J. R. Digs

JR DiGS is a Canadian television personality that currently hosts "JR DiGS Late Night Television" that is still in post-production and will be airing nationally on Global TV in the fall of 2011. JR has been on the air since June 2001. Since then he has been the host of multiple series that have aired nationally on Global TV, E!(Formerly CHCH) MenTV and TVtropolis.

Awards and Nominations

In the summer of 2011, the "Man with a Van" series was nominated for the best talk show category in the 26th annual Gemini awards

In the fall of 2006 "Be Real with JR DIGS" aired and ran for 13 episodes on TVTropolis. The series earned JR his very first Gemini Award nomination in the category of "Best Host in a Lifestyle Series"

List of aired Series created by JR DIGS

"Man with a Van" (3 seasons)

"The JR DIGS Show" (5 Seasons)

"In the Can with JR DIGS" - Showcasing aspiring and unknown filmmakers (2 seasons)

"Another Crappy Canadian Latenight Talkshow (1 Season)

History Of JR DiGS

JR's grandfather made his living as a professional photographer and at some point, he got his hands on one of his 8mm movie cameras. It was very expensive to get the two minute reels of film developed and it still is to this day; however, the late 80s brought along video cameras. Which, JR quickly began to utilize. One of his first recordings can be viewed here. Back then, he lacked proper audio equipment and mics, but he compensated by holding a plush toy penis to peoples faces and telling them to talk loudly. This type of visual comedy on a shoe string budget became JR's special signature.

In the summer of 1999, JR had not only finished university, but he also owned and operated a very successful skateboard shop. Aside from shaping, manufacturing and distributing his own JR DiGS branded skim boards, he was also busy designing and manufacturing his own clothing line called "Shags Clothing Co." After reaching his goal of selling more than 10,000 pairs of pants, he expanded the clothing line to include shorts, hats, hoody's, t-shirts and a variety of other items.

The venture proved to be very successful and profitable. All of his profits would later be used to finance another dream of his - the dream to have his own TV show on network television. He used some of his profits to hire a production team from Burlington, ON, in order to create a pilot episode for the JR DiGS show. This venture cost him $4000 dollars. The problem was that JR digs had no ties to people in the television networks and neither did his production team. The following winter JR was connected to the right people in "The Comedy Network"; however, his submission was rejected.

The following spring came around, yet despite his discouragement of not getting his show on national television, he still pursued his dream. He contacted a local television network in Burlington, ON were he met with a program manager. The Program manager commented that the pilot episode was very well polished and entertaining, but did not fit the venue which was currently offered. This put a complete halt in his career.

Everything changed when one night while watching infomercials on TV. He decided the best thing would be to gain popularity by airing his show during purchased airtime. Eventually, he expected his show to be picked up by network stations once a fan-base was established. This came at a great cost; 30 thousand dollars to be exact. JR hit a financial wall as his show became more popular and yet no network station seemed to take any interest in it.

JR was faced with a dilemma, which was how to keep producing a show with no money. What had started with the relentless pursuing of a dream, turned into a financial nightmare from which there was no turning back. His debt had risen to 70 thousand dollars and still with no network deals, JR's confidence in his dream of having a late night television talk show was obliterated. The only thing on his mind now was surviving.

All seemed like it would end in the fall of 2001. Fortunately, his shows good ratings roused the attention of a large sponsor; that sponsor was Molson Canadian. JR re-aired season one of his series and generated revenue from advertisements. The revenue; however, was swallowed up by the fees associated with purchasing airtime, so no profit was being generated. Molson may have been providing the funding to re-air episodes, but there was no budget to have new episodes made. JR put his attention toward getting more sponsorship so that the series would not fizzle out. The following summer JR landed a deal with Sony PlayStation and Molson had returned. With his new sponsorship, he now had to deliver the new episodes he had been promising.

With the help of a government grant, JR was able to hire a student employee. The employee came with his own computer and editing software. On a weekly basis JR and his crew of one taped, ingested, cut, and delivered a new episode of the JR digs show weekly. The limited crew size and the etched-in-stone deadlines showed in production quality and content. JR has admitted to not being entirely proud of this season as it did not meet his standards, as he was busier playing the role of producer than he was entertainer.

External links

• JR Digs on Facebook - Official Facebook
• JR Digs - Official site, includes the show history.
• BeRealTV.ca - official site of BeReal with JR DIGS
• JR DIGS: Flying Under The Radar... For Now - article from Hamilton, Ontario's View Magazine.