About Hedgehog Productions
Hedgehog
Productions was founded in 1989 by Frank B. Edwards as an editorial
consulting service and book packager. Today it also provides
a
wide range of editorial and research services in the field of
educational outreach and public communications.
Magazine
editor A journalist by
training (B.J.,
Carleton University), Frank worked as a magazine editor,
feature
writer, photo editor and editorial manager for Canadian
Geographic, Harrowsmith
and Equinox magazines before switching to
the
book publishing business.
Book
publisher In 1985, Frank became
publisher and editorial director of
Camden
House
Books, a
division of the small company that published Harrowsmith,
Canada's legendary rural living magazine. Over the next five years, he
oversaw an editorial team that created almost 100 books and calendars
as well as catalogues, display ads and newsletters promoting book
sales. Annual sales were over $4 million by the time he left in 1989.
Book
Packager
In 1989, Frank left Camden House to set up Hedgehog
Productions.
His first contract was to produce Queen's:
The First 150 Years,
an illustrated history (15,000 copies) of Queen's
University
which was celebrating its sesquicentennial in 1990. Other projects
followed, including The
Cottage Book
(30,000 copies), a compilation of useful advice for cottagers, packaged
in 1991 for Firefly Books.
Children's
Books
While still at Camden House, Frank launched a children's
publishing company, Bungalo Books in 1986 with his
friend John Bianchi, a talented cartoonist and
illustrator who was a regular freelancer for Harrowsmith. For
most of the 1990s, Frank concentrated on developing children's books
with John Bianchi. Together, the duo created 38 books with sales
approaching 2 million copies. A distribution alliance with General
Publishing
in 1999 led to the re-branding of Bungalo Books as Pokeweed Press. After General's
bankruptcy in 2002, Pokeweed moved to North American distributor Fitzhenry-Whiteside.
Frank B. Edwards and John
Bianchi, 1993.
Educational
and Outreach Consulting In 2002, Frank teamed
up with a former Canadian
Geographic
colleague, Janet Uren (who operates Ottawa's WordImage),
to take on a number of educational projects for the National
Capital Commission
(NCC), the new Canadian War
Museum and
the
Archives
of Ontario.
Using his understanding of school curriculum and
children, Frank helped develop a series of programs to deliver client
messages to students and teachers.
Biography
and History His non-fiction book
packaging activities resumed with the publication of two illustrated
titles in 2005 and 2006, Cultivating
the Wilderness
for the County of Lennox & Addington, and A
House Worthy of God
for Napanee's St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church. In 2007, Frank wrote
and researched a biography of bestselling author Robert Munsch for
Fitzhenry-Whiteside
that was nominated for the Ontario Library Association's 2010 Silver
Birch non-fiction award. In the fall of 2009, he began to write feature
obituaries for the Globe & Mail.
Specialty
Writing
As well as
research and writing projects for adult audiences for the NCC, the
National
Arts Centre,
the Canadian War
Museum, and
the Archives of
Ontario
(from speeches, web exhibits, displays, brochures and
administrative documents), Frank has also written several television
scripts for children's producer Sinking Ship
Productions
(Roll
Play).
Working with John Bianchi and musician David Archibald, he is
developing a new preschool series based on his book Downtown
Lost &
Found,
working with entertainment agent Sarah Cooper of The Saint
Agency. In
early 2010, Frank prepared a series of feature length stories for Parks
Canada exploring several infrastructure projects from the Beaufort Sea
to Halifax.
Current
projects
Frank's
attention is currently on preparing educational material for the
upcoming War of 1812 bi-centennial; serving as educational consultant
on a multi-media documentary project on the life of Thomas D'Arcy
McGee; revising editorial content for the Heritage Foundation of
Canada's website; and creating a series of interactive ebooks with
Apple developer Floating Point Communications.
View Frank B. Edwards' resume.
