Paul Spike Lees

Paul Spike Lees began his career in Manchester, England, documenting the rise of the music scene there. In 1989 he moved to London and worked as a freelance photographer. From 1990 to 1993 he worked extensively throughout Europe as a photojournalist for such publications as Time Out Magazine, Evening Standard, The Observer, and the Guardian. Arriving in Canada in 1994, he began his career in film production, rising quickly through the ranks, becoming a 1st Assistant Director and Production Manager within two years. In 1996 Lees won a scholarship from the Canadian Film & Television Producer's Association, training as an assistant production manager on the feature film "Boy Meets Girl." In 1999 Lees was the Production Manager on the award winning feature film, "The Five Senses." In 2000 Lees line-produced all four episodes - eight hours of the mini-series, "Robocop Prime Directives" -- and over 25 additional television episodes for Canadian Television. Lees produced and directed two short films and was the consulting story editor on the feature documentary "Looking for Roger Taylor" which was a Slam Dance Selection in 1999. Lees has produced short-film projects for independent companies and over 100 high-end commercials for such companies as Nike, Ford, Molson's Brewery, Labatt's Brewery, McDonald's, Sony, and Astra-Zeneca. In 2002 Lees conceptualized, produced and co-directed a national TV commercial for Sony PlayStation 2 and Wal-Mart. These multi-faceted experiences have given Lees a solid understanding in the production and delivery of motion pictures including financing, story department, contract administration, rights & acquisitions, post-production, scheduling as well as creating and leading a team. In 2000 Lees was the Supervising Producer (representing the Guarantor) for the TV series "Star Hunter," a 3-way co-production between Canada, Germany, and England. In 2004 Lees was the Line Producer on the feature film "American Soldiers, and the Production Manager of "Direct Action" and "The Good Shepard" a film starring Christian Slater and Molly Parker. In 2006, Lees formed "The Fission Picture Company" to service film, television, and documentary productions entering Canada from the United States and Europe. Lees coordinates and produces all facets of these productions, including script development, casting, financing, rebate administration, production, and post-production. He has produced over twelve hours of content for the European and American clients of the Discovery Channel. He has a proven track record and works extensively with Lloyds of London, The Royal Bank of Canada, TD Bank Of Canada, National Bank of Canada, The Completion Guarantor Company, and Entertainment Partners for production loans, lines of credit, tax rebates, and interfaces with the Government Rebate administration of Canada to secure cash rebates for the productions. From 2005 to the present Lees has developed with Writer-Director 'Albert Magnoli' a slate of genre-driven pictures for the worldwide marketplace. Lees resides in Toronto, Canada and Galway, Ireland.