Star power has special effect
‘Celebrity’ instructors inspire students in continuing education programs
Terry Fallis is a renaissance man. His book, The Best Laid Plans, was crowned “the essential Canadian novel” by the CBC’s Canada Reads competition in 2011 and is being adapted into a sixpart miniseries for television.
He has co-founded a PR agency, worked for the Liberal Party and when he’s not on the road promoting his novels at one of 130 stops, he still finds time to teach a course at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies on “building an audience for your writing.”
“I have always looked up to people who are polymaths and renaissance people who like to dabble in lots of different things and that’s certainly the approach I’ve taken — I’ve let my curiosity guide me,” says Fallis.
The author is one of many “celebrity” instructors instilling real-world experiences in continuing education programs across the country.
“I’d had such a strange journey to get to the land of the published, I thought I could share that experience with writers in the same place I was a few years ago, and maybe give them ideas and tactics that might help them build an audience,” says the writer. “It seems a bit altruistic and corny but I felt like I owed the writing community.”
Edward Carson, chief business and associate director at U of T’s continuing studies program, says Fallis isn’t alone.
That need to give back is one of the key drivers behind the stable of renowned individuals who work their way into instructing jobs with continuing education courses.
“There’s also the advantage of going over things you already know — it reconfirms your own knowledge base,” Carson adds. “These people love what they do and that’s a big draw for them and shows in the dedication they bring to teaching their students.”
With continuing education, there’s frequently an intrinsic link between industry and practical lessons. And the fewer the barriers between the real world and the classroom, the richer the experience for students in these courses — who range from recent grads to people who haven’t been to school in decades — looking to augment their skill set.
Zane Knisely — who has worked on special effects makeup and design for films like Pacific Rim, Resident Evil and Jurassic Park’s travelling show — tries to recreate that sweaty and intense on-set atmosphere experience for students in his George Brown College classroom workshop for the special effects makeup course he teaches.
“I try to warm them up for the way the shop is going to be — I tell them if they can’t take a 12-hour day then the film industry is not for them,” says Knisely. “There’s not a lot of sitting around, it’s a very practical class — it’s three weeks and goes fairly quickly, they’re absorbing a lot of information.”
Given some of the high-profile projects Knisely has worked on, his career sets a barometer of success to which students can aspire.
Fiona Smyth, a significant figure in Canada’s comic and graphic novels scene and a teacher at OCAD University, likes to start her course by showing some of her work, such as graphic novels, and the mu- rals at popular Toronto bars Lee’s Palace and Sneaky Dee’s.
“For some classes, I’ll do a short artist’s talk at the beginning of the course because I think it’s good for them to see what their teachers are up to,” says Smyth. “As soon as they see the Sneaky Dee’s sign, they recognize it.”
Showing off her diverse body of work also illustrates one of the core values taught in the class: illustrators must be adaptable to work in the industry.
“It’s important to let them know it’s difficult out there — even after 25 years,” Smyth says.
That ability to adapt and be creative with finding work is also a key part of both Knisely’s and Fallis’ lesson plans and a big component of the learned experience that comes from working in a given industry.
“You get a broader view of how the skills enter into the overall context of the business,” says Carson.
And for the de facto professors, there’s no better way to learn than by teaching others.
Fallis says the interesting part about his course is that every time he comes back to teach it, he’s gained more knowledge about building his own audience surrounding his books.
But maintaining a career while teaching isn’t without challenges.
“It is a balancing act to keep all the balls in the air,” says Fallis, “but I enjoy doing it and I hope I’ll continue to be able to.”