WEYBURN - The City of Weyburn inducted two new names to its Walk of Fame this month, honouring the achievements and hometown ties of Jason Bohn and James K. Hill.
“This year’s inductees exemplify the spirit, ambition and values that define our community,” said Councillor Laura Morrissette, Chair of the Walk of Fame Committee. “We are honoured to celebrate Jason and James, not only for their accomplishments on the national and international stage, but for the pride they continue to show in their Weyburn roots.”
Jason Bohn, inducted in the Arts and Entertainment category, was born and raised in Weyburn, where his early passion for the arts shone through band, drama, and even a stint as “Captain United” for Communithon.
After moving to Saskatoon in 1996, he began his career as a production trainee and rose to become a respected First Assistant Director and member of the Directors Guild of Canada. With credits on numerous film and television productions—including work with Netflix, Hallmark, and Lionsgate—Bohn has remained in Saskatchewan, contributing to the growth of the province’s film industry and mentoring future filmmakers through Creative Saskatchewan. Today, filmmaking is a family pursuit, with both his wife and son in the industry.
“I’ll tell you a little bit about what I’ve done to get me here. So a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I caught a theatre bug directing a play here in the junior high. That followed me through high school,” said Bohn. “I found it was fairly easy for me to speak and perform in front of groups of people. When school projects were due, I’d grab a video camera and make movies instead of essays or posters. It’s just what I always loved to do.”
“It was a fun way to express yourself and your opinions, and thankfully, I usually got good grades, so I kept doing it. As far back as I remember, I always enjoyed watching movies. I would always stay in the theatre until all the credits were finished rolling by.”
I never had any idea what any of those positions meant or what they did, but someone was doing it, whatever it was, to create that thing that had just taken me to space or made me laugh or cry. One of my first memories is actually seeing E.T. in the building that used to be right there, the Soo Theatre, when I was five, and I wanted to be Elliot, riding a bike past the moon with a cute little alien, because who didn’t, really? Years later, when I was in Saskatoon, a friend of a friend of a friend was working at a company, and they were about to make one of the first movies shot there. So I asked how I could work on it.”
I called the production manager. They ran me through all the departments they were hiring for and all the positions at the end of the movie that I had no idea about. She told me about grips, electrics, the technical jobs, and then she mentioned a trainee assistant director,” added Bohn.
“I was working on set with the assistant director team under the director with the actors, and it sounded perfect for me. I jumped in, not sure what I was getting into, and what I was getting into was 18-hour days making $300 a week, and I fell in love with it, and it turned into the career I’ve been fortunate enough to still be doing for almost 30 years now. Luckily, I make a little bit more than that, and I’m no longer a trainee.”
“As mentioned, I’m the first assistant director. I lead my department. I work closely with the director, the producers, the director of photography, the cast,” said Bohn.
“While we’re shooting, I run the set, ensuring we get all the shots we need on time and on budget. I feel very fortunate to be able to do something I truly love. Every day is something different.”
“My family now has foolishly decided to follow me on this path of film and television. It’s not all stars and magic, but it sure feels like it most times. We always got to bring my kids and my family on as extras, and now, you know, they’ve all had jobs and positions in the film industry as well, and they’re doing amazing.”
James K. Hill, inducted in the Business and Industry category, is a Canadian diplomat whose 35-year career with the Department of External Affairs has taken him around the world. A Weyburn native and University of Saskatchewan graduate, Hill has served in the Middle East, Europe, and Central America, including a posting as Ambassador to Costa Rica. In leadership roles with Global Affairs Canada, he has advanced Canada’s economic ties in complex regions.
Most recently, as Consul General in Atlanta, he helped mark the 50th anniversary of the U.S./Canada partnership—inviting fellow Weyburnite Tenille Arts to perform. Though his work spans the globe, Hill’s pride in his hometown remains strong.
“Because I’ve lived a life of sort of an itinerant global trotter, as it were, I always had to be from somewhere. I always had to identify myself as where I was from,” said Hill.
“So from the very beginning, that was always, I was from Weyburn, and I leveraged that to the extent possible. Because I quickly discovered that whether it was in Ottawa or any place around the world, you just had to take a step off of our country to discover that Weyburn and Saskatchewan had a pretty interesting cachet. For many people, it was just an exotic-sounding place.”
“There was always a way to introduce Weyburn or the fact that I was from Saskatchewan into that sort of global conversation. Because global conversations and the art of diplomacy is all about relationships, as many jobs are,” added Hill.
He shared two stories about how he was able to use his hometown connections to his advantage, helping him in his career.
As part of this year’s ceremony, the City of Weyburn unveiled a commemorative plaque in honour of the late Councillor Dick Michel, recognizing his many years of dedicated service as Chair of the Walk of Fame Committee. This tribute celebrated not only his dedication to uplifting the achievements of others, but also the lasting impact he made on a community he held close to his heart.
