Osoyoos’ Kenton Gilchrist (right), shown here with good friend and business partner Jon Hunwick, shows off the recent Leo Award he captured in Vancouver. (Photo supplied)
An Osoyoos musician and multimedia producer is continuing to make a big name for himself in the B.C film, television and music industry.
Kenton Gilchrist, 34, who moved to Osoyoos two years ago after his wife Sarah landed a teaching job at Osoyoos Secondary School, has proven himself to be an exceptionally gifted artistic talent over the past several months, which has landed him work on several major projects.
Several weeks ago, Gilchrist, who is originally from Edmonton, won a Leo Award for Best Original Score for one of the most acclaimed short films this province has ever produced. His film score was featured in the short film called Anxious Oswald Greene, which received 11 nominations and won 10 awards.
The film was showcased at last year’s Vancouver International Film Festival and captured the best short film at the Whistler Film Festival.
The film has also captured awards at festivals in Liverpool and Leeds in England and the renowned Cannes Film Festival in France.
“This is one of the most decorated short films in this province’s history,” said Gilchrist. “Being able compose the music for a film that has garnered so much attention was very exciting and I hope it leads to much more film work.”
As a former leader of a hard rock band in Alberta, Gilchrist knew he wanted to compose music for a living, but turned his attention to movies, film and multimedia several years ago.
Over the past several months, Gilchrist has been working as a writer, director and producer of a new reality television series being filmed across the South Okanagan called Ventures in Wine Country.
After receiving approval and initial funding to shoot the series pilot episode, Gilchrist and the production company he co-owns with his business partner Jon Hunwick called Asymetriq are in the final production stage and getting ready to broadcast a series that will look at the people inside this region’s burgeoning wine industry.
Gilchrist met Hunwick in Vancouver, where Hunwick was video editor for a production company called Brudder. That company landed a big contract to produce several multimedia projects for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
He and Hunwick became good friends and helped form Asymetriq a couple of years ago.
Asymetriq is a full-service post-production firm that caters to film, television, games, interactive and web media.
After gaining a solid reputation in the industry, Asymetriq landed the contract to produce a pilot for Ventures in Wine Country. Gilchrist has been focusing on this project since the spring.
“Ventures in Wine Country is basically a look at the industry from vine to glass form the perspective of three different wine producers here in the South Okanagan,” he said.
The wineries who have signed on to get involved in the new reality television show include Covert Farms near Oliver, Painted Rock near Okanagan Falls and a new winery new West Kelowna that hasn’t officially opened yet, but is owned by the same people who operate Perseus Winery in Penticton.
“The intention is to tell stories and make this more of a lifestyle reality series … but one that can’t help but promote the wine industry in this region,” he said. “The idea was to focus on the people involved in the industry and tell their stories about how and why owning and operating a winery is so challenging and interesting.”
TELUS Optik has provided funding to shoot the pilot and he hopes to have that 42-minute episode ready for broadcast soon, said Gilchrist.
Asymetriq has launched a Kickstarter online campaign to try and generate addition funds to allow him to shoot the second and third episodes of Ventures in Wine Country, he said.
If TELUS likes the pilot, there’s a very good possibility for additional funding that would allow him and Asymetriq to produce between six and eight episodes of Ventures in Wine Country over the next several months, said Gilchrist.
The “nice part” of this deal is TELUS has the option to broadcast the episodes initially, but Asymetriq retains the ownership rights and can approach other television networks such as Outdoor Life Network, Netflix and maybe even The Food Network to see if they’re interested in broadcasting the show and perhaps providing funding to make future episodes, he said.
Being able to use his artistic talents on so many different projects is very rewarding, said Gilchrist.
“I get to do what I love to do every day, so I’m a very lucky guy,” he said. “I have always loved music and fully intend on staying involved in composing music, whether it be in the movies or television … and then being able to be a writer and director for television is a big challenge, but very rewarding.”
Because of technology, he’s able to work and live in Osoyoos away from the hustle and bustle of the big city in Vancouver, which is an added bonus, he said.
“I’m a father with young kids and me and my wife love it here and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now.”
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
