Anna Newallo

Ontario Creates

Anna Newallo has 3 decades of experience in the Film and Television industry. As a Program Consultant at Ontario Creates, her portfolio contains a wide range of programs and initiatives including the Film Fund (Production and Development), Marketing and Distribution Initiative and Industry Development Program. As a producer, her award-winning independent films have played major international festivals, and as a writer, her short stories have appeared in numerous publications. Prior to joining Ontario Creates, she worked on projects for The Disney Channel, CTV, Discovery Channel, CBC, TMN (now Crave), CityTV and BRAVO!

Desmond Sargeant

Writer

Desmond Sargeant is a Canadian filmmaker whose work has screen locally and internationally. He began his career as a script reader for literary talent agent, Glenn Cockburn, at the Meridian Artists Talent Agency. Over the course of his career, he has written youth programs for the likes of TVO, CBC, PBS, Treehouse TV, DreamWorks Animation, Apple TV + and Netflix. In 2021, Desmond was the recipient of the Canadian Screen Award for Best Writing in an Animation TV Series, the Youth Media Alliance Award of Excellence and was nominated for a Writers Guild of Canada Award for Best Writing in a Children’s Series.

Steve Gamester

Creative Director at Saloon Media

Steve Gamester is Creative Director of factual programming at Saloon Media. He has worked as a Broadcaster, Executive Producer, Showrunner, Writer, and Director. Recent credits include: Inside the Statue Wars (CBC) History by the Numbers (Curiosity), and Mummies Alive (Smithsonian, UKTV, History and ZDF). Steve’s shows have been nominated for over 30 Canadian Screen Awards.

Neal McDougall

Assistant Executive Director, Writers Guild of Canada

Neal McDougall is Assistant Executive Director at the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC). Since 2013, Neal has advocated for Canadian screenwriters in policy proceedings before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), federal Parliamentary committees, and with funding bodies and elected officials. Prior to that, Neal worked in policy and program development at the Canada Media Fund. He has worked as a professional screenwriter himself and was an award-winning student filmmaker. Neal holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from York University, where he studied film and video production.

Luisa Alvarez Restrepo

ACTRA

Luisa Alvarez Restrepo is a Colombian-Canadian film executive, cultural programmer, and filmmaker. Her work focuses on representation, inclusion, and access in the industry. She has previously worked for major organizations like TIFF and WarnerMedia with a focus on spotlighting underrepresented talent. She is currently at ACTRA Toronto as Manager: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging.

Gail Haupert

ACTRA

Gail Haupert is the Director of Film, Television & Digital Media, and has worked at ACTRA for 15+ years. She is always thrilled to see ACTRA Performers on her screens and has an especially soft spot for holiday MOWs that feature heartfelt performances from the ACTRA membership.

Kevin Gallant

Audio Engineer

Kevin is a highly skilled audio engineer and content creator at the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology. He boasts a diverse skill set that he has employed across multiple platforms. Kevin’s specialty is location sound and post-production for commercials, short films, and voice-over acting. His extensive experience has allowed him to develop a keen ear for audio detail and an innate ability to capture and deliver high-quality audio productions.

Rebecca Snow

Director

Born in London England, Rebecca started her career at the BBC working on historical dramas and arts documentaries. Since then she has worked in Los Angeles and Toronto with broadcast writing/directing credits that include NBC’s Emmy-nominated documentary series ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’, CBC’s ‘Nature of Things’, and History Channel’s ‘Hunting Nazi Treasure’, ‘Museum Secrets’ and ‘Real Vikings: Viking Women’ for which she won the Canadian Screen Award for directing. Her first feature-length documentary ‘Pandora’s Box: Lifting the Lid on Menstruation’ had its world premiere at Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2020 and won the Alliance of Women Film Journalists Special Jury Award at Whistler Film Festival. ‘The Boy In The Woods’ is her first narrative feature, and is based on the memoir of a Holocaust survivor who appeared in her feature-length documentary ‘Cheating Hitler: Surviving the Holocaust’. The documentary made world news and was nominated for 6 Canadian Screen Awards.

Justin Rawana

Writer

Justin Rawana is a Guyanese-Canadian writer who began his career on the CMF-funded web series DHALIWAL ’15. He then graduated the CFC PRIME TIME TV PROGRAM in 2017 and quickly established himself as one of the industry’s go-to story editors. He has worked for Cameron Pictures on the final season of the acclaimed drama MARY KILLS PEOPLE and for Sinking Ship on the Emmy award-winning series ODD SQUAD: MOBILE UNIT. His first writing credit was on the smash teen comedy THE NEXT STEP and he’s currently writing on the newest season of the hit CBC/Lionsgate Television sitcom SON OF A CRITCH. He has two comedy projects in development at Peacock Alley and also works for Telefilm’s BPOC project development stream. He loves watching movies, TV shows, and web content and devours the murder mysteries of Louise Penny, though he has yet to correctly predict the killer even once.

Federico Pereanez

Editor

Federico’s career in cinematography started in Canada, where he developed his craft in motion graphics, video editing, visual FX, 2D and 3D animation, and color grading. He soon became recognized for his artistic ability to deliver innovative and cutting-edge solutions to every project he was involved in. His passion for cinematography and leadership skills quickly made him a valuable asset to his clients and colleagues. Federico has worked on several advertising projects, TV shows, corporate identity, and documentaries for Canadian and international television. Federico’s work has been featured on Discovery Canada, Discovery Latin America, HGTV, among others.

Tamara Moulin

Writer

Tamara Moulin is a writer of one-hour drama series. Her recent credits include the CBC/Paramount+ drama SkyMed and CTV/NBC’s medical drama Transplant. She previously worked on Ransom (Global/CBS), Frankie Drake (CBC), Carmilla (digital), Remedy (Global) and Cracked (CBC). She also worked as an intern in the writing rooms of both Flashpoint and Rookie Blue. When she’s not writing, she can usually be found cheering for (or crying over) the Toronto Blue Jays.

Adam Madrzyk

Cinematographer

Adam Madrzyk is an award-winning Polish Canadian cinematographer. Adam received the Best Non-Theatrical Cinematography award from the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSCs) in 2022 for his acclaimed first feature film, “The Family,” which premiered at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea is now steaming on Amazon Prime in the U.S. His work has been recognized and showcased at various film festivals worldwide. Adam’s notable short form projects include “GUION,” which premiered at the Rhode Island International Film Festival in 2018 and received multiple award wins and nominations including the Student Cinematography Award at the CSCs that same year. Additionally, his other narrative and documentary work have been featured on Netflix, as Vimeo Staff Pick Premieres, earned him CSC nominations, a nomination from The Young Guns and won accolades at the 1.4 awards. Adam has an extensive commercial and music video portfolio, collaborating with renowned brands like Nike, Ford, Canada Goose, OVO, Microsoft, and Disney, as well as artists such as Metro Boomin, Drake and DJ Khaled.

Robert Boudreau

Lumanity Productions

Robert Budreau is an award-winning writer, director and producer at Lumanity Productions based in Toronto and Los Angeles. He recently partnered with Leonardo DiCaprio’s APPIAN WAY to produced and direct QUEEN OF BONES (2023) and he also produced BOY IN THE WOODS (2023) by writer/director Rebecca Snow. Previous features include DELIA’S GONE (2022), STOCKHOLM (2019) starring Ethan Hawke, Noomi Rapace and Mark Strong and BORN TO BE BLUE (2016) about jazz legend Chet Baker, also starring Ethan Hawke. Additional features Budreau has produced include: THAT BEAUTIFUL SOMEWHERE, BANKSTAS, SOLO, EL JEFE AND BLOOD HONEY.

Melissa Amer

Telefilm

Melissa Amer is the Regional Feature Film Executive for Ontario and Nunavut at Telefilm Canada. Telefilm’s mission is to support the development, production, promotion and distribution of the screen-based industry in Canada. Prior to joining Telefilm, Melissa worked at the Canadian Television Fund, Alliance Atlantis and the Canadian Film Centre. She studied film and communications at both McGill University and the University of Toronto.

Micah Kernhan

CBC

Micah Kernan is the Development Manager for both Drama and Comedy. She coordinates the management, tracking and distribution of projects. She supports the team by evaluating pitches and being the point of contact for creators to connect with CBC. Micah is the current Programmer for Canada’s longest running short film showcase, Canadian Reflections. At the CBC, inclusion and diversity are a priority. This means Micah works to reflect all of the regions and the country’s multicultural and multiracial nature, while programming for Canadian Reflections.

Faran Moradi

Director / Writer

Faran Moradi is a CSA-nominated Iranian-Canadian filmmaker, born and raised in Ontario. Faran recently made his first feature film a romantic-comedy set in the Toronto Iranian community called Tehranto, which was nominated for multiple CSAs, was shortlisted for Sundance 2021 and won Cinequest’s Best Feature in 2022. Tehranto recently completed its Canadian and American theatrical runs, and is now available On Demand. Faran went on to direct and edit on Emmy Award winning TV shows including Odd Squad, and write and direct the award winning short film Blackpowder and Guilt. He most recently directed 4 episodes of Holly Hobbie (Hulu), and is set to direct on the upcoming Prime show Dino Dex.

Barri Cohen

Filmmaker & Policy Writer at POV Magazine

Barri Cohen is a veteran award-winning writer/director, producer, and cultural policy wonk who has written extensively for over 20 years at POV Magazine about the art and business of the independent documentary. Among her film awards and nominations are those for her feature doc, Toxic Trespass: Children’s Health and the Environment (WGC winner), and the 2019 Emmy nominated, and CSA award-winning investigative feature film, Toxic Beauty, which she produced for director Phyllis Ellis. Cohen’s current film, Unloved: Huronia’s Forgotten Children, premiered at Hot Docs in 2022, where it picked up the 3 rd prize Hot Docs-Rogers Audience Award. The film has won several international prizes, a DGC Award, and garnered 5 nominations from the WGC and CSA Awards. She is currently venturing into scripted development and consults on first time feature documentaries.

Kris Pearn

Animation Director/Producer

After graduating from Sheridan College, Kris has spent most of his life making cartoons for both film and television. His credits include Open Season, Surf’s Up, Arthur Christmas, Shaun the Sheep, Pirates: Band of Misfits, and Home to name a few. He was Head of Story on Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, and co-directed Cloudy Two: Rise of the Leftovers. He has most recently written and directed the Netflix animated feature The Willoughbys based on the novel by Lois Lowry. Kris has been nominated for several Annies, has taught at Sheridan College, lectures all over the world through Schoolism, and has given a Ted Talk called “The Optimistic Opportunity of Failure”. He has illustrated several books including Edward The Tree Climbing Dog, Project Superhero, and Tales of Spiffing. He still loves to draw.

Janine Steele

Canada Media Fund

Based in Vancouver, Janine is an experienced media producer and arts administrator with a focus on digital strategy and immersive technologies. She will help develop policy and programs to ensure the CMF’s mandate is fulfilled in consistency with the distinctiveness of Canada’s IDM market. Prior to joining the CMF, Janine held senior roles provincially with Creative BC and federally with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). While at the NFB, she was responsible for all their digital products and platforms, and managed award-winning collaborations with key partners, such as Google, the Guardian, imagineNATIVE, and VICE Media. Most recently, Janine was a programs manager at Creative BC, responsible for the Domestic Motion Picture Fund and the Interactive Fund. In that role, she designed several industry-leading funding programs, including the first digital media funding available in BC, and the first targeted funding for equity seeking motion picture creators in BC.

Peggy Kyriakidou

NABET

The current President of NABET 700-M UNIFOR, Peggy possesses over 30 years of experience in the Film and Television industry. Prior to her presidency, she spent 10 years on the NABET 700-M UNIFOR Executive Board as the Vice President of the Hair Department. In her role as President, Peggy oversees all operations, negotiates collective bargaining agreements, and advocates for the employment interests of technicians across 14 departments. She is actively engaged in the industry, sitting on UNIFOR National’s Media Council Board and the Ontario Green Screen Committee. Peggy’s passion for storytelling and collaboration fuels her work in bringing characters to life and contributing to award-winning feature films like “Stockholm,” “Regression,” “Wolves,” and “Godsend,” as well as popular television series such as “Relic Hunter,” “Queer as Folk,” “Mary Kills People,” and “Ransom,” among many others.

Rachel Gordon

Distribution Educator and Author

Rachel Gordon has worked in the marketing and distribution of documentary films for two decades. In addition to grassroots outreach, she operated collective sales booths at conferences, giving independent filmmakers exposure at events that were too expensive to attend directly. After interviewing over 150 producers and industry representatives, Rachel released the globally-focused how-to book: The Documentary Distribution Toolkit: How to Get Out, Get Seen, and Get an Audience. Rachel promotes documentary distribution education and has participated in webinars on preparing for the professional community through: DOC NYC Pro, Encounters South African International Documentary Film Festival, The D-Word, CNEX Chinese Documentary Forum (CCDF), IDA, and Medimed, among others. Her website is www.rachelgordonmedia.com.

Greg Jeffs

Director, Cinematographer

Greg Jeffs is an NSI Alumni (Features First), has participated in the Telefilm PITCH THIS! Program at TIFF, the 2020 Frontieres program and he won the 2021 Telefilm JETS program. Greg’s work with WFW combines his knowledge of independent filmmaking with the world of professional filmmaking equipment and support. He actively develops long-lasting relationships with emerging and established content creators at all stages of their production to guarantee they obtain maximum value by providing mentorship and advisement on all possible funding opportunities. In working closely with filmmakers, Greg ensures their finished product is the best as it can be.

Mark McAuley

Lawyer

Mark McAuley is an Associate in the Business Law Group at Lerners LLP in its London office and a lover of all things film. Prior to pursuing a career in law, Mark enjoyed a career as a musician performing with his brothers in the Juno nominated group, the McAuley Boys and as a solo act under the name Mac Graham. Mark has represented various artists including photographers, authors and music producers and writers, and has represented public and private companies in corporate and commercial transactions. He maintains a passion for growth-oriented opportunities and has a keen interest in entrepreneurship, technology, and the arts and entertainment sector and aims to provide practical advice to emerging companies as well as established businesses. Mark completed his JD at Western University where he was the Valedictorian of his graduating class. During his time at Western, he was engaged in the student community as an executive of the Student Legal Society and as president of the Western Chapter of the Black Law Students Association.

Romy Goulem

Director, Cinematographer

Romy is an experienced Independent Filmmaker, freelance Director, Cinematographer, and Editor with over 20 years of industry involvement in Montreal, Toronto, and London. Collaborating with top Canadian Production Companies, Romy’s work has been broadcasted on major networks such as CTV, CBC, MuchMusic, The Life Network, Discovery, Vision TV, and Slice. His films, including award-winning features like “The Drive” and “The Tar Ponds Loonie Give-Away,” have been widely screened and recognized globally. With a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in Cinematography, Editing, and Still photography from Ryerson’s School of Film and Photography, Romy is passionate about sharing his expertise as an educator and inspiring aspiring filmmakers.

John Galway

Corrib Entertainment

John Galway is a highly experienced Canadian film and television executive with over twenty-five years of industry expertise. He has held key positions at organizations such as TIFF, Independent Pictures, Ontario Media Development Corporation, Canadian Media Fund, and Telefilm Canada. John is also a co-founder of the Toronto Irish Film Festival, serves on the board of the Canadian Film Festival, and launched his own production firm, Corrib Entertainment, in 2019. His outstanding contributions were acknowledged when he received the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television’s Board of Directors Tribute Award at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022.

John Buffone

Supervising Producer at Bell Fibe

John Buffone is currently the supervising producer at Fibe TV1 – Bell’s video-on-demand community television platform. In his seven-year tenure, TV1 has expanded to create local content, with broad appeal in markets from Manitoba to Newfoundland and Labrador. He oversees almost 100 new series every year, in 4K and HD, and has seen viewership increase steadily over the same period. Prior to joining the TV1 team, John had a long career in news and information programming. He started his career as a writer and chase producer for Canada AM and CTV News Channel eventually becoming one of the youngest Executive producers in News Channel’s history. He revamped the format, expanded the roster of anchors and reporters and launched the innovative national prime-time news program “Kevin Newman Live”. Never able to stay in one place, he also had some detours that include the CBC documentary “Hunting Arrows”, a role as the senior producer at BNN, working as a producer and camera operator for the Gemini nominated “ShiftTV”, and a few other lifestyle shows. He got into TV because he spent most of his youth sitting in front of one and figured he might as well turn that into a career. When he’s not working, he’s spending time with his family, cooking (and eating) or cycling.

Jonas Chernick

Writer/Actor/Producer

Jonas Chernick is a highly acclaimed actor, writer, and producer known for his exceptional work in films like “James vs. His Future Self,” “Ashgrove,” and “The End Of Sex.” His captivating storytelling and compelling performances have earned critical acclaim, multiple awards. From winning accolades at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival to earning recognition at the Canadian Film Festival, Chernick’s talent has been celebrated by audiences and critics alike. With upcoming projects on the horizon, including co-starring with Kiefer Sutherland in “Rabbit Hole” and leading the drama feature “The Time We Met,” Jonas Chernick’s influence in the entertainment industry continues to grow.

Kelly Payne

Senior Director Business Affairs, Production Funding at Blue Ant Media

Kelly Payne has over two decades of experience in the Film and Television industry. As Director, Business Affairs, Production Funding at Blue Ant Media she leads the Canadian and American production and development teams in the strategic approach to project financing, including facilitation of applications, negotiations and deal structure for Film and Television content developed and produced in Canada and the USA. Prior to joining Blue Ant Kelly spent 10 years at Ontario Creates in a variety of capacities. At Ontario Creates Kelly contributed to agency policies and strategies, driving innovation and growth in Ontario’s creative industries. Her portfolio contained a wide range of programs and initiatives including Tax credits, the Feature Film Fund, Industry Development initiatives, Export, Marketing and Distribution programs. Ms. Payne has also held management roles in programming, production, and business/legal affairs with Bell Media (CTV) and Rogers Broadcasting Limited (RBL), sits on the Board of Directors for Spacefy, a marketplace for inspiring short-term space rentals centered around the creative industry and is a founding member of the Halton Hills Arts and Culture Working group.

Kelly Peckham

Documentary Filmmaker & Producer

Kelly is a respected storyteller with decades of experience in factual television. She’s worked as a director and producer in genres from news and current affairs, to lifestyle, reality and documentary programming. Kelly has years of experience with Discovery Channel in Canada, creating award-winning features for Daily Planet in North America and abroad (Telly and Worldfest Houston Awards). She was nominated for the prestigious Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism – Features for her work produced in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. She has directed aviation documentaries internationally for Discovery’s Flightpath and contributed to several specials for Discovery US/Canada. Kelly’s editorial oversight was honed as a Production Executive with Life Network, giving a careful eye to storylines and character development to dozens of reality series. As a Senior Producer, she created and produced and delivered the highly successful series Til Debt Do Us Part, earning a Gemini Award for Best Lifestyle Series in Season One. Kelly is known as a solid creative voice, an exceptional writer and storyteller and an enthusiastic team player, coaching the best out of talent and situations to produce compelling television. She has an excellent relationship with the networks and knows how to deliver successful series for any audience.

Paige Murray

Executive in Charge of Development, Drama on the Scripted Content

Paige Murray has worked at the CBC for over eleven years within the content areas. She is currently Executive in Charge of Development, Drama on the Scripted Content team. In this role, Paige oversees the development of one-hour dramas and actively looks for creators and stories that reflect the spectrum of the Canadian experience to entertain and enlighten CBC audiences. Previously, she was Executive in Charge of Production, YA Digital Originals, overseeing production and development of short and mid-length series for CBC Gem such as Series Mania Best Short Series winner and SXSW Episodic Jury winner Something Undone, For Heaven’s Sake, Queens, Decoys and Kenny & Spenny: Paldemic Special. Prior to this role she worked with the scripted content team as the Development Manager for Comedy and Drama and was the Canadian Reflections Programmer. Additionally, Paige currently sits on the board of Breakthroughs Film Festival and the advisory board of The Future of Film Showcase.

Peggy Kyriakidou

NABET, President

Peggy Kyriakidou, the current President of NABET 700-M UNIFOR, possesses over 30 years of experience in the Film and Television industry. Prior to her presidency, she spent 10 years on the NABET 700-M UNIFOR Executive Board as the Vice President of the Hair Department. In her role as President, Peggy oversees all operations, negotiates collective bargaining agreements, and advocates for the employment interests of technicians across 14 departments. She is actively engaged in the industry, sitting on UNIFOR National’s Media Council Board and the Ontario Green Screen Committee. Peggy’s passion for storytelling and collaboration fuels her work in bringing characters to life and contributing to award-winning feature films like “Stockholm,” “Regression,” “Wolves,” and “Godsend,” as well as popular television series such as “Relic Hunter,” “Queer as Folk,” “Mary Kills People,” and “Ransom,” among many others.

Maria Alexopolous

Director of Video, Hive Media Group

A London, ON native Maria has over 15 years of film and video experience. Having studied filmmaking in the UK, she went on to produce three independent feature films and directed an award-winning documentary in Nepal currently on Amazon Prime. For the past 8 years she has worked in the social media space having launched the video division for Diply, her work garnered over a billion Facebook views. She currently works for Hive Media Group where she produces multiple Snapchat shows.

Kerry Ball

Meridian Artists

Kerry Ball is a Literary Agent and Head of Development at Meridian Artists. Kerry joined the Meridian team in 2010 as an Associate where she worked closely with the Agents and roster to facilitate employment opportunities and project sales in both Canada and the USA. She transitioned to the role of Agent in 2014 and represents literary clients for youth, animation and primetime production and development in Canada. Kerry also manages Meridian’s internal development slate to maximize sales opportunities for original IP. Prior to Meridian, Kerry worked at Achilles Media as a Content Producer for television production and programming events such as the Banff World Media Festival, Just Comedy at Just for Laughs in Montreal, and History Makers in New York City. In 2013 Kerry was awarded the CBC Business of Broadcasting mentorship through Women in Film and Television Toronto (WIFT-T). Kerry is an active member of WIFT-T and in 2016 completed their inaugural Shaw Media Management Accelerator program through Ryerson University. Kerry is a graduate from Ryerson University, earning at Honors BA in Radio and Television Arts with a minor in English.

Michelle Michals

Directors Guild of Canada

Michelle Michals is the Director of Member Services at DGC Ontario, where she oversees Membership intake, Professional Development and Training, The Guild Apprenticeship Program and Outreach. A Member of the Directors Guild since 1996, Michelle’s experience as a 2nd Assistant Director, allows her to contribute first-hand knowledge of how production works, to her current role. Prior to returning to the Guild, Michelle left production to become an Acquisitions Officer at TVO, Ontario’s public broadcaster. There she negotiated deals to acquire adult and kids content from around the world. In addition to her industry experience, Michelle holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of British Columbia.

Glen Gauthier

IATSE 873

Glen Gauthier is a Canadian sound mixer whose work can be heard on such acclaimed film’s as Guillermo Del Toro’s Pacific Rim (2013) and The Shape of Water (2017). He received nominations for an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award for his contributions to the film. He has also won two Gemini Awards and five Genie Awards. Gauthier runs his own sound company called Noise Boys Inc. in Toronto, Ontario.

Derek Lamoureux

Director, Cinematographer

Derek Lamoureux, is a London born filmmaker and entrepreneur, who has worked on a variety of award-winning commercials, documentaries, and narrative content that have been screened across the globe. With over a decade of diverse experience producing and directing, Derek’s work has been distributed to theatres, online streaming platforms- Netflix, and content that has over 1 Billion combined views on social media. Derek is currently the Chief Creative Officer at reux Agency and is the Founder of Setready Film Rentals. Two companies that originated in London and have an ongoing mission to support the local London film Community. Additionally, Derek’s developed, written, and taught, 5 new multi-media courses at Fanshawe College. As a subject matter expert, Derek leads workshops, private coaching sessions, and is an annual speaker at Vistek’s ProFusion Expo, and the former Chair of Marketing at the London Chamber of Commerce.