Honorary degree citation - James Shavick
By: Tom Waugh, June 2016
Mr. Chancellor, it is my honour to present to you Mr. James Shavick, legendary Canadian film and television producer and outspoken LGBTQ advocate.
Diplômé de Concordia, Monsieur Shavick est l’une des personnalités les plus respectées dans son domaine au Canada. Sa production des dernières décennies est abondante et diversifiée.
Né à Montréal, Monsieur Shavick a étudié en histoire à la Sir George Williams University, l’un des deux établissements fondateurs de Concordia.
While studying at Concordia, Mr. Shavick explored his budding passion for filmmaking and sold his first movie to CBS: a 30-minute documentary he made as part of a class project.
Still in his 20s, Mr. Shavick turned heads when he purchased the film rights to the iconic Canadian novel Two Solitudes in 1975. It was made into a movie in 1978 and directed by Concordia graduate and veteran screenwriter Lionel Chetwynd.
Il s’est illustré dans cent huit [108] productions, ce qui équivaut à deux cent cinquante [250] heures de programmation et à soixante-neuf [69] longs métrages télévisés.
Président d’une des plus grosses entreprises de services de production de Vancouver – Shavick Entertainment –, il est le seul producteur canadien à avoir eu deux séries télé au premier rang du palmarès aux États‑Unis.
Among his hit titles, Shavick produced the American-Canadian show, The New Addams Family from 1998-1999, and Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation.
On the set of The Addams Family in Vancouver, Shavick met his future spouse NDP Minister of Finance Joy MacPhail and the duo have become staunch advocates for the LGBTQ community, promoting diversity through media access and production.
In 2006, they purchased a majority share in OUTtv, Canada’s only national LGBTQ television network.
Back then, OUTtv was floundering with only 200,000 subscribers. Shavick oversaw content revitalization, commissioned original programming, and licensed new shows. As a result, subscription grew to 1.2 million and the station now makes over $3 million each year.
Mr. Shavick has done much to promote diversity both within and outside Canada, among many other achievements bringing RU-PAUL’S DRAG RACE into Canadian hearts and minds.
A number of OUTtv’s programs are broadcast internationally, through a service offered by YouTube, and OUTtv shows are often licensed outside of Canada.
De fait, les communautés LGBTT ont profité de la place que leur a donnée Monsieur Shavick à l’écran pour accroître leur visibilité et promouvoir leur programme culturel – tant au Canada qu’à l’international.
En exportant du contenu canadien, le producteur a joué un rôle clé dans la promotion outre-frontière des artistes d’ici.
Que ce soit comme producteur-média et artiste, comme donateur et amoureux des arts, ou encore comme allié au cœur du paysage politique des coalitions et du militantisme culturel, Monsieur Shavick est un modèle pour les étudiants et étudiantes. Ainsi, il a tenu à leur apporter son soutien dès leurs premiers pas, grâce à la bourse d’études cinématographiques James-Shavick.
Mr. Shavick was also the director of the non-profit Motion Picture Production Industry Association of British Columbia and funded the Shavick Awards, which recognize emerging filmmakers in Western Canada.
Mr. Chancellor, on behalf of Senate and the Board of Governors, it is my privilege and honour to present to you Mr. James Shavick, so that you may confer upon him the degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa.
