For Toni Francis, a career in film and television started as a childhood dream, and grew into a role that now sees her shaping stories for one of Canada’s most recognizable shows. A graduate of the Broadcast - Film, Television, Digital Media and radio program at Centennial College (formerly called Broadcasting and Film), Toni built her television production career through hands-on learning, going on to work with ET Canada, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, and most recently as a senior producer on Dragons’ Den Canada. Here’s how she got there, and what it’s like behind the scenes at the Den.
A Childhood Dream
“I've always wanted to work in film and TV, since I was young,” Toni says. “I would watch shows and movies with my grandmother. I always thought I was going to be an actress, I was preparing my Oscar, and I was going to be in a movie with Denzel Washington.” But figuring out how to turn that dream into a career in Canada took time.
“Knowing what that looked like in Canada was an interesting journey, because you just have to figure it out yourself,” she says. She knew that she wanted a practical education, though.
“I wanted to go to college, because I wanted a more hands-on approach. I'd rather do it than talk about it,” she says, adding that she gravitated toward Centennial because of how broad the learning was in the college’s Media programs.
Hands-On Learning in Centennial College’s Broadcast and Film Program
In Broadcast and Film at Centennial College, Toni says she gained exposure to the full production cycle.
“You were able to learn a little bit of everything, like editing, the control room, camera work, film theory,” she explains. “It was really great to have an overall view of all of the different areas of film and television and have that deep appreciation for it. That definitely carried through to my career now.”
“One of our camera classes, we had to use 8-millimeter film cameras,” she says. “I remember being terrified, because it's one-and-done, it's not like digital cameras where you can do it again. We spent the money, got our film rolls, and what you had is what you had, so you’d better have gotten something out of it. Again, I took that into my career now, where I measure twice, cut once, and act very intentionally and thoughtfully when going into filming and production.”
She also appreciated how quickly students were immersed in practical work. “At Centennial, it felt like from day one we were just in there and working on small things,” she says. The way the program covered every role of production also helped her build strong working relationships.
“Having appreciation for all the different parts, whether or not that was what you were going to do in your career, allows me to have great relationships with everybody that touches projects,” she says. “I have always had great relationships with our editors, or whoever is working in sound, or the camera guys or girls, or the production managers, or the coordinators. I just appreciate each and every person.”
Turning Education into a Career
Toni emphasizes that breaking into the industry requires persistence. “Even while I was in school, I was reaching out to people and trying to find work wherever I could, just trying to get as much experience as possible,” she says. After graduating in 2014, it took until late 2017 to land her first major break. “It took some time, and I was hustling. Trust me, I was hustling.”
“You don't just go to school, get your diploma, and then go, OK, I'm ready to work now. You’ve really got to put yourself out there,” she adds. “It was not easy, but once I got into the door, oh, honey.” One of the biggest highlights of that career came while working with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, producing the championship video for the Toronto Raptors.
“I was a producer at the time,” she says, “and I was actually supposed to be working on our final tip-off video, in hopes that we would win that game, with somebody else working on the championship video. It was late at night. I got a call. Hey, the championship video isn't working. Can you step in? Can you fix it?” Despite only being a producer there for six months at the time, she took it on, and ultimately delivered the video that aired immediately after the team’s win.
“Being able to have taken on such a huge project, and to be trusted with it was definitely a highlight of my career,” she says.
Her Days with the Dragons
Today, Toni plays a key role behind the scenes at Dragons’ Den, as a senior producer, where she helps shape episodes, from casting and story development, to filming and post-production.
“I start from auditions, sitting down with people who want to be on the show as they come on and give us their pitch of their business, and we hear about their story,” she says. “Then, we present to the team who we think would be great for the show.” Past that, her responsibilities include prepping the Dragons for filming, overseeing branded content, collaborating with sales teams, and supervising social media content. She also helps lead community outreach.
“For example,” she says, “we’re doing an event with a community group that supports women of color entrepreneurs, and we're going to do a pitch workshop with them as well. So, we get out there into the community, to different networking events, pitch competitions and demo days, and connect and encourage them to apply to be on the show.”
During filming, she works to keep production running smoothly while shaping storylines. “I work with the person who's running the day,” she says, “making sure all of the pieces and parts are in place, and we're not going overtime, (we’re always going into overtime), but also sitting and watching the show, taking notes of where the story should go, working with the executive producer, making sure we're getting all of our story beats, the behind-the-scenes stuff is going great, and the team is functioning.” After filming, she helps assemble episodes, packaging pitches into compelling narratives, and in Toni’s words, representation is a priority.
“We're always trying to make sure that we have diversity on the show,” she says. “I am proud to have that as a responsibility, making sure that those stories, no matter how small they may seem to other people, are represented on the show, because people need to see themselves on these programs.”
The Best Part of the Job
For Toni, the most rewarding aspect is creating those opportunities for underrepresented groups, both in front and behind the camera. “My favorite part is giving opportunities behind the camera to people in unrepresented communities,” she says, “people of color, people that just need a chance. I'm very fortunate to have trust from the team to bring on new people, and mentor them when while they're here.”
She also encourages diverse entrepreneurs to apply to the show. “Sometimes people just need that person in that authority role who looks like them. To be in this position, to be able to potentially change someone's life, it feels great.”
Advice for Future Creators
Francis encourages aspiring producers to start creating now. “Pick up your phone, shoot stuff, edit stuff,” she says. “Just go out and do your own stuff with you and your friends, no matter how small it is, big it is, whatever it looks like, you've got to practice, practice, practice.” That experience builds confidence when opportunities arise. “So, when those opportunities come your way, you can say, oh yeah, I can absolutely do it,” she adds. Most importantly, though, she stresses resilience.
“Everyone around you is trying to also get to the next level,” she says. “You might not get many yeses, and you might get people who are like, oh my gosh, we should connect and work on something, and then you never hear from them again. Just have that unwavering belief in yourself that you're going to work in this industry and make a name for yourself.”
If you want to hear more, Toni Francis will return to the Story Arts Centre campus on Tuesday, March 17, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. at the Story Arts Centre Library for a special talk, where she’ll share insights from her television production career and her work on Dragons’ Den Canada. Her story is a powerful example of how the hands-on learning and broad production experience offered through the Broadcast - Film, Television, Digital Media and radio program at Centennial College can help aspiring creators build the skills, confidence, and industry perspective needed to turn ambition into a career.