My Screen Life: TIFF exec Geoff Macnaughton talks sneaking Tom Hooper into a screening and being a “comedy nerd”

Toronto-based Geoff Macnaughton is TIFF’s vice president, market programming and theatrical, and programmer of the Primetime section.

His further remit includes creator development, and B2B opportunities for professionals across film, series and innovation.

Macnaughton also leads TIFF Lightbox’s theatrical exhibition business, as well as the Film Circuit programme that brings movies to 150 communities across Canada. He has an MA in cinema studies from York University and swerved away from academia to join TIFF in the late 2000s.

What is your office like?

Lots of classic movie posters, pictures of my two kiddos, and this giant whiteboard on my wall. We are inside TIFF Lightbox in the core of Toronto’s entertainment district. Our staff are across the fourth and fifth floors, and below are our five cinemas and all the exciting stuff that happens year-round. I’m never far away from the reason I do the job.

What is the first thing you do when you arrive?

I turn off the podcast that got me through the commute. I get caffeinated as quickly as possible and take a deep breath before tackling the old inbox or jumping into my first meeting.

What was your first job in the film industry?

I was planning to do a PhD in cinema studies but instead got a job at TIFF one summer as a front-of-house rep at the old Varsity cinema uptown. The rest is history and I’ve been there for going on 19 years. I snuck director Tom Hooper into a Varsity screening of A Single Man [TIFF 2009]; I thought I was going to get fired but it gave Hooper an opportunity to see his future leading man in The King’s Speech [Colin Firth].

Who helped you most when you were first starting out?

Justin Cutler, TIFF’s former director of industry and now Ontario film commissioner, was a huge mentor. And Laura Ryan, the former COO at Sundance Institute, as well as obviously Cameron Bailey [TIFF CEO]. And people I’ve been in the trenches with like Alyssa Kornet [VP of operations and production] and Keith Bennie [VP public programming and audience engagement].

What do you like best about your job?

Seeing the impact, whether it’s a crowded cinema at a premiere, an audience responding to a big series I’ve premiered at the festival, or hearing about a development participant who went through our labs and got the greenlight for their first feature.

What are you most proud of professionally?

It’s hearing about something I either pushed over the line or was very involved in that led to an impact. I interviewed Jim Carrey the year the Andy Kaufman documentary played [Chris Smith’s Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond, TIFF 2017] and it was the first time he spoke publicly about dealing with depression. The interview went viral and over the years people have told me it helped them understand they were also dealing with depression.

What is your favourite festival or event besides TIFF, and why?

The first festival I attended for work purposes was the Berlinale and European Film Market. I’ve had a soft spot for that festival and market ever since.

With whom would you most like to take a meeting?

Seth Rogen. He’s taking part in TIFF: The Market’s Summit. I’d love to sit down with a fellow Canadian and learn how he has navigated the industry and hear about the stuff that didn’t make it into The Studio.

What is the biggest challenge facing the business?

The ability to be nimble and adjust quickly, whether it’s changes in audience behaviour or new technologies.

What was your favourite film growing up?

Abbott And Costello Meet Franken­stein. I was obsessed with silent comedies and early talkies.

What book are you reading?

Judd Apatow’s Comedy Nerd: A Lifelong Obsession In Stories And Pictures. I’m a bit of a comedy nerd.

What job would you do if you didn’t work in film?

I’d be a chef. I love getting home and doing something very regimented and getting my hands dirty.

What do you do to unwind?

The movie theatre is my escape. I’m always looking for an excuse to go, with my kids, my wife or alone.

Who would play you in the biopic of your life and who would direct?

People have said I sometimes give off Jack Black vibes. I’d give the shot to an unknown Canadian director making their first feature.

Interview by Jeremy Kay

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