Biografia
In his final year of high school he would start to think about attending theatre school in the USA. It would be during his preparation for these auditions that he would meet and commence a tutorship, mentorship, and friendship with David William, the previous Artistic Director of the Stratford Festival of Canada. With Mr. William, Jonny started a rigorous training program centered on classical theatre, specifically Shakespeare. This relationship continues on to this day and Jonny credits much of the artist he has become to David's tutelage.
After the long road of prepping, auditioning, and finally getting into college, he would be given the ironic blow of getting the biggest break in his career to that point - The Doodlebops, a show that would utilize his diverse skill-set in its entirety. In the spring of 2004 he cancelled his placement in the Goodman School of Acting at DePaul University and instead began dance and music rehearsals for his first television series.
Over the course of the next 4 months, he would film the first season with the help of many talented people, including the legendary children's television producer Michael Hirsch, the Emmy award-winning choreographer David Connolly, the Gemini award-winning music producer Carl Lenox, the visionary/director Jamie Waese and his two extremely talented co-stars, Chad McNamara and Lisa Lennox.
Season 1 would lead into Season 2 the following summer, but not before a quick return home to London to star in It's A Wonderful Life at the Grand Theatre over Christmas. This project gave him the special opportunity to work closely under the direction of a Canadian treasure, Bernard Hopkins as well as perform alongside a former teacher, Kelly Handerek.
Following a long summer of filming, the Doodlebops hit the road on a national Canadian tour that winter. Season 3 would come quickly after that, starting within a month of returning from the tour in the spring of '06. Then it was off to America to bring the Doodlebops to the US. It would start in Disney World at MGM Studios where they participated in Playhouse Disney's Magical Beginnings. Performing sixteen soldout shows for more then 30 000 people.
This proved however to be a mere warm-up for the kick off of a full national US tour. Highlighted by an appearance on the Today Show in their Concert Series and three sold-out days at Madison Square Gardens, the Dbops traveled to 87 cities over the course of 8 months completing 176 shows in practically every state. While in the midst of the tour, they even found time to perform in Disney's Christmas Day Parade on ABC shown Christmas morning to millions of homes across North America.
Finally after finishing the tour in the spring of '07 it looked like perhaps Jonny would finally receive some long deserved time off but it wasn't to be. Instead he decided to take on a new challenge and adventure - Los Angeles. Over the course of the summer he moved his life to his new home of North Hollywood, with a focus on artistic growth and development. He started a rigorous training schedule studying acting with Michael Woolson, singing and piano with Joel Ewing, and dance/gymnastics with some of the top breakers/gymnasts in the world as well as the odd class at the EDGE. Loving his newfound life he would find himself stretched to the limit when he started another 12 month tour of the Doodlebops across the US in the fall but not before a quick stop off at MGM Studios again in Disney World for round 2 of Magical Beginnings and another visit to the Today Show in NYC.
Flying back and forth between LA and the tour every weekend, he finished up another 200 shows or so the following fall and decided it was finally time for a much deserved vacation. He took off to Europe for 2+ months by himself returning just before New Years eagerly awaiting 2009 and what it would bring - a greencard, the Canadian Premiere of Disney's High School Musical in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the start of recording for the new Doodlebops cartoon the Doodlebops Rockin' Road Show, and a new US manager and US agent to add to his amazing team of Canadian agents.
