The Dream Cast

Until mid-2016, Bruno S. Lyra was a corporate lawyer. Having become one of the youngest senior partner in the history of his 60+ year firm, Lyra acquired extensive experience in media-heavy international events (such as the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games) and the entertainment industry as a whole (counting among his key clients some of the largest broadcasters, streamers, and content providers in the world). Since making the switch to film, Lyra has devoted his time to both producing (credits include the award-winning feature film THE SOUNDING, which sold to HBO in 17 territories, as well as the ongoing series FIRST PERSON, now in its second season, screened at TIFF and Cannes) and screenwriting (recent highlights include a deal with Blue Ant Media for his TV show IDENTITIES and one of his feature film projects being selected for development financing by Telefilm). A Latinx immigrant to Canada, Lyra also consults for different productions and teaches Copyright/Contracts in Film and Film Financing at the Toronto Film School.

Colin Aussant is a Toronto-based screenwriter with a bent for comedy, drama, thrillers, and anything with a little edge and originality. As a graduate of the Canadian Film Centre’s Feature and TV Bootcamp programs, Colin has a variety of projects in development including: The Invisibles, feature, co-written with Andrew Currie (Anagram/Quadrant Pictures) with Telefilm development funding; Acid Town, one-hour drama series, creator/writer (Counterfeit Pictures); Holmes, one-hour drama series, co-creator/writer (Circle Blue entertainment) 1991, half-hour comedy series, creator/ writer, (Hoodwink Productions). Former projects include Fishbat .45, creator/writer, half-hour comedy series (Teletoon Network); Crude, half-hour comedy series, creator/writer (Showcase Network).

Check out Colin’s IMDb page

Craig McKay began his career as a music producer before moving into the Film and Television industry.  Craig has spent nearly two decades working as an editor, director, producer, and writer for television, specializing in developing unscripted content for major North American production companies.  Working with US and Canadian networks like MTV, YTV, HGTV, Discovery, and History Channel, his credits include key creative roles on popular shows including THE BACHELOR, YUKON GOLD, RESTAURANT MAKEOVER, E! TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORY, DISNEY’S CHEER STARS, and many others.  Craig’s passion for training students in the art of film editing and storytelling lead him to join Toronto Film School as an instructor in 2010 and as the Director of the Editing Dept in 2018.

Daniel Racicot is a veteran freelance motion picture editor. After graduating from Seneca College in 2006, Dan began editing music videos having edited for videos for some notable artists and directors.

After over 200 videos, including multiple-award-winning videos and nominations, Dan began furthered his career by cutting commercials and began editing a variety of large national campaigns.

In 2008 Dan worked alongside Warren P. Sonoda editing “The Puck Hogs”, which would go on to a successful festival run and a stint on the movie network.

Many other short films and features have followed. Most recently television has become the focus and Dan has edited a number of series, most recently lead editing a brand new series, “Comedy Cab”.

Check out Daniel Racicot`s IMDb here

Darrel has been dedicated to the entertainment industry for over 35 years. His career began as a musician in the studio and music scene of 80s Minneapolis. His travels brought him to Toronto where he acquired an appreciation for the art and history of audio and chose to devote his career to Post Production, from sound design to final delivery. Today, Darrel embraces digital technology, while holding onto the purity and honesty of the audio art form. Darrel has been an instructor for over 15 years, and together with Rick Bennett’s team, helped build the Film Production program at Toronto Film School.

Dusty is an independent filmmaker whose films have screened at film festivals around the world. His recent film Violation had its premiere at TIFF and received five nominations from the Canadian Screen Awards.

Having graduated from the Toronto Film School, as a graduate with the highest cumulative GPA, Emilija was accepted into the CMPA Screen – based Media Production Program, where she gained experience regarding international co-productions, film funds, budgeting, tax credits and delivery processes.

Emilija’s primary base is Toronto, where she has worked as an essential member of the production teams on numerous big-brand commercials and has produced a number of short- and long-format projects. She also collaborated extensively in Europe on high-budget projects commissioned by international studios, brands, corporations, and government agencies. When it comes to narrative work, she has been working on a number of projects supported by Canadian and Ontario Arts Councils that explore current sociopolitical matters in Canada and give opportunities to marginalized artists and talent. She also maintains her international presence, mainly by providing consultations to European production companies that operate as service productions for North American content.

In between projects, Emilija teaches Budgeting & Scheduling and Production Management at her alma mater, Toronto Film School, where she is currently developing a master’s course with the faculty.

George D’Amato is a feature film, television, commercial film maker, consultant, and teacher.

This transplanted New Yorker grew up on beautiful Long Island New York. He is a graduate of 3 New York Institutes: The New York University Tisch school of the arts film school, The Actor’s Studio and The International Centre of Photography. His films are characterized by nonlinear stories, satirical subject matter, and characteristics of Neo noir film. He is widely considered as great visual artist with a flair for touching, emotional stories. He has worked all over the world directing and producing film and television. Some of his clients include HBO, National Geographic, The History Channel and The Discovery Channel. His work has been recognized by every notable film festival around the world. The list includes the Cannes film festival, The Sundance film festival, The Raindance film festival UK, The Berlin film festival, Palm Spring film festival, The Houston film festival, and the Atlanta film festival.

Film and advertising awards include The Cannes Gold Lion,The Gold Cleo, The One Show, Gold Bessie, Craft Award for Directing, Directors Guild of America, and The Golden Marble. He wrote and directed a commercial for ESPN called Balls” that debuted on the Super bowl. Meanwhile, his work for “Highway Speeding” remains in the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Grant Cronyn has been developing, creating, and producing video content for some of North America’s largest brands for over 20 years. Be it invigorating the commercial and corporate learning space or working on independent Canadian films and documentaries, his passion for storytelling and bringing ideas to life is readily apparent. Beginning his career as an editor, compositor and animator, Grant’s filmmaking journey has since expanded his range as a writer, director, executive producer – even craft services (he makes a mean “on-set grilled cheese”).

When he is not collaborating on bringing original and entertaining video content to life for his clients, he’s sharing his industry experience and insights with students at the Toronto Film School in his side-hustle for the soul; or hanging out with his two boys.

Jane founded Toronto-based production company Monkeys & Parrots to produce film, TV and digital content with a sense of humour, passion and purpose.

Her current development slate includes the 40-something coming-of-age comedy feature, Therapy 4 Adults and Aunties, a Canada/New Zealand co-production; the digital series LivLaughLove, an LGBTQ2+ undergraduate sexual adventure; the Chinese-Canadian psychological drama Under the Red Umbrella; and documentary feature Upgrade Required, exploring the future of bio-technology innovation.

Jane’s most recent project, The Swearing Jar, released in N. America Fall 2022, following a World Premiere at TIFF: written by Kate Hewlett and directed by Lindsay MacKay, this acclaimed female-driven romantic musical stars Adelaide Clemens, Kathleen Turner, Douglas Smith and Patrick J. Adams

Her first film, A Dog’s Breakfast, was produced for $125K; distributed by MGM HE it has since grossed over $2.5M. Her second feature, Debug, starred Jason Momoa. Jane also produced the anti-rom-com All About Who You Know, and short films The Trial of Ben Barry and Do Us Part.

Jane’s career began as an entertainment journalist in London and Los Angeles. She produced: Movies, Games & Videos (UK ITV); E! News Live (NBC Universal); Hollywood Boulevard (international syndication); Entertainment Tonight (UK & Canada editions).

Jane is an alumna of the TransAtlantic Partners Program; she has participated in the Producer’s Lab and International Finance Forums at TIFF; EFM’s Producers Without Borders; and Cannes’ Producer’s Workshop. She holds a Masters in Film and a Certificate in Entertainment Law.

Jeffrey St. Jules is the first Canadian to have been selected for the Cannes Festival Residence where he developed his feature film debut, BANG BANG BABY starring Jane Levy (Don’t Breathe), Justin Chatwin (Shameless) and Peter Stormare (Fargo). Bang Bang Baby premiered at TIFF where it was awarded Best First Canadian Feature. It was also the winner of the top prize at the Santa Barbara Film Festival and the award for Outstanding Debut Feature Film at the Canadian Screen Awards.

He has been described as ‘Canada’s master of the surreal short form’ by The Globe and Mail and ‘One of the most brazenly original voices to come out of Canada in the past 10 years’ by TIFF. His much-lauded shorts include THE SADNESS OF JOHNSON JOE JANGLES, which played over 40 festivals worldwide, THE TRAGIC STORY OF NLING, which was selected for the Sundance Film Festival and named the best short film of 2007 by Film Threat, and LET THE DAYLIGHT INTO THE SWAMP, an experimental 3D documentary which was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award and won Best of the Festival at the Yorkton Film Festival.  All three films had their premiere at TIFF.   He has recently completed his second feature film as writer/director entitled CINEMA OF SLEEP which recently premiered at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

Check out Jeffrey St. Jules` IMDb

Since childhood, Leah’s been fascinated by any form of storytelling. An avid reader, Leah started writing plays and short stories which led to a love of theatre. Directing offered a mix of all of her passions, and Leah was fortunate to direct several plays in high school including a successful Fringe Festival play.

In 2004, Leah and her brother, Jordan, founded Neophyte Productions, an audience-driven production company that has produced 6 International Theatrical Feature Films, hours of Television Content, and more than a dozen short films that have screened at festivals around the world including TIFF and Slamdance and played at theatres in more than 20 countries. Many of the shorts and two of the feature films were written and directed by Leah including THE THIRD EYE which was called “A Bizarre and Chilling Thriller” by The Boston Globe and went on to play for two years on Super Channel. Leah’s sophomore film, THE PRIVILEGED, starring Sam Trammell from TRUE BLOOD and THE FAULT IN OUR STARS and Josh Close of FARGO, had a successful festival run and theatrical released followed by broadcast on Crave TV as one of their most-watched Canadian films of the year. Since her last film, Leah has moved into Television Development and has become a sought-after Story Editor working on screenplays from notable Production Companies including Resonance Films and Goodbye Productions. Most recently, Leah is completing an adaption of a novel to direct as her third feature film. In addition, Leah takes great pleasure in guiding and inspiring the next generation of international filmmakers.

Check out Leah Walker`s IMDb here

Madeleine Sims-Fewer is a British-Canadian writer, director, and actor. After finishing her BFA with honours in film production at York University, she returned to London, England to complete an MFA in acting at the Drama Centre London. Her work has screened at festivals worldwide including the Helsinki International Film Festival, the Montreal World Film Festival, and the Guanajuato International Film Festival. She is an alumna of the Berlinale Talent Campus 2016. Sims-Fewer met TFS instructor Dusty Mancinelli at the 2015 TIFF Filmmakers’ Lab, and they quickly joined forces as a filmmaking duo. Focused on a naturalistic performance style and visual aesthetic, their films explore gender politics, human nature, and abuse of power. Their short film Slap Happy screened at the BFI London Film Festival, VIFF, and Slamdance, among other festivals; their short, Woman in Stall, won the Jury Award for Narrative Student Short at the Austin Film Festival and the Narrative Shorts Grand Jury Prize at Slamdance. Chubby, their third collaboration, was shown at the 2020 Slamdance festival. For her first feature film, Violation, Madeleine received two Canadian Screen Award nominations at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021, for Best Actress and the John Dunning Best First Feature Award.

Michael Paszt is one of the most respected names in the arena of independent film. A Managing Partner in Raven Banner Entertainment, Michael has focused on building a brand that represents unique genre-driven films including THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE, GASPAR NOE’S CLIMAX, TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID and the Oscar-nominated, EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT. Michael has also Executive Produced over 30 feature films including PSYCHO GOREMAN, the Sundance Film Festival hit, TURBO KID and SHUDDER ORIGINAL, VHS94. Michael originally began his career as a director on music videos working with metal bands such as Sacrifice and Anvil. His feature documentary debut, NAIL IN THE COFFIN: THE FALL AND RISE OF VAMPIRO premiered at Austin, TX’s Fantastic Fest and was Nominated Best Sports Documentary by Film Threat’s AwardThis!

Check out Michael Paszt`s IMDb here

Michaelangelo is the general manager of Raven Banner Entertainment, an international film distributor of cutting-edge genre films. He is also the managing partner of Top Drone Inc., a company that provides a variety of aerial based cinematic and photography services. He has been a drone operator on episodes of The Amazing Race Canada and Top Chef Canada and an associate producer on the films The Breach and The Fight Machine.

Paul de Silva is a Gemini award-winning film and Television Producer/Director/Writer and Media and Arts and Culture Consultant. His career has spanned television broadcasting, independent film and television production, journalism, public education, and inter-cultural communications.

He is currently the Co-Director of the International Diaspora Film Festival based in Toronto, Canada and Executive Producer for A4 One Media Productions, a multi-platform production company. He was formerly Vice President of Programming for Vision TV /One, The Body Mind and Spirit Channel and previously Vision TV’s Director of Independent Production and an Executive in charge of production at CBC Drama for the award-winning series “Inside Stories”.

In the six years he was at Vision he was responsible for commissioning documentary, drama, and music programs both in Canada and internationally, focusing on multi-faith and multi-cultural issues, including the Gemini nominated comedy series Lord Have Mercy! and the Music/Documentary series “Soul Music”.

He was Project Director for Canada One TV, an application to the CRTC for an Independent Drama-focused TV/Internet channel.
He is a former Human Rights Officer with the Ontario Human Rights Commission, a journalist with CBC News, and a Communications officer with the United Nations Environment Programme based in Nairobi, Kenya.

He is currently a PhD candidate in the York Ryerson Joint Programme in Communications and Culture and undertaking research in the area of the economics and cultural policies affecting screen-based media in Canada.

Phyllis Newman is a creative media veteran – having spent over 25 years working as a Showrunner, Development Producer, Writer and Media Consultant on numerous television and digital series.

Phyllis has achieved great success in producing highly-rated Canadian and international television programs and formats. She is known for creating informative, engaging and entertaining content for a diverse and discriminating audience. Some of her credits include: Pure Design, Love Trap, Party Mamas, and Hollywood Death Trip. She has developed and produced non-fiction programming for: W Network, Cosmo TV, YTV, OWN, Slice, Life Network, City-TV, HGTV, E! Network, and Bravo! to name a few.

As Vice President of Production at Eggplant Media, Phyllis oversaw the development and production slate of pilots, specials, and series for U.S. Broadcasters.

Phyllis has worked as a Casting Director with Anne Tait Casting where she cast dramatic series and feature films, and as a Talent Agent with The Edward G. Agency, representing actors for film and television.

Phyllis co-created and produced season one of “Finding Your Bliss”, a live health and wellness radio and podcast show for Zoomer Media. She is also a College Instructor at the Toronto Film School teaching Factual Entertainment to aspiring content creators. Currently, Phyllis has a number of series in development.

Raj Nandy has been a respected freelancer in the Film and Television industry for over 10 years and has taught cinematography at TFS since 2018. His dedication to creating compelling images has made him sought after to work on an array of projects, filmed across North America as well as Europe, Africa and the Middle East. As a camera assistant, camera operator or director of photography Raj has worked on projects ranging from reality TV, to festival run documentaries, corporate videos, commercials, short films and episodic TV series. He has contributed to programs  appearing on networks such as  History, Vice, CBC, HGTV, Discovery, Food network, TVO, CNN, PBS, Netflix and more.

Richard Fung is a Cinematographer, Producer and Director known for THE JOURNEY (2014), THE INSPIRED SOULS (2013),  BRAMULA (2011), FIRST INK (2009), and CALVIN CLARINGTON (2008). An honours graduate from Humber College, Richard’s many filmmaking awards include: 2nd Place in the Fall 2008 24 hour Film Challenge in Toronto for Monster Face, Top 3 Distinguished Documentary for My Universe and Winner for Best Broadcast at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival in the Real Ideas Studio program for The Art of Pitching, the Grand Jury Prize winner at the 2009 Slamdance Film Festival for the Real Ideas Studio program for Lies on the Prize, Rogers Audience Choice Award for THE INSPIRED SOULS at the 2013 Regent Park Film Festival, and the RBC Emerging Directors Award recipient for THE JOURNEY at the 2014 Regent Park Film Festival. Richard is now the Co-Founder and Director of Production for Black Belt Productions Inc.

Check out Richard Fung’s IMDb here

Shahram Tabe started his film career as a TV actor at 13 in his native Iran. He also appeared in a few plays before making his debut documentary for the Iranian National TV at 20. Before migrating to Canada, he produced two TV shows, including Magic Lantern, a program dedicated to the introduction of cinema, and a comedy miniseries called The Rise and Fall of Akvan the Devil. He also founded and is currently the director of Diaspora Film Festival in Toronto. He has published more than two hundred articles on cinema. He has been invited as a guest speaker by many arts institutions in Canada and the US.

Sonia Kappaya has been working in the film industry for over 6 years. Her projects include a feature film that premiered at the New York International Film Festival and won 3 awards including Best Actress, Best Film and the Audience Choice Award. The same film went on to other festivals and won awards there as well. Sonia has made 3 international feature films and has also produced numerous short films. Sonia spent time working in different areas of filmmaking before joining the production department. She has worked on productions under the capacity of audio engineer, first assistant director, second assistant director, assistant camera and then finally production manager.

Steven is an award-winning producer, director and editor. Touring the world as a documentary Features Producer at the National Hockey League, Steven amassed millions of views over a 10 year body of work, including the award-winning doc series “NHL Life” which earned seven w3 web awards, including Best Drama Series in 2015.
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After full-time success at Major League Baseball and The Walt Disney Company, Steven established 383 Pictures, and directed and produced the Washington DC set documentary “The Cannons,” which had its World Premiere at the prestigious DOC NYC Film Festival in November 2021,  and earned Canadian Screen Award recognition. Steven’s short scripted work has also played to regional fanfare, including the life-inspired “Cliffside,” which opened the Scarborough Film Festival in 2013 and the viral short film comedy “The Russian Hipster” in 2017. A keen eye for television development, Steven continues to produce and develop serial long-form documentary and scripted shows, including the much-hyped “The Six” which was developed with Entertainment One and CBC Network in 2018.

Catherine is an award-winning actor, director, producer, coach, educator, and entrepreneur. She has 34 years experience on stage, film, and TV working with Academy, Emmy Award winning artists, and is co-founder of McNally Kennedy Acting. She is an International Fellow with Shakespeare’s Globe under Mark Rylance and a Christopher Plummer Award winner. Catherine also has in depth knowledge to help actors create a healthy mindset within the business of acting that is sustainable and rewarding.

Chad is an actor, producer, director, and an LGBTQ community member who resides in Toronto. Chad was raised in a small rural town, and from a young age was involved in theatre productions with the Grey-Wellington Theatre Guild, and worked alongside his father in the art department of I.A.T.S.E. Local 873 on feature films and television series in the 1990s – 2000s (Billy Madison, X-Men, It Takes Two, Reign).

Since graduating from Toronto Film School’s Acting program as both Valedictorian and recipient of The Best Actor Award (Class of 2012), Chad has gone on to produce several films through his company Tailored Films (A Done Deal 2013 short, Godforsaken 2020 feature). In 2016 he co-directed ‘Still Me’, an award-winning short film in the Canadian Diversity Film Festival. He has filmed and edited commercial content, worked as a production coordinator and casting director on several indie productions, and was the key greens person on the television series ‘The L.A. Complex’ in 2011. In 2018 he produced and directed Toronto the Good for the stage at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in partnership with Gisha Productions. He also works as an acting and film-making coach through Three-Legged Dog Film & Acting Studio, his youth outreach summer arts program.

Actor, Writer, Producer, Clown, Teacher and Comedian, Christel got her start in comedy & clown with her work in the physical comedy duo, The Burnt Marshmallows in which she co-created and performed in over five feature length show including U-Haulywood and STUCK. She has participated in the Lunacy Cabaret, Toronto Festival of Clowns, Clown Chowder, SheDot Festival, March of Dames, Cheap Queers, Buskerfest, Chika Boom, the Hysteria Festival and the Circus Sessions, under UK mentor and world-renowned Juggler and Director, Sean Gandini. Christel is a graduate of the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts, the Second City Conservatory and has studied clown and physical theatre extensively Sue Morrison, Mike Kennard & John Turner (Mump & Smoot) Fiona Griffiths, Karen Hines, Francine Cote, James Keylon, Adam Lazarus, Eric Davis & Philippe Gaulier.

As a solo artist, Christel has wowed Fringe audiences with her first one-woman show CHAOTICA, which toured Ottawa, Wakefield, and Saskatoon, won the Best-in-Venue Impresario Award in London. Christel’s second solo show, ONEymoon, toured the Fringe circuit in Canada, played at the Edinburgh Fringe in Scotland for a fabulous month-long run, and was also her 2nd nomination for a Canadian Comedy award.

Originally from Manitoba, Christopher is a triple threat (actor, singer, dancer) in addition to TV & film performance (THE BRIDGE, MAYDAY, QUEER AS FOLK). he has directed actors and choreographed pieces for Mirador Productions, New Teatro and Rogue & Peasant Theatre.

As an instructor, he has taught acting, movement, improvisation, clown and stage combat. In addition to the Toronto Film School, he has taught in the Acting program at Dramaway (special needs), International School of Brussels and the Canadian Stage Company. Currently, he is a teaching artist with Join the Dance Canada, bringing ballroom dance to inner-city schools in the GTA. He is a founding member of the Teatro Scaramouche and brings workshops to high schools throughout the same area.

Daniel Demitri Ramnauth is a Canadian born actor and musician. He plays guitar, bass, drums, piano and sings. Before he perused acting Daniel was the front man and principle song writer for many bands. He has since graduated from Seneca’s acting program as well as Toronto Film School’s acting program (Class of 2016). Daniel has been in movies like “Beginner’s Luck” and in shows like “See No Evil.” He is also a screenwriter and made his directional debut in this thesis film “Static” and has directed various projects since. He is currently a Producing/Directing teacher at the Toronto Film School and continues to write, direct, audition, and perform.

Glenda is the Series Editor for Scirocco Drama, an imprint of Winnipeg’s J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing. In her capacity as Series Editor, she selects and edits Canadian plays and books related to theatre practice. Glenda’s writing for stage includes the rural community-based collective creation Railroaded, the historical drama Duel at Dawn, which premiered at Young Peoples Theatre in Toronto, and riffs on Shakespeare: R&J: Brampton and The Taming of the Dude, co-written with Dave Carley. Glenda has also had many works produced by CBC Radio, including the hour-long Homestead, the Morningside drama Antelope Season (co-written with Sharon MacFarlane,) episodes of the series Hartfeldt, and the D-Day tribute The Final Hour. Glenda is also the author of two non-fiction books about Saskatchewan. She teaches Writing for Actors at the Toronto Film School.

Hart has been performing professionally since he was child, and is an award-winning actor, television and film producer. He has appeared in a number of films including On the Ropes, Ordinary Magic and In Between Days, as well as his own TV shows Hart of the Annex and The Film Student. As a stage actor he has performed across Canada in musicals, dramas, comedies, and Shakespeare.

Ingrid was born and raised in Toronto, Canada to Afro-Jamaican parents. She began her career in front of the camera as a fashion model and later studied theatre at New York City’s American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Perhaps best known for her role on Global Television’s improvisational drama, Train 48, Hart has more than 20 years of acting experience and has appeared in films such as How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Saw IV and television series such as NBC’s Kojak and CBC’s Being Erica.

Hart is also Canada’s first certified teacher of The Chubbuck Technique – an empowering approach to script analysis used by Emmy, Tony, Academy Award and Joey award winners worldwide. She has directly worked with actors represented in festivals such as the National Black Film Festival in Houston, Texas, the Alaska International Film Festival, and the Toronto International Film Festival. In addition to her own private coaching practice, Ingrid teaches Camera Acting at Toronto Film School.

Irma Villafuerte is a dance artist and educator based in Tkaronto from Nahuat Territory Kuskatan, post-colonial El Salvador. She serves as an educator at Casa Maiz’ Semillas Latinas and Prologue for the performing arts. She’s been part of festivals across the Americas, such as Night Shift 2020 Presented by the Citadel & Compaigne, Fall for Dance North’s Open Studio, The Rhubarb Festival, DanceWeekend Ontario, Aluna Theatre’s Panamerican Routes Festival, Panamania’15, 12th Bienal de la Habana, Vanguardia Dance Projects, International Dance Meeting in Guantanamo, CounterPulse

Performing Diaspora in San Francisco. Performing works by Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, Jaberi Dance Theatre, Kaeja d’Dance, Victoria Mata, Aria Evans, Alejandro Ronceria, and Arsenio Andrade, to name a few. She is currently a residency artist at Aluna Theatre incubating her choreographic development. She’s choreographed for Trey Anthony’s How Black Mothers Say I love You and recently is developing her solo “nudoDESnudo”. Her passion for social justice is the driving force for creation in Irma’s choreographic and performance work.

Jack is an award-winning actor and director that has also worked in various streams for theatre, TV, and film. He was the Artistic Director for the Canadian regional theatre Theatre NorthWest (2014-2019), was part of the 2010 Canadian Stage BASH Directors Residency as well as the inaugural Director’s Lab North at Tarragon Theatre. With over 40 plays produced and over half directed, he is one of Canada’s most prolific artists. Jack is Co-Artistic Director of the multi award nominated indie hit theatre company, B2C Theatre (www.boundtocreate.com) and has been twice named ‘Artist to Watch’ and ‘Best Direction’ by NOW magazine. Recent Directing Credits: Elle’s Valley (Film), ART (Persephone Theatre/SAT Nom Best Direction), Isitwendam (4 Dora Award Noms/NEPA), Million Dollar Quartet/Hedda Noir/Wonderful Life/Alice in Wonderland/Half Life/Theatre NorthWest/Artist of the Year), dirty Butterfly (Obsidian Theatre). He holds an MFA in Directing/Acting and BA Honours from York University, and an Associate Degree in Acting from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Jack began his career taking improvisation workshops at the Second City Theatre in Toronto. To save money he worked in the box office, bar and theatre until finally getting hired to be on the stage. He has also taught and performed improv and sketch in Chicago, Los Angeles and on cruise ships around the world. He was a cast member of the Improvised Global Soap Opera Train 48 and has appeared on the hit shows The Boys, What We Do in the Shadows and Murdoch Mysteries. He is happy to be teaching improvisation at the Toronto Film School.

James is an instructor at The Toronto Film School in various subjects including Video Editing, Production and Film History. He is an accomplished editor having worked directly with Hollywood film directors, high profile Canadian journalists and television producers and possess an extensive array of out of field work experience in areas such as Professional Development, Executive Outplacement and Recruiting, and a working musician. He graduated from Toronto Film School in 2005 in Film Production and has also attended The University of Western Ontario. Upon graduating TFS, he took an entry-level position at “Media Magic”, which eventually transitioned into a lengthy tenure as head editor with “Massey Bros.” Productions. He is obsessed with all things retro and spends his free time collecting records, CD’s and tapes and watching/researching old movies. He is also a hopeless Toronto Maple Leafs fanatic.

John has been acting in tv, film and theatre for 30 years. Selected feature film highlights include Cloudburst, Blackbird and I Am Lorena Bobbit. TV credits include principal roles in numerous series including Suits, Designated Survivor, Degrassi, Murdoch Mysteries, Umbrella Academy, and a recurring role as Dr Peter Perkins in the Tom Selleck’s Jesse Stone series. John has performed in theaters in Canada and the US. Most recently originating the role of Kyle Best in Daniel MacIvor’s Best Brothers which premiered at the Stratford Festival and toured nationally. He is a graduate of the Philippe Gaulier International Theatre School in Paris, France and has trained, performed, and taught extensively as a company member with the acclaimed Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts. John is a highly regarded acting teacher known for guiding actors to be more present, open, and grounded and resilient.

John has appeared in the critically acclaimed series American Gods, Designated Survivor, Watchmen, and Killjoys (to name a few). He is a master of accents and dialects and is also the voice of many animated characters. 

Jonathan Cherry is best known for his role as Rory Peters in the supernatural horror film Final Destination 2. Other notable film roles include House of the Dead (2003) and Goon (2011).

Jonathan continues to be one of Toronto’s most versatile character and leading actors with a long list of film credits in both the US and Canada. Recent credits include Race, V-Wars, the United States vs. Billy Holiday, and the upcoming Netflix series Painkiller. Jonathan holds a B.A. cum laude in English Literature from Middlebury College and received his MFA in Acting from Temple University in Philadelphia where he also taught in the undergraduate acting department.
He is currently an on camera acting instructor at the Toronto Film School is co-founder of Actor’s Imagination Studio, one of Toronto’s leading independent training studios.

Jonathan has over 40 years of notable credits in theatre and film both in Canada and abroad.
Theatrical world premieres: Beside Myself (Foster Festival) Prom Queen (Segal Centre) Nigredo Hotel (Tapestry Theatre – Dora Award nomination), The Big Sleep (Theatre Aquarius), Colours in the Storm, The Team on the Hill, Jake and the Kid (Theatre Orangeville). Canadian Theatrical Premieres: Les Misérables and Dirty Dancing (Mirvish Productions), Closer than Ever (Latimer/Follows). Additional appearances in 12 Angry Men (Drayton) and The Dining Room (Grand Theatre), Man of La Mancha(TBTB). Television/Film: The Expanse (2 Seasons) Open Heart (lead) Alienated (lead), The Kennedys (mini- series), Loving Christmas, Murdoch Mysteries, Ransom, Transporter, Suits, The Avro Arrow.

Feature films include Kid Detective, Brotherhood, Chicago, D2K, Blizzard, Land of the Dead, Three Men and a Baby, Virgin Suicides.
Jonathan is a graduate of Ryerson University in Toronto with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with distinction degree in Performance/Acting Program 1978-80 and a 2015 participant of the Banff/Citadel Professional Development Program.

Julia was a series regular on CBC’s comedy P.R., and in Conan O’Brien’s sitcom pilot Beat Cops for FOX/NBC. TV credits include Da Kink In My Hair, Due South, Once A Thief, Doc, Prince Charming with Martin Short, Elvis Meets Nixon and The Joe Torre Story. Hollywood feature film credits include Pushing Tin with Cate Blanchett, Booty Call with Jamie Foxx and Focus with William H. Macy and Laura Dern. Julia was the female lead in the Indie film The Edge. She has performed in numerous TV and Radio commercials, audiobooks, and cartoon pilots. She is Voice Director of over 40 webcasts for corporations, video game pilots, and radio plays/podcasts.

Kari Pederson (she/they) is an award-winning actor, choreographer, director, dramaturge, and academic based in Tkaronto, Canada. She has over 20 years experience on stage working in devised physical theatre, design-led creation, and contemporary dance and has recently began working as a movement director for film. Her academic research on how a performer listens, tunes in, and becomes present will be published next year in About Performance, a peer-reviewed journal out of University of Sydney, Australia. Kari holds an M.A. in Interdisciplinary studies with a focus on live performance from York University and is a certified Kundalini yoga instructor. Kari’s experimental approach to performance creation has been recognized by the Dora Mavor Moore Awards, Canada Council for the Arts, Dancemakers Centre for Creation, The Toronto Dance Community Love In, Hub 14, and Series 8:08.

Kearsten is an award-winning actress, writer & director. She graduated from the Toronto Film School with the Best Actor & Presidents Award, as well as valedictorian (Class of 2014). Kearsten won Best Actress at Toronto Independent Film Festival Cift, Best Supporting Actress at Los Angeles Actors Awards & Best Dark Comedy at Oniros Film Awards. She wrote, produced, co-directed, and starred in Read or Alive which premiered at Hollywood’s famous TCL Chinese Theatre. The film received 11 festival acceptances, 2 wins, 3 nominations and semi-finalist at Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival (Oscar, BAFTA & Canadian Screen Award Qualifying Film Festival). Currently, Kearsten is in post-production for her latest film Straw Man.

Kelly Fanson is a lifer. First, a child actor with numerous roles in commercials, TV shows and modeling, Kelly moved to NY to study her craft and perform on off-off stages. In Toronto, Kelly began directing for the Fringe and Summerworks and soon created her own web series while letting her “bad girl” out in the role of Miss Angela on, The Next Step. A CCA winning director and published writer, Kelly’s voice can also be heard regularly on radio and TV. Between coaching actors, corporate wellness programs, and podcasting, Kelly develops and pitches TV shows in various genres. But wait there’s more….check out her website kellyfanson.com

Laurel has worked in theatre, television, film, and radio across Canada. She is a Gemini nominated actress, and an accomplished educator, consultant, and coach. In theatre, Laurel has had the opportunity to work with some of Canada’s finest directors both at major regional companies, and at smaller grassroots theatres. She has originated roles in over two dozen new Canadian plays, many of those during the ten years she spent at the Blyth Festival, during her tenure at the Prairie Theatre Exchange in Winnipeg, and while a member of the resident ensemble at Alberta Theatre Projects in Calgary.

Laurel has also appeared onstage across Canada at The Arts Club, The Belfry, Citadel Theatre, Globe Theatre, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Manitoba Theatre for Young Audiences, Factory Theatre, YPT, Thousand Island Playhouse, and the Piggery, among others. In addition to her acting career, She has coached dialects for Soulpepper and Tarragon theatres and was a dialogue coach on the series, Heroes Reborn.

Lauren is an award-winning actor, creator, and artist educator. She has performed and created work with some of the most celebrated Canadian and International companies. Lauren received the Dora Mavor Moore Award for performance and multiple nominations as a creator. She received the Christopher Plummer Fellowship Award through which she trained and performed at Shakespeare’s Globe in London, U.K. As Co-Artistic director of Bound to Create (B2C), she has created, performed, or partnered with Theatre Northwest, RMTC, Obsidian, Native Earth, Tapestry, Canadian Stage, The Grand, Talking Stick and Factory Theatre. Lauren has been conducting Acting/Creation workshops across the country for 20 years and received the Jessica Fraser Award for Outstanding Contributions. Lauren is a University of Toronto graduate in Drama.

Madeleine Sims-Fewer is a British-Canadian writer, director, and actor. After finishing her BFA with honours in film production at York University, she returned to London, England to complete an MFA in acting at the Drama Centre London. Her work has screened at festivals worldwide including the Helsinki International Film Festival, the Montreal World Film Festival, and the Guanajuato International Film Festival. She is an alumna of the Berlinale Talent Campus 2016. Sims-Fewer met TFS instructor Dusty Mancinelli at the 2015 TIFF Filmmakers’ Lab, and they quickly joined forces as a filmmaking duo. Focused on a naturalistic performance style and visual aesthetic, their films explore gender politics, human nature, and abuse of power. Their short film Slap Happy screened at the BFI London Film Festival, VIFF, and Slamdance, among other festivals; their short, Woman in Stall, won the Jury Award for Narrative Student Short at the Austin Film Festival and the Narrative Shorts Grand Jury Prize at Slamdance. Chubby, their third collaboration, was shown at the 2020 Slamdance festival. For her first feature film, Violation, Madeleine received two Canadian Screen Award nominations at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021, for Best Actress and the John Dunning Best First Feature Award.

Mark is a Toronto-based editor, playwright, screenwriter, and librettist. Past projects include Iron Road (Tapestry Opera), The Weaving Maiden (Soundstreams), Harmonious Interest (Victoria Symphony) and Dragon’s Tale (Tapestry/Soundstreams). Other selected work includes Monsieur d’Eon is a Woman (Pea Green Theatre Group/Buddies In Bad Times), The Chevalier St. George (Tafelmusik), The Schoolyard Carmen (Shoestring Opera), The Martha Stewart Projects (Buddies) and Three Men in a Boat (Pea Green Theatre Group).

Mark is the recipient of a Dora Mavor Moore award, a Governor General’s Award Nomination, the Maxim Mazumdar Play Competition Award, and a Harold Independent Theatre Award. He currently teaches Short Film Writing at Toronto Film School.

Matthew is a Hamilton based actor and voice actor who started his career in the theatre with credits including Kenickie in Grease (Westwing Players), Reverend Shaw Moore in Footloose (Theatre Aquarius) and Hamlet in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged (Toronto Film School). After getting his degree in History and Political Science from Nipissing University, Matt wanted to follow his passion for acting and enrolled in the Toronto Film School’s Acting for Stage, TV and Film diploma program.

Upon graduation, he was awarded the President’s Award and was the Valedictorian for the graduating class of 2018. Since then, Matt has worked at Toronto Film School for the acting and videogame design and development departments and has garnered commercial acting credits for working with such companies as The Beer Store and Maple Leaf Foods. He has also lent his voice to numerous videogames and animation projects as well as had the opportunity to produce his first feature film working with Fullmoon Features. Matt has also written and directed numerous films of his own that have worked their way through the film festival circuits around the world.

A graduate of the prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater in New York City, under the brilliant Sanford Meisner. As an actor, director, producer and teacher, Michael has been an active force in the business for over forty years. He was Co-Founder, Artistic Director and Executive Producer of The Muskoka Festival Theatre from 1972-1991, he established that company as one of the great performing companies in Canada. During that time, Michael produced over 200 productions, many to critical acclaim. He holds over 30 years experience as an actor, giving him a wealth of knowledge to share in the classroom. Michael has been committed to giving Canadian performers their voice, by developing and working with The Music Theatre Colony and the Young Company. Many of his performers have moved ahead to professional careers, both in Canada and the United States. He has served on many juries and assessment panels, most notably the Ontario Arts Council and the Ontario Film Review Board where he was Vice-Chair and Chair of the Policy Committee, during which time he took the initiative and responsibility for changes made to the Provincial Classification Guidelines, having reviewed over one thousand movies and videos submitted to the board. Michael has appeared in numerous film and television productions including Billy Madison, Tuxedo, The Grid, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Forever Knight, Getting Gotti, Street Legal, Execution of Private Slovik, Tom Sawyer and the series lead in Mary and Michael and Mixed Doubles. His theatre credits include, Mr. Bones and Che Guevara for Toronto Workshop Productions directed by George Luscombe in Toronto and Venice, Italy. Claudius and Boy Bishop written and directed by Ken Gass and the premiere production of Bagdad Saloon by George F. Walker for Factory Lab Theatre and Same Time Next Year and Dracula at Muskoka Festival. Plus many award-winning commercials.

Michael has been teaching voice, text, acting, clown and mask for decades. His diverse directing credits include Ionesco, Shakespeare, Aristophanes and the complete works of Gilbert and Sullivan. As an actor Michael has played Hamlet, Richard III and, more recently, roles in murder mysteries and farces. As a singer he has performed in operas, operettas, musical theatre and cabaret performances. Major influences on his teaching include Canada’s premiere voice teacher, David Smukler and mask and clown innovator, Richard Pochinko. Michael holds a BFA in Film Production and an MFA in Theatre Performance from York University.

Morgan Joy is a graduate of Humber college’s Comedy; performance and writing program and it’s Developmental Services Worker Program. Morgan has spent the last 15 years working to make the arts accessible to all. Through her work with DramaWay, Morgan facilitates arts classes and produces film & theatre productions that feature the original work of adults with developmental disabilities.

In her work with Suitcase Theatre Morgan performs interactive, musical puppet shows in hospital settings such as Holland Bloorview, Gilda’s House, Ronald McDonald House and Sick Kids Hospital. Morgan is currently a member of The SuperNow cast, performing in their science-based educational web series for kids. Inspired by her passion for physical theatre, mime and clown, Morgan thoroughly enjoys working with students at the post-secondary level at The Toronto Film School.

Nickeshia was born in Toronto and has been performing for over 25 years. She is unapologetically a Black, Queer Artist, who believes in the healing power of breath through raw emotion and movement.

Over a thirty-five year career as actor, director, teacher, Patricia now lives in Toronto. Her most current endeavor was St. Ella of the Camino, a one person show, which she wrote, performed and produced. The world premiere of St. Ella of the Camino marked Patricia first writing venture and was performed in October of 2019. Other recent performances in Sudbury include: Escape from Happiness (Thorneloe Theatre), Shakespeare’s Will, (Text Me Productions), Hay Fever (Thorneloe Theatre), Henry and Alice Into the Wild (Blue Water Summer Playhouse), Our Town, How It Works (Sudbury Theatre Centre), Muskeg and Money (North Road Theatre), Shakespeare’s Will (Text Me Productions) and Faith Healer (ImPulse Theatre/Text Me Productions). For Theatre at Thorneloe she has directed Road, Greek, The Memory of Water, Cabaret, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Les Belles Soeurs, Book of Days, Hedda Gabler, Twelfth Night and As You Like It.

Her most recent film was an ongoing project that was developed in yearly chapters: Perspective, which premiered in September 2020 at Cinéfest in Sudbury. Patricia has lived and worked as an actor in Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Sudbury. Patricia is founder and Artistic Director/Producer of Text Me Productions since 2012. She was the Founder/Artistic Director/Producer of Ottawa Lunchbox Theatre 2003-2006. Patricia holds a BFA with a Specialization in Performance from Concordia University, and an MFA in Acting, and the Voice Teacher Diploma from York University.

Peter received the Christopher Plummer Award in 2002. He is a member of the fellowship of actors who made up the International Shakespeare’s Globe Company 2002. He also founded The Classical Theatre Lab at Equity Showcase in 1998. Peter is a Masters Graduate of the University of Toronto’s Drama Centre for Performance Studies.
Peter has been teaching Shakespeare for the Actor and has been a director on productions of Taming of the Shrew and Twelfth Night at the Heritage Theatre in Brampton, Shakespeare on the Thames’ inaugural productions of Twelfth Night and As You Like It held in Gibbons Park in London, Ontario. He directed The Taming of the Shrew and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Rose Theatre and Nicholas Nickleby Part 1 at the Erindale Studio Theatre.

Ralph’s theatre credits include: ART, Marathon of Hope, Unnecessary Farce, Bedtime Stories (Drayton), Buying The Farm, Sexy Laundry, I’ll Be Back Before Midnight (Lighthouse), Bar Mitzvah Boy (Harold Green Jewish Theatre), Pat & Skee, A Few Good Men, Looking, Colours In The Storm, (Theatre Aquarius), Jonas & Barry In The Home (Bluewater), Hamlet Live (Bathurst Street), Separate Beds (Theatre Orangeville).
Film/TV credits include: One Small Visit (OSV), Meet The Family (City), Suits (Netflix), Living in Your Car (TMN), Stone Cold (CBS).
He has been the Artistic Director & Director at Bluewater Summer Playhouse for 7 seasons.

Reeth is a Toronto-based award-winning writer-director who identifies herself as a woman of color and a Canadian immigrant. Reeth started life in cinema at a very tender age as an actress in India. As the cameras rolled over the various feature films, music videos, and commercials that she shot across the globe, the people’s craft behind the cameras started intriguing her. She knew that she had a lot to communicate and writing and directing seemed the way to express herself. So, Reeth moved to Canada in 2017 with her North American Dream and began her new journey as a film and television student at the Toronto Film School. Along with winning several titles like best Canadian Short Film, the Audience Choice Award, and Best Experimental film, Reeth won the Best Canadian Woman Filmmakers title in 2020 for her short film “You May Kiss the Bride.” Her recent work includes an Anthology Feature- “GRIEF.”

Check out Reeth’s IMDb here

Rosanna Saracino is an Italian Canadian director, educator, and activist, with over twenty years in the industry. She has directed over 80 projects in theatre and film, coached and created in theatre, film, dance, opera, and the music industry, around the world, including: One Yellow Rabbit, Canadian Opera Company, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Shaftsbury films. Rosanna is the recipient of the Yorkville University SSAF fund, for her research and innovation in emotional and psychological consent and boundary practices for the entertainment industry.

Simeon began theatre training at the age of fourteen, attending Winnipeg’s Prairie Theatre Exchange, which lead to various local television commercials. After settling in Toronto and completing his Diploma for Acting at Toronto Film School (class of 2018) achieving both Honours and President’s List, Simeon began to immerse himself in the world of film with several filmmaker friends learning the craft of editing, cinematography, writing, and producing and started a production company with his sister and father, Green Boat Productions, specializing in film and music videos.

Simeon Ross has proven himself a tireless pop songwriter, having written and released more than 10 albums. His recordings have allowed him to share the stage with Oasis, 54-40, The Watchmen, Secret Broadcast, Matthew Good, Rheostatics, Blue Rodeo, Barenaked Ladies, Toad The Wet Sprocket, The Pursuit Of Happiness, Peter Murphy (of Bauhaus), Fast Romantics, and Rob Dickinson (of The Catherine Wheel) among many others.

Suzanne is a teacher, choreographer, dancer and researcher specializing in somatic practices, contemporary dance/theatre and physical partnering. She has choreographed and danced in works for CanAsian KickStart, DanceWorks CoWorks, Dusk Dances, and Dance Matters, receiving grants and awards through the Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, York University and SSHRC (Canadian Graduate Scholarship).

Suzanne has a B.A., B.Ed, and MFA in Choreography and is a Certified Alexander Technique teacher. She teaches professional dancers, actors, community dancers, high school and elementary, college and university students, and in workshops across Canada, the USA and Japan.

Tanya is a director, theatre maker, dramaturge currently based in Toronto. She has a background in devised theatre and the development of new works. She makes theatre that is rooted in collaboration that aims to challenge and question societal norms and the basis of personal identity. Her most recent directing credits include: A Streetcar Named Desire (assistant director- Soulpepper, dir. Weyni Mengesha) The Queen’s Eulogy (Toronto Fringe 2018) The Nails (SummerWorks), The Last Five Years (Rural Stages Productions), Deceitful Above All Things (The Storefront Theatre), Father Comes Home from the Wars (assistant director- Soulpepper, dir. Weyni Mengesha), The Listening Room (NTS), Gruesome Playground Injuries (NTS). Original Work: Good Girl performed in the back of a pawnshop in the 2013 Toronto Fringe, A Wake for Lost Time, a 24 hr durational performance (elephants collective), and No Time for Dreams (barking birds theatre, Toronto Fringe 2011). Tanya is graduate of the National Theatre School’s Directing program, and Humber College’s Theatre performance program.

Uche Ama is a black queer performer born on the indigenous land called Tkaronto. She is passionate about cathartic art that intrigues and makes you ask questions. A 2019 Dora nominated graduate of the Music Theatre Performance program at St Clair College and an alumni of ‘Broadway Theatre Project’, her previous performances include 21 Black Futures (Obsidian Theatre),The Negroes Are Congregating (Piece Of Mine Arts) & Obeah Opera (Asah Productions).

Started working in television over twenty years ago. Graduated from York University, studying Film and Screenwriting. Produced, directed, and wrote several short films. The success of these led to directing TV commercials and music videos. Interned at eOne in TV production, TV Development, and International Film Distribution. Began mentoring newcomers to the industry and decided to earn a Bachelor of Education from Western University. Then returned to projects and became the manager of development for 9-Light Entertainment, working to put together a slate of films. Producer on the 9 Light Feature film Broken Mile, which premiered at the Whistler Film Festival and had a limited North American Theatrical run. Has since optioned several feature scripts and is currently developing a feature directorial debut while teaching for the Toronto Film School.

Check out Dave’s webpage.

Janet has an impressive list of producing and writing credentials. She has written episodes for The Murdoch Mysteries, The Border (which she also created and produced), Emily of New Moon and Road to Avonlea. 

Jeffrey St. Jules is the first Canadian to have been selected for the Cannes Festival Residence where he developed his feature film debut, BANG BANG BABY starring Jane Levy (Don’t Breathe), Justin Chatwin (Shameless) and Peter Stormare (Fargo). Bang Bang Baby premiered at TIFF where it was awarded Best First Canadian Feature. It was also the winner of the top prize at the Santa Barbara Film Festival and the award for Outstanding Debut Feature Film at the Canadian Screen Awards.

He has been described as ‘Canada’s master of the surreal short form’ by The Globe and Mail and ‘One of the most brazenly original voices to come out of Canada in the past 10 years’ by TIFF. His much-lauded shorts include THE SADNESS OF JOHNSON JOE JANGLES, which played over 40 festivals worldwide, THE TRAGIC STORY OF NLING, which was selected for the Sundance Film Festival and named the best short film of 2007 by Film Threat, and LET THE DAYLIGHT INTO THE SWAMP, an experimental 3D documentary which was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award and won Best of the Festival at the Yorkton Film Festival.  All three films had their premiere at TIFF.   He has recently completed his second feature film as writer/director entitled CINEMA OF SLEEP which recently premiered at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

Check out Jeffrey St. Jules` IMDb

Jeremy LaLonde is a filmmaker who resides in Toronto where he was awarded with NOW Magazine’s ‘Best Local Filmmaker’ Reader’s Choice Award in 2015. His films have screened internationally including Toronto Int’l Film Festival, Slamdance, Cinequest, Santa Barbara, Dances with Films and Whistler. His film SEX AFTER KIDS won Best Feature at Film North Huntsville, Best Comedy at the Edmonton Int’l Film Festival, and Best Screenplay & Best Director at the Canadian Comedy Awards.
His film HOW TO PLAN AN ORGY IN A SMALL TOWN premiered at Slamdance and won Best Indie Feature at the Edmonton Int’l Film Festival, and Best Ensemble & Best Feature film at the Canadian Film Fest. His fourth feature film THE GO-GETTERS had its world premiere at Cinequest where it won the Jury Award for Best Comedy Feature.
Jeremy has won multiple Canadian Screen Awards, a Director’s Guild of Canada, and a Canadian Comedy Award for his work both directing and editing on BARONESS VON SKETCH SHOW (CBC/IFC). He was an integral part of the show for its first three seasons. His fifth feature film JAMES vs HIS FUTURE SELF co-written by Jonas Chernick and starring Daniel Stern, Frances Conroy, and Cleopatra Coleman recently took home four awards at Toronto After Dark including Best Feature Film (Bronze), Best Canadian Feature, Best Sci-Fi Feature, and Best Supporting Actor and it also screened at Whistler, Santa Barbara, and Brussels among others. It was nominated for four Canadian Screen Awards including Best Original Screenplay. His sixth feature film, ASHGROVE, had its world premiere at the Glasgow Int’l film festival to rave reviews and recently won Best Ensemble Cast and Indie Spirit Award at the Canadian Film Festival. He just finished post-production on his seventh feature OVER YOUR DEAD BODY and is developing several properties for television.

Check out Jeremy’s IMDb page here

Joshua Boles is a screenwriter and director whose past works as a writer include the award-winning films The Dirties and Woman in Stall, and the Sundance-premiering Operation: Avalanche. His directorial debut is the short film Children of Wrath.

Check out Joshua’s IMDb page

Since childhood, Leah’s been fascinated by any form of storytelling. An avid reader, Leah started writing plays and short stories which led to a love of theatre. Directing offered a mix of all of her passions, and Leah was fortunate to direct several plays in high school including a successful Fringe Festival play.

In 2004, Leah and her brother, Jordan, founded Neophyte Productions, an audience-driven production company that has produced 6 International Theatrical Feature Films, hours of Television Content, and more than a dozen short films that have screened at festivals around the world including TIFF and Slamdance and played at theatres in more than 20 countries. Many of the shorts and two of the feature films were written and directed by Leah including THE THIRD EYE which was called “A Bizarre and Chilling Thriller” by The Boston Globe and went on to play for two years on Super Channel. Leah’s sophomore film, THE PRIVILEGED, starring Sam Trammell from TRUE BLOOD and THE FAULT IN OUR STARS and Josh Close of FARGO, had a successful festival run and theatrical released followed by broadcast on Crave TV as one of their most-watched Canadian films of the year. Since her last film, Leah has moved into Television Development and has become a sought-after Story Editor working on screenplays from notable Production Companies including Resonance Films and Goodbye Productions. Most recently, Leah is completing an adaption of a novel to direct as her third feature film. In addition, Leah takes great pleasure in guiding and inspiring the next generation of international filmmakers.

Check out Leah Walker`s IMDb here

Michael Paszt is one of the most respected names in the arena of independent film. A Managing Partner in Raven Banner Entertainment, Michael has focused on building a brand that represents unique genre-driven films including THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE, GASPAR NOE’S CLIMAX, TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID and the Oscar-nominated, EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT. Michael has also Executive Produced over 30 feature films including PSYCHO GOREMAN, the Sundance Film Festival hit, TURBO KID and SHUDDER ORIGINAL, VHS94. Michael originally began his career as a director on music videos working with metal bands such as Sacrifice and Anvil. His feature documentary debut, NAIL IN THE COFFIN: THE FALL AND RISE OF VAMPIRO premiered at Austin, TX’s Fantastic Fest and was Nominated Best Sports Documentary by Film Threat’s AwardThis!

Check out Michael Paszt`s IMDb here

Michelle was director of content at the Comedy Network, followed by Senior Director of Comedy at CBC. She has contributed to the success of such popular shows as Corner Gas, Kim’s Convenience and Schitt’s Creek.

Paul de Silva is a Gemini award-winning film and Television Producer/Director/Writer and Media and Arts and Culture Consultant. His career has spanned television broadcasting, independent film and television production, journalism, public education, and inter-cultural communications.

He is currently the Co-Director of the International Diaspora Film Festival based in Toronto, Canada and Executive Producer for A4 One Media Productions, a multi-platform production company. He was formerly Vice President of Programming for Vision TV /One, The Body Mind and Spirit Channel and previously Vision TV’s Director of Independent Production and an Executive in charge of production at CBC Drama for the award-winning series “Inside Stories”.

In the six years he was at Vision he was responsible for commissioning documentary, drama, and music programs both in Canada and internationally, focusing on multi-faith and multi-cultural issues, including the Gemini nominated comedy series Lord Have Mercy! and the Music/Documentary series “Soul Music”.

He was Project Director for Canada One TV, an application to the CRTC for an Independent Drama-focused TV/Internet channel.
He is a former Human Rights Officer with the Ontario Human Rights Commission, a journalist with CBC News, and a Communications officer with the United Nations Environment Programme based in Nairobi, Kenya.

He is currently a PhD candidate in the York Ryerson Joint Programme in Communications and Culture and undertaking research in the area of the economics and cultural policies affecting screen-based media in Canada.

Reeth is a Toronto-based award-winning writer-director who identifies herself as a woman of color and a Canadian immigrant. Reeth started life in cinema at a very tender age as an actress in India. As the cameras rolled over the various feature films, music videos, and commercials that she shot across the globe, the people’s craft behind the cameras started intriguing her. She knew that she had a lot to communicate and writing and directing seemed the way to express herself. So, Reeth moved to Canada in 2017 with her North American Dream and began her new journey as a film and television student at the Toronto Film School. Along with winning several titles like best Canadian Short Film, the Audience Choice Award, and Best Experimental film, Reeth won the Best Canadian Woman Filmmakers title in 2020 for her short film “You May Kiss the Bride.” Her recent work includes an Anthology Feature- “GRIEF.”

Check out Reeth’s IMDb here

After graduating with a degree in digital music production, Connor has been working at Little Guy Games as an Audio Engineer, Lighting and Shader artist, and most recently as a Producer, running the work for hire branch of the studio. He has worked on projects like Monsters Everywhere, The Awakening, Wings of Icaria, MLB Home Run Derby VR, and is currently Producing an unannounced Super Racer project.

Darrel has been dedicated to the entertainment industry for over 35 years. His career began as a musician in the studio and music scene of 80s Minneapolis. His travels brought him to Toronto where he acquired an appreciation for the art and history of audio and chose to devote his career to Post Production, from sound design to final delivery. Today, Darrel embraces digital technology, while holding onto the purity and honesty of the audio art form. Darrel has been an instructor for over 15 years, and together with Rick Bennett’s team, helped build the Film Production program at Toronto Film School.

David has been working as an animator at Ubisoft for over a decade, and previously was a lead animator at Rock Star Games. He has worked on The Warriors, Assassin’s Creed: Unity, and Splinter Cell: Blacklist.   

Domenico Caronzo is a graduate of the Computer Science program at Ryerson University.  A passion for video game design and development led him to teaching.  With over 5 years of experience in teaching video game design and 6 years of business management, he brings his management, analytical and problem solving skills into the classroom. Domenico’s other professional endeavors include web design, application programming and various research projects.

Emanuel Melo is a 3D Artist who has over a decade of experience in 3D graphics and specializes in texturing and technical art. He has worked on various projects providing creative design, conceptualizing and development of 3D environments for both computer graphics (CG) and real-time game engines. Emanuel’s expertise stretches into CG rendering development, real-time game software, UI/UX design, VR, and mechanic and retention design in 3D software.

Franklin’s interests started in art and animation studying traditional animation at Sheridan College in the early ’90s before transitioning to the graphic design/web industry. He had a successful career as a graphic designer and web developer that spans two decades working on Internet projects for companies like Activision and Universal Music, etc., before turning his attention to game development; a hobby that has been constant throughout his life. He returned to school and graduated with a diploma in Video Game Design and Animation from IADT in 2008, starting off working freelance before finding a position as a Lead UI Artist & Animator at Clipwire Games creating Facebook-based games in 2009. In 2012 he started teaching at the Toronto Film School and a year later, along with a friend and alumni from IADT, started an indie studio called OSnap Games working on mobile games and an unreleased Unreal Engine PC game until 2017. He has 10 years of post-secondary teaching experience in art, and is currently teaching Intro to Animation and Rigging.

Kenn is a Toronto based 3D freelance modeler and currently has been an 3D/2D game art instructor for 3+ years. He is a graduate from Seneca’s animation and game art program and has worked both in Toronto’s animation scene and the gaming indie scene. Some of Kenn art skill were utilized at Yowza! Animation as a 2D artist and 3D environment modeler for small movie projects and television shows such as Welcome to the Waynes. Currently Kenn is helping beginner students navigate and get familiar with various 2D and 3D art programs such as photoshop and 3DMax and is also assisting 5th and 6th semester art students with their Capstone. Helping them understand the basics of game engines, such as unity and/or unreal and a better grasp on other environment modelling techniques such as trim sheets.

Kyle has been interested in games and their systems all his life. His passion for design started early when he discovered Dungeons and Dragons and custom map makers in early PC games. He is an alumnus of the Toronto Film School where he graduated at the top of his class in the Video Game Design and Animation program.  

An indie dev, Kyle is one half of the ownership of Cat Splat Studios, where he has published mobile titles, such as Rocket Recover. He brings a background in business and project management and utilizes his design knowledge to oversee development while also contributing with his 3D modeling skill set. Currently, the studio is hard at work on their first PC title, Codename: Shifter on which they work closely with the Toronto Film School, current students, and recent graduates. Kyle teaches Modeling for Games and Level Design with Unreal Engine. 

Rob is the founder of Resistr Interactive, an independent studio dedicated to bringing thought-provoking gaming experiences to mobile, console and PC devices. He has worked in a variety of roles on a number of high-profile games, including Metal Gear Solid, Max Payne, Grand Theft Auto, The Warriors, and Red Dead Redemption.   

Ryan is a senior artist with experience in video games, video game cinematics, and TV and film animation. He is skilled in character and environment pipelines, including level building and texturing.

I am a motivating and imaginative educator driven to inspire students to pursue academic and personal excellence. I like to create a challenging and engaging learning environment in which students become life-long scholars and learners.  I am a huge proponent of the arts and personally enjoy coordinating a myriad of creative ideas and people with the goal of streamlining innovative solutions. I studied at the University of Guelph, receiving a Bachelor of Art, I have run multiple galleries shows, some notable events spaces such as Zavits art center, Beaver gallery, Arta in the distillery of Toronto.

I have been working on a personal project, mostly a bestiary and world concept thesis. I have an immense amount of traditional knowledge from printmaking to oil painting to metal work and welding. I have completed a diploma from George Brown College specializing in Concept art for Entertainment.  As for professional experience the bulk of my work was with PeekaPak, rendering assets, and working with the development team creating new worlds and characters. They are a social and emotional games company specifically creating games for children.

Vitor is a Brazilian-born, Toronto-based designer and teacher with over 10 years of experience in arts and design. He is a multifaceted designer creating games and interfaces as well as an accomplished graphic and motion designer. Vitor has worked with multiple media companies and has collaborated as a game designer for start-ups and as a UI/UX designer for UKEN Games. In addition to teaching, Vitor currently freelances as a multimedia designer and develops independent games.

Victor is a Toronto based interactive media Educator and Designer. He holds a bachelors degree in Communication Studies from Wilfrid Laurier University, and has been working with games since the creation of the app store. With over 5 years of post-secondary teaching experience, Victor has been helping students navigate their way through various game engines, design systems and production methodologies. As a specialist working with interactive media, Victor’s focus has recently turned to VR development.

Wojtek is currently the founder and CEO of Wark Studios, a consulting company focused on the game industry. Prior to Wark, Wojtek was the CEO of BDA Entertainment where he guided the company’s growth over close to 7 years. Prior to BDA, Wojtek spent 4 years heading up the studio division of TransGaming with responsibilities for strategy, game design, operations, business development and partnerships. The division developed and published six games spanning iOS, Wii, PC, Mac and GameTree TV. Wojtek’s first job in the game industry was running the game division of SilverBirch, where he set strategy, oversaw the operations of the publishing and development groups, identified merger and acquisition opportunities, and led integration efforts within the division. He also directly ran the operations of SilverBirch Studios, the development studio that founded the game division.

Before entering the game industry, Wojtek worked at an enterprise software start-up as Director of Product Management and before that spent five years at one of Canada’s top venture capital firms as an investment officer.

Wojtek has a BSc from Concordia University, an MSc from McGill University, and an MBA from York University.

Danny started his video game development career in 2015. He has studied both programming/animation and uses his knowledge to bridge the gap between programmers and animation. He helped many studios develop and publish many projects in the video game industry. Recently Danny has been focused on his technical animation skills. Currently he is working with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment helping innovate and disrupt the sport and entertainment industry.

Darrel has been dedicated to the entertainment industry for over 35 years. His career began as a musician in the studio and music scene of 80s Minneapolis. His travels brought him to Toronto where he acquired an appreciation for the art and history of audio and chose to devote his career to Post Production, from sound design to final delivery. Today, Darrel embraces digital technology, while holding onto the purity and honesty of the audio art form. Darrel has been an instructor for over 15 years, and together with Rick Bennett’s team, helped build the Film Production program at Toronto Film School.

Domenico Caronzo is a graduate of the Computer Science program at Ryerson University.  A passion for video game design and development led him to teaching.  With over 5 years of experience in teaching video game design and 6 years of business management, he brings his management, analytical and problem-solving skills into the classroom. Domenico’s other professional endeavors include web design, application programming and various research projects.

Emanuel Melo is a 3D Artist who has over a decade of experience in 3D graphics and specializes in texturing and technical art. He has worked on various projects providing creative design, conceptualizing and development of 3D environments for both computer graphics (CG) and real-time game engines. Emanuel’s expertise stretches into CG rendering development, real-time game software, UI/UX design, VR, and mechanic and retention design in 3D software.

Galen has a decade of experience in the video game industry, and currently works as a senior software engineer at Zynga, a global leader in interactive entertainment.

Gilbert Seah is an electrical engineer with a degree from the University of Singapore, Singapore being the place of birth.  He has taught for 21 years at DeVry Institute of Technology prior to the Toronto Film School and Yorkville University.  He has also a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Toronto which allows him to also teach in the Business Program. 

He has taught and can teach anything from Business Accounting and Finance to Electronics to programming to mathematics to Managerial Skills to Programming to Aerobics (in my younger days) – a case of Jack of all Trades and master of all.  He is a registered Professional Engineer with the APEO. 

Gilbert’s industrial experience includes working as an Engineer at PHILIPS (the Dutch company) in Singapore.  In Canada, he worked as a senior technical support specialist at AEL Microtel which was bought over by BC Telephone and then Telus. 

His passion is film and he is currently a film critic and a member of the Toronto Film Critics Association.  He sees and reviews almost every film screened in Toronto.

Hisham has always been an avid programmer since he was young. Tinkering with and understanding computers has always been one of his strong suits. He graduated with a Bachelors of Commerce in Business Technology Management from Ryerson University. Hisham is also the founder of a game development studio, Cat Splat Studios. He brings an extensive consulting background in programming, IT, and project management. He is a highly adaptive and self-directed leader who isn’t afraid to work in the trenches alongside the team and learn new technologies to become a more well- rounded professional. In his free time, he loves making music, playing fighting games and is an active competitor and commentator for the Canadian fighting game community.

For over two decades, JP Amore has been producing and developing interactive media for Toronto-based software firms in entertainment, education, and medical industries. JP is an advisory board member for several game companies and organizations.

Kenn is a Toronto based 3D freelance modeler and currently has been an 3D/2D game art instructor for 3+ years. He is a graduate from Seneca’s animation and game art program and has worked both in Toronto’s animation scene and the gaming indie scene. Some of Kenn art skill were utilized at Yowza! Animation as a 2D artist and 3D environment modeler for small movie projects and television shows such as Welcome to the Waynes. Currently Kenn is helping beginner students navigate and get familiar with various 2D and 3D art programs such as photoshop and 3DMax and is also assisting 5th and 6th semester art students with their Capstone. Helping them understand the basics of game engines, such as unity and/or unreal and a better grasp on other environment modelling techniques such as trim sheets.

Kyle has been interested in games and their systems all his life. His passion for design started early when he discovered Dungeons and Dragons and custom map makers in early PC games. He is an alumnus of the Toronto Film School where he graduated at the top of his class in the Video Game Design and Animation program.  

An indie dev, Kyle is one half of the ownership of Cat Splat Studios, where he has published mobile titles, such as Rocket Recover. He brings a background in business and project management and utilizes his design knowledge to oversee development while also contributing with his 3D modeling skill set. Currently, the studio is hard at work on their first PC title, Codename: Shifter on which they work closely with the Toronto Film School, current students, and recent graduates. Kyle teaches Modeling for Games and Level Design with Unreal Engine. 

Naveen Prasad is a Technical Designer at Ubisoft Toronto with multiple years of experience in the game industry. After graduating with honours from George Brown College, he accepted a position at Ubisoft Toronto and shipped two AAA titles (Watch Dogs: Legion and Far Cry 6) with more games on the way. In addition to gaining industry experience, Naveen is also passionate to share his knowledge and exhibit his creativity with students at the Toronto Film School. Some of his hobbies include developing his own personal games, producing short-films, and being a gamer.

Rob is the founder of Resistr Interactive, an independent studio dedicated to bringing thought-provoking gaming experiences to mobile, console and PC devices. He has worked in a variety of roles on a number of high-profile games, including Metal Gear Solid, Max Payne, Grand Theft Auto, The Warriors, and Red Dead Redemption.   

Victor is a Toronto based interactive media Educator and Designer. He holds a bachelors degree in Communication Studies from Wilfrid Laurier University, and has been working with games since the creation of the app store. With over 5 years of post-secondary teaching experience, Victor has been helping students navigate their way through various game engines, design systems and production methodologies. As a specialist working with interactive media, Victor’s focus has recently turned to VR development.

Vitor is a Brazilian-born, Toronto-based designer and teacher with over 10 years of experience in arts and design. He is a multifaceted designer creating games and interfaces as well as an accomplished graphic and motion designer. Vitor has worked with multiple media companies and has collaborated as a game designer for start-ups and as a UI/UX designer for UKEN Games. In addition to teaching, Vitor currently freelances as a multimedia designer and develops independent games.

Wojtek is currently the founder and CEO of Wark Studios, a consulting company focused on the game industry. Prior to Wark, Wojtek was the CEO of BDA Entertainment where he guided the company’s growth over close to 7 years. Prior to BDA, Wojtek spent 4 years heading up the studio division of TransGaming with responsibilities for strategy, game design, operations, business development and partnerships. The division developed and published six games spanning iOS, Wii, PC, Mac and GameTree TV. Wojtek’s first job in the game industry was running the game division of SilverBirch, where he set strategy, oversaw the operations of the publishing and development groups, identified merger and acquisition opportunities, and led integration efforts within the division. He also directly ran the operations of SilverBirch Studios, the development studio that founded the game division.

Before entering the game industry, Wojtek worked at an enterprise software start-up as Director of Product Management and before that spent five years at one of Canada’s top venture capital firms as an investment officer.

Wojtek has a BSc from Concordia University, an MSc from McGill University, and an MBA from York University.

Devin is a design leader who specializes in product design, editorial storytelling and visual brand strategy. He is currently Creative Director, UX for Texas Instruments. During his tenure as Design Director for The Globe and Mail (2012 – 2019) he was recognized with awards for art direction, design and visual storytelling from renowned organizations such as The Advertising and Design Club of Canada, The Association of Graphic Designers of Canada, The Society for News Design, and Applied Arts magazine. In 2016 and 2019, The Globe and Mail was nominated for World’s Best Design by SND.

Over a 20-year career, Devin has led major projects, redesigns and marketing campaigns for Texas Instruments, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Canada’s Walk of Fame, American Express, The Independent Film Channel and Alliance Atlantis Films. He is a certified UX designer (Akendi) and creative lead for The Trust Project. He’s an avid collector of post-war Canadian art.

Designer, writer, curator, teacher. Foremost graphic designer.

For the past 16 years Fritz has run the full gamut from agency junior designer to project lead for multi-agency, multi-national consortiums; art director for numerous corporations; design thinking, research & methodology projects; mentoring designers; teaching design; curate international design festivals all whilst maintaining his own design studio. He prides himself on carrying a conversation with a room full of >stuffy< Korean executives equally as well as talking shop with the printer foreman.

Fritz has worked on brands as diverse as LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, KIA Motors, IBK (Industrial Bank of Korea), KEB (Korea Exchange Bank), KT (Korea Telecommunications) to lesser known brands in mechatronics & hydraulics (DY), hospitality (GLAD Hotel), retail (Noon Square), fashion (MVIO) etc. all to widen the definition and potential of design in everyday life.

Although he dislikes awards and accolades his work has been recognized by the TDC, Monthly Design, Korea Society of Typography and others. Also, he has sat on the advisory board for numerous design organizations, periodicals, design biennials and festivals.

Fritz also speaks publicly and contributes frequently to design publications around the world. He has delivered talks and workshops in Korea, Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong and most recently here in Toronto.

Jeff has worked in Men’s Fashion retail for over 40 years. He has held the positions of manager; buyer; visual display designer; merchandiser; and sales associate. Concurrently, for 24 years, Jeff held the position of Art Director and Lead Designer at a special event design firm. In this role he designed and managed the production of décor props and costumes.

Jeff has a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of Guelph.  He recently instructed Visual Presentation at Toronto Film School in the Interior Decorating program.

Currently with the Yorkville University, Jeff is instructing an online Fashion Sketching course; History of Furniture and Decoration; Introduction to Interior Decoration, and an in-class History of Design course in the Graphic Design program at Toronto Film School.

For more than 25 years, Jennifer Cairns has been recognized for outstanding quality and creativity in corporate branding and marketing. Jennifer was Creative Director and Director of Brand Development at Revera Inc, where she established an award-winning advertising and design team, launched a new national brand identity, and executed complex integrated marketing campaigns. Over the past decade, Jennifer has been freelancing and teaching art and design, most recently working with Allcard Ltd, Canada’s leader in gift card production for clients such as Canadian Tire, Roots, and Air Canada. Jennifer is teaching the next generation of graphic designers at the Toronto Film School and Mohawk College, with emphasis on best practices, clear communication, innovative ideas, and creative exploration.

Through an ongoing career in different countries for more than 30 years, John has been honoured with hundreds of awards for creative excellence; he has held the titles of Art Director, Creative Director, Partner, owner and mentor.

His advertising career started in Los Angles, California at the prestigious Art Center College of Design, where he received a BFA. His schooling and talent lead to jobs in Los Angles, Chicago / New York and Toronto.

John has had the privilege of working on almost everything from A-Z, in marketing, promotion, packaging and putting it all together in advertising campaigns. Creating over 1200 TV commercials, movie Posters, titles and credits, hundreds of radio commercials and countless print pieces, from Annual reports, to posters, to complete advertising campaigns to designing startup magazines.

He has also had the good fortune of working with some of the best in the business both in the U.S., Canada and around the world.

As well as running an advertising/design agency, John teaches.

Kory is a graphic designer with over 20 years of experience. He is also a design educator being a part-time faculty member at both Centennial and Durham College since 2014. He has taught courses in both the Advertising and Graphic Design programs such as  Design and Production Fundamentals,  Design Theory, Design Tools (Adobe), Digital Illustration, Graphic Design for Digital Media, acted as the Creative Director for Campus Media Production, and instructed summer camps and workshops. Kory is still active in the industry and working as a designer in advertising agencies and most recently for cannabis licensed producers. He also holds a graphic design diploma from Durham College and an Instructing Adults certificate from George Brown College.

Lea Conte is an experienced Designer, Art Director and Post-Secondary Educator in Toronto. With over ten years of industry experience and over five years as an instructor, she is driven by her passion for design and love of teaching. Lea stems from a seasoned background of education and professional experience. She retains a BA in Cultural Anthropology, which has complimented her curiosity for teaching and understanding cultural dynamics. Perusing her natural creative interests, Lea went on to study Fashion Arts and Graphic Design, where she then became a successful Art Director. Sensing the need to foster her academic and cultural mind, Lea found herself teaching in the post-secondary environment. Currently, Lea wholeheartedly believes she has combined her passion for cultural understanding and design problem solving into a successful and fulfilling career. Lea takes the utmost pride in providing a paramount learning experience for her students and keeping them up to date with contemporary design practices and principles.

Martyn Lee has always had an interest in art and design.  As a visual merchandiser he’s been exposed to many design fields and has developed a huge appreciation for the creative process, and what it takes to bring an idea to aesthetic fruition.

Martyn enjoys working with his students and sharing his conceptual approach, inspiring them to see design through more critical and objective eyes and watching their creativity develop.

Michelle is a marketing strategist, project manager, and UX/UI designer with over  20 years of experience in web and print marketing and design, and a lifelong history as a  dedicated problem solver and polymath.  She has worked and collaborated with several boutique agencies and brands in various  capacities, including Nuclear Media, Big Feats Creative, Air Canada, Energy Technologies Canada, the El  Mocambo, Yoga Mamas, and on a number of projects in the web 3.0 and NFT  community, arts organizations, and health and wellness organizations.  

Michelle has a passion for education and entrepreneurship. She is the founder of  a small opera company, a film company, a health and wellness company, and has worked in the  Reiki, Yoga, and Meditation field for over 10 years. She is currently an  instructor in Graphic Design and Interactive Media. She also works in film, television and theatre, as an actor, art director, cinematographer, and director. When not in class or in the office, you’ll find Michelle performing on stage, shooting or directing independent films, walking her dog, or planning her  upcoming wedding to her best friend. 

Careers: Visual Arts and Graphic/Multimedia Design.

Graphic Designer, Art Director in BBDO and Young & Rubicam Europe, participates in the Venice Biennale of Art and exhibitions in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania. From 1998 in Toronto he freelances in web, print, video/multimedia. 2000÷2006: teaching Art Directing & Visual Communication + Web in OCAD, while freelancing in Paris, France and Toronto. From 2007 he teaches Theology + Art of Icon in St. Stephen’s University, US. Beginning in 2017 he teaches in Toronto Film School and Yorkville University. Author of ‘Concepts of Beauty’ course, Yorkville University. Multilingual: English, French, Romanian. Masters of Engineering, Visual Arts ( + BBDO, Young & Rubicam training in Visual Communication & Art Directing, post-diploma studies in OCAD ), Theology.

Pheinixx specializes in design, marketing, communications and brand development and has worked for clients around the globe. Here in Canada, she has taken on projects for Warner Bros. Music, Mastercard Stylicity, and Gusto TV. 

Piyush Mann is a designer, artist and educator. His research focusses on decolonizing design through digitization and equitable management of ownership of indigenous Knowledge. He holds a Masters of Design degree from the University of Alberta with research that cultivates new design sensorial methodologies to extract tacit knowledge found in practice-led methods and indigenous knowledge. He also has a Bachelor of Design degree from OCAD University (Ontario College of Art and Design).As a professional designer and creative director, he combines his background in visual-communication design with new media to develop solutions for political design, corporate design, communication design and interactive design.

An ideator, educator, and UX/UI designer with the proven ability to understand client needs and successfully meet goals. His life-long interest and background in storytelling, has provided him an acute empathy of users and what drives them.

With over a decade of industry experience, he has an in-depth understanding of all things digital and design. Randolph has worked on some of the biggest brands in the world including Google, AT&T, and Procter & Gamble.

Randolph also has a passion for design education and has been involved in several tech schools training new designers, as well as corporate training.

Ryan Taffe is an artist and designer from Toronto, Canada, focused on designing timeless, functional, and creative works. Educated in Graphic Design, Art History and Computer Science, he has paired a strong technical knowledge with a classic approach to design. Throughout his life, Ryan has always worked hard at balancing athletics and creativity. In his youth, he spent a lot of time on the soccer pitch playing for the Provincial & National youth programs, travelling and playing in Portugal. In addition to the teamwork and determination Ryan learned through these experiences, he was constantly analyzing and investigating to ensure that he was performing at his best. Ryan was taught at an early age that self-reflection and constructive criticism are imperative for one to improve. He was fascinated from a young age with art and design, and with the progressive advancements in technology changing how design integrated with everyday life. In his spare time, he was developing skills on the computer and playing music constantly to better his skill set with constant practice and experimentation. As a teenager, Ryan became heavily connected to urban and skate culture. In his high school years, he honed his skills as an artist and web designer. He designed and programmed his secondary school’s website, as well as creating some of the school’s warning music; all this was done while juggling his training for soccer and being on student council. This ability to connect with trends and culture pushed Ryan to examine and understand why designs are successful and how they connect with different people.

Shilpa got her start in graphic design after graduating from LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore. With more than a decade of experience in illustration, art direction and graphic design, she still can’t get enough of the arts and dabbles occasionally in crafting and pottery.

Enhancing her skills, and leveling up to the highest standards helped Shilpa create meaningful work, over the years.

Having worked in Singapore, India, and Canada, she brings a unique design sense. Influenced by classic and eclectic design work, she’s up for any creative challenge – so as long as there’s a cup of coffee, brewing nearby.