Who is “Le pro des DVD”?

This story originally appeared in URBANIA, an online magazine based in Quebec focused on pop culture and society.

Latin Quarter, Little Italy, Saint-Michel Boulevard, Henri-Bourassa and Pie-IX metro stations—no matter where I go in Montreal, I keep spotting mysterious signs promoting a Marketplace shop called "Le Pro des DVD." These guerrilla-style posters with their rough, handmade look are as striking in their simplicity as they are in their sheer number. With every new sighting, my curiosity about this ‘Banksy of DVDs’ only deepens. Who’s behind this unusual DIY marketing campaign?

To satisfy my growing curiosity, I followed the only instruction on the posters: check out Marketplace.

After exchanging a few messages, Jean-François Hall, the Pro des DVD himself, welcomes me into his Rosemont apartment and shares the origins of his project.

“It all started two years ago when my neighbour, who’s a bit of a pack rat, got evicted. Nearly 5,000 of their DVDs ended up on the street. The whole block started picking through them, and I grabbed about 1,500. Within two or three months, I’d sold everything!” he recalls.

Two years have passed since then.

Now 40 and working in film production, Jean-François underwent major surgery in the summer of 2022. He saw his recovery period as the perfect time to restart the business. "I began buying DVD lots wherever I could. Mostly people clearing out their basements. 200 here, 300 there. Gradually, I built up a small clientele."

Right after Quebec’s 2022 provincial election, Jean-François began gathering campaign signs. “I was inspired by one of those 'I Buy Houses for Cash' guys for my posters.’ I’d sit here at my little desk, going through each step carefully—cutting, writing the message, punching holes. Since then, I’ve put up over a thousand, though quite a few have been taken down,” says the man from Varennes, comfortably seated amid stacks of plastic crates.

After a surprisingly successful holiday season, he estimates that 50% of his clientele has come directly, or indirectly, through his signage campaign. “People take pictures and share them around. Since they’re always in the same spots, maybe it’s begun to sink into everyone’s subconscious.”

He also revealed that he plans each poster placement carefully. Just before Christmas, he’ll concentrate signs near the Galeries d’Anjou before relocating them elsewhere in early January. “I wanted to put some on Sainte-Catherine, but I knew they’d disappear fast. So I put a few up two days before the Santa Claus Parade. They were there for a week!” he says with a hint of pride.

“I move them around a lot, but I have my favourite spots,” he continues. “The entrance and exit of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge, around the Bell Centre.  I found poles next to TVA’s building, right where journalists do their live reports. Free TV ads! But there’s still a game to play with the cameramen because some turn them around or don’t focus on them, so I’ll change poles or make them bigger for a better impact on TV! Companies can pay thousands for TV exposure! Other than the zip ties, I haven’t spent a cent.”

Genius.

Jean-François knows that his clandestine and slightly punk approach might annoy some people. “I got one message saying, ‘Stop your visual pollution.’ I had plastered Beaubien, and the signs quickly disappeared after that. On Masson street, they were gone within 48 hours. I mean, it’s all fair game.”

Jean-François knows that his clandestine and slightly punk approach might annoy some people. “I got one message saying, ‘Stop your visual pollution.’ I had plastered Beaubien, and the signs quickly disappeared after that. On Masson street, they were gone within 48 hours. I mean, it’s all fair game.”

Despite the significant decline in the popularity of physical DVDs, he believes there’s still a niche of passionate collectors—die-hards who like having movies at their fingertips.

“I mostly sell directly to individuals,” he adds. “I have a regular clientele of about 40 customers who buy them every week. I also sell to stores, pawn shops, flea markets—they go for three or four bucks each and are always negotiable. I buy them from all over: from suppliers, online, leftovers from video clubs, even overstock from Renaissance that ends up lost in warehouses. It’s a mix of sources,” Jean-François explains.

By his estimates, he’s purchased 25,000 DVDs since July 2022 and sold 19,000 of them.

Pretty impressive for a dying medium.

If this whole adventure started with an eviction, then a surgery, slowing down isn’t part of the plan. “I’m picking up a batch of 1,500 DVDs later today. And the signs will keep going. I haven’t seen anyone or any campaign copy my style yet. I’m thinking of putting some up on Jean-Talon, maybe along the Main. I’m not looking for fame in this, just a way to reach people,” he concludes with a smile.

Just before leaving, he hands me one of his signs as a keepsake. I slip this precious gift into my bag.

Mystery solved.

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