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.
Her bestseller, Toller Cranston, Ice, Paint, Passion has won multiple awards and consistently ranks in various non-fiction categories.
TOLLER CRANSTON: ICE, PAINT, PASSION
Phillippa acknowledges that she could never have written this book 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.
ABOUT THE BOOK
The news of Toller Cranston’s sudden death in Mexico at age sixty-five shattered the skating world. In the packed media room of an arena in Kingston, Ontario, journalists, producers, and commentators stared at each other in shock. On the ice, competitors stopped their warmup. In the stands, parents, coaches, and thousands of fans fell into stunned silence. It couldn’t be true. Toller—larger than life— gone? As the news spread across the world, the tweets and tributes began to pour in. Thousands and thousands of them.
With his passing in 2015, Canada lost an icon. Figure skating lost a trailblazer. The creative world lost a creative force. For decades, this Canadian icon and internationally recognized celebrity amazed, outraged, motivated, and inspired. He changed a sport. He changed attitudes. He changed lives. He deeply touched people.
The book is a celebration of his life, a tribute to the values by which he lived, and a road map for living fearlessly. It is about dealing with failure and success. It unfolds through the voices of those who knew him, admired him, competed with him, and were inspired by him. It is about you. It is about me. It is about all of us.
a beautiful book … heartfelt and intimate…
In 1977, a New York Times review of his Broadway show ended with “Go see him.”
Likewise, this review can only finish with: “Go read it.
Literary Review of Canada
TESTIMONIALS
“Toller Cranston opened the eyes of the world. He was an inspiration.” Don Jackson, Olympic medalist and world champion figure skater.
“This book is addictive.” Susan Page, director emeritus of the San Miguel Writers’ Conference and Literary Festival.
“Dive into Toller’s wacky and wonderful world. Buckle up!!!” Brian Orser, double Olympic medalist and world champion figure skater.
“A great style mentor and a cherished confidante.” Jeanne Beker, media and fashion entrepreneur.
“Toller has allowed figure skaters like me to be bold and unafraid in the pursuit of our art.” Elladj Baldé, ice artist and humanitarian.
“Every single person who has ever met Toller has a memorable story to tell” Kurt Browning, Olympian and four-time World Champion.
“A roller coaster through a magical mystery tour of his life, his art, and the genius behind it all.” Christopher Talbot, President and CEO, Art Evolution
“Creative, Productive, Daring, Inventive, Stylish, He defied description.” Charles Pachter, OC, Artist
Without his legacy, the stories I created on ice would otherwise not have been possible. Patrick Chan, Olympic, World and 10x Canadian champion.
NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS
TOLLER CRANSTON: ARTISTIC IMPRESSIONS
Toller Cranston viewed painting and figure skating as inseparable artistic expressions. He introduced artistry and theatricality to the sport and changed it forever. His skating was distinctive. 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. Publication: Fall 2025
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. Publication: 2026
EXECUTOR: Battle Scars and Wisdom
Lessons from the 10-year soul-destroying, financially horrifying, and utterly uplifting precedent-setting battle of the Toller Cranston estate.
Battle Scars and Wisdom is for executors, financial advisers, lawyers, families, anyone with a will, and certainly anyone without a will—in short, anyone with interest in an estate. It has to do with the shit that can happen, the shit that nobody warns you about, and how to prevent it, avoid it, or get through it. It is about surviving. Publication: late 2025
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.
