Mega music fan searches for forever homes for his epic collection

It's a good thing Doug Kretchmer isn't enthralled with cats. 

Instead, the Winnipegger is passionate about, or possibly obsessed with, music. 

Inside a north Winnipeg warehouse that is also his home, Kretchmer came to a realization. He needed to dramatically downsize his music collection, estimated at more than 10,000 pieces.

"The main living area is 14 by 14 [feet, roughly four metres by four metres]. The left wall is all records. The right wall is all records. The front wall is all CDs. And we're talking about a 12-foot-high ceiling, so I'm surrounded by it," he said.

But shortly after moving into the warehouse, he was in two major car accidents within two months.

"I could not walk for a while," said Kretchmer.

"My life kind of really changed. And you really rethink everything, and I'm thinking, 'Wow, if that was fatal, my family would have had to deal with my whole collection,' and where would it have ended up kind of thing."

So now, every weekend, you will find Kretchmer at Winnipeg's Mulvey Market, selling off his collection of LPs, CDs and cassettes. 

"Knowing that some of my really valuable-to-me stuff will go to a great home where someone will appreciate it, you know, I love that idea," he said.

Kretchmer's story is now the subject of a short, three-minute documentary by students in the Create program at Sisler High School.

Create students Markus Penner, Gianluca Caldarola and Joshua Soriano produced the new video.

Meet the filmmakers

Markus Penner developed a passion for film during his gap year after high school. He is deeply invested in storytelling and enjoys exploring familiar ideas through fresh perspectives.

In his spare time, he likes to read history books, trade stocks and write film reviews. In the future, he aims to become a screenwriter and director.

Every day is a new challenge for Gianluca Caldarola, whether he's volunteering for local football teams taking photos or creating new team designs.

Caldarola loves being busy and has a large range of projects on the go. He volunteers with Pros Vs Joes, a week-long event in December that supports families in need. He also volunteers photographing student athletes and taking portraits for awards ceremonies at his former high school Sturgeon Heights.

In his spare time, he likes watching movies, going on nature walks in parks and biking.

Joshua Soriano is a freelance videographer who has been working with cameras since 2023. He started doing sports photography for the Sisler Spartans. Since graduating from Sisler High School, he has started his career as a sports videographer, working with U Sports athletes and teams across Manitoba. 

More about Project POV: Sisler Create

CBC Manitoba's Project POV: Sisler Create is a storytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBC Manitoba journalists to produce short documentaries. You can see past projects here. 

The Winnipeg School Division's Create program is hosted at Sisler High School and trains post-high students in the creative digital arts, including filmmaking.

During fall 2024, CBC journalists taught storytelling to filmmaking students and led production workshops at Sisler.

Create focuses on education and career pathways into the creative industries. Students can take courses in animation, film, game design, visual effects, graphic design and interactive digital media.