ABOUT US
Why did we start AOD
We know what it’s like to have a story or person make a deep impression on your life. And we know what it’s like to have the desire to get that story told and to share it with the masses. Plain and simple, there wasn’t anyone providing a step-by-step guide for making a documentary film. There were courses on the technical side of cameras and editing, but we wanted to provide a course and a community that helped you become an actual filmmaker.
It’s our goal to equip you with the practical knowledge you need and the communal support to make your idea an actual film that can be experienced on the big screen. It’s been such a thrill to have students take their idea, complete their films and get them shown in film festivals. We want more of that. God knows we need great stories told now more than ever and with technology in the place it is, there is more opportunity than ever for great stories to be told.
It’s our goal to continue to grow this community. We want to continue to provide industry leading information in our courses. We want to be able to provide funding opportunities for you and your films. We want to create a platform to share your film with the world. We are partnering with industry leading companies who share in our vision and we can’t wait to help bring your story to life.
Our Team
Michael Del Monte
Michael Del Monte is a Canadian documentary filmmaker. He received his B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Western Ontario and he completed his Master’s in Theology at the University of Toronto. Michael tells stories of forgotten individuals. He has completed four feature documentaries and his work has won awards at the world’s largest documentary festivals. His docs have been acquired by the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime, ESPN, Sundance Now, VICE, CBC and more.
MARK BONE
Mark Bone is an award-winning, documentary and commercial director based in Toronto, Canada.
Mark was first inspired to pursue documentary filmmaking when he spent time as an aid worker during the Darfur war helping refugees who were fleeing into
Egypt. Since that time, he has directed numerous documentaries, including his heart pounding CNN FILMS documentary 58 HOURS, which chronicles the heroic rescue of Jessica McClure and the fallout from that event. Mark’s documentaries regularly win awards such as Vimeo staff Pick Premiere for ‘Battleground’ and the Audience Award at HotDocs for his first full-length feature film ‘OKAY! The ASD Band Film’ Mark has worked on sets in over 35 countries in various capacities and
directed commercial campaigns for global brands such Mercedes Benz, Nike, BMW and Nikon.