Episode #1
Movies Are Made of Thin Air...And 300 People - An Interview With Butch Kaplan
Do you actually know how a movie gets made? With TIFF around the corner, it felt like the perfect time to go behind the camera. I love movies, but my knowledge of the business of making them was superficial at best. Enter Butch Kaplan , veteran line producer who has worked on films including The Notebook, John Q, She’s So Lovely and Marty Supreme . Our conversation took me into a world I knew very little about: Why making a movie is essentially like running a travelling circus of 200–300 people Why experience and reputation can matter far more than credentials How Ontario became such an attractive place to make movies ⏰ Why Butch believes the traditional 12+ hour filming day is not only bad for people — but bad business And why, in an industry built around temporary projects, relationships can last for decades But what I found most interesting was the very human philosophy behind it all. Movies, as Butch says, are essentially made from “thin air.” Someone has a story. People gather around it. Hundreds of people solve thousands of problems. Millions of dollars may be spent. And eventually, an idea becomes something capable of making complete strangers laugh, cry, fall in love or think differently. Perhaps my favourite takeaway? The movie eventually ends. The set disappears. The circus moves on. But the people, relationships and memories remain. ✨ My latest newsletter: Movies Are Made of Thin Air — And 300 People What a veteran line producer taught me about the strange business of making movies — and the very human machinery behind the magic. Perfect little pre-TIFF reading. Peggy Van de Plassche is a value creation strategist and senior advisor with over 20 years of experience in private equity, financial services, healthcare, and technology. She works with investment firms, boards, and C-suite leaders to accelerate portfolio company performance, drive operational transformation, and unlock long-term value. Peggy specializes in the execution of complex value creation plans—spanning capital allocation, digital enablement, transaction advisory, and leadership alignment. Her work consistently bridges strategy and implementation, helping investors and operators maximize EBITDA and enterprise value. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, she also brings deep expertise in public-private partnerships and institutional capital deployment—critical levers for competitive advantage in today’s global landscape. Her clients have included BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. Learn more at peggyvandeplassche.com. #privateequity #privatemarkets #alternativeinvestments #investing #investments #invest #venturecapital #investor #entrepreneur #digitaltransformation #ai #exit #tech #technology #finance #financialservices #healthcare
