Tooton's Photography: In The Business Of Making Memories

Producing, Tooton's Photography: In The Business Of Making Memories has been a labor of love possessing a unique ebb and flow.

I first had the incline of creating a documentary about my Great-Grandfather, Anthony Maurice Tooton, my Family and the family business - Tooton's Photography - while cutting my media teeth at the fledgling Sieved.com. Always having an interest in cameras and having formerly worked for my Father and Grandfather in the Tooton's stores, I was intrigued most of all by my Great-Grandfather's story.

Born a Maronite in Damascus, Syria, Anthony Maurice Tooton, had come to St. John's, Newfoundland, via Liverpool, England, after having studied photography in Paris. He met my Great-Grandmother (Minnie Roberts) and was encouraged by her to approach Kodak Founder, Mr. George Eastman, in Rochester, New York. Not only did my Great-Grandfather retain the rights for all Kodak product (a monopoly which would last until Confederation in 1949), but also the sole privilege of using the branded Kodak name on all his storefront and printed materials, thus to be known as "Tooton's: The Kodak Store."

Intrigued, I eventually began researching, shooting interviews, going through the private family archive, and digitizing the original 16mm film footage my Great-Grandfather had either shot himself and/or commissioned to have shot. All the while working on other media projects.

While at film school in Toronto, I created a couple of demos for the project - 'The Tooton Project.' This allowed for me to gain some ground and I eventually went back to Newfoundland where I continued to produce my film, as the opportunity arose.

Over a period of time, some major health issues interjected and stalled my progress with the project. On a positive note, however, during said 'hiatus' legendary songwriter, Mr. Ron Hynes, wrote a captivating tune specifically for the project called: Take A Picture Of This. Like the story I inherited for my film, Ron's song was also a gift I would soon come to cherish and would prove to fit nicely with the other original musical works of Duane Andrews, Chris Picco, and Mick Davis within the tapestry of my film.

After finally stabilizing, I had the opportunity to present a preview of my film, and speech, at The Rooms in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. To my surprise, the show was sold out. I set out to inject fresh energy and create a cut that I feel did justice to the work I compiled and, moreover, to the vast archive which exists. I then presented that cut to the Niagara Artist's Centre in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. From, there, I applied to the Filmmaker's Assistance Program at the National Film Board of Canada and received a grant to finally complete the project. Top-rate editor, Christopher Darlington came on board and breathed new life into the project, and here we are!

Prominently featured in my film are my Father and Tooton's Past President, Anthony Geoffrey (Geoff) Tooton; Grandfather and former Tooton's Chairman, Anthony Raymond Tooton; WWII Veteran, businessman, and Tooton Family friend, Mr. Bob Innes; Television (CJON/NTV), Radio (innumerable stations) and Film (Waiting For Fidel) pioneer and Canadian Broadcast Hall Of Famer, Mr. Geoffrey W. Stirling; Broadcasting Pioneer (CJON), Trudeau Cabinet Member, and Stirling business partner, Mr. Don Jamieson; and my Aunts, Judith Louise (Tooton) Pratt and Margot (Tooton) Bourne.

It should be noted, with the advent of Television in the early 1950s Mr. Stirling with CJON guaranteed to double the sales of Tooton's, if my Great-Grandfather would sign on as a client and go on the air every night at the 6 o'clock Evening News! This required more than doubling his advertising budget, something unheard of in those days. It was an unheralded deal, Stirling was right, and as he says to me in the documentary: "Tony, we didn't have a 50-year contract, we had nothing but a word of mouth!"

My family processed and printed millions upon millions of rolls of film, had as many as 600 'dealers' or drop-off points, and numerous retail locations in both Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia. My Great-Grandfather came to Newfoundland not knowing a word of English and within months, really, fell in love, befriended Mr. George Eastman, and set up the basis for what would become an institution. Whether beginning with glass plate portraits, developing the first roll of film, documenting our times, or creating the basis for which Newfoundlanders could capture and behold their countless memories, it is a unique story of success. Weaving the many strands and elements of the family business story together, I now share with you the best I presently can!

It has been one heck of a journey in making Tooton's Photography: In The Business Of Making Memories, and I hope you will join me on this next leg of the trek!

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Very sincerely,

Anthony M. Tooton (IV)