To most passers-by, the benches in Kingston’s Victoria Park are nothing special. But for Adrian Salpeter, Artsci’00, and Liz Levine, Artsci’99, one of these benches holds particular significance.

Adrian and Liz met through their work at Queen’s Studio Q and spent many hours together on this particular park bench, dreaming up the idea that would eventually become their film/television production company and creative agency, Random Bench.

“I was always interested in a career in show business,” says Adrian, who was the youngest producer at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2005 with his feature film The French Guy. “My sociology studies were a strong foundation for a career as a creative producer given the myriad people, projects and personalities that populate the day-to-day of producing movies and television.”

Liz, who had a fairly extensive history working for both CityTV and CBC when she came to Queen’s, studied human geography under Dr. George Lovell, who opened her eyes to the power of narrative and the way that people tell stories, create myths, and reinforce ideologies. After graduating from Queen’s, Liz chose to pursue a master’s degree in journalism and then went on to write for the National Post before moving into film and television production. Liz’s documentary Camp Hollywood won a Gemini in 2004 and she went on to become one of the producers on the CBC primetime series, jPod.

It was in 2009 that the duo decided to dedicate themselves entirely to their own dream project, Random Bench—named for their favourite creative hang-out in Kingston. As a production company and creative agency they “market movies to make movies,” providing artwork, websites, and brand strategy for a variety of entertainment and corporate clientele while continuing to produce their own films and television projects.

“We are thrilled to be in a place where our work excites us, and where our passion is our day job rather than being relegated to evenings and weekends,” says Adrian.

While Adrian considers Los Angeles home, Liz enjoys life in Vancouver, but both travel up and down the west coast frequently, spend at least two weeks together every few months, and have projects based in New York and Toronto. It’s a lifestyle that they both enjoy and are happy to share with one another.

“The industry has a very specific rhythm and this makes for both frustrating and exciting times,” reflects Liz. “It is a constant up and down, so it’s great we have each other to count on.”

Check out Random Bench’s projects and services on the company website: www.randombench.com