Ballinran Entertainment - The Company

About Ballinran

For the last two decades Ballinran Entertainment has created a wealth of lifestyle, documentary and factual entertainment programming for television audiences all over the world.

Our work has been recognized with numerous film and television industry accolades, awards and nominations including the Irish Film and Television Academy Awards and The Canadian Academy of Cinema and Television Gemini Awards.

Combing the world around us for entertaining ideas, engaging characters and important themes, we use the power of cinematic storytelling to illuminate untold stories.

Fieldstone Fence, Ballinran, Northern Ireland — Fieldstone Fence, Ballinran, Northern Ireland
The Ballinran name has its roots in Ireland, a land where legends and yarns have been passed down through the generations – a society where the art of storytelling has always been highly prized. Fitting, because creating and sharing stories is what we do best.

Ballinran

Whether it's organic food, wilderness adventure, performing arts, pop culture, Caribbean travel, epic war battles, great tales from history or the biographies of iconic figures, the key to our success is being able to discover the drama in every story we uncover.

Finding great stories is only part of our talent. Ballinran also has an expertise in film and television financing and navigating the complexities of broadcast industry deal-making. Our company is also a pioneer in the revival of branded content and corporate sponsorships. Let Ballinran help bring your story to life.

Our Team

J. Craig Thompson

President and Executive Producer

Craig's career as a storyteller has taken him to the front lines of conflict, given him a vantage point on the world's most incredible locations and allowed him to meet and interact with the most notable personalities of our time...

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Craig Thompson

Craig Thompson's career as a storyteller has taken him to the front lines of conflict, given him a vantage point on the world's most incredible locations and allowed him to meet and interact with the most notable personalities of our time.

The five-time Canadian Gemini Award and Irish Film and Television Academy Award nominee is an accomplished producer, writer and director whose television and media career has spanned more than three decades. Thompson's background as a journalist and foreign correspondent covering important events such as the conflict in Northern Ireland and the end of the Cold War, created the foundation for Ballinran Entertainment, which is named for his family's ancestral village in Northern Ireland.

Sharing compelling stories about people and events that change lives, communities and the world around us define the spirit and vision of Ballinran.

His credits include the acclaimed docudrama Death or Canada. Narrated by Brian Dennehy, the film tells the haunting tale of how Ireland's famine washed upon North America's shores in the summer of 1847. Produced for History Channel Europe, RTE Ireland and History Canada it was nominated for an Irish Academy Award and four Gemini Awards; Hangman's Graveyard a docudrama produced for History Television that follows the archaeological investigation of a forgotten cemetery behind Toronto's notorious Don Jail and the quest to identify the bodies of the 15 executed men buried in unmarked graves; and A Life in Stages, a documentary on life and career of Jersey Boys and Stratford Festival Artistic Director Des McAnuff for Bravo!

His latest project is the feature documentary The Captains in which William Shatner explores the influence Star Trek has had on his life and career.

Other credits include The Manic Organic (Food Network/HGTV) a series which has aired in more than 30 territories around the world and a library of documentaries and lifestyle programs that have been broadcast and distributed internationally.

Thompson is also active in his community, providing leadership for three years to DocFest Stratford, an event that attracts filmmakers from Canada, the United States and around the world to support a filmmaking and digital media workshop program for high school students across Southern Ontario.

For three years, Thompson ran the World Congress of History Producers, an event for leading broadcasters and producers in the documentary world taking place in a different world capital each year and he consulted with the Banff World Television Festival.

Thompson is a published author and writer, contributing to Canadian newspapers and magazines. His most recent book, An Artist's and Photographer's Guide to Wild Ontario, a historically inspired travel guide to Ontario's landscapes, was released in May 2007. He is a graduate of the Ryerson School of Journalism in Toronto.
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William H. Smalley

Managing Partner

Bill's background is in business strategy, marketing, sales process management, and business development, including business and consumer marketing, and domestic and international sales. One of Canada's leading authorities on integrating marketing and sales strategy; he is an international consultant...

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William H. Smalley

Bill Smalley's background is in business strategy, marketing, sales process management, and business development, including business and consumer marketing, and domestic and international sales. One of Canada's leading authorities on integrating marketing and sales strategy; he is an international consultant, keynote speaker, seminar leader, coach, and an accredited trainer with the Canadian Professional Sales Association.

Bill has held management positions with Canadian Gypsum Company, United States Gypsum International Division, Mediacom (Canada's largest outdoor advertising Company), LePage Ltd., (Div. of Heinkel Canada), CertainTeed Corporation, Gall Advertising, and IDC Telecommunications Canada Inc. His international experience includes business development work primarily in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates).

As a contract executive and consultant he has managed exclusive marketing licenses with the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Football League, and Earth Day Canada, and he has worked with a diverse client group including Air Canada, McDonald's, Ford, Sunquest Travel, Konica Minolta, the Canadian Outward Bound Wilderness School, the Toronto Rock Lacrosse Club, Bell Aliant, John Deere, Timberland Canada, AMJ Campbell Van Lines, TD Waterhouse, Scotia McLeod, Miller Thompson LLP, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Royal Sun Alliance Insurance, and Ducks Unlimited.

Bill has served on the Marketing Advisory Committees of Humber College, The Canadian Outward Bound Wilderness School, and Theatre Ontario. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Sciences from the University of Western Ontario, an Executive MBA (with a first in class in marketing) from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, and a Certified Sales Professional Rating (with distinction) from the Canadian Professional Sales Association.

Affiliations

Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto – guest lecturer (International Marketing and Business Development, Global Project Management)

University of Toronto, Faculty of Continuing Studies – Course Instructor

Canadian Management Centre (CMC) – faculty and Course Instructor

The Canadian Professional Sales Association (CPSA) – member and Seminar Leader

The Business School, Humber College – faculty and lecturer in the Business Administration (Diploma) Program, and the Commercial Aviation Business Management Program

Royal Canadian Military Institute (RCMI) - member

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Decebal Dascau

Creative Director

Decebal's career is strongly tied to the Romanian Revolution of 1989, which found him as a freelance photographer and videographer. He captured shocking images of the revolution which were broadcast around the world. In the first stage of his career...

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Decebal Dascau

Decebal Dascau's career is strongly tied to the Romanian Revolution of 1989, which found him as a freelance photographer and videographer. He captured shocking images of the revolution which were broadcast around the world. In the first stage of his career, Dascau participated in Romania's Image Festival in 1989, where he was awarded the first prize. He was one of the pioneers of the first independent television station in Romania, Timisoara '89 Television (TVT'89).

From December 1989 to 1995, Decebal Dascau worked as producer, videographer and news reporter for TVT'89. Dascau worked in both the drama and news/documentary units. As an artistic producer Decebal Dascau produced, filmed and directed: musical video clips, concerts of Jesus Jones, Phoenix, Anathema, Iris,, Schinitt 8, and original short stories.

His production in news and documentaries included: Timisoara – a documentary about the Romanian Revolution in1989; It is my choice – a documentary about the first free elections in Romania; The Shareholder – a documentary about the influx of foreign capital coming to Romania. He directed Pozitii – Opozitii - a political talk show akin to CNN's Crossfire). He covered, as a videographer and reporter, civil unrest, street demonstrations, union fights, visits of international officials and heads of state, the return of the Romanian Royal family, and so on. Essentially, all of the important moments of the Romanian transition to democracy were caught on tape by his camera.

Due to his bravery covering the Romanian Revolution Dascau was invited to the United States to participate in workshop for Romanian Broadcast Journalists at California State University and CNN in 1991.

In 1995, Dascau took his career in a new direction founding Skyline Series Production Ltd. in Timisoara, Romania. Skyline produced programming for Romanian and international broadcasters, including programmes covering the Bosnian War (where Dascau filmed on the front-lines), Romanian elections, and other news-worth events in Eastern Europe. Dascau and Skyline also provide campaign video's and promotional material for many of Romania's political parties. His work as an Image Consultant was widely regarded across Romania.

Before moving to Canada in 2004, Decebal Dascau was working as Creative Director of Euroholding Inc., again in Timisoara, developing marketing plans for the company, producing advertisements and other promotional items (brochures, fliers, banners, flags, etc.).

Dascau is now living in Toronto, Ontario working as a freelance Cinematographer, Editor and Director. He graduated from the Toronto Film School in 2006 and has directed, shot and edited several commercials and corporate videos as well has having a self-produced documentary short, Happiness, air on the Independent Film Channel in the United States.

Also, in 2006 Dascau was trained in DALSA's new cutting edge camera the 4K and took on a variety of assignments for New York based KPI, Romedia and Ballinran Entertainment.

With Romedia he served as Director of Photography on the documentary The Hero and The Queen, which aired on Omni Television. Currently he is working as an editor and cinematographer for Ballinran Entertainment. He contributed to the hugely successful and four-time Gemini nominated docudrama Death or Canada and was a driving creative force behind Ballinran's documentary, Hangman's Graveyard, which aired in December of 2009 to critical and popular acclaim.

In 2010 and 2011 he served as Director of Photography and Editor on the Ballinran feature documentary The Captains, directed by William Shatner.
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Patricia Douey

Executive Producer

Patricia is responsible for overseeing the development of the Digital Stage Initiative and other new business projects. She is an experienced media professional having held senior positions for major television companies in both Canada and the UK...

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Patricia Douey

Patricia oversees the development of new business projects at Ballinran. Working with partners from the performing arts arena, she is currently focused on The Digital Stage Initiative, a project to adapt live stage performances for digital platforms.

With a background in programming, marketing and general management, Patricia is a seasoned media professional who has worked in Canada, the U.S. and Europe. She has held senior posts with a number of major media companies including Rogers Communications and Achilles Media in Canada, and has acted a consultant to many others including CanWest and Bell Globemedia. While working in the UK for Flextech Television, Patricia was involved in launching a number of digital specialty channels and was a key member of the team establishing UKTV, a joint venture with the BBC which now operates 10 digital channels in the UK.

During her time as Chief Operating Officer of Achilles Media, Patricia oversaw a number of media events including the Banff World Media Festival, nextMEDIA, History Makers, Just Comedy and Canadian Innovation Exchange.

As Group Director of Programming and Marketing with Videotron Corporation in the UK, Patricia was involved in launching cable television services in a number of markets, developing new programming services and negotiating and managing contractual relationships with program suppliers.

At Rogers, Patricia held a number of portfolios in both marketing and programming at and was a key member of the highly successful US franchising team which won cable licenses in several major American cities.

In her consulting business, Basildon Communications, Patricia has worked on a number of regulatory files, including project managing CanWestʼs successful digital specialty channel applications.

A pioneer in community programming, Patricia led programming departments at Rogers and Metro Cable, chaired the National Programming Committee of the Canadian Cable Television Association and edited The New Communicators, a community programming handbook.
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Emily Fischer

Production Administrator

Emily oversees day-to-day office operations, scheduling and administration. As she waits to be discovered as the next great female rock drummer, Emily is working towards her diploma in business administration at Conestoga College. Emily deals with a variety of...

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Emily Fischer

Emily hails from Guelph, Ontario and oversees day-to-day office operations, scheduling and administration. As she waits to be discovered as the next great female rock drummer Emily is working towards her diploma in business administration at Conestoga College. Emily deals with a wide variety of work at Ballinran from pushing paper to creating beauty as the lead make-up artist for Ballinran.
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Timothy Bissell

Development Producer

Timothy, who coordinates research and development for Ballinran, moved to Canada from the UK in 2004, and studied Television Broadcasting and Mass Communication at college, graduating in 2007. Tim's an information sponge/trivia nerd who has carved out a reputation as...

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Timothy Bissell

Tim, who coordinates research and development for Ballinran, moved to Canada from the UK in 2004, and studied Television Broadcasting and Mass Communication at college, graduating in 2007. Tim's an information sponge/trivia nerd who has carved out a reputation as a highly skilled writer and researcher with a passion for telling stories for both mass and niche audiences.
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Dan Whyte

Assistant Editor

Dan grew up in Bobcaygeon, Ontario and has graduated from Television Broadcasting and Videography courses at Conestoga College. There he developed a keen eye for video production, which led him to work as an editor at Ballinran. In his...

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Dan Whyte

Daniel Whyte grew up in Bobcaygeon, Ontario and has graduated from Television Broadcasting and Videography courses at Conestoga College. There he developed a keen eye for video production, which led him to work as an editor at Ballinran. In his spare time he writes comedy and saves the virtual world from destruction one boss battle at a time.
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Sandi Charlebois

Business Affairs Manager

Sandi brings a wealth of experience from the business and legal side of the film and television industry. Her career has included positions with Canada's largest entertainment law firm, the Ontario Media Development Corporation and the Canada Media Fund. In...

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Sandi Charlebois

Sandi brings a wealth of experience from the business and legal side of the film and television industry. Her career has included positions with Canada's largest entertainment law firm, the Ontario Media Development Corporation and the Canada Media Fund. In her spare time her shaggy dog Carter takes her for walks in the park.
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U.S. Sales Agents

Andrea Eisen & Beth Fraikorn

Ballinran Entertainment is represented in the United States by Remarkable Content Group.

www.remarkablecontentgroup.com

Our Partners

Ballinran is pleased to be working with the following partners and suppliers who play a valued and pivotal role in the success of our projects.

Broadcast Partners

Broadcast Partners

Production Partners

Production Partners

Suppliers

Suppliers