From hiding in a bathroom to leaving a legacy, Catherine Mensour reflects on 40 years in the talent biz

June 6, 2024

Catherine Mensour has never worked as an actor, but the local businesswoman sure felt like one when she opened her talent agency in Ottawa nearly 40 years ago.

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Catherine Mensour has never worked as an actor, but the local businesswoman sure felt like one when she opened her talent agency in Ottawa nearly 40 years ago. As a twenty-something-year-old, she had nothing to lose, except for maybe her confidence and self-esteem. “You won’t last six months” she was told by the Ottawa ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) representative. She was met with surprise from industry peers when she visited larger markets. As soon as they heard she was from Ottawa, “you’d see the eyebrows go up.” There was this one time, when she attended her first film industry event at the Montreal Film Festival. She escaped to the women’s bathroom in a panic and spent the next 20 minutes hiding in one of the stalls, trying to calm herself down. “Finally, I talked myself down and said, ‘Come on, you can do this, get out there,’ and I walked back out.” Mensour returned to the event to make a meaningful connection with Germain Cadieux, whom she knew. The Ottawa film buff owned Towne Cinema on Beechwood Avenue many years ago. “After that, I made a deal with myself that every time I went to any function I would meet one new person and have a conversation with them before I left.” Mensour’s imposter syndrome days are a thing of the past. “I’m very much over it,” said the skilled negotiator, strong advocate, trusted confidante and master of diplomacy. “We have clients from across the country. I think we’re known and respected for what we do. “I’m very proud, I’m very happy, I’m very grateful for what (Mensour Agency) has brought me and for all my clients who put their faith and trust in us,” she said. “I really feel that we’ve made a difference.” At the end of June, Mensour is starting a new chapter in her life. She’s closing her agency and devoting more of her time to her charitable Mensour Foundation. “I want to continue having an impact in the arts.” She’s particularly interested in helping young writers tell their stories, whether for the stage or the big screen. “It’s all about a good story; I think that’s the basis of it all. Without the author, there’s nothing there.” Mensour was born and raised in Sudbury to community-minded first-generation Canadians, both of whom were the children of Lebanese immigrants. She left home after high school to attend the University of Ottawa. She was lured away from her studies to work in marketing and advertising for a French-language cultural magazine. The life-long francophile became ensconced in the world of actors and writers. Heck, she even married one (her Franco-Ontarian husband is a successful stage actor, playwright and award-winning writer). Last year, Mensour was honoured with an award from l'Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario (AFO) for a francophile who’s greatly contributed to francophone arts and culture in Ontario. In 1985, Mensour launched the Mensour Agency. It became the first bilingual talent agency in the country. She was absolutely smitten. “People used to say, ‘You’re not taking holidays,’ and I would say, ‘Why do I need a holiday?’ It made me so happy. I was so excited; there was always something new." The talent-hunting agency was a good fit for Mensour and the timing was perfect; there was demand for voice-over actors, particularly in Ottawa’s booming animation industry. As well, there was a steady supply of government gigs and, later, broadcasting work. The Mensour Agency finds work for clients, gets them into auditions, provides support, feedback and guidance, and negotiates their contracts. They represent 100-plus writers, actors, voice artists, translators, speakers and emcees from Ottawa and beyond. “It’s cliché, but we really are like a mother and sister and, well, now I can say grandmother,” said the 66-year-old with a smile. “And a therapist.” Her decision to close the agency was precipitated by the unexpected death of her older brother Michael in Sudbury last September. It was a wake-up call. “I’m living my life like I’m going to live forever, and I’m not. There are all these other things that I want to do,” said Mensour. Retirement isn’t one of them, however. “I look at people who are so happy when they stop working. I just don’t know if I’m that kind of person … I like keeping busy. It will probably be a different pace but I very much like keeping busy.” She had discussed passing along her lucrative business to her talent agents Rachel Perrault and Darius Buddington, but they each had other aspirations. She and Perrault have been “the perfect team” over the course of their 30 years of working together. While the agency closure will leave a void in the market, Mensour expects someone else will come along. “If I like them, I’m really going to help them out,” said Mensour, who sits on the advisory board for the Ottawa Film Commission. Mensour Agency clients aren’t household names, although some, including Canadian novelist and playwright Tomson Highway and former TV journalist Lucy van Oldenbarneveld, are familiar to many. “We started as a little agency,” said Mensour, adding that the company soon began taking on clients in Montreal, Toronto and other parts of Canada. “We built it from nothing and it’s because of its success that I can launch the Mensour Foundation.” Mensour’s definition of success for an actor or writer is: “If you can make a living from what you do and you’re happy and you’re sane and your family has survived it.” Acting is a tough business, she adds. “Everything you do is criticized or critiqued. Everything you do is questioned and judged. You’re as good as your last performance. If you have an off day, all of a sudden, it’s: ‘He’s a has-been’ or ‘He’s lost it’. “I have an enormous amount of respect for the very talented people that persevere.”