McCloskey, Patrick

He was raised in Unionville, Ontario.

He earned as B.A. degree in English, University of Western Ontario. "In 1973 I was working as a writer for the Canadian Government Office of Tourism in Ottawa, writing travel articles about places in Canada which I had never seen, but since our agency lacked a travel budget, I had to make do with phone calls, reading old articles, and using my imagination -- not a deeply satisfying experience. I applied to take a Masters Degree in Educational Technology and was accepted. Meanwhile I was going into the Gatineau Hills on weekends and was sensing in myself a growing love of the outdoors and of photography. One day our office had some visitors from the National Parks headquarters down the street, who showed us two new six-projector audio-visual shows, about Forillon and La Mauricie National Parks in Quebec. As I sat in the darkened theatre it was as though I could see my future unfolding before my eyes. The next day I went to the Parks office, starting a regular round of inquiries to them about getting a job which finally, after six months of phone calls, landed me a two-month summer student position. I quit my full-time job, told the university I wouldn't be enrolling, and took a chance that the job would become permanent. The two-month contract led to a three-month extension, then four months, till I had been there two years, learning the basics of audio-visual production. Finally I was offered the position of Regional AV Producer for the Prairie and Northern Region of Parks Canada based in Winnipeg. I took it, and spent the next six years in Winnipeg, developing my production skills and becoming familiar with the magnificent national and historic parks in that region. Finally in 1981 I made the leap to the private sector, and to live near the mountain landscape that I longed for, when I moved to Calgary. I have been in the area ever since, and am now living in that great mountain landscape in Canmore, Alberta. I have continued to make my living in interpretation, first doing multi-image shows and now video productions for a wide variety of interpretive centres and museums. Before seeing those two AV shows in Ottawa, I had never heard the word "interpretation" in the way it was used by those parks people. But I was drawn to it as a career, and specifically to audio-visual production in interpretation, because it combined for me so many of the elements I wanted both in a career and in my life in general: involvement in education, a proactive role in conservation, photography, the use of music, and writing. It continues to be a rich mix for me, both in the variety of tasks involved in every production and in the variety of stories and locations and people that I have gotten to know over the years. I even met my wife, Heather Walter, at an Interpretation Canada conference! My first taste of wide-screen multi-image production (a medium which I came to love) happened in 1978 when I was recruited from Winnipeg to Ottawa by John MacFarlane to work on a production about Canada's national parks for an international gathering of parks professionals. Since then, some of my most memorable projects have been productions for Kluane National Park, the United Nations Pavilions at Expo 86 in Vancouver and Expo 88 in Brisbane, and a museum in Saudi Arabia; a show about the coal mining history in the Crowsnest Pass, and two productions for Wanuskewin Heritage Park in Saskatchewan. However, I have found that, although some projects may appear to be about lacklustre themes at first glance, they all turn out to be inherently interesting and worthwhile as I get further into the story. My mentors and influences in interpretation include Grant Tayler, Bob Gray, Bob Peart, John MacFarlane, Ron Seale, Rob Gillespie, and many others to numerous to list." In 1981 - 1999 he was President, McCloskey Productions Inc.: Calgary and Canmore, Alberta.

In 1975 - 1981 he was Audio-Visual Producer, Parks Canada Prairie and Northern Region, Winnipeg.

In 1973-1975 he was Audio-Visual Producer, National Parks Branch of Parks Canada, Ottawa.

In 1971 - 1973 he was Senior Editor and Feature Writer, Canadian Government Office of Tourism, Ottawa. His awards include: Gold Award Interpretation Canada Competition, 1998, Film/Video Production, for "Thunder in the Valley". Produced for Historic Atlas; Coal Mine in Drumheller Valley, Alberta; Platinum Award Interpretation Canada Competition, 1998: "Best Entry Overall" for "Thunder in the Valley"; Best in Show Award for media productions, all categories, Interpretation Canada National Conference, for "In the Mountain's Shadow" Plays continuously at Frank Slide Visitor Centre, Crowsnest Pass; First Prize National Association for Interpretation (U.S.), Film/Video Category for "Seeking Peace of Mind". Plays continuously at Wanuskewin Heritage Park, Saskatoon; Gold Award International Association for Multi-Image Competition, Atlanta, Georgia, for six-projector show "KLUANE". Plays in national park interpretive centre in Yukon; Gold Award International Association for Multi-Image Competition, Atlanta, Georgia, for three-projector show, "Lower Fort Garry: A Window on the Fur Trade"; Silver Award National Association for Interpretation (U.S.), Film/Video Category for "Thunder In the Valley"; Silver Award: Canadian Association for Multi-Image, Toronto, for 18-projector show "Island In Space" (produced for United Nations Pavilion at Expo '86); Silver Award International Association for Multi-Image Competition, Dallas, Texas, for nine-projector show "In The Mountain's Shadow"; Silver Award: Canadian Association for Multi-Image Competition, Toronto, Ontario, for "In The Mountain's Shadow"; First Prize "Best Genre Picture" from Hungarian Tourist Board in invitational photo contest, "Budapest, Pearl of the Danube"; Bronze Award: Interpretation Canada Competition, 1998, Film/Video Production, for "Katannilik: Timeless Land / Changing Land" Produced for Katannilik Park Interpretive Centre on Baffin Island in eastern Arctic; Award of Excellence World Environment Festival, Ottawa; Merit Award: from Interpretation Canada for "KLUANE"; Merit Award from Environment Canada.