Writing
AUTHOR BIO
Phillippa Cranston Baran is an award-winning producer, script writer, film professor, and for several years, a dairy goat farmer and judge. These journeys each have their own colourful and outrageous stories but the combination of success, setback, challenge, and craziness helped equip her to write about her very famous brother.
BOOKS IN THE TOLLER, ARTIST SERIES
Phillippa acknowledges that she could never have written these books if her brother were still alive. He would have demanded an utterly impossible work ethic and more flexibility with the truth than even she could accept. Nevertheless, she remains understanding of his quirks and fiercely proud of his talent. She is dedicated and committed to telling her brother’s stories and celebrating his life. Publication expected 2023.
TOLLER CRANSTON: THE ICE, THE PAINT, AND THE PASSION
Toller Cranston was a 6x Canadian figure skating champion who won World and Olympic medals. He was an artist who created more than 20,000 paintings. He holds an Order of Canada, was Athlete of the Year, and Skater of the Century. Lots of people won medals. Lots of people painted. Some people hold an Order of Canada. No one had a life like his. With his death in 2015 at age 65, Canada lost an icon. Figure Skating lost a trailblazer. The creative world lost a powerful force. He inspired generations. He became a legend. This is Toller.
TOLLER CRANSTON: THE PAINTINGS
Toller Cranston viewed painting and figure skating as inseparable artistic expressions. His skating was distinctive. He introduced artistry and theatricality to the sport and changed it forever. His artwork was distinctive. It is said that you can recognize a Toller Cranston painting if you drive past it at 100 miles an hour, just as you might a Picasso, or a Warhol. He created more than 20,000 original paintings that are sought by collectors worldwide. He was a fearless, creative force and truly authentic in everything he said and did. Toller Cranston died in 2015 in Mexico. His headstone in San Miguel de Allende reads Toller, Artist, 1949-2015. The book contains images of more than 400 paintings as well as quotes from the artist about life, death, skating, and art.
TOLLER CRANSTON: CASA TOLLER, THE PROPERTY IN MEXICO
In 1992, Toller Cranston acquired a rambling estate property in the World Heritage Spanish Colonial city of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Over the next 23 years, he created an extraordinarily magical, utterly dazzling property that was designed to surprise, enchant, and delight. It was indescribable by his design. Nothing was random or scattered. And too much was never enough. The property was not just his home. It was a studio, a gallery, a classroom, a showplace. Through stunning photographs and never-before told stories from Toller’s Mexican staff, the book reveals the full dimension of Toller Cranston’s creativity when he was gives a canvas that extended from one cobble-stone street to the next.
NON-FICTION
- Focus on Resumés, 500,000 copies, English & French
- Focus on Interviews, 500,000 copies, English & French
- High Tech Job Search Tools, 500,000 copies, English & French
- St. John’s Ambulance First Aid Text, 20,000 copies, English & French
- Combat First Aid (DND) Text, 15,000 copies, English & French
- Roots and Wings Multi-Media Kit including video, produced for the National Aboriginal Stay in School Campaigns in English, French, and Inuktitut, 10,000 copies
- Smart Options, an empowerment program for Middle Schools based on Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Participant Workbook, Facilitator Guide, Poster)
- Smart Options Plus an employment and career exploration program for High School and adult based on Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Participant Workbook, Facilitator Guide, Poster)
- Ndriço Veten an employability and job search program created for Albanian youth, (Participant Workbook, Facilitator Guide, Poster)
- Yo Inc, an employment and entrepreneurship program created in English and Spanish for youth in Mexico
- Making The Most, a series of study guides for High School students
- Keep The Fire Burning, Best Practices in Indigenous Early Childhood Education
- Enter Mentor, National Handbook, English & French
- P.A.L.S. (Parents Assist Learning & Schooling), a handbook for parents
- TRAX, internet-based interactive career development exercises for youth
- Harrowsmith Magazine, Multiple Articles
FICTION
- The Bees’ Knees
- The Beast & the Driftwood Dwellers
- Notes on a Year in a Life
- I2
- Barely Enough (in progress)
- The F*#k Club (in progress)
FILM & VIDEO SCRIPTS
Hundreds of video and print products including Seekers, 32 half hours for broadcast television, as well as commercials, PSAs, and a variety of projects for public sector and corporate clients.
