Drawing their own future - PEI cartoonists earn a living from home

Government investments in the Island film industry are enabling filmmakers up to play on a national stage, says Adam Perry.

Perry, a self-taught writer and filmmaker, says one of the first questions he is asked when pitching his projects to off-island industry partners is 'is your province on board?'

Lately, he says, he’s happily been able to respond yes. “If the answer is anything but a yes, the conversation ends up being good practice for the next one.” 

Perry was one of several filmmakers that recently received financial support from the provincial government to tell an Island story through a short documentary. He chose Charlottetown Comics Club, a group of artists who meet weekly to share ideas and support each other writing and creating comics.

Watch the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dP9fqHOPpiA

Perry learned that several people are working full time as comic artists, and even partnering with publishers as far away as California from the comfort of their Island homes.

“It was like peeling an onion," he said. "There was a much larger community here on PEI than I realized."

Adam's film, Outside the Box, profiles the Charlottetown Comics Club, specifically four illustrators who are making a living on PEI. One of the illustrators is longtime comic artist Sandy Carruthers, a 30-year veteran of the comic industry.

“It was important to me to include his perspective, since he was working at it before the Internet made things a little easier,” Adam explained. “It’s this growing group of comic bandits that get together every week.

"That’s dedication - that’s passion! I wanted to shed some light on this community.

“Filmmaking is a collaborative art form and with investments and opportunities like these, we can branch out a bit in the scope of our projects and work more as a team. We can leave a legacy."

Perry lives in Charlottetown with his wife and two young children.