This director has had several successful careers since leaving his native Montreal. Educated at McGill University, Chechik moved to Milan in the late 1970s and became a well-known fashion photographer. Emigrating to the US in the early 1980s, he made a name for himself as a much-awarded director of TV commercials (AT&T, Hallmark, etc.). He then edged his way into the emerging music video industry and, with the rise of MTV, worked with such artists as Hall & Oates and Van Halen.

By 1989, Chechik was ready to direct his first feature film, the frenetic Chevy Chase comedy "National Lampoon's