Charles Falzon

Charles John Falzon (born August 1957) is a Canadian entertainment executive, educator and university administrator. He is currently Professor of Media Production at Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, having served as Dean of The Creative School at the university for ten years. Previously, he had a successful twenty-five year career as an executive producer and distributor in Canada, the UK, and the US. He has produced nearly 2,000 hours of television programming, feature films and documentaries, and has been recognized with several Gemini Awards and an international Emmy Award nomination.

Falzon is credited as a producer on thirty titles, including Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000), Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs (2005), Ghost Trackers (2005-2006), Artzooka (2010), Extreme Babysitting (2013-2014), Foreign Affairs (1992) and The Naked Entrepreneur (2016). He has presided over or co-chaired several international entertainment companies.

Biography

Falzon studied television in what was then known as the Radio and Television Arts program at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (now known as the RTA School of Media). Following graduation, Falzon moved into the marketing department of CBC TV, which was "then a very small division in the corporation, selling about $500,000 a year of CBC programming." Falzon "travelled the world selling CBC programs to other broadcasters," and within five years annual sales topped $5 million. The series was pre-sold to Germany, Spain, Italy, Britain, South America and the United States Featuring Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda and Mara Wilson, the film was animated and produced by Catalyst Entertainment, which at the time also produced Shining Time Station, "the half-hour program that introduced Thomas to U.S. audiences." , and Guinness World Records for a reported $65 million.

Falzon became co-chairman of CCI Entertainment in 2002, which grew out of the merger in 2002 of Arnie Zipursky's Cambium Entertainment and Catalyst Entertainment, which was led by Falzon. A "Canadian cartoon producer", CCI was "best known for properties like Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs, Erky Perky, and Shining Time Station." Focusing on sports entertainment, business, marketing and media, the program was noted as the first of its kind in Canada.

In 2015, Falzon was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Design at Ryerson University for a five-year term effective July 1. In the appointment notice, Falzon was credited with renewing the reputation of the RTA School of Media, refreshing the curriculum across its three undergraduate programs, establishing the Transmedia Zone and RTA Productions, launching a collaborative summer program called "RTA in LA", and teaching for more than 20 years.

Falzon holds a master's in theology from the University of Toronto and a master's in spirituality from Regis College. He teaches at the undergraduate and graduate level at Ryerson in the area of media ethics and business.