News & Events

Supporter Spotlight: Kevin Murphy

Over the course of his 40-year-career in Canada’s TV and film industry, Kevin Murphy has been lucky enough to have a variety of jobs. He’s worked as a gaffer, director of photography, camera operator and second unit coordinator/second unit director of photography. In 1992, he launched Murphy Carts, which changed the way films were made in Toronto.

The purpose-built carts, designed by Murphy himself, transported all kinds of lighting and grip gear to set resulting in fewer trips back and forth to trucks up and down often wet and snowy tail gates. This made for a safer workplace, with less wear on the technicians — something that Murphy is very proud of.

By the mid-1990s, Murphy Carts was suppling carts for the majority of the shoots in Toronto with its fleet of over 120 carts. Murphy still enjoys meeting technicians who thank him for putting carts into Toronto’s film industry.

Lately, Murphy has been doing more rigging and set wiring — jobs that allow him to work shorter hours.

“Shooting crews are going 15 hours or more and after 40 years, I don’t want to be working those kinds of hours anymore,” he says.

The long days that come with a career in the entertainment industry can be challenging, especially when one has a family. Murphy, married with three children, and two granddaughters knows the challenges faced by spouses of film workers.

“I do say to the younger workers ‘You know, the rest of the world doesn’t understand that you went to work for 17 hours,’” he says.

Helping younger people navigate the industry is something that Murphy tries to do on several fronts.

“I think it is up to all of us senior guys and gals to get out there and make sure people coming in know all their options: how their health and pension plans work. Things that when you are young you don’t think about because you think you are invincible.”

One of those things is The AFC.

“I talk about The AFC to young people I work with to let them know that it’s there for them.

Murphy says he first really took note of The AFC around 2006. A few years later, he organized a golf tournament in support of the organization. The tournament ran for two years and raised thousands of dollars for The AFC before it “fizzled out.”

Since then, Murphy has continued to support The AFC with personal donations.

“I find it really inspiring to read stories of people who have been helped and know that I have contributed to helping them,” he says.

The AFC is inspired by and extremely grateful for Kevin Murphy’s ongoing support.