When I met Charlie David at a friend’s birthday gathering nine years ago, he was wearing dark denim pants with a crotch that dropped to just above his knees and skin tight around the ankle (think Aladdin’s attempt at a Canadian tuxedo). I thought, “Wow, this person makes poor decisions!” After nine years as his partner, I can confidently say that those pants weren’t so much a poor decision as they were an expression of one of Charlie’s many seemingly contradictory personalities.
On any given day, within the confines of our small Toronto home, it is not uncommon to encounter the arts and crafts enthusiast, who will drop everything to make a birdhouse from wine corks or a mosaic dining table; the ruthless negotiator, who refuses to ever be on the short end of a distribution or licensing deal; the family man, who can speak on the phone for hours to his mom or any of his four siblings; the prolific creator of content that runs the gamut from tear jerker to NSFW; the mentor, who is always happy to answer questions and guide people new to the film and TV industry; and yes, the happy-go-lucky guy with questionable fashion sense also makes the occasional appearance.
– Written by Patrick, Charlie’s partner
What ‘hood are you in?
I live and work in Leslieville. I landed in the East end when I moved from Montréal and couldn’t be happier here. The low key vibe of the East side and access to great nature like Tommy Thompson park, the Beaches, and Brickworks work well with this small town boy originally from Saskatchewan. Sometimes I forget I live in a massive city because Leslieville has such a connected and accessible feeling.
What do you do?
I live in Toronto with my partner and feel lucky to do what I love every day working as a screenwriter, director and producer in film and TV. I started my company, Border2Border Entertainment just over a decade ago and make content for the LGBTQ audience because when I was growing up, people that representing those letters and lived experiences were rarely found in history books, TV shows, or movies. By default, we didn’t exist at all and so there were no positive mentors to be found as queer kids. Historically, when queer people were found in media, their lives were often represented as evil, mentally unstable, criminal, sinful, and those society should convert or reject. My mission in the things I create is to show beauty, love, creativity, and humanity in the people in our society who don’t fall into the norm. We’re all deserving of a full, beautiful, creative and loving life.
What are you currently working on?
Earlier this summer we released Avocado Toast the series which is a heartfelt comedy about millennials and their baby boomer parents. And we’re about to launch Drag Heals season 2 which is a TV series that shares the lives of people exploring gender through the art of drag. This isn’t a competition reality show. It’s a surprising, complex, journey of finding the most transformative moments in your personal life and turning it into a performance to share with a live audience. We’re witnessing our heroes go out into the wilderness to face some often dark and challenging personal demons in order to return with the elixir of life – lessons that we can all learn and grow from.
Where can we find your work?
Full laundry list of our TV series, films, and books is on my website.
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