A really long time ago, Mitch was born in Montreal to a newspaper family. His Dad, Joe was a publisher who started the first really, racy English tabloid in Canada. It’s still published, and sold at grocery store checkouts, under the banner, The Globe. Mitch wanted to be a newspaper reporter but couldn’t find a job. So, he decided to try his luck in Toronto. He started as a volunteer at Global Television in 1982 and by 1985 he was a sports reporter and anchor for the very popular Sportsline. Always restless and wanting to start his own company he left Global in 1989, to create and produce his first series: RV Vacation Adventures. After a few successful seasons he went back to a regular paycheque as a producer for TSN.
Two years later, still wanting his own business, he left TSN. He and I formed Good Earth Productions out of our living room. Within 10 years we had produced over 200 episodes of various series including Great Canadian Parks which was the top series on The Discovery Channel. In 2005, we halted production and moved with our two daughters to Costa Rica for a hiatus. When we returned, we produced a light hearted series on the Caribbean island of St.Maarten called Inside Paradise for Travel and Escape. Today we are producing the innovative documentary series: Tripping for TVO. The first episode was an experiential boat trip down the Rideau Canal in a 1949 mahogany runabout. The doc was a four-hour, uninterrupted voyage with no music, narration or commercials. This season we are flying like a red-tailed hawk in Tripping The Niagara which will air on April 2nd at 7pm on TVO.
– Andrea Minty
What hood do you live in?
I live in High Park and have lived in the area for almost forty years. I love all of the green space around me. I really enjoy cooking and Bloor West Village is home chef’s delight. It is full of food stores: green grocers, specialty foods, fishmongers and a really improved No Frills.
What do you do?
I’m am an independent producer which means I rely on my imagination for a living. As Independent Producers, we develop ideas that we believe will be of interest as television programs, then we pitch the ideas, and then, on the rare occasion that all the stars align, we get commissioned to produce the program.
What are you working on?
We’re just putting the final touches on Tripping The Niagara. It is the second installment of Tripping. In this three-hour episode, the viewer is a red-tailed hawk flying all over the Niagara region. He is a curious young fellow who is impressed with the absolute power of Class 6 rapids of the Niagara River and equally taken with the vineyards, forts and orchards along the way. If you ever wanted to fly like a bird, this doc is worth a watch.
Where do we find your work?
Tripping The Niagara will air on April 2nd at 7pm on TVO. Most of our library is available on Amazon Prime but for some silly reason it is not available in Canada. Very strange indeed.
