Most of y’all probably know me as the freckled Canadian guy yapping about clothing, or watches, or interior design on Instagram and TikTok. Since 2021, I’ve been making short form videos on my interests, and I’ve been doing it as a full time “job” since 2022 (alongside other gig work). In 5 years of posting a lot has changed, both in the online space, and in my personal life. I began posting at 19 and am now 24; I’ve gone through the chaos of my early 20s, and the hardening of my frontal lobe with this online platform at my disposal. I spent years working with Aaron Levine on everything from consulting projects, to collaborations, to his namesake label. For a time I thought that I’d ween off of content creation and pursue a “real” job in the fashion world via that avenue.
Ever since beginning to make videos, and especially since going full time, I’ve been quite coy about my profession. I think everyone understandably rolls their eyes and scoffs when they hear the words “content creator” or “influencer”. I’ve struggled to consider what I do legitimate. I tell my parents friends or my friends parents I “work in online marketing” or that I’m “a consultant”. Starting this Substack was a big push in trying to legitimize what I do. I wanted to build a platform that people could reference, find helpful. My Substack began with the core idea that anyone who subscribes will buy better things and save far more money than their subscription costs - not to be too cocky but I think I’ve achieved that goal (and I will continue to, don’t worry the articles aren’t stopping).
But in spite of my bashful disposition regarding my job, I’ve come to the conclusion that I love what I do, and I don’t want to stop doing it. Say what you will about the world of new media, but online video content isn’t going anywhere, and I want to take my platform to bigger and better places. Most people have followed me because I give good consumer advice, I point them to good brands, I teach them about shopping second hand, and generally how to buy better lasting, better looking items. Lately I’ve wanted to cast a wider net. I think it’s important to have simple, accessible, actionable videos and articles, but along with those, I want to go deeper.
Since moving to Montréal 4 years ago, I’ve met an incredible amount of talented creatives of all different disciplines. Metalwork, jewelry making, glass blowing, ceramics, furniture making, lighting, stained glass, and more. You’ll find a lot of them mentioned in this article, but suffice to say this city is so packed with talent, and almost nobody is showing it off. In the global conversations of design you always hear about London, Paris, Milan, New York, but Montréal is seldom recognized for the immense amount of diverse craft it harbours. In a broader sense, Canada is seldom thought of in any regard for its creative output. Many Canadians aren’t aware of the amount of great designers, artisans, artists, and craftspeople operating in their own country.
Along with my desire to share the talent of my countryfolk, I’ve talked at length in the past few months about enshittification within fashion/design, and how luxury doesn’t mean much anymore. Not everyone has the disposable income to buy domestic handmade items, but many of those who do have the money are opting to spend it on brand-dependent luxury goods made by one of the world’s largest conglomerates. We’ve become so alienated from the production of items in our every day life, and that’s led us to forget that our purchases can directly impact the people in our community if we so choose. Every $2,500 spent on a Restoration Hardware veneer night table is $2,500 not spent with a local woodworker who’ll a) make a better product and b) spend that money locally rather than pay it out to shareholders.
And this brings me to my show, In House. I wanted to make a series looking at this class of creatives making things for a living. Not only learning about the nature of their craft but also about who they are as a person, the philosophies they design and make with, and what it’s like to do this for a living. The idea is to both re-kindle our understanding and connection with craft, and introduce you folks to some really cool people that you can support if you so choose.
Season 1 focuses on Montréal: not only did it make sense to start in one of the most densely-creative cities in the country, but I also couldn’t afford to do it anywhere but where I live. Over 7 episodes we get to spend time with 7 different individuals:
La Maison Vitrailliste - Léa Grantham is a stained glass artist known for her custom window pieces that can be found in some of the city’s best restaurants, and her collection of stained glass lighting.
Le Cacti - Jacob Boyer-Pomerance is a multi-faceted, “generalist” maker dipping into a variety of disciplines from bespoke eyewear to vegetable-tanned footwear, custom bike frames, clothing, home objects, and more.
Stamátios - One of the most recognizable talents in the local design scene, Stam designs and hand-crafts stunning contemporary lighting out of his Mile-Ex studio.
Gideons Jeans - A rare breed, Gideon makes every garment he sells from start to finish, pulling from a small archive of deadstock fabrics and using many of his dozen-plus vintage sewing machines to bring the item together.
David Raymond - Between his co-founded agency Procedures and his solo work, David has built a reputation off of his sleek and functional style, often leveraging local aluminum machining to execute his designs.
Igor Zigor - With one of the most distinct work styles I’ve seen, Igor Zigor’s organic-gothic design language is brought about with some truly Quebecois materials and methods.
Milo & Dexter - The only multi-person company in Season 1, Jobair Jaber’s label has set its sights on reviving the currently broken supply chain of wool and wool garments in Canada.
As you can see Episode 1 is out now, and we’ll be rolling out a new episode every 2ish weeks until the season concludes. We’re already starting the planning for Season 2 which should take us on the road provided we win the grant we’re applying for and/or can scrape together some sponsorship funds.
I decided to self-fund this project because I wanted to take a shot at this idea, and wanted to make sure it was done right. Is it gauche to use my season budget as a clickbait title? Sure. But if it gets some of y’all to watch the show, then so be it. In all seriousness I wanted to be transparent about the budget behind this series to give y’all an idea of what went into it and the amount of people that dedicated time. While $25k is a lot of money in personal terms, it’s not a huge budget in TV production terms. While it’s living on YouTube, I wanted it to feel like a proper TV show. On each shoot we had a team of 2 camera people, 1 sound person, 1 production assistant, and a producer. Of course all of this had to get edited as well. Not to mention my lovely partner Bex who did illustrations, and my best friend Lew who wrote the theme song and proved to be a great sounding board. Huge thanks to everyone who worked on the show and was willing to work with my somewhat limited budget to bring it to life.
Directed By: Nolan Daniel White, Ellie Charette
Produced By: Nolan Daniel White, Abby White, Desolé Collective
Line Producer: Isabella Maldonado
Associate Producer: Thomas Lewis
Director of Photography: Camillo Lunas
Sound: Ellie Charette
Camera Operators: Camilo Luna, Fedya Vinkovetsky
Production Assistant: Martina Velez Perez
Editing & Colourgrading: Isabella Maldonado
Theme Song: Thomas Lewis
Illustrations: Bex Levesque, Isabella Maldonado
Logo & Branding: Connor David Fitzgerald
I have no idea whether people are going to watch this, whether it’ll be a complete flop or not, if we’ll be able to get enough money for a second season, or what. What I do know is no matter what, I don’t regret it. Looking forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts, please leave any comments/suggestions below.
Oh and LIKE, COMMENT, SUBSCRIBE, AND HIT THAT BELL.
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