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Paul
de Silva’s career has spanned television broadcasting,
independent film and television production, journalism,
public education, and cross- cultural communications.
He
is presently Project Director for Canada One TV, a
drama focused Diversity specialty channel, and Co-chair
of the Canadian Diversity Producers Association. He
conceived and Executive Produced for VisionTV, the
Gemini nominated “Lord have Mercy” a comedy
series set in a storefront Evangelical Church in the
Caribbean community in Toronto broadcast on Vision
TV, APTN and Showcase Television. He recently was
Executive Producer for “Spicy Fusion”
a Comedy/ Drama Pilot for Showcase/Toronto One and
“Love’s a Gamble” a one hour Drama
for CHUM Television.
Most recently he was Vice President of Programming
for Vision TV /One The Body Mind and Spirit Channel.
In the six years he was at Vision he was responsible
for commissioning documentary, drama, and music programs
both in Canada and internationally. He was formerly
Vision TV’s Director of Independent Production.
De Silva's Gemini Award-winning Inside Stories,
a ground-breaking 26-part drama anthology which brought
new voices from Canada’s ethno-cultural communities
to prime time Television, was broadcast on the CBC
and Vision TV, and has been sold worldwide. He has
produced and directed documentaries such as Shared
Rhythm, Fantastic Visions and Two Families.
He also produced and directed Ballet Creole and
Trade Secrets a mini-series for the CBC.
De Silva was Executive Producer/Consultant for three
seasons of Disability Network, an award-winning
CBC magazine show.
In
1985, De Silva was awarded the Prix Anik award for
producing the 13-part CBC series Neighbourhoods,
a celebration of Toronto’s diverse communities.
In 1981-82, he was a communications consultant to
the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in Nairobi,
Kenya. He was a Human Rights Officer with the Ontario
Human Rights Commission from 1973 to 1976.
He
has worked as a consultant to Canadian Heritage, Telefilm
Canada, CBC and several media organizations in Arts
and Cultural policy, cultural diversity, television
training, equity, and cross-cultural education initiatives.
Currently, de Silva is a member of the National Advisory
Council, Canadian Film Centre, the Diversity Committee
of WIFT and the ReelWorld Film Festival and has served
on the boards of the Toronto Arts Council and Full
Screen, an organization representing the interests
of filmmakers of colour and First Nations people.
De Silva joined the CBC in Winnipeg as a news reporter,
moving to Toronto later as host/reporter for Canadians,
a 26-part television magazine series profiling members
of Toronto’s multicultural communities.
De
Silva has won two Gemini’s (including the Canada
Award), an International Movie Television Award, a
Golden Sheaf, and a U.S. Industrial Film Award for
Creative Excellence and a Prix Anik.
362
Gladstone Ave Toronto, Ontario M6H 3H4
Pauldesilva@sympatico.ca
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