Stratford’s Ballinran Entertainment to produce documentary on Paul Shaffer

Stratford’s Ballinran Entertainment has partnered with White Pine Pictures and Grace Street Media to produce a new documentary on Paul Shaffer, Say Hello to Our Good Friend Paul Shaffer.

A Stratford production company is playing a big role in bringing the story of Paul Shaffer, the legendary bandleader for David Letterman, to screens big and small around the globe.

Stratford’s Ballinran Entertainment, in partnership with Grace Street Media and White Pine Pictures, announced its next big film, Say Hello to Our Good Friend Paul Shaffer, after signing a deal with Shaffer at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) earlier this month.

“We’ve made a practice over the last 30 years as a company of doing a lot of stories about well-known Canadians who have achieved something of international success, whether it’s William Shatner or Alex Trebek or others,” said Ballinran executive producer Craig Thompson. “We’ve recently been approved by the CRTC to launch a new channel called Stageview and we’re looking for high-profile projects. Because of our track record, we’re able to reach out to well-known people like Paul Shaffer, and there’s a real interest right now in biopics or documentaries about people who have made a difference in society.

“ … What we’re seeing now is a lot of high-profile Hollywood producers and directors getting behind stories because there’s a real interest in nostalgia and untold stories. Paul’s is really unique because he’s always been a sidekick – the guy who makes everyone look better – and nobody really knows his story, yet he’s been so influential not only in late-night television but in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in helping musicians find their audience by bringing them onto the Late Show with David Letterman because he was the musical director. So, he booked the bands, he organized the bands, he rehearsed them, giving people a chance to shine in the national spotlight. He’s very humble about it … but he really has an amazing story.”

The film will chronicle Shaffer’s rise from Thunder Bay, Ont., to the world stage; his start in Godspell, his years with the original Saturday Night Live Band, three decades as David Letterman’s bandleader and comic foil, and collaborations with icons including James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Sly Stone and Ray Charles.

While the film will be told through the lens of Shaffer’s life and rise to fame, Thompson said Shaffer will also serve as a guide through the eras of pop music, from the ‘60s to modern day – a concept that, along with the notion of working with an all-Canadian production team, helped convince Shaffer to do this film.

“It’s not a documentary about Paul’s life, but Paul is a guide through musical history,” Thompson said. “He’s going to talk about his life and his journey, but it’s going to be at the intersection of different eras of pop music … and looking at how music influences society and vice versa because we all think of eras in terms of songs. When you hear a song, it takes you back – ‘Oh, I remember hearing that in 1974 or ‘88 or whatever. So, he’s looking at music as a bond that unites us all. In this era of divisiveness, there’s a couple things that unite us – one is sports and the other is music.”

“I’ve been the luckiest guy in showbiz,” Shaffer said in a press release. “I’ve had a front-row seat to music history. This film isn’t just about me. It’s about the soundtrack of our lives and how music connects, inspires and remembers us.”

The deal signed between Shaffer and the three production companies also included a signatory from one of Hollywood’s biggest talent agencies, United Talent Agency (UTA). Before production can begin, UTA will package the film and pitch it to all the major streaming platforms to find a home for the project once it’s done.

This film also marks the first big, marquee project produced out of Stratford’s new Stageview Studios – the first in a series of soon-to-be-announced films for the studio that will not only bolster the local film and television industry, creating local jobs, but also boost Stratford’s reputation as a Canadian hub for content production.

“Although it’s a documentary that will involve a lot of travelling, a lot of the post-production and creative work will be happening in Stratford,” Thompson said. “It’s the kind of thing we’re trying to do to put Stratford on the film-and-television-production map. … Because we have our own channel now, we can commission content and get stuff off the ground.”