John Richardson

Background

About John Richardson

Having a camera in hand since childhood, I’ve been very lucky in each stage of my career to involve video, film, photography and graphics. While fronting a media collective in the late 90s, I produced visuals for the Toronto electronic music scene and photographed successful local fashion brands. This led to career opportunities, travel, and creative partnerships. A highlight from the time was shooting, producing, and projecting visuals for large-scale DJ parties in Brooklyn, New York. Working at a film-to-digital transfer lab while also working in the commercial set industry gave me valuable behind-the-scenes experience and an appreciation for the impact that solid art direction can have on a final film or video project. Creating photo illustrations for several of Canada’s top magazines and branding a popular Queen-West hair salon led to many more creative contacts and career opportunities. A natural progression from my editorial photo illustration work was moving to broadcast television where I created over-the-shoulder news graphics for the afternoon and evening news. At the time, I was also working in a national newsroom where they were moving towards a focus on online video. Having watched some of my personal video projects go viral in the early days of YouTube, I was up for the next challenge to produce online video content for a national news brand. Working on the digital side in a print-focused news environment has been challenging over the years, but co-producing content with journalists and having a broad range of subject matter to work on is a privilege. From producing, shooting, recording, and editing over 200 videos of international band performances, to documenting topics such as Canada’s largest privately-owned nuclear fallout shelter, to covering the personal struggles and achievements of Canadians, the opportunities to apply my diverse skillset continue. Whether it’s short documentaries, humorous animated commentary videos, musical performances, explainer videos presented in new ways, or producing webcam videos from my basement during a pandemic, I’m up for the creative challenge.