Cotterill was born on November 26, 1971.[1] He graduated from Kennebecasis Valley High School in Quispamsis, New Brunswick and attended Concordia University in Montreal, where he studied film. His first works involved working as an assistant director,[2] including in works such as Starhunter, where he served as third assistant director.[3] For seven years, he worked on set of the Trailer Park Boys, where he met Nova Scotian director Jason Eisener, who brought up a mock trailer contest for the upcoming film Grindhouse.[2] Cotterill, along with Eisener and John Davies, created their entry, Hobo with a Shotgun,[4] with a production cost totalling $150.[2] As part of the 2007 release of Grindhouse, their fake trailer won,[4] beating over 300 other entries. The trailer was also uploaded on YouTube, where it generated over 730,000 views.[2]
Career
As a part of their production company Yer Dead Productions, Cotterill and Eisener created 2008 short film Treevenge.[5] In 2011, Cotterill, Eisener and Davies adapted their once-fake trailer into the feature-length film, Hobo with a Shotgun,[6][7][8] as a result from fan demand. Filming for the movie finished in mid-2010,[2] being shot in Dartmouth and Halifax in Nova Scotia.[9]