Jimmy Pattison began as a used-car
salesman - years later he put Vancouver on the international
map as Chairman of Expo 86. A man whose diminutive stature
and loud suits made him the butt of countless jokes, Pattison
was snubbed by the Eastern business establishment, but today
he is the sole owner of the third largest private company
in Canada. Pattison's personal wealth is estimated at
US $1.3 billion. Although he recently turned 70, Pattison
has not slowed down and his global empire continues to grow.
Documentary filmmaker David Paperny and his crew spent a
year filming Pattison at close range. Cameras are rolling
when Pattison unceremoniously fires the lowest selling salesman
at his plastic bag plant in New Jersey and when he confers
with corporate takeover artists in New York. Viewers
will see Pattison at his Vancouver headquarters when Royal
Bank Chairman John Cleghorn comes to call, and when the hard-nosed
businessman breaks down in his birthplace of Luscland, Saskatchewan,
overwhelmed by memories of an impoverished childhood.
The Dealmaker takes viewers aboard Pattison's private
challenger jet, for a ride on his luxury yacht, and to the
Frank Sinatra estate that Jimmy just bought in the California
desert. It is an intimate look at one of Canada's most
unusual billionaires - from the tension and drive of the business
world where he built his giant fortune, to the private moments
where he enjoys the spoils.
Original Air Date - November 16, 1998
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