Lights, Camera, Chaos: A Look Inside Mr. Cannarozzi's Com Tech Classroom

Known for turning even the most clueless students into semi-competent filmmakers, graphic designers, and audio editors, Mr. Cannarozzi runs the most chaotic yet creative classroom in the school. But what really happens behind the screens? Let’s take a look.

Before he started shaping the next generation of digital creatives, Mr. C had quite the journey through the wild world of communication technology. His “long and winding story,” as he fondly calls it, started after high school, when what he wanted to do and what he was actually doing were two completely different things. While he was taking technical courses like math and preparing for engineering, his real hobbies were film, music, and messing around with editing. Eventually, he ditched the engineering track, got into broadcasting at York University and later Humber College, and dove into the industry. He worked as a DJ at a radio station, did background work on television sets, and even dabbled in indie films—his favorite project being Relic Hunter. Pretty cool, right? But long hours, constant travel, and a show-related injury made him rethink it all. After meeting his wife and healing up, he gave teaching a shot by enrolling in teachers college in 2012. One year later, the rest was history. Somewhere along the way, he decided that instead of working on films, he’d train high schoolers to stop using Comic Sans and actually frame their shots properly. (Spoiler: the Comic Sans battle still rages on.)

A moment that really sealed the deal for Mr. C came before he officially became a teacher. He was helping run a demonstration at a primary school when a principal casually said, “You’d make a fantastic teacher.” Fast forward a few years—and guess who was the first to hire him after teachers college? Yep, that same principle. Full circle moment unlocked.

“I think a lot of students put too much pressure on themselves—and a lot of that comes from parents,” Mr. C shared. “I was there too. That’s why I went into engineering.” During our interview, we kept coming back to familiar phrases he hears often: “I need the best marks!” or “I have to get into this university!” And every time, his question is: Why? “Some people know what they want to do from a young age and stick with it. But for most people, that’s just not the case,” he said. Mr. C didn’t get into teaching or broadcasting right away, but when he did, he genuinely loved what he was doing. His message? It’s never too late to try something new—and enjoy it.

Whether you’re an aspiring filmmaker, a Photoshop wizard, or just here for the “easy” credit (spoiler: it’s not), Mr. Cannarozzi has one core piece of advice:

“Try a bunch of different things to see what you like, what you don’t like—and grow into yourself.”

So if you find yourself in Com Tech next semester, get ready for long hours of editing, a crash course in tech troubleshooting, and most importantly—a teacher who’ll make your text look REALLY cool.