Dennis Nicholson - Alumni Spotlight

Dennis Nicholson (’11) is a freelance boom operator and filmmaker based in Toronto. Born and raised in Sydney NS, Dennis attended OIART’s audio and music production program in 2011 right out of high school. After graduating the program he choose to pursue location sound and went all in, spending his savings on a small location sound kit and moving to Toronto. Dennis started out working pro-bono on short films, web series, and anything else he could find. Working his way up, he quickly found himself union work as a sound assistant. In 2012 he joined the Blue Flame Collective, a Toronto-based filmmakers group committed to producing narrative short films. After sound mixing and editing 13 films for the group’s inaugural production, Dennis was inspired and took the director’s chair to make one more, completing The Critic and showing it at the group’s summer event. The experience ignited Dennis’ passion for filmmaking. While staying busy with union work he continued to produce and direct his own films, completing iBrain in 2013 as part of BFC’s second year. In 2014, Dennis earned his keep with the union and joined NABET 700 UNIFOR as a boom operator with full membership.



Dennis’ recent sound works includes the feature film “Born To Be Blue,” starring Ethan Hawke, TV Movie series “Flowershop Mysteries,” starring Brooke Shields and 2016 Canadian Screen Award nominee, YTV’s “Max and Shred.” His recent films include Double Crossed, a Cold War comedy about a Canadian scientist hell-bent on building a flying motorcycle, and Canadian Sniper, a kids comedy that follows a lonely young girl and her dreams of becoming a war hero. Canadian Sniper was recently chosen to premiere at Festival De Cannes Short Film Corner in France. For both films Dennis partnered up with best friend and fellow OIART grad Jeffrey Murias (’11) to handle sound mixing and editing. Dennis said, “OIART prepares you for the real world. Some of the greatest people I’ve met and worked with have been my fellow OIART grads. There is a focus on the development of creative and technical skills, but more importantly you learn how to collaborate and how to take the lead. It’s important to think big, but you always have to approach things with a sense of practicality. My education at OIART was essential to both my success in sound work and the production of my own films.” Congratulations Dennis!