Barry Avrich

Barry Avrich is a Canadian filmmaker, philanthropist, and entrepreneur whose life and work have focused on cultural enrichment, grit, and creativity. Barry’s path from a culturally rich but financially modest upbringing to becoming a notable Canadian documentarian encompasses what hard work and relentless drive can do in a person’s life.

Born and raised in Montreal to a family that held a love of culture and an appreciation for the arts, Barry was encouraged by his family to pursue a career in those passions. Although his parents did not attend university, they exposed Barry to the beauty of film, music, and theatre from a very young age. His parents would often take him to the theatre, as well as many concerts, such as those featuring Oscar Peterson and Ella Fitzgerald, to expand his creative interests. Their love for Barry was evident in the sacrifices they made – whether they could afford them or not – to nurture his passion for storytelling.

He became captivated by show business at a very early age. At 9, he performed in a local Montreal variety show, which is when he received a playful telegram from his father that said, “NBC wants you to host The Tonight Show–are you available?” This quickly sparked in Barry a keen interest for a future career path. By the age of 10, he was reading the Hollywood Reporter and Variety, fantasizing about a future in filmmaking and memorizing box office numbers. His parents' support, paired with a library of classical music , jazz, and comedy record albums introduced him to a world that would become the foundation of his lifelong career.

Despite Barry’s jokes about having “the worst academic record in history,” his passion was enough to allow him to succeed. He attended Ryerson Polytechnic Institute (now Toronto Metropolitan University) for his postsecondary education, before deciding to transfer to the University of Toronto to obtain a general arts degree, mixed with a few business courses along the way. When he was not studying for his arts major, he took on as many jobs as he could, including working on film crews as a production assistant. He even sold 400-pound sheepskin coats in the summer, where, of course, he also assisted customers to buy theatre tickets when they came into the store. His first entrepreneurial idea was “Rent-A-Fan Club”, which was a business he began building during his time at Ryerson, aimed at providing struggling actors who would pose as paparazzi at product launches and activations and for powerful business icons that wanted a sense of celebrity when they arrived at an event. The company was a hit, and eventually it was sold to an American public relations firm, marking an early first successful exit as he began his entrepreneurial career.

CAREER

Barry's uncle warned him during his early years that the Canadian film industry was never going to make him rich, comparing it to “the gestation period of the beaver.”

“You’re going to starve,” the uncle said, suggesting he look at a career in advertising. Barry' began at a small agency working alongside theatre and film clients. On his first day at the job, he received a call from Ed Mirvish of the Royal Alexandra Theatre, who asked for a marketing plan for “A Chorus Line”, the very show that had always caught Barry’s eye growing up – enough that his parents worked overtime to pay for a ticket for him to see it on Broadway. That moment marked the beginning of his love for selling the sizzle and set the stage for his future success.

Over the following decades, Barry has directed and produced around 70 films that included prominent Hollywood moguls , legendary music icons such as David Foster, and even the last living Nuremberg prosecutor. His work features topics that he believes his audience will love, combined with his passions. Barry has always loved the documentary style, mainly because it allowed his artistic freedoms to shine while telling potent and often controversial stories.

Barry has always had a love for philanthropy, a passion he attributes to his mother, who spent a significant portion of her life volunteering, despite their family’s limited financial means. He has always believed in giving back and has served on many arts and cultural boards, as well as, most notably building a movie theatre inside SickKids Hospital in Toronto. After watching a very sick child watch a film on a small handheld screen, he quickly decided to help fund and build the theatre, now named the Daniels Hollywood Theatre at Sick Kids.

Another notable philanthropic moment in his life was the program he helped develop at the Toronto International Film Festival, in his father's name, which aims to provide free passes to new and emerging filmmakers. Another important lifelong passion for Barry, based on his upbringing was his parents taking him to see “The School for Scandal” at the age of eight, marking the beginning of his relationship with the Stratford Festival. He fell in love with it as a child, and has now produced 21 award winning stage to screen films. He attributes much of his success to Stratford and its ability to mentor and inspire so many actors.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

Throughout his entire life, he has always followed specific rules: “Late is the enemy of great,” “Return every call and email,” “Help the people who reach out to you when you can,” and “If there's somebody you want to meet, find a way in.” Many people and mentors helped guide his career, including Quincy Jones, David Brown, and Robert Evans, from whom he drew inspiration. For Barry, those individuals went from being mentors you needed advice from to good friends.

His father told him growing up that, “You can be in the background or the foreground.” But Barry always made it clear that the only thing that mattered to him is walking into a room and being seen. That advice has shaped the person he is today and has also contributed to his great success in this industry. From starting a business in school to creating documentaries, his life and journey reflect the values that make an incredible inductee into the Horatio Alger Association and most importantly, a figure who can offer advice to the next generation of actors, filmmakers, and entrepreneurs.