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 representation are a priority. This means Micah works to reflect all of the regions and the country’s multifaceted nature, while programming for Canadian Reflections.

Anna Newallo has three decades of experience in the Film and TV 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 and her debut novel was released spring 2024. Prior to joining Ontario Creates, she worked on projects for The Disney Channel, CTV, Discovery Channel, CBC, TMN (now Crave), CityTV and BRAVO.

Vinuja Shanthasoruban is a Tamil-Canadian producer, and actor from Scarborough who is passionate about uplifting underrepresented voices and increasing their access to the entertainment industry. As a Director of Development at Neshama, she's responsible for sourcing, developing and pitching concepts for Neshama's growing slate of projects. Vinuja is also an alumni of the Reelworld Producer Program and has worked on projects such as True Dating Stories (CBC) and Someone Lives Here (Hot Docs).

Mark is the Associate Manager and Climate Lens Facilitator at the Independent Production Fund.

Niall’s career has seen him work with international film organisations such as the British Film Institute, Irish Film Institute, Toronto International Film Festival and Hot Docs. He is currently Head of Programming and Acquisitions for Toronto-based streaming platform, and production company, HighballTV.

Program Manager, Visual & Media Arts

Alexis Grieve is an Emmy award-nominated producer who joined Sinking Ship Entertainment in 2016 after spending 5 years developing and producing indie films, including When Jews Were Funny (Winner - Best Canadian Feature TIFF 2013). A producer on multiple projects in the children’s television space including Dino Dana The Movie (Amazon/TVO), Endlings (Hulu/CBC), Ghostwriter (Apple), and Lockdown (YouTube Originals). Alexis oversees development for the company, and manages large scale partnerships with organizations like The Jane Goodall Institute, The International Fund for Animal Welfare, and The Planetary Society.

Magali Simard is the Director of Industry Relations at Cinespace Studios Toronto, Ontario’s largest production hub. She oversees industry relations, government affairs, Toronto studio expansions, brand deployment and has launched CineCares, Cinespace’s workforce training program. She is a Board Member of FilmOntario, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, and the City of Toronto’s Film Advisory Board.

She is the former Film Sector Development Officer for the City of Toronto and was a lead curator at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). She is a recurrent guest speaker and columnist in Canadian media and at industry events.

Jake Burling is a production executive at Elevation Pictures, Canada's largest indie distributor and producer of creator-driven, commercially-minded content.

Evan Attard is the Director of Digital Strategy and Acquisitions at levelFILM, handling SVOD sales and digital distribution on titles such as Scarborough, The Assistant, The Miracle Club, and Mafia Mamma. With a background in entertainment analytics, he brings a keen awareness of industry and audience trends to levelFILM's acquisitions process and his work with partners such as Netflix, Paramount+, Crave, Mubi, and CBC. Evan has previously worked in business development at levelFILM, as a consultant at Nike, and has founded multiple companies within the creative industries.

Shenaz Baksh is the director of Screen Industry Training Hub (SITHub), a creative screen industry training company and Epic Games Unreal Authorized Training Partner based in Toronto. SITHub offers leading-edge training solutions in Filmmaking, Television Production, Video Game Production and Extended Reality for professional and community organizations, companies and educational institutions. Annually, their team designs and delivers 200+ workshops, community projects and micro-credentials that impact thousands of local and international artists. SITHub focuses on innovative tools and technologies, collaborates with partners to promote inclusive opportunities and prioritizes cultivation of the next leading storytellers. Selected organizations include Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT), IM4 Media Lab, New Media Manitoba (NMM), OYA Black Arts Coalition (OBAC), Directors Guild of Canada – Ontario (DGC), Canadian Cinema Editors (CCE), Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) and the Canadian Film Centre (CFC). With over two decades in film and television production and screen industries education, Shenaz's leadership champions access and skill development for underrepresented communities, fosters organizational growth and supports industry workforce development. Email: info@sithub.ca and Web: www.sithub.ca

Justine is currently the Director of Culture and Strategic Planning for CBC Unscripted. She is responsible for leading the equity and inclusion work within her department from data collection to initiatives that focus on increasing representation within the unscripted community. Some of the programs she has led include The Insiders’ Guide to Science and Nature Filmmaking, AccessCBC and Creating Connections, a collaboration with BIPOC TV & Film.

Justine has been with the CBC for over ten years and comes from a post production background. She started out on the CBC Unscripted team as a post-production coordinator for in-house productions and moved on to become the post-production supervisor for the department working with the independent production community. A few years ago she made the switch to equity and inclusion work.

Prior to the CBC and before returning to Canada Justine spent over a decade in Asia working in the media industry. She has worked in Hong Kong and Tokyo in all areas of production with emphasis in leading partnerships with foreign companies looking to do work in Asia as well as joint venture opportunities within the Asia Pacific region.

Luisa is a Colombian-born film executive, diversity advocate, and filmmaker. She is currently the Manager: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging at ACTRA Toronto. Her previous work includes TIFF and Warner Bros. where she advocated for and created programs to support diversity and inclusion in the industry.

Jakub Jasinski is the Senior Manager of Events and Member Services at the CMPA. He manages the CMPA’s outreach initiatives, which include professional development, member outreach and networking events. Jakub acts as a point of contact for member inquiries and administers the CMPA’s sponsorship efforts. Additionally, Jakub works closely with the Vice-President, Communications, Marketing and Membership, supporting activities related to Prime Time, the Indiescreen Awards and other initiatives. Prior to joining the CMPA, Jakub worked at the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) as the coordinator for marketplace and outreach initiatives. In this role, he helped deliver on all marketplace and outreach programs, initiatives, events and activities. Before his time at the CFC, he was a publicity intern at eOne and volunteered his time as a talent wrangler for benefits and awards shows. https://cmpa.ca/

Angela Moritsugu oversees the Canadian Academy’s growing roster of Talent Development initiatives. Previously, she’s worked on numerous independent Canadian productions in roles across departments, founded her own screening series, lent her skills to organizations such as TIFF, Hot Docs, the Canadian Film Centre, the University of Toronto, and the Royal Ontario Museum, and ran an arts-based professional development company for over three years.

An enthusiastic member and supporter of the Canadian screen industries, Angela is passionate about nurturing emerging talent and encouraging life-long learning, and aims to use the resources at her disposal to support filmmakers with diverse and intersectional backgrounds in launching and furthering their careers.

Cameron Chase is a multidisciplinary artist and producer based in Toronto. With a career spanning film and television production, theatre, experience creation, and multiple world renowned festivals, Cameron uses various artistic mediums to break down societal barriers, predominantly focusing on HIV/AIDS and Queer advocacy.

At the Canadian Academy, Cameron oversees the annual Members Forum – a major part of Canadian Screen Week – as well as year-round membership initiatives, including Academy Talks events and the monthly Where to Watch collection. Beyond the Academy, Cameron continues to create authentic collaborative experiences with Canadian brands such as lululemon, TIFF, Absolut Vodka, and HayU, to name a few.

Barbara Gilbert is the Acting Media Arts Officer at the Ontario Arts Council. Previously, Barbara was Artistic and Executive Director of Le Labo, Toronto's Francophone Media Arts Centre.

Lori Chodos has worked at Telefilm Canada on the Canada Media Fund Program Administration team since 2018. Prior to that she worked in documentary and narrative production in Toronto, New York and Lima, Peru.