Anthony Q. Farrell, Canada’s Showrunner Of The Year, On Paving The Way For BIPOC Writers And How A WGA Strike Could Play Out In Canada
Anthony Q. Farrell
Anthony Q. Farrell, a Canadian showrunner and former writer for "The Office," has become one of Canada's most prominent showrunners and an industry leader in telling authentic and diverse stories on screen. Farrell spends countless hours fostering BIPOC talent behind the scenes in writers rooms and through initiatives like the BIPOC TV & Film Showrunner Bootcamp, which he ran with Jinder Oujla-Chalmers in 2021.
The boot camp helped more than 100 writers learn the ins and outs of running a project. Farrell had other showrunners of color open up about their experiences with executives and decision-makers. He says he wanted to highlight how it's sometimes necessary to teach cultural heritage before even getting to the art.
“That’s very commonplace for a lot of showrunners of color,” he says. “The fact is, most of the time you’re dealing with white executives and a lot of the time they’re very open and love hearing about this stuff, but the real situation we’re in is sometimes they just need to be educated to understand why certain characters are doing certain things. That’s not something I think is common with white showrunners.”
Farrell's leadership is one of the reasons the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) named him its 2022 Showrunner of the Year. Although there was no boot camp last year, the creative hopes to bring it back for another session, as soon as he can find "five Saturdays in a row."
In the meantime, Farrell has been busy with several projects. His Bell Media series "Shelved," a comedy set in a library in Toronto's multicultural Parkdale neighborhood, wraps its inaugural, eight-episode season later this month on CTV. The series came about after Bell Media reached out to Farrell to see what he was working on, and he sent over a script and the show bible. "Shelved" went into development in 2020, was greenlit in January 2022, and filmed last summer. Currently, Farrell is awaiting word on a potential Season 2.
It's the second show under Farrell's leadership to debut this year. The creative also took over showrunning duties from Shebli Zarghami on "Run the Burbs" in its second season. The CBC comedy, which is loosely based on the life of Andrew Phung ("Kim's Convenience"), finished airing Season 2 at the end of March, on the same day CBC confirmed Season 3.
Farrell reveals he won't return to the series since he has three shows currently in development with broadcasters: an action drama, a live-action comedy, and an animated kids' series. However, he believes in "Burbs" and its potential, and did everything he could to make it work with his schedule and help the series survive TV's dreaded sophomore slump.
"There is a lot of potential and opportunity for the show to really grow and explore representation in a way you can't do on any other show," he explains. "I don't know of any show in the world with a Vietnamese dad and an Indian mom. So there's an opportunity and an obligation to explore those cultural stories on a show like that."
Farrell belongs to both the WGA and the Writers’ Guild of Canada, where he serves on the Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility subcommittee. The WGC has openly supported the WGA during negotiations and plans to advise members not to work on WGA-jurisdiction shows in the event of a strike.
"I do think if there is a strike, a few more shows will probably try and come to Canada to do stuff here instead of the States," he says. "The way this will work is if they are companies that already do business in Canada — that’s fine [But] if they’re coming to Canada for the first time now because of the strike, we’re not going to take that work. That’s how I understand it, but I can’t speak for the council.”
Despite the potential setbacks caused by the WGA strike, Farrell remains dedicated to his work as a showrunner and to supporting diverse and underrepresented voices in the industry. His efforts to mentor BIPOC writers and provide them with opportunities to learn and grow have not gone unnoticed, and his work has earned him recognition from industry organizations like the WGC.
As the television landscape continues to evolve and change, it is clear that leaders like Farrell will be crucial in shaping the future of the industry. By advocating for diversity and inclusivity, supporting emerging talent, and creating groundbreaking shows that reflect the world we live in, he is helping to pave the way for a new era of television that is both more authentic and more representative of the diverse audiences that watch it.
