Harold Lee Tichenor
Encyclopedia
Harold Tichenor is a Canadian multi-award winning film producer and writer and an adherent of the Baha'i Faith
.
Raised in Philadelphia, Harold was fourteen years old in 1960 when he and his older brother started making films. In 1962 he joined The Film-Makers' Cooperative
as its youngest member. Never expecting that a career in film was a realistic possibility, in the early 1960s, Tichenor held a number of jobs working as a land surveyor, piano technician, dairy herdsman, fish hatcheryman, draftsman and punch press operator. He attended the Walter Biddle Saul High School for Agricultural Sciences intending to pursue studies in the biological sciences in college. But in 1963 while enrolled in the ecology program at the University of Alaska, he found his first paying job in film working as the State of Alaska film librarian and as a cameraman for the University and its Geophysical Institute
making documentary and educational films. At the same time he worked as the director of the University of Alaska Film Group progamming a series of classic and foreign films.
In those years Canada was the foremost documentary film producing country in the world and in 1966 Tichenor decided to immigrate in order to further his career in non-fiction production. Initially, he worked as a freelance cameraman for CBUT
Vancouver and in 1967 he moved to Alberta
to help establish the media division of the newly formed University of Lethbridge
. Over the next five years he produced a variety of science and educational documentaries for the University. In 1970-1, he served as research assistant to John Grierson
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0340961/ when the noted social documentarian was guest professor at the University. In 1972, Tichenor completed his Bachelor’s degree in Drama and Art specializing in Film History and in 1974, after a year working as a writer/producer in Ottawa for the Public Service Commission’s Bureau of Staff Development and Training, he moved back to Alberta to continue his film career in the private sector.
In 1969, Tichenor had established his own film production company and until 1982 he worked on over 100 documentaries and educational films as a cameraman, editor, writer, producer and director. His one-hour documentary, Inupiatun http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080930/, won numerous awards, including a prestigious Rockie Award at the first Banff Television Festival and remains one of the definitive social studies of Inuit
life and culture.
In 1980 Tichenor shifted his emphasis from documentary to dramatic production, initially working as a production manager on half a dozen television movies, series and several feature films. In the mid 1980s, he began working as a producer running the last two seasons of Danger Bay
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086692/ for CBC Television
and the Disney Channel
. In 1990 he and his partners formed Vancouver-based Crescent Entertainment and through that company produced programs and features for Viacom
, ABC Television
, Lifetime, CBC, CBS Television, Republic Pictures
, and Warner Bros.
. In order to focus on his work as a writer, in 2003 Tichenor retired from active production and the management of Crescent Entertainment Ltd.
Tichenor has written for film and television and has published two non-fiction books on the Point blanket in the Fur Trade
history, as well as numerous articles on film history and the business of film. He has taught film production at the University of Lethbridge and the Vancouver Film School
and has guest lectured at the University of British Columbia
, the University of Victoria
, and Capilano College
. In 1974 he was one of the founding members of the Alberta Motion Picture Industry Association serving on its board of directors until 1979. In addition, from 1976-9 he served on the board of the Lethbridge Public Library
and in 1978-9 he was Vice President of the Alberta Library Trustees Association. During the 1980s, he served on several Canada Council
juries, was chair of the BC District Council of the Directors Guild of Canada
, served for two years on the national board of the DGC, several terms on the board of the British Columbia Motion Picture Association, and in the 1990s he served on the national board of the Canadian Film and Television Producers’ Association. During the late 1990s he was lead Canadian negotiator representing the CFTPA in British Columbia’s industry-wide labour negotiations. From 2000-2004 Tichenor served on the Board of Directors of the Banff Television Festival and in 2008 completed the final year of his second term as a member of the Board of Governors of that Festival.
Although several early films made by Tichenor are available through The Film-Makers' Cooperative
in New York City, the majority of his films were made during the past forty years in Canada. The masters of these films are archived at the Archives of the Province of Alberta, the Gatineau Preservation Centre of Archives Canada and the National Film Board of Canada
.
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
.
Biography
From an early age, Harold Tichenor along with his brother Jim, developed an avid interest in filmmaking. Their grandfather Archie Tichenor had made films and audio visual programs for the US Baha'i community and their uncle Allen Tichenor worked as a camera technician in NYC.Raised in Philadelphia, Harold was fourteen years old in 1960 when he and his older brother started making films. In 1962 he joined The Film-Makers' Cooperative
The Film-Makers' Cooperative
The Film-Makers' Cooperative aka The New American Cinema Group is an artist-run, non-profit organization which was founded in 1962 in New York City by Jonas Mekas, Shirley Clarke, Stan Brakhage, Gregory Markopoulos, Lloyd Michael Williams and other filmmakers to distribute avant-garde films through...
as its youngest member. Never expecting that a career in film was a realistic possibility, in the early 1960s, Tichenor held a number of jobs working as a land surveyor, piano technician, dairy herdsman, fish hatcheryman, draftsman and punch press operator. He attended the Walter Biddle Saul High School for Agricultural Sciences intending to pursue studies in the biological sciences in college. But in 1963 while enrolled in the ecology program at the University of Alaska, he found his first paying job in film working as the State of Alaska film librarian and as a cameraman for the University and its Geophysical Institute
Geophysical Institute
The Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks conducts research into space physics and aeronomy; atmospheric sciences; snow, ice, and permafrost; seismology; volcanology; and tectonics and sedimentation. It was founded in 1946 by the United States Congress...
making documentary and educational films. At the same time he worked as the director of the University of Alaska Film Group progamming a series of classic and foreign films.
In those years Canada was the foremost documentary film producing country in the world and in 1966 Tichenor decided to immigrate in order to further his career in non-fiction production. Initially, he worked as a freelance cameraman for CBUT
CBUT
CBUT-DT is the CBC's television station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and the flagship CBC Television station for the Pacific Time Zone. The station transmits its main terrestrial signal from a tower atop Mount Seymour....
Vancouver and in 1967 he moved to Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
to help establish the media division of the newly formed University of Lethbridge
University of Lethbridge
The University of Lethbridge is a publicly-funded comprehensive academic and research university, founded in the liberal education tradition, located in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, with two other urban campuses in Calgary and Edmonton. The main building sits among the coulees on the west side of...
. Over the next five years he produced a variety of science and educational documentaries for the University. In 1970-1, he served as research assistant to John Grierson
John Grierson
John Grierson was a pioneering Scottish documentary maker, often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. According to popular myth, in 1926, Grierson coined the term "documentary" to describe a non-fiction film.-Early life:Grierson was born in Deanston, near Doune, Scotland...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0340961/ when the noted social documentarian was guest professor at the University. In 1972, Tichenor completed his Bachelor’s degree in Drama and Art specializing in Film History and in 1974, after a year working as a writer/producer in Ottawa for the Public Service Commission’s Bureau of Staff Development and Training, he moved back to Alberta to continue his film career in the private sector.
In 1969, Tichenor had established his own film production company and until 1982 he worked on over 100 documentaries and educational films as a cameraman, editor, writer, producer and director. His one-hour documentary, Inupiatun http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080930/, won numerous awards, including a prestigious Rockie Award at the first Banff Television Festival and remains one of the definitive social studies of Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
life and culture.
In 1980 Tichenor shifted his emphasis from documentary to dramatic production, initially working as a production manager on half a dozen television movies, series and several feature films. In the mid 1980s, he began working as a producer running the last two seasons of Danger Bay
Danger Bay
Danger Bay is a Canadian television series, produced in Vancouver, with first-run episodes broadcast on CBC Television starting October 18, 1984 and the Disney Channel starting October 7, 1985...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086692/ for CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
and the Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
. In 1990 he and his partners formed Vancouver-based Crescent Entertainment and through that company produced programs and features for Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
, ABC Television
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
, Lifetime, CBC, CBS Television, Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
, and Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
. In order to focus on his work as a writer, in 2003 Tichenor retired from active production and the management of Crescent Entertainment Ltd.
Tichenor has written for film and television and has published two non-fiction books on the Point blanket in the Fur Trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
history, as well as numerous articles on film history and the business of film. He has taught film production at the University of Lethbridge and the Vancouver Film School
Vancouver Film School
Vancouver Film School is a private entertainment arts school located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1987, it has achieved international recognition. The Vancouver Film School has campus locations around Downtown Vancouver and comprises six buildings...
and has guest lectured at the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
, the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
, and Capilano College
Capilano College
Capilano University is an undergraduate-focused, public, coeducational, teaching-intensive university located in the District of North Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is enabled by the University Act...
. In 1974 he was one of the founding members of the Alberta Motion Picture Industry Association serving on its board of directors until 1979. In addition, from 1976-9 he served on the board of the Lethbridge Public Library
Lethbridge Public Library
The Lethbridge Public Library is a public library service that is provided by the municipality of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. It was established in 1919...
and in 1978-9 he was Vice President of the Alberta Library Trustees Association. During the 1980s, he served on several Canada Council
Canada Council
The Canada Council for the Arts, commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown Corporation established in 1957 to act as an arts council of the government of Canada, created to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. It funds Canadian artists and...
juries, was chair of the BC District Council of the Directors Guild of Canada
Directors Guild of Canada
The Directors Guild of Canada is a Canadian labour union, founded in 1962, which represents more than 3,700 professionals from 48 different occupations in the Canadian film and television industry. The DGC represents directors, assistant directors, location managers, production assistants and...
, served for two years on the national board of the DGC, several terms on the board of the British Columbia Motion Picture Association, and in the 1990s he served on the national board of the Canadian Film and Television Producers’ Association. During the late 1990s he was lead Canadian negotiator representing the CFTPA in British Columbia’s industry-wide labour negotiations. From 2000-2004 Tichenor served on the Board of Directors of the Banff Television Festival and in 2008 completed the final year of his second term as a member of the Board of Governors of that Festival.
Although several early films made by Tichenor are available through The Film-Makers' Cooperative
The Film-Makers' Cooperative
The Film-Makers' Cooperative aka The New American Cinema Group is an artist-run, non-profit organization which was founded in 1962 in New York City by Jonas Mekas, Shirley Clarke, Stan Brakhage, Gregory Markopoulos, Lloyd Michael Williams and other filmmakers to distribute avant-garde films through...
in New York City, the majority of his films were made during the past forty years in Canada. The masters of these films are archived at the Archives of the Province of Alberta, the Gatineau Preservation Centre of Archives Canada and the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
.
Filmography
- Terminal City (TV Series)Terminal City (TV series)Terminal City was a Canadian mini-series about a woman diagnosed with breast cancer while running a failing reality tv show turning it into a hit as her life and body begin to change.- Cast :* Maria del Mar ... as Katie...
(2005) (consulting producer) - IluzijaIluzijaMirage is a 2004 Macedonian drama film starring Vlado Jovanovski, Mustafa Nadarević, Nikola Đuričko, and Dejan Aćimović, with Marko Kovačević debuting in its lead role. It was directed by Svetozar Ristovski, who co-wrote the film with Grace Lea Troje...
(aka Mirage) (2004) (consulting producer) - The Dead Zone (TV Series)The Dead Zone (TV series)The Dead Zone, aka Stephen King's Dead Zone is an American-Canadian science fiction/suspense series starring Anthony Michael Hall as Johnny Smith, who discovers he has developed psychic abilities after a coma...
(2002–2004) (consulting producer) - The Dead Zone (2002) (Video) (consulting producer)
- Mysterious Ways (TV series) (2000–2002) (executive producer)
- No Boundaries (2002) (executive producer)
- The Void (film)The Void (film)The Void is a 2001 American direct-to-DVD science-fiction thriller film which follows a scientist who has discovered that a man who's been attempting to solve an energy crisis has inadvertently created a black hole which, unless stopped, will swallow the world.The film features Amanda Tapping as...
(2001) (executive producer) - Cabin Pressure (film)Cabin Pressure (film)Cabin Pressure is a 2001 Canada/USA film reuniting Craig Sheffer and John Pyper-Ferguson . The film also featured Canadian voice actor Michael Kopsa...
(2001) (executive producer) - Marine Life (2000) (executive producer)
- Higher Ground (TV series)Higher Ground (TV series)Higher Ground is an American-Canadian television show shot outside Vancouver, British Columbia, that aired in 2000. It starred Joe Lando, Hayden Christensen, A.J. Cook, Kandyse McClure and Jewel Staite....
(2000) (executive producer) - Shutterspeed (2000) (executive producer)
- Night ManNight ManNight Man is an American action/adventure/sci-fi series that aired in syndication from September 15, 1997 to May 17, 1999. The series is loosely based on a comic book published by Malibu Comics and was created by Steve Englehart and developed for television by Glen A...
(1999)(executive producer) - Shadow Warriors II: Hunt for the Death Merchant (1999) (executive producer)
- Naked Frailties (1998) (executive producer)
- Kitchen Party (film)Kitchen Party (film)Kitchen Party is a 1997 film written and directed by Gary Burns . The movie cast a number of then-unknown young Canadian actors, including Scott Speedman, Laura Harris, and Tygh Runyan, and was released on September 8, 1997 at the Toronto Film Festival.- Plot summary :In the bored suburban...
(1997) (consulting producer) - Titanic (TV miniseries)Titanic (TV miniseries)Titanic is a made-for-TV movie that premièred on CBS in 1996. Titanic follows several characters on board the RMS Titanic when she sinks on her maiden voyage in 1912. The miniseries was directed by Robert Lieberman. The original music score was composed by Lennie Niehaus...
(1996) (producer) - EbbieEbbieEbbie or Miracle at Christmas: Ebbie's Story is a 1995 TV movie directed by George Kaczender, written by Ed Redlich, and starring Susan Lucci in the title role.-Plot:The story follows a scrooge-like woman, Elizabeth "Ebbie" Scrooge...
(1995) (producer) - When the Vows Break (1995) (producer)
- Beauty's Revenge (1995) (consulting producer)
- She Stood Alone: The Tailhook Scandal (1995) (producer)
- Children of the Dust (TV miniseries)Children of the Dust (TV miniseries)Children of the Dust is a TV miniseries that aired on February 26 and 28, 1995 on CBS, featuring an ensemble cast led by Academy Award winning actor Sidney Poitier...
(1995) (producer) - The Neverending Story IIIThe NeverEnding Story IIIThe NeverEnding Story III: Return to Fantasia is a 1994 film and the second sequel to the fantasy film The NeverEnding Story...
(1994) (line producer) - My Name Is Kate (1994) (producer)
- Frostfire (1994) (producer)
- Other Women's Children (1993) (producer)
- Lightning Force (1991–1992) (producer)
- Kurt Vonnegut's Welcome to the Monkey House (1991) (executive producer)
- Showdown at Williams Creek (aka The Legend of Kootenai Brown) (1991) (producer)
- The Neverending Story II: The Next ChapterThe NeverEnding Story II: The Next ChapterThe NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter is a 1990 fantasy film and sequel to The NeverEnding Story. It was directed by George T. Miller and starred Jonathan Brandis as Bastian Bux, Kenny Morrison as Atreyu, and Alexandra Johnes as the Childlike Empress. The only actor to return from the first...
(1990) (consulting producer) - Danger BayDanger BayDanger Bay is a Canadian television series, produced in Vancouver, with first-run episodes broadcast on CBC Television starting October 18, 1984 and the Disney Channel starting October 7, 1985...
(1988–1990) (supervising producer) - The Penthouse (1989) (producer)
- Live Wires (1989) (producer)
- Maigret (1988) (consulting producer)
- The Last Wild Salmon (1988) (executive producer)
- Danger BayDanger BayDanger Bay is a Canadian television series, produced in Vancouver, with first-run episodes broadcast on CBC Television starting October 18, 1984 and the Disney Channel starting October 7, 1985...
(1985–1988) (production manager) - Home Is Where the Hart Is (1987) (production manager)
- After the Promise (1987) (production supervisor)
- Vanishing Act (1986) (production manager)
- To Kill a Whopping Bird (1985) (producer/director)
- Unendliche Geschichte, Die (aka The NeverEnding StoryThe Neverending StoryThe Neverending Story is a German fantasy novel by Michael Ende, first published in 1979. The standard English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was first published in 1983...
) (1984) (production manager: location unit) - Free to Fly (1984) (associate producer)
- Latitude 55°Latitude 55°Latitude 55° is a 1982 Canadian drama/adventure film.- Plot :* Wanda Woodsworth , a field worker for the Department of Culture, is on her way home to the city after a winter assignment in the northern part of Alberta. Her car breaks down on the deserted highway and as the weather worsens she finds...
(1982) (associate producer/production manager) - New Day - New Horizon (1982) (producer)
- Pilots North (1982) (producer)
- Be What You Are (1982) (director)
- Sky's the Limit (1982) (director)
- Driving's Only Half the Battle (1981) (director)
- Solutions: Canadian Transit Technology (1981) (director)
- Do It Right Every Time (1980) (director)
- Inupiatun: In the Manner of the Eskimo (1980) (writer/producer/director)
- Mark of the Professional (1980) (director)
- A Place Apart (1980) (director)
- Safety Is My Business (1980) (director)
- Switches, Wires and Poles (1980) (director)
- The Calgary Story (1979) (director)
- Lakeside Habitat (1979) (director)
- Loons of Amisk (1979) (director)
- Osprey's Domain (1979) (director)
- The Force (1979) (producer)
- Avalanche Rescue (1978) (director)
- Below the Ramparts (1978) (director)
- Boreal Forest: Fall and Winter (1978) (director)
- Boreal Forest: Spring and Summer (1978) (director)
- Gyros: Handle with Care (1978) (producer/director)
- The Snow War (1978) (writer/producer/director)
- Three Rivers (1978) (director)
- Edmonton Art Gallery (1977) (director)
- Katei Seikatsu: Japanese Family Life (1976) (producer/director)
- The Magic of Water (1975) (director)
- Chief Dan George Speaks (1974) (codirector/editor)
- Concerto for Water, Sun and Wilderness (1972) (director)
- Together (1972) (director)
- Bharata Natyam (1971) (director)
- Three Very Short Films (1967–1971) (director)
- Yard Limit (1970) (codirector)
- Life Cycle of Leucochloridium variae (1969) (director) - about Leucochloridium variaeLeucochloridium variaeLeucochloridium variae, common name brown-banded broodsac, is a species of a parasite that invades snails and makes their eye stalks swollen, pulsating and colourful....
parasite - Four Passes of the Invisible Hand (1966) (director)