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William Marshall Bio
Born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1939, William Marshall emigrated to Canada in 1954 and has been leaving his unique mark on myriad extraordinary projects ever since. One of the entertainment industry's most respected and accomplished producers, Marshall has played a major role in the development of film culture and the film industry in Canada. In 1976 he founded and was the first director of the Toronto International Film Festival. Since 1980 he has been active on the Festival's board as Chairman Emeritus. The Festival has achieved worldwide success and is ranked as one of the top three film festivals in the world. Attracting about 250,000 admissions per year, it is one of Canada's major cultural tourist events, pumping about $50 million in revenues annually into Toronto's economy. Shortly thereafter in 1977, he developed the City of Toronto's Film and Television Office, which works with Canadian and international producers to generate approximately $1 billion per annum. From 1976 to 1978, he was the President of the Canadian Association of Motion Picture Producers. In 1979, Marshall was instrumental in forming the Academy of Canadian Film and Television, the industry's association, which among other things, presents the annual Genie Awards. Wearing the hat of producer, Marshall has produced 12 feature films in Canada, the US and Europe, a three-hour television special in 1995 destined to be seen around the world and more than 200 documentaries and public service films. Marshall's talents go beyond the frame of the film industry. He co-authored a best-selling novel, "Dreadlock," with Robert L. Miller under the pseudonym Lew Anthony and "The Art of Ecstasy," a non-fiction best seller, with Gil Taylor. He also wrote the successful autobiographical book “Film Festival Confidential”. In urban politics, Marshall acted as campaign organizer and Chief of Staff for Toronto mayors David Crombie, John Sewell and Art Eggleton in the early 70s and 80s. In addition, Marshall has been election campaign organizer for other successful Mayoral candidates between 1972 and 1990. He has been policy advisor to the Ontario government and the Government of Canada on a regular basis. Internationally, Marshall acted as intergovernmental liaison on Royal Tours and Papal visits to Toronto and was one of the planners of the 1988 Economic Summit of the G7 nations. In the private sector, Marshall has wide experience as a consultant to many of the world's largest corporations in the fields of communication and marketing strategy.
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