Jay Firestone

Producer Jay Firestone has always presented himself as a loose cannon bringing some fun to the often-staid Canadian film and television scene. He began life as an accountant, but soon founded Alliance Communications with four other Canadian producers. Firestone was largely responsible for the acclaimed animated series "ReBoot," but he left Alliance after a falling-out with one of his associates, and started a company of his own, Fireworks Entertainment. Firestone notoriously went around pitching shows with a squirt gun in his hand, always placing the emphasis of his work on "having fun." He produced the erotic sequel "Another Nine & a Half Weeks" with Mickey Rourke, but had more success on television with the hit series "La Femme Nikita," based on the 1990 Luc Besson movie of the same name. The show ran from 1997 to 2001, and Firestone has continued to produce for television while also venturing into feature films with the dark comedy "I Love Your Work" and the thriller "Stuck" with Mena Suvari and Stephen Rea. After Fireworks Entertainment was sold to CanWest Entertainment, Firestone founded Prodigy Pictures, which produced the mystery miniseries "XIII: The Conspiracy" in 2008 and the sci-fi miniseries remake "The Day of the Triffids" in 2009.