Canadian native Jon Mann grew up with a love of movies and writing. Now Mann is living the best of both worlds as a screenwriter and director, working on projects like his latest television series Pub Crawl, released this November on Bell TV in Canada.
“I love movies. I read a lot as a kid, and for a while wanted to be a novelist,” shares Mann, “but even at that time, my goal was always to have one of my books be turned into a movie, so one day I figured I should cut out the middle man and become a screenwriter.”
Mann, who graduated from NYFA’S 1-Year Screenwriting program in 2013, shares that being involved closely in the Canadian film industry has been a very positive experience, having worked on projects in his home country and in 2018 winning the National Screen Insitute’s Totally Television program with production partner, Rob Ramsay, for their pilot Wolfville.
“It’s been interesting to also see the way my home province has handled COVID (the Atlantic Bubble, as it’s known). Our industry has boomed because it is so safe here right now compared to, literally, anywhere’s else,” says Mann. “Even last summer, it really picked up. The Lighthouse was filmed here a couple of summer’s ago, Adrien Brody is currently filming a miniseries here, and obviously, Schitt’s Creek has been incredible for the Canadian film industry. We’re kind of killin’ it.”
With the Canadian film industry receiving more attention these days, Mann is excited to continue to work on projects in the Great White North, including his latest project Pub Crawl, a television series that explores the historically significant bars in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
“I have lived in Halifax for 10 years now and the culture here is so embedded in alcohol – for better or for worse. I think it is a healthy mix of cold winters and our location on the trade routes during the 1700s and the 1800s that created an environment where our social lives have practically depended on drinking for over 200 years.” shares Mann about the subject matter. “I could be wrong, but I have never seen a show like this. Telling the history of cities through the lens of the local drinking establishments makes a lot of sense. Halifax, and I’m sure cities of the same age, were literally built by people meeting in these bars and pubs.”
With Halifax’s rich history, Mann hopes that viewers can appreciate not only the region’s pub culture but the stories behind buildings near their homes. “Whether they are pubs, schools, homes, whatever, there is history hidden in plain sight if you are willing to sit down and have a beer with the right person and ask the right questions.”
The show itself, Man explains, could work in any location around the world covering any point in time in history. “Atlantic Canada has a ton of great locations. St. John’s, Newfoundland would be perfect. The dream would be to take it to Paris, London, New York, Chicago, Boston. Whether it’s the prohibition era in the Americas or going to places like Café de Flore in Paris, there is a lot of history to go around.”
As a writer, Mann encourages others with an original idea to work on projects they can be excited about. “You have to enjoy it, or, I don’t really know what to say. Maybe being a writer isn’t for you. Why would you want to do it if it feels like a chore? I’m a firm believer that if you aren’t enjoying the story you are trying to tell, it will show in the end result.”
New York Film Academy would like to thank NYFA alum, Jon Mann, for sharing more about his latest project and looks forward to what’s next from the writer/director. Pub Crawl premiers November 24, 2020, on Bell TV in Canada.
