Clifford McDowell, CEO, Providential Pictures Incorporated

Founder, president and CEO of Providential Pictures, Cliff McDowell was born in Ontario and trained at the world-renowned William Esper's Acting School in New York City, as well as Tony Pearce's New School of Drama in Toronto. From a young age, Cliff showed a passion for the entertainment industry. After completing his studies, Cliff entered into the corporate world and was involved in a number of ventures in the corporate finance, manufacturing, licensing and retail areas.

From there he re-entered the entertainment industry where he spent several years working as a Producer and Director, as well as a Director of Product Development and Merchandising for several Christian programs such as Quick Study, Just the Facts and The Adventures of Enoch. In these capacities Cliff was responsible for the promotion and development of programs such as Quick Study and Just the Facts, which are now seen in almost sixty countries worldwide, and have a weekly retained viewership of more than three million.

Following his work in the corporate and entertainment world, Cliff decided to pursue studies in the Seminary where he became involved in a ministry dedicated to reaching inner city youth. Over the course of five years in this ministry, Cliff began feeling drawn to finding a way to use media to educate and evangelize children and youth. And it was out of this that came the idea for Providential Pictures, a faith-based film studio founded by him in 2002, to communicate sound biblical values through media productions of the highest ethical and artistic standards.

While involved in the media industry, Cliff's continuing hope to reach out to children and youth was met with another opportunity when three Ugandan brothers came to his church. The special meeting led Cliff to search for Missionaries in Uganda through the net and he became a supporter for a series of orphanage home-building projects. In 2008, Cliff made a trip to Uganda and when it was time to return home to Toronto, he came back with strong hopes to help provide orphanages for children in need around the world.

He currently lives in Toronto with his wife and two children.

Back