The Story of Izzy Asper // The Asper School of Business

Israel Harold (Izzy) Asper was a businessman, broadcaster, lawyer, politician, father and philanthropist. He founded the Winnipeg law firm Asper, Freedman and Company in 1959 (now Buchwald, Asper and Henteleff, Barristers). In 1970 Asper was elected leader of the moribund provincial Liberal Party and was elected an MLA. He quit politics in and bought KCND, a television station in Pembina, North Dakota, and its studios shipped across the border, and licensed it in Canada as CKND. Asper then acquired the fledgling Global TV Network in Ontario and laid the foundation for the Winnipeg-based Canwest Global Communications, which later acquired stations in Québec, British Columbia, New Zealand, Australia and opened an international division in Los Angeles. The result was one of the world's largest broadcasting operations with TV stations in Chile and Ireland.

Asper retired from active management of the company and began to concentrate on creating a jazz radio station in Winnipeg, and on his philanthropic pursuits, including the Asper School of Business and the creation of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Among his many honours were the ORDER OF CANADA. Asper was inducted into the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame and in 2004 received a posthumous lifetime achievement award from the Radio Television News Directors Association of Canada.

As one of Manitoba's most prominent figures he was truly a Canadian icon and we were charged with telling his life story in 5 minutes! Writing, sourcing photos, cutting them up, animating, and putting the whole project together was quite the undertaking however, we feel all the hard work paid off! Please enjoy.

Client: Asper School of Business

Biography
Motion graphics