ABOUT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HERO
Some of the people we meet in the documentary are Kevin Davison, a paramedic/musician from Nova Scotia, whose hit song “When Those Sirens are Gone” has become an anthem for first responders; Vince Savoia, a former paramedic who, 20 years ago, had to quit his job after a traumatic call and later founded a charity which provided support services to first responders across Canada; Lisa Rouse, the Moncton dispatcher who took the nightmarish call of June 4, 2014, when three RCMP officers were killed; and Teresa Coulter, a Calgary paramedic whose done a series of paintings of fellow paramedics with PTSD.
Several actors who portray first responders on TV are also featured in the doc. These actors acknowledge the responsibility they have to inspire and inform audiences. As Paget Brewster from Criminal Minds notes, young women often tell her they want to do “exactly what she does on TV” as an FBI Profiler. When approached by fans who tell him they want to become a cop because of his show, Colantoni says, “You don’t want to be a cop, you want to be an actor!”
Enrico Colantoni, Producer
Returning to his hometown of Toronto to play Sargeant Greg Parker on CTV/CBS’s hit show Flashpoint in 2008, winning a Gemini Award and Canadian Screen Award for his portrayal. He recently completed filming the 2nd Season of Global TV’s Remedy, playing Doctor Alan Conner. One of the more versatile actors in television and film today, viewers remember Enrico as the charming mobster Carl Elias on CBS’s Person of Interest, as the womanizing fashion photographer Elliott DiMauro on NBC's long-running hit, Just Shoot Me, as America’s favorite dad/PI Keith Mars on the cult classic, Veronica Mars, opposite Kristen Bell, and as Mathesar, in the sci-fi/comedy film Galaxy Quest, alongside Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver.
Other television credits include Hope & Gloria and guest-starring roles on NYPD Blue, New York Undercover and Law & Order.
Colantoni’s love for the arts began with a drama class he took while studying psychology and sociology at the University of Toronto. His drama teacher encouraged him to pursue an acting career, and Colantoni left school for New York, where he studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts for three years. While there, he received the Princess Grace Scholarship and the Charles Jehlinger Award. He went on to graduate from the Yale School of Drama where he appeared in Hamlet at the Yale Repertory and received the school’s prestigious Carol Dye Award.
Colantoni’s feature film credits include Galaxy Quest, Criminal, Full Frontal, The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest, A.I., Stigmata, Albino Alligator, Money Train, The Wrong Guy and My Mom’s New Boyfriend; most recently, Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion and as J Edgar Hoover in History Channel’s The Kennedys. He received critical praise for his role as Elia Kazan in the Golden Globe award-winning and Emmy-nominated cable television movie James Dean.
His theatre credits include starring roles in Neil LaBute’s The Distance From Here, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Arabian Nights, The Triumph of Love, Dracula, Macbeth and Uncle Vanya.
Born to Italian immigrant parents, Colantoni remains loyal to his roots; he is an avid fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs. In the past, he has taught drama to Los Angeles youth at Inner City Arts, and Penny Lane, a residential treatment for at-risk youth. He currently serves as the national spokesperson for the Tema Conter Memorial Trust; educating and helping emergency services personnel deal with occupational stress injuries (PTSD).
Karen Shopsowitz, Producer/Director
Karen is an award winning film-maker, whose work has been screened nationally and internationally. Recent credits include "GrandParenting", produced in association with TVO and “One Summer at Camp Winston”, a one hour doc about a camp for children with complex neurological disorders, produced in association with the documentary channel.
Other credits include “My Father’s Camera”, (produced by the National Film Board of Canada, and winner of the prestigious Peabody Award; about the history and social context of home movies), “Canada’s War in Colour” (produced by YAP Films and aired nationally on CBC and SRC, for which she received a Gemini nomination as Series Director, “A Place to Save Your Life” (about the Jewish refugee community of Shanghai, aired on Vision and CBC), and“My Grandparents Had a Hotel” (aired on CBC, and screened internationally). As a director, editor, writer and frequent cameraperson, Karen has worked on dozens of productions,ranging from stand-alone documentaries to documentary series for television, music videos and fiction.
For more information, please visit Karen's website: www.moviewitz.com
Diana Warmé, Co-Producer
(Bio to come)