Jordan Canning is a director, writer, and former Olympic silver-medal winning short track speed skater* from St. John’s, Newfoundland. Though her height is average (5’4”, as reported by a 2014 study by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey), her talents as a director are QUITE ABOVE THE MEAN. Jordan has directed three feature films, my favourite being Suck It Up, which was an official selection at the Slamdance Film Festival, the winner of Best Feature Film at the Frankfurt B3 Biennale, and is now available on CRAVE! She’s also directed one-hour television dramas, music videos, live action and animated shorts, tv half hours and sketch comedies
Jordan is competitive. She’s excellent at board games and video games and puzzles. Sometimes when you beat her at cribbage, she will swipe the cards off the table, exclaiming that you only won because “you have a horseshoe shoved so far up your ass!” And while she’s doing it in a tongue in cheek way, you can’t blame her for how competitive she is. It was something instilled into her after countless early mornings in the rink, training for the Winter Games in Lake Placid.**
She’s a great cook, dancer, and impressionist. She’s never late. She’s on it. If you’re on a project with Jordan Canning, she’s already made a Google alert for an important future task that you haven’t even thought of yet. This is embarrassing, but after I’m done writing this short biography I will most likely send it to Jordan to check over for spelling/grammar. She’s good at EVERYTHING, and not in an annoying way because she’s also sweet, and friendly, and hilarious, and loving, and silly, and thoughtful. Jordan Canning is the best. 2019 is her year.
– Written by National Women’s Speed skating Coach and two-time Olympic medallist Frédéric Blackburn***
* Not true.
**Again, false. Jordan was not even alive during the 1980 Lake Placid Olympic Games.
***A lie. Written by Jordan’s live-in partner Adam Christie.
What ‘hood are you in?
I live in the Annex in an apartment that I absolutely love and never want to leave. Seriously, I rarely go outside (at least in the winter). I’ve lived in a few places in Toronto, but my first real apartment was on Brunswick Ave., just around the corner from where I’m currently living. I’m so happy being back in this neighbourhood.
What do you do?
I’m a filmmaker. I’ve directed a couple of feature films, the latest of which is called Suck It Up. You can see it on Crave+ and iTunes and on various illegal streaming sites (which I don’t condone but secretly think is kind of cool? Like, who went to all that trouble?) In the last few years I’ve branched off into directing television and have been lucky to work on some truly awesome shows – Schitt’s Creek, Baroness Von Sketch Show, Burden of Truth, Little Dog…I love getting to make work with so many talented people.
What are you currently working on?
I just finished my director’s edits of Baroness Von Sketch season four. I’m excitedly promoting season five of Schitt’s Creek and season two of Little Dog (both currently airing on CBC). I just received the Prism Prize MVP Project grant to make a music video with Tim Baker. I’m in the midst of working with the incredibly talented Howie Shia on a short animation for the National Film Board. And, God willing, the plan is to shoot my latest feature film later in 2019. Also (as mentioned above) I am working on finding new and exciting ways to stay inside my house until spring.
Where can we find your work?
Most of my work is on my website – www.getsetfilms.com. I’m also on Instagram – @jjhcanning – where you can find a particularly fun (long) insta story detailing our New Years Eve in Peterborough seeing a hypnotist.
