an impairment could have heralded his retirement, but Engel’s literary comeback is proof that he shares the indomitable spirit of the sleuth he has penned for over twenty-five years. By re-learning to read, and with the support of his family and fellow writers, Engel has managed to produce books eleven and twelve in the Benny Cooperman series, as well as an autobiography of his life since the stroke.

Through interviews with colleagues Eric Wright, Tony Aspler, Peter Robinson, and Janice MacDonald, as well as journalists, literary critics and editors Sandra Martin, Margaret Cannon, Philip Marchand, and Jim Gifford, and Engel’s own daughter, Charlotte, the story of Engel’s life and work is pieced together.

Engel celebrates his family’s memorable moments and remembers the difficult ones. He fondly muses about the births of his three children, and discusses his first marriage to author Marian Engel, the namesake of the award given to outstanding Canadian women writers in mid-career. He also poignantly recalls the tragic death of his second wife, Janet Hamilton, to brain cancer.

The man behind the Benny Cooperman success is revealed in this one hour documentary that salutes the life and work of a significant contributor to Canadian crime fiction writing.

Capturing Cooperman Media Kit Page 4 of 12

Page 5: Capturing Cooperman · 2020-07-27 · Jim Gifford Editor, HarperCollins Engel’s chief contribution to Canadian writing has been his character, Benny Cooperman. It’s the only distinctive,

Quotable Quotes

It was really a blade in my heart, not being able to read - feeling myself cut off from Hawthorne, Whitman, Poe, Wordsworth and Shakespeare. Howard Engel

Enough can’t be said about Howard’s contribution to Canadian crime fiction. He was there opening those doors. He’s the first Canadian crime writer to receive the Order of Canada, he’s the first Canadian crime writer to receive a major award. Margaret Cannon Crime Fiction Reviewer, Globe & Mail

[Howard] brings into…crime writing a kind of comic droll aspect. To create an enduring character is everything that a writer tries to do. Benny Cooperman, he’s a character who will stand the test of time. A truly Canadian creation. Tony Aspler Novelist, Wine Lover’s Mysteries

He’s gone through a series of mishaps that would have flattened anybody else, I think. But he just sat there until the…pain…receded, and he was still writing. I have admiration for him. Eric Wright Novelist, Charlie Salter Mysteries

I couldn’t even imagine how terrible it is to lose the ability to read for someone like Howard who’s a very learned and literate person…it’s absolutely astonishing that somebody…can lose that ability to read but can still write. Peter Robinson Novelist, Inspector Banks Mysteries

He’s absolutely in the top ranks as far as Canadian crime writers go. My favourite Howard Engel mystery would be Memory Book which is the one he wrote soon after he had his stroke. It’s fascinating the way he was able to piece together one of the hardest kinds of books to write without the complete memory he had before. Jim Gifford Editor, HarperCollins

[His] books are…fun to read…they’re well written. The thing about Howard Engel is he never gives up. He just went about figuring out a way that would enable him to carry on as a writer – and what matters is that he keeps on writing. Sandra Martin Senior Features Writer, Globe & Mail

Engel’s chief contribution to Canadian writing has been his character, Benny Cooperman. It’s the only distinctive, truly Canadian sleuth. Philip Marchand Book Reviewer, Toronto StarCapturing Cooperman Media Kit Page 5 of 12

Page 6: Capturing Cooperman · 2020-07-27 · Jim Gifford Editor, HarperCollins Engel’s chief contribution to Canadian writing has been his character, Benny Cooperman. It’s the only distinctive,

Selected Bibliography

Titles in Howard Engel’s Benny Cooperman Mystery Series:The Suicide Murders (1980)The Ransom Game (1981)Murder on Location (1982)

Murder Sees the Light (1984)A City Called July (1986)

A Victim Must Be Found (1988)Dead and Buried (1990)

There Was an Old Woman (1993)Getting Away With Murder (1995)The Cooperman Variations (2001)

Memory Book (2005)East of Suez (2008)

Other Books by Howard Engel:Murder in Montparnasse (1992)

Lord High Executioner: An Unashamed Look at Hangmen, Headsmen, and Their Kind (1996)

Mr. Doyle and Dr. Bell (1997)A Child’s Christmas in Scarborough (1997)

My Brother’s Keeper (with Eric Wright, 2001)Crimes of Passion: An Unblinking Look at Murderous Love (2001)

The Man Who Forgot How to Read (Memoir, 2007)

Capturing Cooperman Media Kit Page 6 of 12

Page 7: Capturing Cooperman · 2020-07-27 · Jim Gifford Editor, HarperCollins Engel’s chief contribution to Canadian writing has been his character, Benny Cooperman. It’s the only distinctive,

Biography, Howard Engel

Howard Engel was born on April 21, 1931 in Toronto, but he grew up across Lake Ontario in the city of St. Catharines where his father owned a ladies ready-to-wear shop. A self-confessed dreamer, Engel grew up interested in theatre, trying his hand at both writing and acting in plays.

Engel graduated from McMaster University in 1955 with a degree in History and English, and after a short teaching stint, began his career with CBC Radio in 1957 as a writer, correspondent and producer working across Europe.

In the early 1960s Engel returned to Toronto to produce some of CBC Radio’s flagship programs, such as Sunday Supplement, The Arts in Review and Anthology, which brought together writers from across the country.

“I began to feel as though I was a eunuch in a harem because I saw the trick done all the time, but I wasn’t doing it myself,” recalls Engel. So after many years of working with novelists, Engel decided to do the trick himself, and in 1980, he published The Suicide Murders, the first book in what would become a series of twelve successful crime fiction novels.

Beginning in 1982, Engel met with a group of crime fiction writers at a Toronto pub. These small get-togethers grew into the Crime Writers of Canada, an organization with over 300 members.

In 2001 Engel suffered a debilitating stroke that left him with an unusual condition called alexia sine agraphia, which meant he was still able to write, but could no longer read. “It was really a blade in my heart, not being able to read – feeling myself cut off from Hawthorne, Whitman, Poe, Wordsworth and Shakespeare.” But Engel’s determination to continue his writing career, despite having to re-learn how to read even his own writing, has resulted in some of his most critically acclaimed work to date.

Throughout his long writing career, Engel has received many awards, including the Arthur Ellis Novel Award in 1985, the Harbourfront Festival Prize for his substantial contribution to writing in 1990, and the Derrick Murdoch Award in 1998. More recently Engel won the Matt Cohen Prize in Celebration of a Writing Life in 2004, and was invested into the Order of Canada in 2007.

Engel has published nineteen books, including The Man Who Forgot How to Read, a memoir of his struggle since his 2001 stroke. As well, two of the Benny Cooperman books were adapted for CBC television movies.

Howard Engel lives and works in Toronto.

Capturing Cooperman Media Kit Page 7 of 12

Page 8: Capturing Cooperman · 2020-07-27 · Jim Gifford Editor, HarperCollins Engel’s chief contribution to Canadian writing has been his character, Benny Cooperman. It’s the only distinctive,

Biography, Scot MorisonWriter/Director

Scot Morison, writer and director of Capturing Cooperman, recalls his time spent with Howard Engel. “The experience of getting to know Howard through this documentary has filled me with admiration. It’s a remarkable achievement that he overcame his disability and continues to write.”

Scot has been writing professionally for more than 20 years, and has published one novel (Noble Sanctuary), a number of short stories published in literary magazines and produced for radio. He has an MFA in creative writing from the UBC.

Since 1995, Scot has worked primarily in film and television. His drama credits includewriting and story editing for two Canadian series: Jake and the Kid and Mentors, both shot in Edmonton. He wrote the television movie Cabin Pressure, produced for Lion’s Gate Television and broadcast in Canada and the U.S. He received two AMPIA Awards for his writing on Jake and the Kid. He is currently writing Loving Lena, a feature film adapted from The Case of Lena S, a Governor-General’s Award nominated novel by David Bergen.

Scot also writes and consults on documentaries. Most recently, he wrote Seeds of Change, a one-hour documentary about a remarkable eco-rehabilitation project along the Yangtze River in China with Panacea for CLT, SCN and ACCESS, and "Family Business," the pilot episode of a new half-hour documentary series called The Force about high-profile cases from the RCMP, produced for Court TV by Panacea.

His other documentary credits include Between the Stones and the Ocean, a profile of writer Rudy Wiebe, which won the gold Remi for directing at the Houston International Film Festival, and Out of the West, both produced by Reel Girls Media for Bravo, Spirit of the Forest, produced by Karvonen Films for Discovery Channel Canada, and Catching the Chameleon, produced by Panacea Entertainment for City TV.

Over the years, Scot has taught screenwriting at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, the Banff Centre and at the Cinema Production Centre, in Ramallah, Palestine, where he worked with highly regarded Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Mashrawi, whose feature Haifa won the UNESCO Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1996.

Capturing Cooperman Media Kit Page 8 of 12

Page 9: Capturing Cooperman · 2020-07-27 · Jim Gifford Editor, HarperCollins Engel’s chief contribution to Canadian writing has been his character, Benny Cooperman. It’s the only distinctive,

Biography, Ava KarvonenProducer

Ava Karvonen met Howard Engel when Memory Book, his eleventh installment in the Benny Cooperman series, was featured on Booked, a television series that investigates and dissects popular crime fiction. “When I got to know Howard and his story, I saw how significant his literary contribution was to the Canadian crime fiction scene.”

Ava is a twenty-year veteran of the film and television industry and founder of Reel Girls Media Inc. of Edmonton. Not only does Ava work in the industry, but so does her family. Her father is a nature documentary filmmaker and cinematographer, her mother is a textile artist and documentary filmmaker, and her brother Downy is a sound designer. Ava has produced more than 35 hours of television programming and new media projects including websites, serious games, webisodes, vodcasts and podcasts.

Her work has been recognized with more than 35 awards including four recent awards for Homefront – Best Social Issues Documentary at Germany’s World Media Festival, Best Foreign Short Film at Kentucky’s Bluegrass Independent Film Festival, the Chris Award for War and Peace Documentary at the Columbus International Film and Video Festival and Best Documentary at the Alberta Film and TV Awards. In addition to producing, Ava also directed Homefront. This doc was broadcast on Global and tells the story of five soldiers and their families during a deployment to Afghanistan. Ava also directed Seeds of Change, a one-hour documentary about a remarkable eco-rehabilitation project along the Yangtze River in China.

Ava’s recent producer credits include Real Alberta (one hour doc) for Rogers and City TV, Booked (13 episode half-hour TV series and multiplatform content including www.booked.tv, an online destination that explores forensic science and features real Canadian CSIs), Between the Stones and the Ocean (one hour doc) for CHUM TV, Out of the West (one hour doc) for CHUM TV, Return of the Peregrine (one hour doc) for CBC’s Nature of Things, and How the Fiddle Flows (one hour doc) for APTN and CHUM TV.

As well, Ava produced Wildfiles (13 part half-hour television series and multiplatform content including www.wildfiles.tv) for CHUM TV; The Rock ‘N’ Fossil Road Show; the kids’ CD-ROM series, Zoology Zone; and seven award winning episodes for Karvonen Films’ television series, Treasures of the Wild. Ava also produced two one-hour live events: Up Close and Paleo and WildlifeWired (which she also hosted) for webcast and TV broadcast.

Currently, Ava is working on The Lie Detective, a 13 episode character-driven documentary series that follows the work of an independent polygraph examiner, for Court TV Canada.

Capturing Cooperman Media Kit Page 9 of 12

Page 10: Capturing Cooperman · 2020-07-27 · Jim Gifford Editor, HarperCollins Engel’s chief contribution to Canadian writing has been his character, Benny Cooperman. It’s the only distinctive,

Corporate ProfileReel Girls Media

Reel Girls Media is a production company that celebrates art, examines social issues andexplores the human relationship with the world. With inventiveness, spirit and originality the company produces award winning documentaries, television series, interactive and new media content for the global market.

Capturing Cooperman: A Not So Private Investigation of Howard Engel is their third literary arts documentary for Bravo! Canada. Others include Between the Stones and the Ocean, featuring eminent author Rudy Wiebe, as well as Out of the West, a profile of both prominent and up-and-coming writers out of Western Canada. Reel Girls also produced Booked, a 13 episode series that explores crime fiction novels in the light of current CSI technology.

The company’s interests and past projects include factual, animation, children’s and youth, science, lifestyles, drama, arts and culture, and multi-platform. These award-winning projects have been recognized with more than 35 international awards and over 65 worldwide screenings.

Led by owner/president Ava Karvonen, a twenty-year veteran in the industry, the company prides itself on building collaborative relationships: demonstrated from the inside out with a core team of skilled producers, production managers, graphic designers, programmers and editors, to external relationships with valued investors, broadcasters, distributors and funding partners.

Working to harness technology and innovation, the company designs programs for multiplatform delivery including television, iPod, mp3 player, mobile phone, DVD, the internet, and portal applications. The company embraces convergence by building interactivity and technical innovation into television projects with companion and stand-alone new media components, live segments, live broadcasts, and web-casts.

For a complete listing of past projects and to find out more about our company, please visit www.reelgirlsmedia.com.

Capturing Cooperman Media Kit Page 10 of 12

Page 11: Capturing Cooperman · 2020-07-27 · Jim Gifford Editor, HarperCollins Engel’s chief contribution to Canadian writing has been his character, Benny Cooperman. It’s the only distinctive,

Credits

Director/Writer

Executive Producer

Producers

Picture Editor

Cinematographer

Composer

Location Sound

Post Production Sound

Additional Cinematography

Graphics

Clearances

Transcribing

Post Production Facilities

Legal

Insurance

Scot Morison

Ava Karvonen

Ava KarvonenFranco Dottor

Roley Wight

Patrick McLaughlin

Becker

Patrick McLaughlinFranco DottorDowny Karvonen

Downy KarvonenJerry Krepakevich

Chris GargasPeter MarkowskiAva Karvonen

Kim CleggRyan Malmo-Harper

Shivani Saini

Lauren StarkoLinda Z. Schulz

Reel Girls Media Inc.Studio PostSonus Post Audio

Norm Bishop

Jones Brown

Capturing Cooperman Media Kit Page 11 of 12

Page 12: Capturing Cooperman · 2020-07-27 · Jim Gifford Editor, HarperCollins Engel’s chief contribution to Canadian writing has been his character, Benny Cooperman. It’s the only distinctive,

CBC TV Archive Sales

Rogers Broadcasting Limited

Charlotte Engel

Sylvain Plante

Archives of Ontario RG 65-35-1

Howard Engel

FeeDigitalPhotos.net

Radio Clip Provided Courtesy of the CBC

Penguin Group Canada

Keyporter Books Ltd.

HarperCollins Canada Ltd.

McClelland & Stewart-Bantam Ltd.

Jacob, Charlotte and William Engel

Lea J. Ayuyao

Wendy Clark

Dooney’s Café

Roy Harris

Janice MacDonald

Sandra Martin

Jill Morison

Quotes Bar & Grill

Saul Rubinek

Eric Wright

Tony Aspler

Margaret Cannon

Kildare Dobbs

Jim Gifford

Carolyn Lovas

Phil ip Marchand

Josh Miller

Ken Puley

Peter Robinson

Toronto Rehab Hospital

the POETS lunch club

Books Featured Courtesy of

Special Thanks to

Archival Images and Stock Footage Courtesy of

Capturing Cooperman: A Not So Private Investigation of Howard Engel is produced by Reel Girls Media Inc. in association with Bravo! Canada, and with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund created by the Government of Canada and the Canadian Cable Industry; the Government of Alberta, Alberta Film Development Program; and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit Program.Capturing Cooperman Media Kit Page 12 of 12