Goddard, Lance K. 1961-

PERSONAL:

Born June 21, 1961, in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada; son of Colin and Katherine (Southwell) Goddard; married Jane Beames (a television editor), September 13, 1986; children: Ethan, Cameron. Ethnicity: "British/Caucasian." Education: York University, B.F.A., 1984. Politics: Conservative. Hobbies and other interests: Philately, scale shipbuilding, history, television and film.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Ontario, Canada. E-mail— lance.jane.goddard@sympatico.ca.

CAREER:

CFMT-Television, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, staff member, 1984-91; Walt Disney Co., Toronto, television producer, 1991-93; CFTO-Television, Toronto, producer, 1993; Global Television Network, Toronto, producer, 1993-2005; AlarmForce Industries, Toronto, national media manager, 2005—. Freelance television producer; director of videos, including Higher Love; affiliated with the production of other videos, including Victory from Above and D-Day: Juno Beach, Canada's 24 Hours of Destiny. Fundraiser on behalf of leukemia organizations.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Canadian Reggae Award, best video of the year, 1985, for Higher Love; Barbara Frum National Media Award, Leukemia Research Fund of Canada, 2005.

WRITINGS:

D-Day: Juno Beach, Canada's 24 Hours of Destiny (based on his video), Dundurn Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2004.

Canada and the Liberation of the Netherlands, Dundurn Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2005.

Contributor of photographs to Contrast.

SIDELIGHTS:

Lance K. Goddard told CA: "I have wanted to be a writer since elementary school, when I wrote novella-length stories. I pursued storytelling in the visual medium of film and then television. My career path gravitated toward promotions and marketing.

"While working on the promotion of a World War II television miniseries I got involved in interviewing veterans for some short television vignettes, and that turned into a two-hour documentary. The success of that show on air and on DVD led to the production of D-Day: Juno Beach, Canada's 24 Hours of Destiny. The concept of writing a book emerged as a more in-depth presentation of the material I had brought together for the documentary. The people at Dundurn Press were willing to take a gamble on a first-time author, and it paid off with a best-selling book. The D-Day book was presented to Queen Elizabeth II and the prime minister of Canada on the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of D-Day. The success of the D-Day book was followed by the writing of Canada and the Liberation of the Netherlands (as well as the production of another documentary). It was to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation and Canada's key role in that event. This book also became a best-seller in Canada.

"My motivation in writing is to celebrate quiet heroes who deserve recognition for their great deeds. I strive to maintain a positive feel to my work. My influences are varied, but from a young age I was truly captivated by the work of James Michener. His wonderful balance of story and history has always been intriguing to me.

"Thus far I have written about Canadian military history, and it is a homage to our veterans for the great sacrifices that they made for freedom. I think that it is a theme that resonates to this day. I also feel that it is important to record their experiences for future generations, and I am proud that my documentaries and books are being used in high schools and universities.

"I am continuing to do military history subjects, but I am interested in delving into other aspects of history, and at some point I would like to do a few works of fiction. I have approached my work with marketing in mind, in the desire to maximize the number of people who will read my work.

"I have been lucky in my career in broadcasting to have met a wider range of people, from the worlds of entertainment, sports, news, and world politics. I feel that these experiences have benefited my writing. I am intrigued by people who are participants in history and want to discuss their experiences with them."