TFS Staff and Faculty Marvel Over “Killer” New Location During Special Preview

Tremendous. Fabulous. Phenomenal. Killer.

Those were just a few of the first-glimpse reactions offered up by Toronto Film School faculty as they were treated to a sneak peek of the school’s new 17,387-square-foot showcase location at 460 Yonge St.

“I just had the opportunity to walk around the brand new Toronto Film School campus, and I’m blown away,” said Andrew Barnsley, TFS’s Executive Producer in Residence. “The studio space, the classroom space, the student lounge – I’ve never seen a place more conducive to connectivity and student learning, ever.”

“The studio space, the classroom space, the student lounge – I’ve never seen a place more conducive to connectivity and student learning, ever.”

Slated to officially open its doors to kick off the October term, all TFS students and alumni are invited to tour the brand new campus during a special preview event on Thursday, Sept. 19 from noon to 6 p.m.

The new space is located in the heart of downtown Toronto, and features five studios – including three dedicated Film Production studios, one dedicated Acting studio, and a motion-capture studio for Video Game students – as well as spacious student and faculty lounges, four classrooms, a sound room and vocal booth, and a fully stocked equipment room.

During the Sept. 11 staff open house, Yale Massey was just one of many faculty members who lauded the new location’s design as a space where students from across TFS’s multi-disciplined programs will be able to intermingle, share ideas, collaborate on projects, and unlock the door to unlimited creativity.

“It’s a phenomenal space. What I’m most excited about…is that there are a lot of areas where students can congregate, they can meet, they can discuss their programs, and they can create and think up their best films while they’re here at the film school – because that’s what this place is all about,” said Massey, Director of the Film Production program.

“The energy in here is a very collaborate feeling – and that’s what filmmaking is all about, really.”

For Massey’s brother, Hart Massey ­– Director of TFS’s Acting for Film, TV & the Theatre program – the 460 Dundas Campus’ open house marked the summit of a very long journey that, for him and other long-time staff members, began nearly a decade ago.

“Oh my gosh, I can’t tell you how long we’ve been waiting for this building,” he said, recalling the opening of TFS’s Yonge-Dundas Campus back in 2010.

“Now, here we are nine years later, and we’ve just seen the institution grow and grow and grow, and we’ve walked into this building…and it’s killer. The vibe is artistic, it’s creative, it’s imaginative – and that fosters people’s minds and spirits and ideas and imagination, which is what this industry is all about.”

The opening of the 460 Yonge Campus likewise sparked decade-old memories for Dr. Rick Davey, TFS’s longtime President.

“Ten years ago, I had just been appointed the president of Yorkville Education Company and one of the first decisions I made was to try to sell Toronto Film School – that was smart, wasn’t it?” he laughed, marvelling at the “tremendous” success story that’s since unfolded for TFS. “From that day until this opening, what did we do? We got more programs, we developed the brand more effectively, we started Toronto Film School Online, we hired fabulous instructors, and we recruited great students to make the Toronto Film School the number eight film school in the world and number one in Canada.”

That success, noted Dr. Michael Markovitz, is a feat that can be attributed to “many fingerprints.”

“All of you that are here today should be proud that your fingerprints are part of the overall success…of making Toronto Film School what it is today,” Markovitz, chairman of the TFS Board of Governors, said in his address to staff and faculty. “I’ve been in the higher education world for more than 40 years, and this is the single most spectacular facility I have ever seen for an urban campus…Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for participating in the great success that we have had up till now and I know that we will continue to have in this wonderful facility.”

All Toronto Film School students and alumni are invited to tour the new 460 Yonge St. Campus during an open house preview event on Thursday, Sept. 19 from noon to 6 p.m.