[2] He landed a job as film director Joel Schumacher's assistant three days after receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree and until 1994 he worked with Schumacher on Cousins, Flatliners, If Looks Could Kill, Dying Young, Falling Down and The Client, receiving an associate producer credit in the last.
After the Storm was named Best Feature Film at the 2000 New York International Independent Film and Video Festival and Ferland was individually commended on the realism he brought to the film with underwater photography,[3] while he was awarded a Daytime Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Directing in a Children's Special[4] and a Directors Guild of America Award in the category of Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs[5] for Bang Bang You're Dead in 2003.
After directing the 2004 sequel to the 1987 Dirty Dancing, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights,[6] Ferland proceeded to work primarily with television series, and has picked up credits directing for the series Ed, Medical Investigation, House, M.D., Blind Justice, Nip/Tuck, The Unit, Prison Break, Sleeper Cell, Raines, Traveler, Damages, Saving Grace, The Riches, Eleventh Hour, The Blacklist, Daredevil, and most notably The Shield, for which he has directed thirteen episodes.
Ferland was born in Beverly, Massachusetts and attended the acclaimed Hollis/Brookline High School in Hollis, NH.
His father is Rod Ferland, a high school band teacher who also plays with Massachusetts' Boston Pops Orchestra.