This is for Toronto

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

It was a Saturday, and I was actually braiding my hair when I decided to take a look at a documentary that was sent over to me. When I saw the title, “This is for Toronto,” I was unsure as to what I would be watching. As a lover of documentaries, there are certain things that I look out for; the ones I usually ignore are the ones that present mundane information that is known by the general public. It is almost as if the filmmaker thinks that they were the first ones to discover this theory, when really it is a regurgitation of information that can be found online. After watching “This is for Toronto,” I was enlightened about things that I thought I knew about Toronto’s entertainment industry. This is the purpose of a great documentary; it is to educate and empower people to take action, or at the very least bring awareness.

Sheldon Shaw, who happens to be 1/3 of Potential Films, a full film production and editing company based in Toronto, completed “This is for Toronto,” in 2016. The documentary was taken seriously enough to acquire distribution with RLJ Entertainment based in Los Angeles. Robert L. Johnson owns RLJ Entertainment; he also happens to be the Founder of BET. “This is for Toronto,” shows the branding power that Toronto has, and how music that is coming out of Toronto is now being recognized on a global scale.

As a film producer, writer and editor, Sheldon Shaw demonstrates his ability to entertain with his truth. The documentary is a success because it had a personal voice; his years in the industry have shown him that people want to hear the voice of the person shooting the documentary, and only a true artist is able to do this tactfully. The filming team was able to highlight the great talent coming out of Toronto in a few words, and with a few scenes. It is no wonder that they have had the opportunity to capture big names like: Nas, Baby Cham, Jadakiss, Mya, Ginuwine, Bobby Valentino, Dj Starting from Scratch, Machine Gun Kelly, and Eddie Griffin.

Directed by Johnwoo Richardson, and Shawn Harris, the documentary interviews some of Toronto’s leaders in the music industry; as a Torontonian, it was a pleasure to see: Carlos Promo, Ian Andre Espinet, Derrick Ross (President of Slaight Music), Maestro Fresh Wes, and Dj Starting From Scratch, legends in the industry. It is sad that at times, our artists do not get the love that they need from their own. Toronto’s commercial stations have become intrinsically tied to where advertisers are willing to spend their money, and in 2016, anyone who was paying attention to radio would have noticed a migration from a hip-hop and R&B format.

Other than big names like Drake, Kardinal Official, and The Weekend, it is hard for artists to catch a break, and this is why the team at Potential films had to remind everyone around the world that Toronto is where it’s at. WE as a city are bigger than Drake; we are a community of individuals who find ways to support our own artists, and letting people know that WE THE NORTH.

The documentary officially dropped on October 1^st and can be found on YouTube. Potential Films continues to inspire visionaries to make their dreams become a reality; you can visit them at https://www.potentialfilmsinc.com/. I want to thank Potential Films for focusing their attention on Toronto and keeping the world’s eyes on us.

Facebook: Sheldon Shaw

LinkedIn: SheldonShaw123

Twitter: @yshaws