Interview with Sean Menard director of The Carter Effect

Sean Menard is the director of The Carter Effect which premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Saturday, September 9. The documentary is an unprecedented look at Vince Carter and his time with the Toronto Raptors and was executive produced by Drake, LeBron James and Maverick Carter through their production company UNINTERRUPTED.

The Carter Effect is a documentary about Vince Carter which chronicles the rise of the Toronto Raptors and the pivotal role of Carter in building the team’s notoriety and planting Toronto firmly on the world’s pop-culture map.

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The film will premiere at TIFF on Saturday, September 9.

The Carter Effect was directed by Hamilton native Sean Menard and was executive produced by Drake, LeBron James and Maverick Carter through their production company UNINTERRUPTED.

Chris McKee from Raptors Rapture had the chance to interview Menard and discuss the details behind the making of the film and the results that followed.

Menard had been sitting on the idea of making The Carter Effect for a few years but was able to make it a reality through his relationship with UNINTERRUPTED who released Menard’s first film as a director called “Fight Mom” which followed Michelle The Karate Hottie Waterson as she balanced life as a mother and professional MMA fighter.

Menard said:

"Working with Maverick and LeBron was great because they were just so encouraging. Not that there was an open cheque, but they never once came to me and said, “Hey we need to condense this.” The doors they were able to open is why the film was so great."

Menard has lived in Toronto for the past decade and has a studio space right next to the Air Canada Centre where he can hear Raptors fans at Jurassic Park cheering outside of the ACC.

He spoke about his love for the city and joked about how he felt pressured by his friends to make this documentary in a manner that properly represented Carter’s effect on the Raptors and the city of Toronto.

Menard interviewed close to 40 people for the documentary which included a drive down to Memphis to speak with Vince Carter himself.

He explained how Carter was somewhat aware of his influence on basketball and pop-culture in Toronto but says that it didn’t really hit him until current NBA stars from the Toronto area began reaching out to him to explain how much he meant to them.

Current NBA stars like Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph are in the film as well as Nik Stauskas who says that Carter was his “Michael Jordan.”

Menard began filming for the documentary back in November starting with Drake Night at the ACC. 

He spoke about having Drake and his manager Adel “Future” Nur on board with the project and how their involvement helped shape the film.

He said:

"It was great to be able to see their passion and how important it is to them to shine light on the city (of Toronto). When Drake got on board as executive producer that just upped it even more."

During the film, Carter speaks candidly about his career and involvement with the Raptors including the legendary 2000 NBA Slam Dunk contest, his relationship with Tracy McGrady, the drama of his departure from Toronto and the recent steps toward reconciliation.

Menard said:

"I think it’s the best NBA documentary ever made."

Next: R-E-L-A-X The Raptors will be just fine.

Some other notable names featured in the film include Steve Nash, David Stern, Charles Oakley, Jalen Rose, Jerry Stackhouse and many more.

You can expect a star-studded premiere of The Carter Effect this Saturday at the Princess of Wales Theatre at 300 King St W. in downtown Toronto.