After
Alfred Hitchcock's 1946 film
Notorious inspired him to become a filmmaker, Ferland went on to study cinema production at the
University of Southern California's School of Cinema and Television, graduating in 1988, and received an internship working as a researcher at
Creative Artists Agency. 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. He then moved on to write and direct his first own film,
The Babysitter, in 1995 and in 1997 directed
Telling Lies in America, which was commended for Excellence in Filmmaking by the
National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. After directing and producing
Delivered, he began to direct for television, starting with
Our Guys: Outrage at Glen Ridge, an
American Broadcasting Company made-for-television movie. while he was awarded a
Daytime Emmy Award in the category of
Outstanding Directing in a Children's Special and a
Directors Guild of America Award in the category of
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs for ''
Bang Bang You're Dead'' in 2003. After directing the 2004 sequel to the 1987
Dirty Dancing,
Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, 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. He was a regular director for the FX series
Sons of Anarchy. Ferland has directed episodes of all seven seasons of the show. He also directed one episode of the FX series
The Bridge in 2014. He also directed six episodes of the zombie television series
The Walking Dead. Ferland has directed episodes for
CBS'
Elementary. He also directed one episode for first season FX series
The Strain, created by
Guillermo del Toro. Also an episode from the second and third season of
Yellowstone. In 2021, he directed two episodes of
Coyote and episode #116: "
Due Process" from the eighth season of
Chicago P.D.. He directed episodes five and six of the American western drama series
1923. ==Personal life==