T. J. Scott

TJ Scott is a Canadian film and television director, screenwriter, producer, and former stuntman and actor. He is primarily known for his work directing television series such as Orphan Black, Xena: Warrior Princess, Gotham, Star Trek: Discovery, Longmire, 12 Monkeys, The Strain, and Spartacus.[1]

TJ Scott
Scott in 2015
Born
Canada
Alma materYork University
Occupation(s)Film director, television director, screenwriter, producer
Years active1972–present
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2000; div. 2016)​

Scott has won accolades for his directing work. In 2010, he received a Gemini Award nomination for directing the Discovery Channel made-for-television film Deadliest Sea.[2] In 2015, for his work on Orphan Black, he won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Direction in a Dramatic Series.[3] In 2019, he was nominated for another Canadian Screen Award, this time for Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Limited Series, for directing the CBC miniseries Caught.[4] In 2022, as one of the executive producers of the Global TV/Peacock series Departure, Scott received a nomination for the Canadian Screen Award for Best Dramatic Series.[5]

Early life

Scott grew up in Canada working as a child actor, best known for his co-starring role in the Genie Award award winning Best Motion Picture My American Cousin. While still in University he formed one of Canada's biggest Stunt Associations and excelled as a stuntman,[6] before quickly moving behind the camera to direct. Having had a name as a director at a very young age he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career behind the camera in Hollywood.[7] Scott studied film production at York University.

Career

1990s–2000s: Early feature film and television work

Scott began directing feature films in the early 1990s, with the action-science fiction martial arts film TC 2000 (1993). Of the experience as a first-time director, Scott said:

You know, I was very young... I took the first feature that was offered to me... I think we all learned a lot while we were making it.[1]

Later that decade, Scott directed Legacy (1998), starring David Hasselhoff and his future wife, Victoria Pratt. Legacy screened as the opening night film for the Las Vegas Film Festival in 1999.[8]

The following year, Scott wrote, directed, and produced the HBO film Blacktop (2000), starring Kristen Davis.[7] Around this time, Scott's career as a television director began to take off. He first worked in New Zealand with filmmakers Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995–1999) and subsequently directed several episodes of the spin-off TV series Xena: Warrior Princess (1996–2001).[9]

After working on Xena, Scott directed several episodes of the series Cleopatra 2525 (2000–2001) before its cancellation.[10][11] He then moved onto other shows, including the controversial ESPN series Playmakers (2003).[12] Scott's episode of Playmakers was named by the American Film Institute as one of the top 10 television episodes of 2003.[13][14] Around this time, Scott also directed several episodes of Mutant X (2001–2002).

Scott directed the made-for-television film Deadliest Sea (2009), which aired on the Discovery Channel and was nominated for five Gemini Awards in 2010 including Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series.[15]

2010s–2020s: Breakthrough as a television director and producer

Throughout 2010s, Scott directed dozens of television episodes for series such as Spartacus (2012–2013), Bitten (2014–2015), Longmire (2014–present), Gotham (2014–2019), The Strain (2015–present) Dark Matter (2015–2018).[16][17][18][19]

In 2015, Scott directed episodes of the BBC America-Space television series Orphan Black, which, upon release, garnered a cult following,[20][21] and significant critical acclaim.[22][23] In January 2015, it was announced that Scott was nominated by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, Canada's equivalent to the Emmys, for his work on the show.[24] In February 2015, Scott won the award for Best Direction in a Dramatic Series at the 3rd annual Canadian Screen Awards for his work on Orphan Black.[3] Following Orphan Black, Scott continued to direct high-profile television series, such as Star Trek: Discovery and Taken.[25]

In 2018, his work on the Canadian miniseries Caught garnered him a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Limited Series.[26]

From 2019 to 2021, Scott executive produced and directed three seasons of Departure.[27] The series, commissioned by Global Television Network as a British-Canadian co-production, stars Archie Panjabi, Christopher Plummer, Claire Forlani, Kris Holden-Ried, Rebecca Liddiard, and Shazad Latif, among others.[28] The series was later picked up by NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock, for a September 2020 release.[29] During the first season's release in Canada and the UK, the series averaged more than one million viewers per episode.[30] Notably, Plummer's work in the second season of Departure was his final on-screen performance before his death on February 5, 2021.[31][32] Scott made a post on Instagram commemorating Plummer's death, writing "I was lucky enough to be the last person to ever direct Christopher Plummer on screen ... I will never forget what a beautiful person he was ... A true pro till the very end who knew what matters."[33]

In 2021, as one of the executive producers of Departure, Scott received a nomination for the Canadian Screen Award for Best Dramatic Series.[5]

Other work

In addition to directing, Scott is also a well-known photographer.[34] He also works as a freelance writer in Hollywood, co-writing the story for the film Tracers (2015), starring Taylor Lautner.[35] In September 2011, it was announced that filmmaker Chris Columbus signed on to direct Scott's screenplay titled The Secret Lives of Road Crews for Paramount Pictures.[36][37]

From 2015 to 2017, Scott served as an executive producer on the popular web series Teenagers.[38][39]

Personal life

Scott married Canadian actress and model Victoria Pratt in 2000; they subsequently divorced in 2016.[40]

Awards and nominations
Year Association Category Nominated work Result
2010 Gemini Awards Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series Deadliest Sea Nominated
2015 Canadian Screen Awards Best Direction in a Drama Series Orphan Black Won
2019 Canadian Screen Awards Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Limited Series Caught Nominated
2022 Canadian Screen Awards Best Dramatic Series Departure Nominated

References
  1. "Interview: T.J. Scott, director of Death Valley". Flickering Myth. 15 October 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  2. "Flashpoint leads with 15 Gemini nominations". thestar.com. 31 August 2010. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  3. Cummins, Julianna (25 February 2015). "Canadian Screen Awards '15: Orphan Black, Degrassi clone winning ways". Playback. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  4. "T. J. Scott". www.academy.ca. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  5. Furdyk, Brent (30 March 2021). "Television Nominees Announced For 2021 Canadian Screen Awards, 'Schitt's Creek' Leads The Pack With 21 Nominations". ET Canada. Archived from the original on 30 March 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  6. "Showcase: TJ Scott". Fluster Magazine. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  7. Feldbloom-Wood, Rachel. "TJ Scott – bravoFACT – Director Bio Biography". Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  8. "Gotham Talk Podcast #27 - Special Guest Director TJ Scott - #DeathValley". BlogTalkRadio. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  9. "Xena – Warrior Princess – Series 03 – Part 01 | Civic". www.civicvideo.com.au. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  10. "TJ Scott". www.xenaville.com. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  11. "RevolutionSF - Canceled Sci-Fi Showcase: Jack of All Trades & Cleopatra 2525 : Review". www.revolutionsf.com. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  12. "Playmakers, the Show the NFL Killed for Being Too Real | VICE Sports". VICE Sports. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  13. "Playmakers: The Complete Series DVD Review | Inside Pulse". 15 June 2004. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  14. "American Film Institute". www.afi.com. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  15. Oliveira, Michael (31 August 2010). "CTV cop drama Flashpoint once again snared the most Gemini Award attention as nominations for the best in Canadian TV were announced Tuesday". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  16. "The Strain – Season 2 Episode 2: "By Any Means" – HorrorTalk". www.horrortalk.com. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  17. "TV Review: The Strain 2.2 "By Any Means" | FX". Geeks of Doom. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  18. "'Longmire' Season 4 Photos: TJ Scott Reveals Artsy Black-And-White Pics From Set, 'Fun Shooting'". ENSTARZ. 11 April 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  19. "T.J. Scott Talks Directing 'Gotham' and Working With Tatiana Maslany". Emertainment Monthly. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  20. "Ranking All the Clones on 'Orphan Black'". Hollywood.com. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  21. McMillan, Graeme (21 April 2014). "The Cult of Orphan Black". TIME.com. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  22. "Orphan Black". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  23. "Orphan Black (2013–)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  24. "Who's Up For A Canadian Screen Award This Year?". The Huffington Post. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  25. "T.J. Scott » Directors Guild of Canada". www.dgc.ca. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  26. Furdyk, Brent (27 March 2019). "The Winners: Canadian Screen Awards Presented For Creative Fiction Storytelling". ET Canada. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  27. Tartaglione, Nancy (13 November 2018). "Archie Panjabi, Christopher Plummer Embark For 'Departure' Event Series". Deadline. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  28. Clarke, Stewart (7 January 2019). "NBCUniversal Lands Archie Panjabi, Christopher Plummer Drama 'Departure'". Variety. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  29. Countryman, Eli (17 August 2020). "TV News Roundup: Netflix Announces 'Sneakerheads' Premiere Date". Variety. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  30. Townsend, Kelly (9 November 2020). "Departure soars in the ratings for Global". Playback. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  31. Victoria Ahearn (9 October 2002). "Christopher Plummer set to film season 2 of 'Departure' from his home due to pandemic". Toronto: City News. The Canadian Press.
  32. Iorfida, Chris (5 February 2021). "Christopher Plummer, Sound of Music star and oldest actor to win an Oscar, dead at 91". CBC News.
  33. "@tjscottpictures on Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  34. "In the Tub with TJ Scott". At a Glance... 14 August 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  35. "'Tracers' review: Movie shows Taylor Lautner's post-'Twilight' career in trouble". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  36. "Chris Columbus to Direct 'The Secret Life of Road Crews'? - /Film". Slashfilm. 23 September 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  37. "Chris Columbus Joins Paramount's 'The Secret Lives Of Road Crews'". Deadline. 23 September 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  38. "M. H. Murray doesn't gloss over the gritty details of being a teenager in his web series". CBC Radio. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  39. "Mississauga director's web series a raw take on teenage life". mississauga.com. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  40. "Victoria Pratt – Trace Adkins' Mistress and she is also married to T.J Scott (bio, wiki, photos)". DailyEntertainmentNews.com. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
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