Journeyman Film Company

For media producer Mathew Welsh, life has always been about the journey. Chronicling that journey is his favourite pastime, and is the reason behind Welsh’s company Journeyman Film Company.

With diverse career experience in film production, but also French translation, and carpentry, Welsh recognizes you can’t just document the journey; you have to have the training and skills to tell the story well.

“That’s partly where the name comes from. It stems from my experience framing houses as a carpenter, as well as the journey I took before I started the company. Journeyman refers to travel, reliability, experience and competence,” he explains. “Making a film is very much like building a house.”

He started his career in 1986 as a young freelancer at a corporate video company in Edmonton, while attending university. Welsh has an anthropology degree from the University of Alberta and is tri-lingual in English, French and Spanish.

“Although it sounds unlikely, anthropology is excellent training for a career in the corporate production world, as well as in documentary film production,” Welsh says. “Anthropology looks at a culture and its value systems. It observes the way people work or communicate. It helped me understand languages, values and ways people interact. You need to understand the culture and values of a place or a company in order to communicate a message. That was really true for us on a recent project we did for the Canadian Navy.”

After his university studies in Alberta, Welsh ended up in Nova Scotia as part of a cycling trip in search of a change and a desire to see a new part of Canada. He took the train to Truro and got off with his bicycle. And he’s still here today.

Welsh cycled along the south shore of the province and settled in Blue Rocks. His first job there was at an oar and paddle making shop.

“That job helped me connect to the roots of the province. I was learning a traditional craft and living in a town that was an integral part of Nova Scotia’s history. I’ve become very familiar with all parts of the province, but I still feel a real connection to Lunenburg County,” he says.

Welsh’s time in Lunenburg helped solidify his deep connection with Nova Scotia and its people. He started Journeyman Film Company in 1998. The company sought to tell documentary stories that surprise and provoke and that transport viewers into the world of their subjects.

In 2000, Journeyman Film Company released a documentary called Breakaway – a tale of two survivors that achieved critical acclaim. The film chronicles the conflicted but compelling relationship between two men who experience brain injuries. The film won a Gemini award, as well as Hot Doc and Golden Sheaf awards from the Canadian film industry.

“The story behind Breakaway is incredible and it speaks to almost everyone who sees the film. It’s amazing to see that more than a decade later, people are still affected by the story,” Welsh adds.

Welsh says his team plans to develop the documentary into an educational DVD that will be used as a teaching tool for high school and university students to learn about disability, recovery, community integration, and the effects of brain injuries.

Today, Journeyman Film Company has moved away from producing documentaries for a general audience, and has migrated toward corporate productions. Welsh and his team produced 20 high-profile vignettes for Nova Scotia Come to life, spotlighting notable organizations and individuals who embody the provincial lifestyle and potential.

“On that project, our goal has been to walk away from the stereotypical images of the province and look for what we know,” Welsh emphasizes. “We tend to steer away from the lighthouses, lobsters and the tartan and convey Nova Scotia as a great blend of traditional, local roots, as well as new ideas that connect us to the rest of the world.”

The company also recently developed a training video for the Canadian Navy on dive emergency procedures, using real divers on camera and re-enacting real emergency situations.

“Last year, we shot that project for week in the February cold on Halifax harbour, and the very next week we were shooting an educational documentary for the Nova Scotia Gambia Association in the heat of West Africa. That’s the part of the ‘journey’ that we enjoy.”

Welsh says the company is currently working with rural district health authorities to educate staff on the social determinants of health.

“It’s exciting to work on projects that have meaning. That will make a change,” Welsh explains with enthusiasm. “Our productions don’t just state the message. They create an impression that enables people to see and feel the impact of ideas. We don’t want to show officials talking about programs, we want to depict the positive effects those programs have on real Nova Scotians. That’s our approach.”

Welsh says he hopes to grow the company to a staff of five to seven people. He adds that the video production business is on the rise as organizations look to create web content.

“Journeyman looks at ways to provide that kind of flexible content, but artfully done. There will always be a place for thoughtful, high quality work. We will always put the time in to make sure we’re doing what’s best. If we focus on high quality productions, I expect we will always find clients looking for that level of content.”

Welsh is optimistic about the future of media production in Nova Scotia. He says the industry is well-supported, the population is well educated and there is a new generation learning the production craft. He adds that Nova Scotia offers a balanced lifestyle that helps in attracting industry talent to the province.

Welsh says the next step of his journey looks positive. Journeyman Film Company will evolve with the changing interests of audiences and clients, but will stick to its chosen path -- telling stories with technique.

“Video in the future is tied to the digital economy, but storytelling goes back to the beginning of time. We bring that storytelling focus, but we also rely on young and tech-savvy people to connect audiences with the evolving technology.”