by Tanya Scholes
While the paparazzi cameras lit up the red carpet at the 80th Annual Academy Awards last Sunday night, elsewhere, in what has been dubbed Hollywood North, one of Toronto’s Talent Agent superstars celebrated Oscar quietly at home on the Danforth, with friends, family and clients. 

I met Pam Winter, Partner of the Gary Goddard Agency Ltd. at Wish Restaurant (3 Charles St. East) a couple weeks ago to get the inside scoop on the behind the scenes aspect of the industry and what it was like walking in the shoes of one of Toronto’s most successful and respected women in the business.  

At the top of it’s game, the Gary Goddard Agency Ltd. represents some of Canada’s premiere artists including actress Ellen Page (Juno, The Tracey Fragments) and actress/director, Sarah Polley (Away From Her), both of whom were 2008 Oscar nominees for Actress in a Leading Role and Writing (Adapted Screenplay), respectively.  See…I told you she was a Talent Agent superstar. 

From emerging actors to the hottest celebs Pam has seen all facets of the biz, and while she has likely come face to face with her fair share of egos during her tenure, Pam herself has not been hardened by any bullshit and is as humble as can be. I knew this within the first 1 minute of our meeting. 

So how has Pam, who has likely been exposed to the craziest of behaviours on a daily basis over the past 20 years, remained so grounded? I’m sure that it hasn’t been without its challenges – but you’d never have guessed it.  

Pam Winter grew up a bit of a ‘theatre baby’. Her father was heavily involved in theatre so she was always seen hanging around backstage. Eventually, she ended up studying English and…you guessed it…theatre at the University of Toronto. After graduation and a bit of debauchery (I get to this later), Pam accepted a job as a Stage Manager at the Young Peoples Theatre where she fell in love with being involved in the creative aspect of the productions.  

After a year and a half, she found herself wanting a bit more structure and when offered an administrative job assisting the General Manager of another Toronto Theatre she took a leap of faith. This leap allowed her to act as a conduit between Talent Agents and the Theatre.  In Pam’s words, “she kind of fell into it,” landing one step closer to her niche.  Having built a strong relationship with the Gary Goddard Agency while in her Assistant’s role, Gary Goddard was there urging her to give ‘Agenting’ a go – that was 20 years ago! Perhaps Pam’s success has to do in part with her taking pleasure in the unpredictability of her days, enjoying always interacting with diverse personalities, having the ability to be detail-oriented with a view of the big picture and of course, having the skills to switch seamlessly between being part shrink, part placater, part negotiator and part cheerleader.  

Unlike the ill repute of many film industry professionals, Pam definitely stands out by not getting caught up in the hysterical Hollywood hype. She is exceptionally un-hedonistic and has been lucky to have really solid partnerships that have acted as her sounding board and support system, as well as a great family (it’s a full house with a daughter, Emma, in high school studying visual arts, 11 year old twins, Matthew and Allison, and a loving husband who also works in the industry as Lighting Director) that has kept her balanced and has provided her with heaps of perspective. She also surrounds herself with strong incredible girlfriends. If she didn’t have this other life in the face of the business she is in, it could have been a drastically different interview. More Britney and less Cate Blanchett. 

Don’t think that Pam hasn’t had her share of partying though – she just got that out of the way when she was 21 years old, on a kibbutz in Israel, where she went for a summer and ended up staying for 6 months. While industry partying isn’t a top priority, it doesn’t mean that Pam doesn’t indulge in the Film Festival festivities. In fact, while Pam has attended lots of industry parties, it’s often the smaller, unexpected ones that are most interesting. The best party ever – Fox Searchlight’s Film Festival Premiere party for none other than JUNO last fall, a “completely magical night” hosted for a very special film. 

When not working, Pam lives a busy but balanced life. She does weights, cardio and yoga (Bikram Centre and Wellness Centre on 43 Colborne St.) regularly and makes time to do something family oriented on the weekends.  A fabulous weekend morning would have Pam up at the crack of dawn with coffee in one hand and the Style and Entertainment sections or InStyle or Vanity Fair in the other. She is a reader (favourite book: The Diviners by Canada’s Margaret Laurence) and obviously…is a total movie addict. Favourite feasting establishments include: Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar (9 Church Street), Gio Rana’s Really Really Nice Restaurant (otherwise known as just Gio’s on 1220 Queen Street East), kubo Radio (great brunch! 894 Queen Street East), Lolita’s Lust (513 Danforth Avenue) and Globe Bistro (for martinis done right! 124 Danforth Avenue).  

Also knowing that Pam is a fan of entertaining at home, I asked whom she would invite to an ultimate dinner (not including her business partners, Celia and Kish, husband, best friend and me, of course). She came up with quite an eclectic list of personalities that included William Shakespeare, Mozart, Amy Winehouse, Daniel Day Lewis, Martin Scorcese, Oscar Wilde, Pierre Trudeau, Peter Gzowski, Joan of Arc and John Lennon, which says something of Pam’s very expansive tastes and interests. 

For those of you waiting for the golden advice from an industry sage on making it in the movie business, this is what Pam offers: show business is a competitive battle where you are most often swimming upstream. There is no room for people who just want to ‘dabble’ in the business. To be successful, do it because you have a passion for it and there is absolutely no question that this is what you should be doing.  

While actors frantically scramble to get on Pam Winter’s representation list, I feel privileged (and a little special) to have had the opportunity to meet her.  She’s an absolute delight!