Events.
This interactive session will offer a look at the history behind systemic racism and use data to build an understanding of discrimination in the entertainment sector broadly. It will explain the pitfalls of intent vs. impact of actions. It will explore tactical suggestions for eliminating racism on sets and in other working locations.
Date:
Thursday, December 9, 2021
ZOOM WEBINAR
Speakers:
Anya Klimbovskaia | Co-Founder and COO of Diversio
Anya is the co-founder and COO of Diversio. Anya holds a degree in Psychology, with a concentration in organizational studies. Anya has developed, specialized, and delivered trainings for a wide-variety of organizations including ViacomCBS, 500 Startups, and Modern Niagara, and is the diversity and inclusion expert for the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA) in Canada.
Spencer Gilbert | Senior Manager, Client Success, Diversio
Spencer is Senior Manager of Client Success at Diversio. He holds a certificate in Team Leadership from Harvard University and has led several groups in implementing inclusion initiatives. He has worked with numerous Diversio clients, including Accenture, Danone, and the World Bank to bring their D&I initiatives to fruition.
Supported by the Bell Fund
This session, supported by the Bell Fund, will provide a baseline for understanding how taking an active stance is necessary to combat bias and discrimination. You will be introduced to the concept of allyship as a lifelong commitment to cultivating an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive and succeed. You will come away from this session understanding how to better recognize micro and other aggressions and with tools you can use to take action in the moment. This session is a first step to understanding how to be an authentic ally to colleagues who identify as Black, Indigenous, a person of colour, a member of the LGBTQ2S+ community, a person with a disability, and other systematically marginalized groups.
Date:
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
ZOOM WEBINAR
Speakers:
Spencer Gilbert | Senior Manager, Client Success, Diversio
Spencer is Senior Manager of Client Success at Diversio. He holds a certificate in Team Leadership from Harvard University and has led several groups in implementing inclusion initiatives. He has worked with numerous Diversio clients, including Accenture, Danone, and the World Bank to bring their D&I initiatives to fruition.
Tara Rezvan | Client Success Manager, Diversio
Tara is a Client Success Manager at Diversio. She has worked on training projects for organizations across multiple sectors including Finance, Entertainment and Tech. She focuses her strategy efforts with organizations on using data to inspire and act on D&I. She has led numerous Diversio engagements including Indigo and BDC.
Presented by Ontario Creates
Ways of access and audience demand for video games are only continuing to expand and diversify. This Framing the Future session looks at ways that independent Canadian game studios can continue to foster audience connection, discoverability, and access in today’s marketplace. Our panel of developers and community managers advocate for unique projects and narratives, speak to transferable lessons on discoverability and community event spaces for interactive and video game creators.
Date:
Tuesday, November 2, 2021
3:00 – 4:00 PM ET
Zoom Webinar
Panelists to be announced.
Free for Academy members. $10 for non-members.
Presented by Telefilm Canada
In this Close-Up discussion, our panel of past MVP Project and Prism Prize recipients discuss what makes a strong music video, creative ways to pair sound and image, and transitioning between music video and film and television formats.
Date:
Monday, October 18, 2021
1:00 – 2:00 PM ET
Zoom Webinar
Panelists:
Imad Elsheikh | Founder & Executive Producer, PIQUE
Imad Elsheikh is an Executive Producer and Creative Consultant based out of Toronto. He founded PIQUE, a Toronto-based production studio and creative space that produces branded content, films, special events, products, and activations. PIQUE is passionate in developing and collaborating with emerging creators and industry professionals to create content and experiences.
Alexander Farah | Director and Editor
Alexander Farah is an Afghan-Canadian director and editor currently between Vancouver and Toronto. His editorial work has screened at TIFF, Telluride, Clermont-Ferrand, Palm Springs and Sitges, as well as scoring nominations for the Student Academy Awards, CSAs, Berlin Commercial Awards and the UK Music Video Awards. His directorial debut, a short film entitled “Sahar”, premiered at TIFF before screening internationally and landing online as a Vimeo Staff Pick. Alex’s recent directorial piece was an MVP-funded music video “Meet You At The Light,” showcased through platforms that include Nowness, Booooooom, Director’s Notes, Shots Creative, and Director’s Library.
Chandler Levack | Filmmaker and Journalist
Chandler Levack is an award-winning filmmaker and writer from Toronto. She studied film and screenwriting at the University of Toronto and the Canadian Film Centre. Her music videos and short films have screened at festivals that include TIFF and SXSW, and have been nominated for multiple Juno and Prism Prize Awards. In 2021, she finished production on her first feature “I Like Movies” with support from Telefilm’s Talent to Watch program. She is a current film critic for the Globe and Mail.
Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux | Director/Editor
Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux is a Toronto based director / editor. His music video work, mainly with his friends in the band PUP, has garnered multiple MMVA / UKMVA / Prism Prize video of the year nominations as well as spots on Rolling Stone’s top 5 videos of the year and Billboard / Pitchfork’s top videos of the decade. In 2015 he was included in the Cannes Lions New Directors Showcase. His short film Rules for Werewolves was an official selection of SXSW 2020 and premiered at TIFF. His first documentary feature Handle with Care recently premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival.
Moderated by:
Amani Bin Shikhan | Writer and Producer
Amani Bin Shikhan is a writer and producer, among other things. Through her work, she aims to help tell meaningful stories about her world, and the worlds of those around her. Photo by Soko Negash.
Free for Academy Members. $10 for Non-Members.
This session will provide an introduction to the concept of unconscious bias and how it presents itself in professional settings. You will learn about the impact of gendered, ableist and otherwise harmful language in day-to-day interactions. You will learn more about systemic barriers and biases that professionals from communities who have long been under-represented in the Canadian media system face on a regular basis. Leaders will come away from this session with tools they can use to better understand and help eliminate the presence of bias in their own organizations and workplaces.
Date:
Thursday, October 14, 2021
ZOOM WEBINAR
Speakers:
Spencer Gilbert | Senior Manager, Client Success, Diversio
Spencer is Senior Manager of Client Success at Diversio. He holds a certificate in Team Leadership from Harvard University and has led several groups in implementing inclusion initiatives. He has worked with numerous Diversio clients, including Accenture, Danone, and the World Bank to bring their D&I initiatives to fruition.
Tara Rezvan | Client Success Manager, Diversio
Tara is a Client Success Manager at Diversio. She has worked on training projects for organizations across multiple sectors including Finance, Entertainment and Tech. She focuses her strategy efforts with organizations on using data to inspire and act on D&I. She has led numerous Diversio engagements including Indigo and BDC.
Presented by Ontario Creates
A joint study from Ontario Creates and VICE Media Group, The Future of the Creative Workforce identifies Generation Z and Y professionals’ interest and awareness of the creative jobs and opportunities available to them.
Following a short presentation of the research, our panelists elaborate on their professional values, the roadblocks they have met, and the professional skills and support young creators need to enter and sustain themselves in the creative industries today. This session offers guidance on the resources and career counselling we can offer the post-pandemic, future creatives in front of and behind the scenes.
Date:
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
2:00 – 3:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM PT
Zoom Webinar
Panelists.
Zaarin Bushra | Director of Operations, The Future of Film Showcase
Zaarin Bushra is a South Asian actor and filmmaker based in Toronto, Canada. She held the role of Director of Operations at The Future of Film Showcase, where she worked extensively to build numerous industry workshops and developmental programs for young and emerging filmmakers, and especially those from the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ community. She now works as the Director of Branding and Marketing at Fae Pictures, as well as the Programming Coordinator at Reelworld Film Festival.
Varun Raj Gandhi | Picture Editor
Varun is an Editor based in Toronto. He completed his MFA in Picture Editing degree from Chapman University, California in 2015. He began his career editing Digital Media promos for Disney Studios in LA. Later he edited promos for a big budget VFX film in India. Since 2019 he has worked as an Assistant Editor in Toronto with clients such as NFB, Scott Brother’s Entertainment & Tier A DGC Productions. Varun is a mentee of the CCE’s Mentorship Program. He is currently wrapping editing on a CBC Originals Documentary based on the life of Toronto Raptors Superfan Nav Bhatia.
Rebeccah Love | Writer/Director/Producer
Rebeccah Love is a Toronto-based filmmaker, writer, visual artist and community organizer. She studied at the University of King’s College, then completed a BFA in Film Production at Ryerson University, and an MFA at the University of Guelph in Creative Writing. She has produced eight short films, focusing on love, illness and neighbourhoods.
Pari Ludin | Programme Manager, Reel Opportunities
Pari Ludin is an Afghan who was born in Germany and raised in Canada. With her background being in music education & arts management, she’s passionate about bringing communities together through the transformative power of the arts & making it accessible for all. Pari has worn many hats in Toronto’s arts and culture industry, from being an outreach and events coordinator at the Toronto Arts Foundation to the program assistant at the Goethe-Institut. She currently manages Reel Opportunities at REEL CANADA. This programme offers free workshops designed to inform youth nationwide about the many career opportunities in the Canadian film industry.
Moderator:
Erin Smith | Manager, Research & Strategic Planning at Ontario Creates
Erin Smith is a strategic planning and policy leader with over fifteen years of experience in the creative media industries.
Research Presenters:
Julie Arbit | Global SVP, Insights at VICE Media Group
Julie Arbit serves as Global Senior Vice President of Insights for VICE Media Group, where she helps both VICE and its clients better understand and engage with their youth audience. In this role she leverages VICE’s access to consumers and culture coupled with her expertise in quantitative and qualitative methodologies to uncover the most actionable learnings.
Prior to joining VICE, Julie spent over a decade in marketing research agencies working across industries to identify trends, segment target audiences, inform brand strategies, track brand perceptions, and develop communication strategies and new product offerings.
Lauren Greenspan | Senior Director, Insights, North America at VICE Media Group
Lauren Greenspan is a Senior Director of Insights for VICE Media Group who helps VICE and its clients better understand the attitudes and behaviors of young people. She leads creative but rigorous qualitative and quantitative research projects across industries. A lover of all things data and human behavior, she believes in the power of transforming raw data into meaningful stories to reveal the complexities and tensions that illuminate why people do the things they do. The research projects she’s led have informed successful brand messaging and positioning, served as a roadmap for new corporate initiatives and outreach, and been presented to clients around the world and on stage at media and research events.
Prior to this role at VICE, she was a researcher at Ogilvy & Mather and the Association of National Advertisers. She holds a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science.
Free for Academy members. $10 for non-members
Presented by Ontario Creates
Academy members are invited to join us after our 2021 Annual General Meeting to connect with Academy staff, new and returning board members, and other Academy members. Choose from a variety of virtual breakout rooms hosted by Academy staff and board members and meet and mingle virtually with other industry professionals.
Date:
Tuesday, September 28, 2021
3:00 – 4:00 PM ET / 12:00 – 1:00 PM PT – Following our Annual General Meeting at 2:00 PM ET
Zoom meeting
Free for Academy members.
Presented by The City of Toronto
In anticipation of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Dune, Donald Mowat (make-up, hair and prosthetics designer/head of department) shares a glimpse of his work designing the extraordinary characters of Frank Herbert’s world. In this intimate conversation, Mowat will share experiences from his over thirty-five year career working internationally from LA, Toronto, and Montreal and the care and craft that goes into visualizing characters for every genre of film and television.
Presented by Telefilm Canada
Creator Mary Galloway and the creative team behind APTN Lumi’s Querencia discuss bringing script to screen and setting the look for the series’ vibrant locations and characters. Our panel provides an in-depth portrait of their process from production through post-production: from inspiration, writing, and funding to cooperatively shaping the story’s cinematography, costumes, and editing.
Presented by the City of Toronto.
In this Ways & Means session, our panel of documentary creatives discuss how picture editing and sound enhance and influence an audience’s perception of images and how to artfully build an ethical documentary process to craft meaning and accurately represent story in non-fiction content.
The Grand Prize winner will be revealed and awarded $20,000 as part of a virtual presentation on Monday, July 26, 2021 at 8:00 PM ET, streamed live on the Prism Prize Twitter and YouTube channels, as well as PrismPrize.com.
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