Glazing the city of Toronto in celebrity magic for one week in September, the Toronto International Film Festival has always boasted the ability to create a buzz and shed the spotlight on industry newbies.

Such is the case for Toronto native Mike Lobel -widely formally known as Jay Hogart from Degrassi: The Next Generation- who is experiencing his first induction into TIFF this year with the rock n’ roll comedy vampire-flick Suck.

“I’m really psyched for tonight,” says Lobel, who’s premiere played at the Bloor Varsity Cinema in Toronto on Friday night. In the midst of running around the city for those last minute “day-of” errands, the 25-year-old reeks of optimism for his first festival outing.

“I’m just running all over the place,” he says.  “I’m loving it so far though. Got to get a jacket, Much On Demand later on for some promotional stuff, and then picking up my date.”

Adds the actor, “I’m just anticipating a wicked time with the guys later on.”

Directed and written by Rob Stefaniuk, Suck tells the story about a struggling rock band ironically called the Winners. Led by lead singer Joey Winner (Stefaniuk), the band tries to make it big on their tour across Canada and the US- despite their lack of popularity. After their bassist Jennifer (Jessica Paré) is turned into a vampire by the Vampire Queen (Dimitri Coats), the band experiences a surprising turn of events. Injecting a heavy dose of rock n’ roll vibes into the film are rock legends Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop who don minor roles as a vampire bartender and the latter as a studio owner.

“They’re all such committed actors,” says Lobel who plays the band’s drummer Sam.  “They work hard for what they do, they came to set and were right on.”

Lobel seemed most fond of co-star Malcolm McDowell who plays Eddie Van Helsing- a vampire hunter trying to chase the clan down.

“Working with the guy was amazing. I was a big fan of A Clockwork Orange. He’s just so creative and passionate about what he does.”

Acquired by Alliance Films, shooting occurred in Toronto last November for 20 days with a low budget of $3.5 million (CAN). Most of the clubs throughout the film are underground clubs and bars in the city.

Lobel admits that once he had a chance to eye the script, he was  -without a question-  hooked. He fought so hard to get the role, that he even sent in an audition tape of himself jamming out on the drums.

“I knew that Stefaniuk’s work was fun and comedic, so I thought this was a really cool opportunity to portray the vampire genre in a different light.”

As his six-year role on Degrassi gained him some street cred, Lobel feels that it’s now time to switch things up and take a stab at feature films. And TIFF’s reputation to give concentrated career boosts can only mean great things for a guy who hopes to continue his new-found path in the film industry.

“I would like my work to speak for itself,” he says, “and I’m just gonna keep on working hard at my craft. It would be great to have the chance to parlay into another feature film, and I’d definitely be open to the opportunity.”

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