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Director of Odd Kid
Out, Karen O'Donnell is the founder of the five-year-old
production company Wordshop Productions Inc. Odd
Kid Out, her most recent documentary, concerns three families,
including her own, dealing with the challenges of children with
ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Odd Kid Out has its world premiere
in Toronto at the Bloor Cinema on Friday, January 31 at 7pm and
its world television premiere on TVO on Thursday, February 6th at
7pm. In addition to the documentary itself, O'Donnell is in the
process of preparing an educational video series for parents, educators
and caregivers of ADHD children.
A spirited director/producer/writer, O'Donnell is driven by a passion
for weaving intriguing stories and crafting an emotional journey
for viewers. The mission statement of her company is:
By igniting the flames of thought,
And illuminating the recesses of reflection,
Wordshop Productions plants the seeds of inspiration,
Through empowering programming,
Daring the soul to dream.
O'Donnell has written, directed and produced a series of short documentaries,
including If I Were An Artist, The
Don Lisk Story, a 22-minute piece on a self-taught sculptor,
who creates amazing works of art carving egg shells, and Working
Without A Net, a 22-minute film about several budding filmmakers
as they launch production companies.
O'Donnell crafted and teaches a nine-week training
program - the Independent Film and Television Producers' Program
- at Toronto's Centennial College. The only program of its kind
in Canada, it focuses on the business of being an independent producer,
with such topics as financing projects, budgeting, proposal writing,
pitching, etc.
Her educational videos include: The
Real Deal: An Insiders' Guide to Purchasing a Used Vehicle;
The Self Employment Process,
currently used as a training video by the Federal Government; and
the hour-long Entrepreneurial Success
Stories, detailing the road to success for four new business
owners, broadcast on Rogers Cable.
O'Donnell earned an Honours Degree in Fine Arts at York University,
and has had one of her plays, Nothing
Personal, mounted in Toronto. When she decided to realize a
life-long desire to transfer her creative skills to the television
medium, she enlisted some of Toronto's most talented professionals
to assist with the transition and has spent the past five years honing
her skills as a documentary filmmaker. She has consulted for the Ontario
Media Development Agency, served on the Board of Directors for Women
in Film and Television, and currently serves on the Board of the Canadian
Independent Film Caucus.
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