Person Biography:
John Brunton is a renowned Canadian filmmaker and producer who has made a lasting impact on the industry. Born and raised in Toronto, he emerged from the city's rep theatres, The Original 99 Cent Roxy and The New Yorker, in the late 1970s.
Brunton's passion for punk music led him to create his short film, The Last Pogo, which marked the beginning of his successful career in Canadian indie film and television. He went on to produce for many of Canada's most well-known auteurs and won a Genie Award for Best Live Action Short for The Mysterious Moon Men of Canada.
As a feature producer, Brunton is credited with cult classics such as Roadkill, Highway 61, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. He also served as the Executive Director of The Feature Film Project at Norman Jewison's Canadian Film Centre, where he executive-produced several successful projects, including Rude and Cube.
Brunton's television credits include a range of series, including Our Hero, An American in Canada, The Newsroom, Puppets Who Kill, How to Be Indie, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Almost Heroes, Connor Undercover, Spun Out, Schitt's Creek, The Good Witch, Kids in the Hall, Shelved, and One More Time.
In 2014, Brunton co-directed the feature documentary, The Last Pogo Jumps Again, which explored Toronto's 1970s punk and cultural history. He has also presented his seminar, Writing to Budget, at the Directors Guild of Canada and WIFT, and has taught at Ryerson University, York University, the University of Toronto, LIFT, and across Canada at film co-ops in Toronto, Halifax, Winnipeg, and Vancouver.
As of July 2024, Brunton is working as a writer and Executive Producer on the feature documentary, "Nash the Slash Rises Again!", a tribute to his late friend, the iconic Toronto musician Jeff "Nash the Slash" Plewman.
