Chat with Deborah Gillam-Harry nee Deborah Harry

Deborah Gillam-Harry is a warm, down to earth, friendly lady. She has a sweetness not often found in day to day interactions.  Deborah has been involved in the industry for many years, primarily as an agent.  She moved from Toronto to Vancouver and has been an active participant in the Vancouver Film Industry, lending her talent to a host of ventures, including a period as the Chairman of the Vancouver chapter of Women in Film and Video.

Deborah recently closed her agency allowing her to move into new and exciting areas of the business.  One of her new adventures is called Fast Forward Coaching.  She offers one to two hour sessions with an emphasis on spearheading parents who are trying to get their kids into the business.  Deborah provides them with the “real deal” meaning she tells them what is expected, the amount of time required and the level of dedication necessary.  For example, audition happen Monday to Friday, nine am to five pm only.  Deborah dispels the myth surrounding cost by pointing out it does not cost a lot to have a child get into the business.  Children need a head shot, resume and a few acting lessons, but that’s it.  Then the parent takes over with searching for places to submit their child’s promotional materials.  Deborah helps parents find these places.  These are the straight goods every parent needs.

Deborah also provides a two hour session for those more experienced actors who have moved into the Vancouver area market, who already have the knowledge and understanding of the business but need to become adapted to the local market.  She teaches them how to network and build relationships.  For brand new actors, she helps them in general with things like how to put together their promotional materials and to focus on their branding in order to successfully submit to agents.  Deborah stated it is essential to have your branding homework done first.  She can also assist them in writing strong cover letters that will be read and are interesting.

Deborah is also very involved in producing projects.  Approximately five years ago, she had a feature film script which they tried to market.  When this didn’t work, they put on their thinking caps and decided to change the script into a ten part fifteen minute webepisode.  The project Kingdom of Grace was available on-line.  However, it ended up being ahead of its time, so they took the project and turned it into a mixture of live action and animation.  Kingdom of Grace is now done filming and is “in the can” as they say.  Deborah and her team are presently seeking a distribution deal.  Additional details are available at http://www.kingdomofgrace.com

Deborah is attending the upcoming Women in Film and Video Festival, April 17^th and 18^th, 2010.  She has a table at the event which will be held at the Vancity Theatre ,

Contact Information for Deborah:   604-562-9312