Chilliwack resident captures bronze at Douglas College graduation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Two years ago Chilliwack resident Wayne Phillips was a carpenter looking for a new career. On June 5, 2003, he graduated from Douglas College's Stagecraft Program with the highest marks in a two-year diploma program, earning the Governor General's Bronze Medal for academic excellence.

"I showed those young punks in the program a thing or two," jokes the 44-year-old father of six, who has traded working all hours of the day in the Stagecraft Program for working all hours of the day in the film business as an "entertainment technician."

"The film industry is Vancouver is huge right now," he says, fresh off set construction from Paycheck, a sci-fi thriller staring Ben Affleck. "There's tons of work and lot of major productions." He has also been working on sets for a mini-series about an earthquake.

"The Stagecraft Program was my ticket into the entertainment industry," says Phillips. "It gave me a complete understanding of the business -- how to do everything from set construction and drafting to lighting and sound."

Going back to school in his forties was a challenge. Phillips took a career assessment test through Human Resources Development Canada which concluded he belonged in the entertainment business. He applied for and received federal re-training funding which covered his expenses for books, tuition and living expenses. "My wife Susanne took over things at home," says Phillips gratefully. "She worked two jobs so I could back to school."

Because of the sacrifices, Phillips made every day count. "Sometimes I was at the college 16 hours a day doing productions and homework. An average day was about 12 hours."

Phillips was committed to getting the best grades possible and his hard work paid off with an outstanding grade point average: 4.14 out of 4.33 which is equivalent to an A-plus average. He says, "I was there because I wanted to be there. I wanted to succeed and I pushed myself to be the best. I was lucky that my classmates were competitive and we all pushed each other to do our best work. "

-30-

For more information, please contact:
Tracey Winters, Marketing and Communications Office: 604-527-5325