Before: He co-hosted MTV Live and The Hills After Show. After: He played in the queer Christmas fave Happiest Season. On top of hosting HBO Max’s The Big Brunch, he launched his own production company and is directing his first film for Netflix.
Emily Hampshire
Actor, Stevie Budd
Before: She acted in The Trotsky, Boy Meets Girl and Mother! After: She’s writing a witchy graphic novel; acting in the Amazon Prime series The Rig; and co-writing, executive-producing and starring in the remake of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.
Noah Reid
Actor, Patrick Brewer
Before: He acted in Degrassi: The Next Generation and voiced the beloved turtle Franklin. After: He starred in The Minutes on Broadway and the Amazon Prime sci-fi western series Outer Range. He also recently released his third album, Adjustments.
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Annie Murphy
Actor, Alexis Rose
Before: After brief appearances in shows like Flashpoint, she was about to give up on acting.
After: She starred in Kevin Can F**k Himself and the Netflix hit Russian Doll. Next, she’ll voice the title character in the animated comedy Praise Petey.
Andrew Cividino
Director
Before: He made several shorts, then debuted his first feature, Sleeping Giant, at Cannes.
After: He’s in pre-production for two series—HBO’s Cutblock, about a BC timber-felling family, and Essex County, based on Jeff Lemire’s graphic novel.
Jordan Canning
Director
Before: She directed indie films like We Were Wolves and shows including This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Baroness von Sketch. After: She directed Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the kids’ show Fraggle Rock as well as her third film, Oddly Flowers.
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David West Read
Writer and executive producer
Before: He premiered his 2012 play The Performers on Broadway.
After: He returned to the stage with his hit musical & Juliet. Now he’s showrunning The Big Door Prize, an alternate universe–skirting comedy series.
Rupinder Gill
Writer and producer
Before: Her memoir, On the Outside Looking Indian, was shortlisted for the 2012 Leacock Medal for Humour.
After: She’s been writing for Indebted, Rutherford Falls and The Sex Lives of College Girls.
Kevin White
Writer and executive producer
Before: He worked on series including Kim’s Convenience and This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
After: He crafted a Kim’s Convenience spinoff, Strays, and is gearing up to take on a new pilot project called Park Bench.
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Kurt Smeaton
Writer and co–executive producer
Before: He wrote episodes of Kim’s Convenience, Mr. D and What Would Sal Do? After: He’s been busy showrunning CTV’s new sitcom Children Ruin Everything.
Chris Pozzebon
Writer and executive story editor
Before: He was the story coordinator on Little Mosque on the Prairie and co-produced the mystery series Open Heart. After: He showran the amnesiac police series Blindspot, Hulu’s The Hardy Boys and Citytv’s Wong & Winchester.
Photographs: Levy and Murphy courtesy of CBC; Hampshire by Vanessa Heins; Reid by Eric Hobbs; Cividino by Getty Images; Canning by Shlomi Amiga; Gill by Stephanie Yeung; Smeaton courtesy of Bell Media
