#FIRSTLOOK: NEW DOCUMENTARY “BREAKING IDOL” – JACOB HOGGARD ACCUSERS COME INTO LIGHT

Frantic Films’ new documentary BREAKING IDOL, from multi-Peabody and Emmy-nominated director Tiffany Hsiung, is now streaming on CBC Gem, ahead of The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, December 6th.

BREAKING IDOL confronts sexual violence, power and accountability in the Canadian music industry. The film reveals the identity of the woman whose testimony led to the conviction of Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard and follows her decision to reclaim her name, her story and her voice.

In February 2018, a young woman only known as “J.B.” reported being sexually assaulted by Jacob Hoggard, lead singer of the band Hedley in November 2016 (after she saw someone else come forward during #metoo). It took four years for the case to go to trial, and the conviction was handed down in June 2022. During that time, J.B. and the other victim-complainant withstood a brutal and protracted online assault from Hoggard fans who formed a group called the ‘Hedley Army’.

For the last seven years, anonymity was J.B.’s only protection.

Three months after Hoggard was found guilty in 2022, J.B. was listening to Canadian True Crime Podcast and realized they were covering her story and trial. Still under publication ban, she privately contacted podcast host Kristi Lee and a connection formed as the series unfolded. The podcast series entitled The Trial of Hedley’s Jacob Hoggard ranked among Apple’s Top 10 podcast episodes of 2023 in Canada.

When a third woman pressed sexual assault charges, and Hoggard headed toward a second trial, with the Hedley Army still rallying behind him, Frantic Films optioned the podcast and director-writer Hsiung joined the team to explore Hedley fandom, the role of social media and the power of the music industry in shaping our idols, while putting the survivor’s story front and centre and bringing J.B.’s voice to the world.

On November 19, 2025, J.B. shared her identity and her story for the first time in the documentary BREAKING IDOL, produced by Frantic Films and which premiered on CBC’s The Passionate Eye documentary series.

BREAKING IDOL urgently highlights one woman’s fight to reclaim her identity after nearly a decade of anonymity, flipping the ‘shame narrative’ from survivor to perpetrator in a system where over 80% of sexual assaults are never reported. In the documentary, survivor Jessica Baker, known during the trial as J.B., steps out from behind her pseudonym, revealing not only the trauma she endured but the cost of speaking out: relentless harassment, re-traumatization in the courtroom, and years of her life on hold. Her decision to confront both her abuser and the culture that enabled him becomes a powerful testament to resilience and self-determination.

Urgent and unwavering, BREAKING IDOL asks what happens when we finally see the human being behind the headlines and confront the cost of loving our idols more than the truth.

Since filming, Baker and Lee co-founded advocacy group www.beyondtheverdict.ca with BC survivor Kelly Favro.

“Meeting Jessica and witnessing her desire to reveal her identity was profoundly powerful; it was an act of reclaiming truth and shifting the shame from survivor to perpetrator. Shame too often leads to silence, and that silence allows sexual violence to continue unchecked. BREAKING IDOL is both a reckoning and an invitation, urging us to look honestly at how we may have contributed to a culture that protects perpetrators and suppresses survivors’ voices,” said Director Tiffany Hsiung.

“When Jessica first reached out to me, I was surprised and delighted,” said Canadian True Crime’s Kristi Lee, a consulting producer on the documentary. “She provided valuable insights that helped me understand what she endured, first with Hoggard in the hotel room, then later facing his defence lawyer in the courtroom. BREAKING IDOL captured the first time we met in person more than two years later, which was really meaningful for us both.”

BREAKING IDOL was written and directed by Tiffany Hsiung and produced by Jamie Brown, Sally Karam and Stephanie Fast at Frantic Films. Cinematography is by Ann Tipper, with music by Tom Third and editing by Navin Harrilal, and was made with the support of Kristi Lee and the Canadian True Crime podcast. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager of Entertainment, Factual, & Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; Sandra Kleinfeld is Senior Director, Documentary; and Michelle McCree is Executive in Charge of Production, The Passionate Eye and CBC Docs.

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ABOUT TIFFANY HSIUNG (DIRECTOR)
Tiffany Hsiung is a multi-Peabody and two-time Canadian Screen Award-winning filmmaker based in Toronto. Named among DOC NYC’s 40 under 40, she has garnered five Emmy® nominations for Apple TV’s “JANE” series (2023-2025), inspired by Dr. Jane Goodall. Her short film “Sing Me a Lullaby” (2020) won the Oscar-qualifying Grand Jury Prize at DOC NYC, TIFF’s Share Her Journey Award, and earned spots on Canada’s Top Ten list. Her debut feature “The Apology” (2016) secured a Peabody Award, DuPont Columbia Award, and a host of international honors, including Best World Documentary at The Busan International Film Festival. Hsiung’s work has played in over 150 international film festivals and has earned over 25 awards internationally, released and broadcast globally. Hsiung’s innovative work extends to digital media with the Peabody-winning “The Space We Hold” (2017) and television directing for Emmy-winning Sinking Ship Entertainment, where she worked on several of their shows. She serves on the executive board of the Directors’ Guild of Canada, Ontario chapter, co-chairs its DEI advisory committee, and sits on the DOC Ontario board.

ABOUT JAMIE BROWN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/PRODUCER)
As Frantic Films founding CEO, Jamie has been proud to see Frantic become one of Canada’s leading production companies. His first series created a new genre of television in Canada and contributed to being named the first recipient of the Lions Gate Innovative Producer Award in 2003. His many creative honors include Geminis, Banff Rockies, Canada Screen Awards, Golden Sheaf and Indiescreen awards. His work for non-profits include having been a Board member and Chair of the Canadian Media Producers Association, Canada’s National Screen Institute and Onscreen Manitoba. He currently sits on 4 non-profit boards involved in healthcare, public works and business. Most recently, Jamie was named to the Order of Manitoba, the province’s highest honour.

ABOUT SALLY KARAM (SUPERVISING PRODUCER)
Currently VP of Scripted & Unscripted Development at Frantic Films, Sally Karam is an award-winning producer behind internationally acclaimed feature films including Honey Bee, What We Have, and The End of Sex. Her films have played major festivals, earned jury recognition, and balance sharp storytelling and character-driven stories with real commercial appeal. Her broader slate spans internationally celebrated comedy and hard-hitting factual. She produced the international-award-winning phenomenon Baroness von Sketch Show and the political-comedy series Kal Penn Approves This Message. On the doc/factual side, she’s delivered premium true-crime and paranormal franchises including the Gemini-nominated Forensic Factor, Paranormal Survivor, and Alien Mysteries, plus a slate of top-performing MOWs for Hallmark, Lifetime, WNetwork, and UPtv. Previously, she served as VP of Production at Vortex Media, overseeing an annual roster of independent features and TV movies.

ABOUT STEPHANIE FAST (PRODUCER)
Over the past 15 years, award–winning producer and executive producer Stephanie Fast has been central to Frantic Films’ success, with credits on series such as Baroness Von Sketch Show, The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down, Backyard Builds, and Still Standing. She is President of Frantic Films, overseeing all production, post, operations, and distribution across the company’s Toronto and Winnipeg offices, including the international distribution of over 80 hours of programming into 100+ markets. With more than 20 years in the industry, she has worked with major partners such as CORUS, CBC, Bell, TSN, HGTV, Magnolia, and Discovery, and in 2025 she joined the Board of Directors of FilmOntario.