David Cormican
David Cormican is an actor/film producer who was born and raised in Alberta, and is currently based in Regina, Saskatchewan. He is also the founder of the Canadian Short Screenplay Competition, which was established in 2008.
How did you get involved in the entertainment industry?
I came into the industry as an actor, and then got involved in writing, in addition to acting. From there, I got into creating and filmmaking, and then a little more into producing. So, that’s what’s led me to my current actor/producer hybrid that I have become.
How did you first become interested in acting?
It was in high school where I was pulled out to an audition for the school musical. It was by a girl – of course, it’s always a girl that lures you in – and she brought me out to the audition, and I had no idea what the hell I was doing. They ended up liking me so much that they had me audition for one of the lead roles. I blew it, so they put me in one of the ensemble roles. That was where my love for theatre and the arts started. At first, I saw it as a way to maybe date the cute girl, and then sort of fell in love with the actual craft itself.
What made you want to start the Canadian Short Screenplay Competition (CSSC)?
I realized that writing is something I’m okay at, but it’s not what I’m great at. There are people that are better at it than I am, and I wanted to find those people and to celebrate their work and to produce it and make it.
What is a typical workday like for you?
I’m trying to avoid this, but it’s email after email after email. I try to only check it a couple of times a day, but it’s so tough because everyone’s trying to pull you from all these different directions.
So, a typical day for me is, get into the office around 9 or so. First thing I do is check the emails, then I start tackling my “to do” list. Usually, I have a couple of meetings scheduled throughout the day. I do a lot of meetings now through Skype, because we’re dealing with a lot of people around the world. I deal with a lot of people in Australia, Iceland… Now we’re dealing with people in Hungary, Norway, and Croatia, so we do a lot of that through Skype, which is great, because you can actually see people’s faces.
Typically, I skip lunch. I’m bad. I typically only eat two meals a day. It depends whether or not I have my daughter that I’ll leave work by 5. If I don’t have my daughter, I’m usually there ‘til maybe a little later, like 7 or 8. Take off. Get home. Eat some dinner. Read some scripts at the end of the night. I try to do all the paperwork during the day, and then read during the night.
What’s been the most memorable experience for you, working in your field?
With the CSSC, we had entries from all over the world. One of our writers, she placed fifth in the competition, and I met her at Banff last year, which is a big television festival for writers, producers, and broadcasters.
The competition was at that point one year old, and she placed fifth, and she had some of the best news for me, which was, as a result of her placing fifth, that gave her the confidence that she needed as a writer – and the validation that she needed – to attend Banff and start pitching. As a result of that, she’s got some broadcasters interested in her series she’s created, and she also was commissioned to write two additional short films.
So, that was the coolest thing that’s happened in a long time, where I just went, “Wow!” (The CSSC) is not just something that happens in my head anymore, it’s actually out there and interacting with other people and affecting them, and making an impact.
What’s the best thing about your job?
I get to pretend every day. We’re creating stories from the ground up, and it’s ever-changing. So, any stories that I get to work on.
Thumb ring
Okay, maybe we can switch gears a bit and talk about your style. How important is fashion and personal style for you?
When I’m in the public, I want to look good and I want to feel good. And I want that image to be reflective of people being excited to be around me and wanting to do business with me. I take a lot of pride in what I wear. I put a concerted effort into looking good every morning, just so that people see, “Oh, he’s young, he’s well-dressed, he’s put together, he’s got a little bit of an edge to him.”
Where do you get your style influences?
I’ll totally admit, I read GQ. I subscribe to it. So, I get a lot of influence from there. I also take a lot of inspiration from – I think a lot of people do this as well – they sort of find a couple of celebrities that they like what they wear, and you sort of see… “Okay, who’s dressing them? What are they wearing these days? What works for them?” You start trying to infuse some of that stuff into your own ensemble.
Where do you do your shopping?
I do a lot of my shopping here in Toronto, just because there’s not a lot of options in Regina for men’s clothing. I also find that one of the overlooked places for fashion, or decent clothes, is The Bay. They’ve got a lot of good stuff, and they have good buyers there. And it’s always great prices, too, because no one shops there (laughs), so everything’s heavily discounted. So, I like to go there. And then, I like to go to boutique shops to find those one-off items that might not be a staple, but it’ll definitely be a piece that adds something to your outfit.
Can you talk about what you’re wearing today?
Actually, a lot of what I’ve got on today is from Vancouver. Maybe I’ve got a west coast vibe going on today.
Thumb ring
I like wearing thumb rings, lately. That’s sort of my big thing. I collect these, and I like to buy them at farmer’s markets, and festivals and events where they’ve got the kiosks out there, so I can support the local guys. This ring I got from a vendor in Vancouver the last time I was there.
Necklace
Leather jacket
The leather jacket is a recent purchase, and it’s something that I’ve always wanted. I haven’t had a leather jacket for years. The ones that I have had were always way too big. My dad gave me one, which was quite cool, because it was his when he was a boy in Ireland, but it just didn’t quite fit right. I didn’t have the heart to not wear it, because it was my dad’s. I finally gave it back to him, and I traded it for this jacket that I picked up at a vintage shop in Vancouver.
Jeans
My jeans are Jack & Jones. I think these were a Winners find, several years ago. These are the very first pair of skinny jeans that I bought. I’m a small build, and have sort of transitioned in the last couple of years to wearing clothes that fit, and slim-fit shirts are kind of in, and readily available at most places, so I’ve started to embrace that and wear clothes that really fit me.
So, these were the first pair of skinny jeans that I ever bought, and I remember being harassed when I bought them, because people had never seen me wear skinny jeans before. But now, if I wear baggy stuff, people are like, “You look weird wearing baggy clothes.”
Necklace
I got this shopping with my daughter one day. She often will pick things up off the (racks and shelves), and this is one of the things she picked up.
Shirt
This is just a waffle shirt that I’ve had for ages. I don’t even know where I picked this up. I think it’s an American Apparel that I got here in Toronto.
Boots
To be honest, I’m madly in love with these suckers right now. I got these in Vancouver. I love the zippers. I never even touch the laces. They’ve got the double zipper on both sides, and they just look so badass.
Is there anything you’d never wear?
I’m pretty open, but I have a tough time wearing cardigans. For whatever reason, it doesn’t make me feel as confident as I want to be.
Boots
What are your interests and hobbies?
I used to enjoy reading in my spare time, but I don’t seem to get to do so much leisure reading anymore, as I am constantly reading scripts, pitches, books and treatments for work that my eyes are exhausted when it comes time to my own personal choices. So, I’ve taken up catching up on seasons of television shows.
As well, I’ve started trying to do things I’ve always wanted to and never really had a decent enough excuse to justify why I still haven’t done it or am not doing it more often. For example, I want to go see more stand-up comedy. So I went just last week with a wonderful person who has chosen to humour my bucket list and ended up spending a night down on King Street at Lou Dawg’s for their comedy night.
What do you want to do in the future?
I want to be a little bit more international in my own life. I understand the appeal of snowbirds now – living in Regina – and so I want to have a warm destination that I live a portion of my year in. I know it’s a bit of a foolish goal, but you’ll understand too, if you move to Regina (laughs).
In terms of career, I want to get to a point where I’m able to successfully produce and act on a constant basis with exciting, engaging, creative people that are as equally passionate about projects, and to get to a point where the CSSC is recognized internationally – not just across our country – as a launcher of writers’ careers.
Find out more about the Canadian Short Screenplay Competition at screenplay-competition.com
