Biography
Born in Québec City, Bourret studied cinema at Concordia University before earning his B.A.A. in Motion Picture Studies at Toronto's Ryerson University.
In 1989, TVOntario, Canada's second largest public broadcaster, hired Bourret as a production manager and within one year, promoted him as troubleshooter production manager for both their French and English networks. He oversaw the production and financial aspects of over 200 hours of network programming and implemented product placement for drama productions within the network.
He negotiated the first co-production agreement between TVO and Radio-Quebec and then line produced the resulting drama series French Short Stories and Paroles d'échanges. Paroles d'échanges went on to collect the Golden Apple (1st prize) at the National Educational Media Network and received a 1991 nomination at the Prix Gémeaux (Canadian version of the Emmys). French Short Stories received the 1992 Award of Excellence from the Children's Broadcast Institute.
In 1993, he completed the Producer's Workshop at Norman Jewison's Canadian Film Centre, where he specialized in the development of innovative dramatic stories and film financing.
Bourret production managed the Swiss feature film Waiting for Michelangelo (1995) and was called in to production manage and produce the UK-Canadian co-production Romantic Undertaking (1996) only two weeks before principal photography.
He production managed the re-shoot of the feature Never Talk to Strangers (1995) for Tri Star
* Alliance and also production managed When Secrets Kill (1997) for ABC as well as
Bone Daddy (1998) for HBO.
He then went on to line produce the action thriller Sanctuary (1998).
Bourret returned to television production to line produce Incredible Story Studio (1997), a top ten kids series on YTV, Discovery Kids USA, Nickelodeon Australia and Disney Europe.
In 1999, he served as Executive in Charge of Production (International Drama & Co-Productions) for Motion International, Canada's second largest production company, where he supervised the development and production of projects for HBO, Lifetime, SRC, Paramount, M6 and Pro-Sieben including No Alibi (2000) and The Courage to Love (2000).
Bourret recently produced the family feature film Virginia's Run (2002), picked by The Hollywood Reporter as one of "six films that will have buyers buzzing" at the AFM 2002. Virginia's Run won the Best Film Award at the Amsterdam International Children's Film Festival, received the Crystal Heart Award at the Heartland Film Festival, and was part of the official selection of the Berlin International Film Festival (Kinderfest) as well as the Toronto International Film Festival (Sprockets).
The film is a Knightscove Entertainment production, where Bourret also served as Vice-President of Canadian Productions.
Bernard then returned to the freelance world and production managed the Viacom pilot of Jake (2003) for UPN, the highest rated pilot by a test audience for UPN. Bernard was called back to produce the series in Vancouver. Jake (2003), exec-produced by David Greenwalt, Silvio Horta, Gina Matthews and Grant Scharbo generated the best Audience Promotional Response in UPN History.
Earlier in his life, Bernard served in the Canadian military as a navy reservist, and as a sea cadet was awarded, at age sixteen, the Certificate of Recognition for Services Rendered to Canada. Bourret was also a member of the Canadian Ski Patrol and served on a rescue force as a Québec Emergency Medical Technician.
Bernard is a member of the DGC and of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television where he served as Juror for the 2002 Gemini Awards (Canadian Emmys) and as Jury Chair for the same Awards in 2004.
