The year was 1980 and a young aspiring filmmaker was cutting his teeth with a project at his high school, Burnaby South.
“I wanted to be Spielberg, I wanted to be a film director,” said Ian James Corlett. “I went to my guidance counsellor and said you know what this school needs, you need a promotional video.”
Corlett recently went into the archives and released that vintage production — a flashback to his introductory years in the entertainment world that morphed into something completely different.
“What I really wanted to do was be an animation voice actor,” Corlett said in a recent interview with This is BC.
For more than 30 years, he’s been bringing life to countless characters, from TV series and feature films to video games.
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“I’ve been really fortunate I’ve voiced some iconic characters,” said Corlett.
It’s been a successful run that’s also allowed him to showcase his hometown. Many will remember his show Being Ian, with scenes set around Burnaby, including his father’s store Music Man Pianos on Kingsway.
“We basically grew up in a piano store and we all worked there,” said Corlett.
The show featured a cameo by Trevor Linden.
“He was actually a good actor. He got it. He really got it.”
As the credits have piled up over the years, the high school project that completely fell off the radar has now resurfaced — a film that helped kick-start a long career.
“It’s a huge walk down memory lane for anyone in that era,” said Corlett.
“I don’t think they even showed it. I don’t know. I have no idea.”
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