Jermaine Bagnall began his academic career at Laurentian University pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce in Sports Administration. After two years he decided to make a dramatic shift by entering the B.A. English Rhetoric & Media Studies Program. While in this program he produced and directed his first films, Rambivalence and Walking the Same Earth. An experimental piece based on poetry he wrote Rambivalence garnered several awards, including the MCTV Broadcast prize, Association for Media and Technology in Education in Canada (AMTEC) Student Award of Excellence, and a screening at Cinefest. He followed this piece with his first documentary project that focused on homelessness within Sudbury. This piece won the MCTV community prize and has been used for several fundraisers for the local shelter. His script “Tuna or Chicken Salad” was nominated for the Peter Garretson Award for screen writing.