The series that we have made is about a country whose strength and vitality is derived from its diversity. I do not believe there has ever been a major television series anywhere with a more diverse cast than this one. I hope that for Ins’s children, this is what television will look like for the rest of their lives.

Ivan Fecan
Executive Chair of Thunderbird Films

Executive Producer and Producer of Kim’s Convenience, the TV Series

The journey from stage to screen began in December 2011, when Albert Schultz invited me to a rehearsal of the play Kim’s Convenience. As usual, Albert had his reasons.

I first met Albert when he joined the cast of Street Legal. In addition to being mesmerizing in his role on screen, Albert also created the Matt Helm Boom Boom Room in his dressing room. Part speakeasy, part salon, complete with martinis, cigars, and God only knows what else, it flouted every CBC rule imaginable in the very sterile new CBC headquarters on Front Street in Toronto. Naturally, it became the destination of choice for every writer, director, actor, and musician there. Of course I have to say I didn’t go, because as Vice President of CBC Television, I was supposed to enforce the rules.

Albert went on to be the founding artistic director of Soulpepper Theatre, which is a company of artists known for championing up-and-coming Canadian stage talent. We reconnected when he was doing a capital campaign for Soulpepper’s gorgeous theatre complex in Toronto’s Distillery District. As my wife, Sandra, and I can attest, Albert is also one hell of a fundraiser. Thus, our eponymous atrium.

Albert knew that Kim’s Convenience had TV and film written all over it, but he wanted guidance. That’s where I came in. I had just sold CTVglobemedia and was on my way to Santa Barbara for the winter. The play was due to premiere in January, so Albert asked whether I could attend a rehearsal just before Christmas.

The play blew me away. I am a child of refugees and Kim’s is the universal Canadian immigrant story. It was so right for the times then and perhaps even more so today, with the influx of thousands of Syrian refugees.

After the rehearsal, Albert introduced me to Ins Choi, who, based on his experiences, created the play. The three of us went to lunch, where I gave them some advice. Ins was painfully shy and barely spoke a word. In honour of this being his inaugural showbiz lunch, he ordered his first ever Cobb salad, which of course was created at the Brown Derby in Hollywood. This was my first inkling that Ins was going to adapt very well to showbiz!

Cut to two years later. I had joined Thunderbird Film as Executive Chair. One of my first calls was to Albert to inquire what he had done with the rights to Kim’s. To my delight, they were still available.

Thunderbird and Soulpepper immediately signed a development deal and Kim’s Convenience became our first co-production. The next step was to recruit a showrunner to work with Ins, who very much wanted to stay with his creative baby. From my old CTV days, I immediately thought of Kevin White, the showrunner on the final two seasons of Corner Gas. It turns out that Kevin had seen the play and loved it. We organized a chemistry meeting and they both felt that they could work together. In fact, they have turned out to be a wonderful team. There was strong interest from every Canadian television network, but the CBC felt like the right home for this show, so we were delighted when they came on board.