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Michael McGowan makes popular Canadian movies about our national obsessions - but the truth is, he never really set out to be a filmmaker.
He was raised in Toronto and, after graduating from the University of North Carolina, started a career as a freelance journalist.
Then he saw Kevin Smith's Clerks and thought: 'I can do that!'
Michael wrote and directed My Dog Vincent - an ultra-low budget comedy about three slackers in their 20s looking for love. That film served as calling card for Michael and he quickly moved on to bigger things.
Like Saint Ralph. It starred Campbell Scott and Jennifer Tilly and told the story of a Hamilton boy with a seemingly impossible dream - to win the Boston Marathon.
Along the way, Michael created the kids' TV series Henry's World and wrote the best-selling Newton novels for young adults.
Then came Michael's love letter to Canada, One Week. It's about a young man - Joshua Jackson - who learns he has cancer, hops on his bike and crosses this glorious nation in a quest for the meaning of life.
The film was a hit; it featured a cameo by the Stanley Cup and hinted at Michael's next project.
Score: A Hockey Musical is just that - a musical about our national pastime. It opened this year's Toronto International Film Festival to a standing ovation.
Game on, Michael McGowan.
@TheStromboShow