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.