2011 Development Executives

Nicolina Zilliacus Korsstrom
Head of Programming
YLE

I work as Head of Programmes for the only Swedish speaking TV-channel in Finland, FST5, which is a part of the Finnish public service company, YLE.

We are a full service channel for the Swedish speaking minority, but since we subtitle all our programs with finnish subtitles we also se...
[ Extend Bio ]

Christine Shipton
Vice President, Original Content
Shaw Media

As Vice President, Original Content, Christine Shipton oversees all development and commissioning of Canadian original programming for the Shaw Media 19 specialty channels and for Global Television.

A seasoned executive, Christine joined Shaw Media (then Canwest) in May 2005, co...
[ Extend Bio ]

Richard Life
Head of Acquisitions & Co-Productions
ITV Global Entertainment

Richard Life is Head of Acquisitions & Co-productions at ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment, the worldwide rights exploitation business. The company is an integrated part of ITV plc, which is one of the world's leading television production, distribution and broadcast companies.

Ric...
[ Extend Bio ]

Sharon Tal Yguado
Senior Vice President, Scripted Programming
Fox International Channels

Sharon Tal Yguado is Senior Vice President of Scripted Programming at Fox International Channels (FIC). She is based in Los Angeles and is responsible for Scripted Programming; Original Development and Global Commissioning.

Sharon has been a key contributor to FIC's growth over the p...
[ Extend Bio ]

John Kaye Cooper
Controller of Entertainment
ITV

JOHN KAYE COOPER is Controller of Entertainment at ITV, Europe's largest commercial channel. Based in London, he commissions and oversees some of the biggest Entertainment series, events and specials in the UK including X Factor, Britain's Got Talent, Ant & Dec's Push The Button, Take Me Out, the new prime time dating series, and the award-winning new game show, The Cube. He has just completed a deal to take the annual Royal Variety Performance to ITV for the next 10 years, and he is also ITV's executive producer of The Brits, the UK's biggest music awards.

John started his career with Scottish Television in 1967, moving on to Thames TV, Yorkshire TV, and London Weekend Television. As a Producer & Program Director at LWT, he created and produced Russ Abbot's Madhouse, one of ITV's most successful variety /comedy series of the 80s and he won a BAFTA award in 1982 for The Stanley Baxter Series. In 1984, he joined Television South as Controller of Entertainment, discovered a little-known US pilot Catchphrase, and turned it into one of the UK's most successful game shows.

Back at London Weekend TV in 1990, as Controller of Entertainment & Comedy, John had responsibility for many of ITV's top prime-time series including Blind Date, Barrymore, Beadle's About, Surprise Surprise, You Bet, Bruce Forsyth's Play Your Cards Right, It'll Be Alright On The
Night, and Gladiators, one of the iconic TV hits of the 90s. He also
produced three Royal Variety Performances in 1991, 1993, and 1995 in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen.

He left LWT to become Creative Director of Talent Television in 1996.
The independent production company was at the forefront of the development of innovative programme formats, including Test The Nation, a live two hour quiz event, which became the interactive prime time flagship of BBC One and BBCi; dating reality series The Villa (Sky One); interactive game shows TV Scrabble and Casino, Casino; and award-winning children's series Best of Friends (CBBC) In 2005 John co-produced and directed one of the ITV 50th Birthday programmes "What Did ITV Do For Me? a two hour documentary featuring the careers of Sir Roger Moore, Sir David Jason, Bruce Forsyth, Victoria Wood, Chris Tarrant and Simon Cowell. He rejoined ITV in 1998. [ Minimize ]

Joe Godwin
Director of BBC Children
BBC

As Director of BBC Children's Joe Godwin is responsible for all of the BBC's services for children on BBC ONE & TWO as well as the dedicated CBBC and CBeebies channels and websites.

After reading History at Manchester University, Joe joined the BBC in 1986, working at BBC Southam...
[ Extend Bio ]

Gary Levine
Executive Vice President, Original Programming
Showtime Networks

During Gary Levine's 10 years as head of development, Showtime has been transformed into a major series player with such provocative, distinctive and acclaimed series as: Dexter (Emmy and AFI awards), Weeds (Golden Globe award), Californication (Golden Globe), The Big C (AFI) The L Word (GLAAD award...
[ Extend Bio ]

Christina Davis
Executive Vice President, Drama Series Development
CBS Entertainment

Christina Davis grew up in Petaluma, California and moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA as a political science major. After a short stint as a writers' assistant on the Warner Bros./NBC series SISTERS, she began working in drama series development at Warner Bros. Television. Christina moved to CBS...
[ Extend Bio ]

David Bernath
Executive Vice President, Program Strategy & Multiplatform Programming
Comedy Central

David Bernath is executive vice president, program strategy and multiplatform programming, COMEDY CENTRAL, reporting to Michele Ganeless, president of the network. Bernath is based in the network's New York City office and was formerly senior vice president.

In this position, Bernath ...
[ Extend Bio ]

Jana Winograde
Executive Vice President, Business Affairs & Administration
ABC Entertainment Group

Jana Winograde was named executive vice president, Business Affairs and Administration, ABC Entertainment Group, in June 2009. In this capacity she is responsible for the general business, administrative and operational oversight of ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios. For ABC Entertainment the work encompasses deals, agreements and general business oversight related to the development and acquisition of all Primetime and Late-Night programming, marketing and on-air promotions and ABC.com. For ABC Studios it includes deals in connection with and business oversight of the development and production of network, cable and syndicated programming and the licensing of such programming to distributors and exhibitors. Her role also includes acquisition and exploitation of new media rights and the development of alternative business models for the network and studio.

Ms. Winograde also oversees the business elements of the music department, which sets music policy and handles music licensing and administration and manages the in-house music library.

Previously, Ms. Winograde was executive vice president, Business Affairs, ABC Entertainment, ABC Daytime and SOAPnet, a position she had held since December 2006. Prior to that, as executive vice president, Business Affairs, ABC Entertainment, Ms. Winograde was responsible for overseeing all business affairs for ABC Primetime and Late-Night programming.

Ms. Winograde was named senior vice president, Business Affairs, ABC Entertainment, in December 2000. She had been vice president, Business Affairs and Administration, ABC Entertainment since August 1998.

She joined ABC in January 1994, as an assistant general attorney, Litigation and Employment Practices. She was promoted to general attorney, Legal and Business Affairs, Production and Multimedia, as well as general attorney, Law and Regulation, in January 1995. In August 1996, she was named director of Business Affairs and Contracts, ABC Entertainment.

Prior to joining ABC, she was an associate at Munger, Tolles & Olson. [ Minimize ]

Christian Drobnyk
Director of Entertainment
UKTV

Christian is responsible for overseeing all aspects of UKTV's Entertainment division which consists of some of the UK's most highly rated cable and broadcast networks: Alibi, Gold, Watch and Dave.

Since joining UKTV in January 2008, he has overseen a complete entertainment portfolio...
[ Extend Bio ]

Jean Pierre Laurendeau
Vice President, Programming
Canal D

Work is VP Programming for Canal D since March 2003. He has close to 30 years experience in television in production and programming....
[ Extend Bio ]

Philippe Mueller
Commissioning Editor, Deputy Head of Themes Evening
ARTE

Born in France, Philippe MULLER graduated in German linguistics, literature
and civilization. He started in the TV business as a freelance commissioning
editor, producer and author at SÃ¼dwestfunk (a German public broadcaster).
He then created a company specialize...
[ Extend Bio ]

Diego Suarez
Senior Vice President, Programming
Fox Television Studios

Diego Suarez is Senior Vice President, Programming, at Fox Television Studios, where he focuses on international co-production, US development and foreign language development and production. Since joining the studio in 2007, Suarez has forged various overall and series deals with international production companies.

Suarez's projects include Persons Unknown, produced in conjunction with Rai and Televisa and aired on NBC in the US; Mental, produced in conjunction with Fox International Channels, and aired on FOX in the US; Todos Contra Juan and Mitos, both produced in Argentina and airing on Telefe network; Soy tu Fan produced in Mexico and airing in Canal 11 and Mun2 for the US Hispanic market; the new US drama series in development, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, based on the 1988 hit film from director Pedro Almodovar and Mr. Acapulco.

Suarez came to Fox TV Studios from Fox International Channels, Italy, where, from 2004 to 2006, he served as Vice President, Head of Production and Managing Director for Fox Factory Europe. There, he was responsible for the development and production of scripted shows for the Italian market, including Boris; Racconti Neri di Giancarlo Giannini (Black Tales by Giancarlo Giannini); Le Chiavi del Mistero di Carlo Lucarelli (Carlo Lucarelli Presents); and the adaptation of the international scripted show Mujeres Asesinas (Donne Assassine).

Prior to that position, Suarez was Head of Programming for Boca Boca Producciones, one of Spain's leading television production companies, where he developed such critically acclaimed programs as El Comisario, Pasapalabra, Metro a Metro, and Kalera.

From 1992 to 2002 Suarez was Executive Producer at Cuatrocabezas (Eyeworks), one of the most prestigious multimedia companies in the Spanish-speaking world, with operations in Argentina, Chile, Spain, Italy and Portugal. Award-winning shows included Palo y Palo and Caiga Quien Caiga for America; El Rayo for America and Channel 13; and Maldito Lunes for Telefe. He was also responsible for franchising and field production of El Rayo and Trip in Spain for Antena 3; and The Bar for SIC in Portugal. [ Minimize ]

Bill Mohri
Head of Strategy and Partnerships
MSN Canada

Bill Mohri is the Head of Strategy and Partnerships for MSN Canada. In this role, Bill helps create exceptional user experiences by sourcing the best possible online text and video content for our users.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Bill founded M Consulting where his work focused on ...
[ Extend Bio ]

Patricia Ishimoto
General Manager and Vice President of Entertainment
DirecTV

In her role, Ishimoto determines, communicates and executes on the strategy for the AUDIENCE Network and n3D to driver viewership, maximize overall customer satisfaction and differentiate DIRECTV from its competitors. She identifies, acquires and oversees the development and launch of television franchises that are aligned with the network brand and will deliver the best experience to DIRECTV customers.

In 2008, Ishimoto negotiated the company's first original scripted series agreement and led the launch of the NBC Studios-produced Friday Night Lights. The series provided to be a tremendous success and resulted in the extension of the franchise for a total of five seasons. She continues to seek out critically-acclaimed series and co-production opporutunities and recently secured the Sony-produced drama Damages starring Glenn Close and Rose Byrne. To round out the network's program offering, she has acquired popular HBO series such as OZ, Deadwood and The Wire, and internationally-known series such as the Underbelly franchise.

In addition to the successful slate of scripted series, Ishimoto was responsible for launching DIRECTV's first original music production "CD USA," a weekly music show based on the popular U.K. format. She has further broadened DIRECTV's array of exculusive music programming with specials from Guitar Centre Sessions and Farm Aid amongst others.

With DIRECTV's foray into 3D content in 2010, Ishimoto played an integral role in leading the 3D programs, DIRECTV forged its way into original 3D production. Additionally, Ishimoto brokered co-productions and partnerships with programmers like Fodd Network to creat 3D versions of their popular shows. She also led the creation of the inaugural DIRECTV in 3D Film Invitational, which selects established filmmakers to participate in a 3D production workshop and culminates in the production of their own 3D short film concept.

Ishimoto joined DIRECTV in 1996 as manager, programming acquisitions. During her tenure, she's negotiated linear and on demand distribution agreements with major cable networks, pay-per-view agreements with movie studios and event producers, and oversaw the programming development of DIRECTV's live, in-flight broadcast service for Live TV on JetBlue and Frontier airlines.

Previously, Ishimoto was an advertising manager for multicultural marketing at AT&T, and served int he United States Peace Corp, where she worked in Kenya as a Business Development Advisor.

Ishimoto holds a bachelor's degree in Business, French, and International Relations from Albright College. She also attended the Institute for American Universities in Avignon, France. A native of New York, Ishimoto currently resides in Los Angeles, Calif. [ Minimize ]

Elliot Jacobson
Senior Vice President, Programming & Production
RLTV

Elliot Jacobson is Senior Vice President of Programming and Production for RLTV, with responsibility for the design and execution of the network's programming strategy, Elliot oversees the development and production of all original programming, as well as the network's acquisition, scheduling and di...
[ Extend Bio ]

Vibika Bianchi
Vice President, Original Programming, Lifestyle, Reality, & Factual Entertainment
Corus Television

As Vice President of Original Programming, Lifestyle, Reality and Factual Entertainment, Vibika Bianchi guides the unscripted programming strategy across all Corus networks including W Network, Cosmo TV, YTV, CMT (Canada) - and now OWN (Canada). Vibika's mandate is to contribute to the growth of Co...
[ Extend Bio ]

Jae Kim
Senior Director of Original Programming
BET Networks

Jae Kim is Senior Director of Original Programming for BET Networks, where he oversees the development and production of both scripted and non-scripted programming. Among the reality shows he was in charge of were THE MICHAEL VICK PROJECT and THE FAMILY CREWS, two of the network's highest rated pro...
[ Extend Bio ]

Marguerite Pigott
Head of Creative Development
Super Channel

Marguerite is Super Channel's Head of Creative Development, directing a cross-country team of development executives, fulfilling the effective disbursement of the Super Channel Development Fund. In addition to her work for Super Channel, Marguerite is Principal of Megalomedia Inc., a consulting comp...
[ Extend Bio ]

Michael Katz
Vice President, Programming & Production, International Division
A&E Television Networks

Michael E. Katz is Vice President, Programming and Production, International Division, A&E Television Networks. In his present role, Mr. Katz leads the international programming and production activities for A&E Television Networks, including working with worldwide partners to provide creati...
[ Extend Bio ]

Ansje Germann
Commissioning and Development Executive
NDR

Ansje Germann started her TV career in 1999 as a documentary filmmaker in Germany after a short stint of acting in musicals and TV. Following a production trainee scheme in Munich, she produced and directed over 40 TV programmes ranging from documentaries and factual entertainment to reality, promo...
[ Extend Bio ]

Noel Hedges
Senior Vice President, Sales & Acquisitions, The Americas
ITV Global Entertainment

Noel Hedges is responsible for ITV Global Entertainment's entire drama portfolio and for raising coproduction and presales finance for drama projects, ensuring that ITV GE maintains its position as the leading distributor of high quality and commercial drama.

Noel was formerly VP Sale...
[ Extend Bio ]

Brent Haynes
Senior Vice President, Comedy & Animation
MTV

Brent Haynes is, surprisingly, still SVP Comedy & Animation for MTV. Since giving up on his dream to play left wing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Brent has enjoyed a relatively healthy career in television.

In his role, Brent is responsible for overseeing MTV's Comedy and Animation...
[ Extend Bio ]

Kris Slava
Senior Vice President, Programming & Production
Ovation

Kris Slava is Senior Vice President, Programming and Production, of Ovation. He is a senior cable and digital content executive who joined Ovation as the continuation of a distinguished television programming career with particular focus on arts and art-related programming.

Previousl...
[ Extend Bio ]

Cynthia Fenneman
President & CEO
American Public Television & World TV Channel

Cynthia A. Fenneman is President and CEO of American Public Television (APT), a leading distributor of high quality, viewer favorite programs to U.S. public television's 359 stations. Last year, APT was responsible for nearly half of the top 100 highest rated titles on PBS member stations. APT manag...
[ Extend Bio ]

Kim Wilson
Creative Head, Children's Programming
CBC Television

Kim Wilson is the Creative Head of Children's Programming for CBC Television.

Ms. Wilson has dedicated her life to children's programming beginning with a degree in Radio and Television Arts from Ryerson University in Toronto, coupled with her long standing passion and commitment to ...
[ Extend Bio ]

Robyn Hutt
Senior Vice President, Original Programming
truTV

Robyn Hutt is Senior Vice President, Original Programming at truTV. In that role, she is the responsible for the network's original primetime series, pilots and specials including Hard Core Pawn, All Worked Up, Conspiracy Theory, Black Gold, Full Throttle Salloon, Lizard Lick Towing, World's Dumbest, Operation Repo and Bait Car.

Prior to truTV, Hutt was SVP, Current Programming and Specials at Court TV, where she played instrumental role in creating many of the networks' signature series including Body of Evidence, LA Forensics, Beach Patrol, Parco PI, Missing, and The Innocence Project. As an Executive Producer for Court TV, Hutt created several of the networks' hit series including Psychic Detectives and Haunting Evidence.

Prior joining Court TV, Hutt wrote, directed and produced award-winning independent documentary films. While still in college she founded Testing the Limits Productions. That company garnered international recognition for producing provocative documentary programming on AIDS and civil rights, including Voices From The Front, which was released theatrically worldwide and won international acclaim including the Teddy Award for outstanding documentary at the Berlin International Film Festival. Hutt executive produced the critically acclaimed series, The Question of Equality, produced in conjunction with Independent Television Service (ITVS) and Channel 4, UK. The series received numerous awards including a GLAAD media award for outstanding documentary series. Hutt is the recipient of the Dorothy Azner Director's Award from the Women in Film Foundation and her work has been honored by the Festival International du Film Documentarie, Nyon, the Chicago International Film Festival, American Film & Video Association and the Sundance Film Festival.

Hutt holds a Masters degree in Cinema Studies from New York University and is currently teaching in the Masters of Social Documentary program at the School for the Visual Arts in Manhattan. She has lectured on documentary film & television at colleges and universities worldwide. [ Minimize ]

Katie Labrie
Director of Acquisitions & Development
PPI Releasing

Katie Labrie is Director of Acquisitions & Development at PPI Releasing, a Venice, CA based TV distribution and production company with series currently airing on US network, cable and syndicated television. Having moved to Hollywood from north of the border, Katie specializes in acquiring Cana...
[ Extend Bio ]

Matt Loze
Senior Vice President, Programming
Fox Television Studios

Matt Loze is currently Senior Vice President of Programming at Fox Television Studios responsible for overseeing development and co-production content for the studio as well as the drama series, BURN NOTICE, THE GOOD GUYS and WHITE COLLAR. Loze has held Senior Executive positions at Pearson North A...
[ Extend Bio ]

Alexander von Sallwitz
Senior Commissioning Editor
NDR

Alexander has worked at NDR for more than 25 years in various executive positions. Following his role as a personal consultant to the Director of Radio and TV Programs, he hosted a psychology show, supervised a boulevard news magazine, produced programs on maritime affairs and for ten years has been...
[ Extend Bio ]

Jocelyn Hamilton
Vice President, Original Programming Kids, Comedy, Drama
Corus Entertainment

As Vice President, Original Programming, Kids, Comedy, Drama, Jocelyn Hamilton is responsible for overseeing scripted original development and production for Corus Entertainment's specialty and pay networks, including Movie Central, HBO Canada, YTV, Treehouse, Nickelodeon and CMT.

An award-winning producer and broadcasting executive with over two decades of experience, Hamilton is a loyal supporter of the Canadian production industry, is a member of the President's Council at Corus, sits on the board of the Alliance for Children and Television and is a member of the program advisory council at Ryerson University for Radio & Television Arts.

In her previous roles at Corus as the Vice President, Programming for Corus' kids networks and the Vice President, Production and Development for Nelvana Studio, Hamilton has extensive experience in producing hit shows that have sold in over 140 countries worldwide.

On YTV, hit Canadian series such as How to be Indie, Kid vs Kat, League of Super Evil, That's So Weird!, The Next Star, Survive This and In Real Life all premiered under Hamilton's leadership. On Treehouse, top 10 series such as Max & Ruby, The Backyardigans, The Cat in the Hat, Are We There Yet?: World Adventure and Roll Play have continued to keep Treehouse the #1 network for preschoolers in Canada.
Hamilton was part of the team that launched Nickelodeon Canada in 2009 to great success. At Nelvana Studio, Hamilton lead a talented team of animation professionals who produced over four thousand episodes of quality children's programming, including: Franklin, Ruby Gloom, Rolie Polie Olie, Little Bear, Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends, The Backyardigans, Handy Manny and 6Teen.

Hamilton has also contributed to award wins from esteemed institutions such as the Geminis, EmmysÂ®, ACE, Parent's Choice, Alliance for Children and Television, Les Sept D'or, Humanitas, Annecy International Animated Film Festival and Cartoons on the Bay (Pulnicella Award). [ Minimize ]

Ralf Peter Piechowiak
Commissioning Editor
ZDF

Ralf-Peter Piechowiak is Writer, Executive Producer and Commissioning Editor for ZDF German Television Network, Europe's largest public TV company. Ralf has had a distinguished 25-year career at ZDF's Department of Contemporary History. He has co-developed, written, produced, launched or supervised ...
[ Extend Bio ]

Anna Gecan
Vice President, Original Programming
HGTV

Anna Gecan is the VP of Original Programming at HGTV in New York. She is responsible for the day to day creative management of all original series. Anna brought hits like "Selling New York" and "Holmes Inspection" to the network. Prior to working in New York, Anna was the VP ...
[ Extend Bio ]

Tara Ellis
Senior Director of Original Drama Content
Shaw Media

As Senior Director of Original Drama Content for Shaw Media, Tara oversees original scripted drama and comedy programming for Shaw Media's conventional network Global and specialty channels including Showcase and History Television. Recent programs to hit the air include the network drama series Ro...
[ Extend Bio ]

Jenny Hacker
Creative Head, Comedy
CBC

As Creative Head of Comedy, Jenny Hacker is responsible for finding and overseeing the development of new television comedies for CBC. Prior to joining CBC, Jenny worked as a lawyer and business executive in the television industry, including at CTV and at Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting as VP of Bus...
[ Extend Bio ]

Bridget Wiley
Vice President, Current Programming
CBS Television Studios

Bridget Wiley is Vice President, Current Programming CBS Television Studio where she handles all current duties overseeing both comedy and drama programming for launching shows through present, including: The Good Wife, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, 90210, Mad Love, Rules of Engagement. And su...
[ Extend Bio ]

Pamela Soper
Vice President of Current Programming
CBS Entertainment

Pamela Soper is Vice President of Current Programming for CBS Entertainment covering Hawaii Five-0, NCIS: LA, Mike & Molly and CSI:NY. Prior to joining CBS, she was Vice President of Development at Shore View Entertainment and Vice President of Creative Affairs for Viacom Productions....
[ Extend Bio ]

Paul Lewis
President & General Manager
Discovery Channel Canada

Paul Lewis, as President and General Manager of Discovery Channel in Canada, is responsible for all of the network's day-to-day operations including programming, production and marketing as well as business and strategic planning. He also oversees operations for five additional channels - Discovery...
[ Extend Bio ]

Ulla Karva
Executive, Programme Planning
YLE TV2

Ulla Karva is Executive of Programme Planning at YLE TV2, Finnish Broadcasting Company. Ulla works with schedules and program improvement. She has specialized in consumer insight in television business. At the moment YLE TV2 is looking for programs, that would interest also younger audiences (15-3...
[ Extend Bio ]

Silvio Da Rin
General Manager, International Business
TV Brasil

Born September 1949 in Rio de Janeiro, the work of Silvio Da-Rin as a documentary filmmaker started with the short "FÃªnix" (35mm, 11', 1980), after what he directed a dozen of other films, selected to be presented at festivals in Mannheim, Leipzig, Nyon, Cork, Melbourne, La Ha...
[ Extend Bio ]

Jeniffer Kim
Director of Comedy Development
TBS

Jeniffer Kim is Director of Comedy Development at TBS, where she has worked on various comedies in both in the half-hour and hour-long format. Most recently, she worked on the development of the popular Are We There Yet?, the acclaimed My Boys and the 1980s-set one hour comedy Glory Daze. She is cur...
[ Extend Bio ]

Charlie Parsons
Vice President, Global Development
National Geographic Channels

Charlie Parsons is Vice President of Global Development for National Geographic Channels, responsible for developing new projects, discovering new talent and serving as one of the network's main points of contact for the global production community. Parsons recently spent three years as Senior Dire...
[ Extend Bio ]

Tracy Forsyth
Commissioning Editor
UKTV

With 17 years experience making and commissioning factual entertainment, entertainment and lifestyle programmes, Tracy works across UKTV's factual and entertainment channels.
Since joining in March 2010, Tracy has commissioned a raft of creative and cut-through shows including; for Good Fo...
[ Extend Bio ]

Emily Goldfrank
Manager of Original Programming
Starz Entertainment

Emily Goldfrank is the Manager of Original Programming at Starz Entertainment and is involved in all aspects of creative development and production for the network, including its upcoming series TORCHWOOD: MIRACLE DAY, BOSS, and MAGIC CITY. Before joining Starz, Emily worked in the TV Literary depa...
[ Extend Bio ]

Steve North
Channel Head
UKTV

With over 15 years experience in the television industry under his belt, Steve has learnt everything there is to know about targeting TV audiences effectively and running a profitable TV channel, from the bottom up.
In his current role, Steve led the highly successful re-brand of UKTV G2 ...
[ Extend Bio ]

Chris Harris
Head of Online Content
Shaw Media

Chris Harris, Head of Online Content at Shaw Media, is responsible for all aspects of strategy, programming and digital products related to Shaw Media's robust collection of conventional and specialty channels.
Chris is an established digital leader with more than a decade experience at maj...
[ Extend Bio ]

Gwen Jones McCauley
Vice President, Distribution & Acquisition
Skywriter Media

As VP of Distribution & Acquisitions, Gwen Jones McCauley oversees operations of the department. She has direct responsibility for placing content in the Skywriter catalogue into all territories worldwide. In addition to her role in distribution, Gwen spearheads the company's acquisitions ini...
[ Extend Bio ]

Mairead Ni Nuadhain
Deputy Director of Television Programmes
RTE

Mairead Ni Nuadhain is Deputy Director of Television Programmes in RTE, Ireland's national broadcaster. Before her appointment late last year, she was Commissioning Editor for Diversity, Education and Irish language programmes. Her current responsibilities include management of a slate of programmin...
[ Extend Bio ]

Nancy Yeaman
Director of Development
Portfolio Entertainment

Nancy Yeaman is director of development at Toronto, Canada-based Portfolio Entertainment. She sources new projects and drives them from conception to pre-production for Portfolio.
Nancy comes to Portfolio after spending 12 years at Decode Entertainment, where she most recently held the pos...
[ Extend Bio ]

Tasja Abel
Manager of Drama Co-Productions
ZDF Enterprises

Tasja Abel is the Manager for Drama coproduction at ZDF Enterprises. She oversees the acquisition and the handling of various coproductions and distribution mandates for the ZDF-group. A focus of her activities lies in identifying projects from English speaking territories to enlarge the ZDF Enterpr...
[ Extend Bio ]

Louis Vaudeville
President/Producer
Clarke Costelle & Co.

Since June 2003, Vaudeville has served as the president of Clarke Costelle & Co, the production company he formed with Isabelle Clarke and Daniel Costelle, French film directors and writers. His background is in publishing and radio and television management, and his positions include founder o...
[ Extend Bio ]

Christoph Stoll
Commissioning Editor
ZDF

Christoph Stoll works for Germany's Public Broadcaster ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen). He has responsibility for international format research at ZDF's Light Entertainment Department. He and his team evaluate all incoming formats. His background includes roles as Author, Head of Production and ...
[ Extend Bio ]

Louis Fournier
Vice President of Sales & Acquisitions
Portfolio Entertainment

As VP Sales and VP Sales and Acquisitions for Portfolio Entertainment, Louis Fournier sets the multi-platform sales direction for the company's distribution arm Portfolio International, and leads the expansion of the company's acquired international distribution rights in the factual and lifestyle g...
[ Extend Bio ]

Chantal Bernheim
Head of International Business Affairs & Co-Productions
RTS

After a patent of lawyer, Chantal Bernheim of Swiss nationality becomes author of documentary films, journalist, and then independent producer. Resident in New York, 1983 to 1993, it co-production of documentaries with of the American channels and European. With LEAPFROG the production company it cr...
[ Extend Bio ]

Michael Claydon
Area Executive Producer
CBC Television

Michael is the Area Executive Producer of Independent Documentaries at CBC Television and Newsworld and is responsible for overseeing and coordinating all independent documentary production for English television.
Michael is a two-time Gemini Award winning documentary producer and directo...
[ Extend Bio ]

Felicia Litovitz
Programming Manager
Spafax Canada

As Programming Manager at Spafax Canada, Felicia is responsible for acquiring both movies and television for Air Canada's in-flight entertainment system, licensing 600 hours of TV content and approximately 180 feature films annually. Before coming to Spafax, Felicia spent 4 years at the Toronto Inte...
[ Extend Bio ]

Ken MacDonald
Vice President, Programming
Discovery Channel Canada

Ken MacDonald, as Vice- President of Programming for Discovery Channel (Canada), is responsible for the strategic programming direction for Discovery Channel, Discovery World HD, and three other digital specialty channels: Animal Planet, Discovery Science and Investigation Discovery.
In t...
[ Extend Bio ]

Richard Paradis
Business Affairs/Government Relations & Creative Development Representative for Quebec
Super Channel

Richard J. Paradis represents the interests of Super Channel for Business Affairs - Government relations, and liaison with Quebec producers for creative development. He also represents the interests of SuperU.ca, a new interactive website for Canadians interested in film making - Super Channel is Canada's only CRTC licensed national English language Pay-Television service -.
He is also President of Le Groupe CIC (Communication-Information-Culture) a market research and communications consulting firm based in Montreal. Richard Paradis, has worked both in the public and private sectors, holding different policy making positions at Bell Canada ( 1975-76), the CRTC (1976-78,1982-83) and the department of Communications in Ottawa (1983-86) and the Quebec department of Communications in Quebec city (1978-82). As President of Le Groupe CIC, a successful communications and telecommunications consulting firm in Montreal (since 1986), he has developed in-depth knowledge of radio, sound recording, cinema, television, telecommunications and cultural industries. From 1997 to 2003 he was President of the Canadian Association of Film distributors and exporters (CAFDE) representing the interests of the most important Canadian owned and operated audiovisual distribution companies in Canada. In 2003, he became Chief of staff in the office of the Minister of Social Development and also in the office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage. Richard returned to his activities at Groupe CIC in 2005. In addition, he teaches regularly, since 1986, at the department of Communications at l'UniversitÃ© de MontrÃ©al, courses about the History of media, Communications policy, Cultural Industries, Audience Research methodology, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He also teaches at HEC Montreal on occasion.
Richard Paradis is a past member of the Board of the Canadian Television Fund (CTF), executive member of the Board of the Banff Television Foundation, executive member of the Canadian Cultural Trade Advisory Board, member of the executive of the Quebec Cultural Observatory, member of the Board of the SociÃ©tÃ© des auteurs-compositeurs dramatiques (SACD), the Canadian Alliance for the preservation of Audiovisual materials and the SociÃ©tÃ© civile des auteurs multimÃ©dias (SCAM). He is also a member of the International Communications Institute, the Canadian Conference of the Arts and the Academy of Canadian cinema and television. [ Minimize ]

Kathleen McCaffrey
Manager
HBO

Kathleen McCaffrey joined HBO as a Creative Executive in April 2008 and is currently involved in development and production of original series for the network. Specifically, Kathleen is responsible for overseeing HBO's upcoming half-hour series GIRLS and additionally works on several hour-long seri...
[ Extend Bio ]

Joanne Levy
Head of Convergent Content
Buffalo Gal Pictures

Joanne Levy is an executive and consultant with extensive experience in the broadcast and production industries. As Head of Convergent Content at Buffalo Gal Pictures she works to diversify the company's production slate.
Her most recent completed project is Mardi Gras: Feast before Fast...
[ Extend Bio ]

Tom Hastings
Creative Head, CBC Drama
CBC

Tom Hastings is the Creative Head of CBC Drama. With his team, he is responsible for the development of a broad menu of Canadian and international dramas for broadcast (series, limited series, mini-series, international treaty co-productions, TV movies) and supervises the production and delivery of...
[ Extend Bio ]

Vitaly Fedko
CEO
Corona Films

Initiated and participated in more than 80 ethno expeditions to the Caucasus, the Ukraine, the Carpathian Mountains, Byelorussia, Central Russia, Lithuania, the Urals, Siberia, Nepal, Central Asia, France, UK, Germany. Participated in expedition of "Severstal" - "Typhoon" class n...
[ Extend Bio ]

Peter Strutt
Director of Programming
APTN

Peter Strutt started his employment with APTN in 2005 as the Manager of Programming, Western Region (Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon). In 2007, Mr. Strutt moved into the position of Director of Programming. With over 10 years of international business development and sales management experti...
[ Extend Bio ]

Jeff Young
President and Chief Operating Officer
Arc Productions

Jeff Young was most recently Head of Finance and Business Development for Starz Animation Toronto, where he secured almost $23 million in investment funding under Ontario's Next Generation of Jobs Fund. Young also led the company through its recent change to Canadian ownership and rebranding to Arc ...
[ Extend Bio ]

Bruce Cowley
Creative Head, Digital Channels
CBC

As the Creative Head of CBC's Digital Channels, Bruce is responsible for running bold and documentary channels. He returned to the corporation in 2008 after a successful tenure at CTV / Discovery Channel where he headed up Animal Planet, Discovery Civilization, and travel and escape....
[ Extend Bio ]

Lisa Clarkson
Senior Director of Business, Rights & Content Management
CBC

Lisa is the Senior Director of Business, Rights & Content Management ("BRC") for CBC English Services. BRC determines how CBC English Services obtains, uses and maintains the rights to its content as well as how CBC English Services structures the business deals it makes (including wh...
[ Extend Bio ]

Kerry Sugiyama
Acting Regional Manager, Western Region
APTN

Kerr Sugiyama has been with Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) since August 2006. She began her career at the network as a Programming Coordinator for the Western Region. Since then, she has been working hard at developing strong relationships with the region's Aboriginal producers and ens...
[ Extend Bio ]

Michael Taylor
CEO
Multiple Media Entertainment

Michael Taylor, a 25 year entertainment industry executive, is the CEO of Multiple Media Entertainment Inc., a full service media content company with offices in Toronto and Vancouver. MME is involved in all aspects of the entertainment content industry including co-development, co-production, distribution, product integration, branded content and barter distribution. MME is working with program producers and suppliers and all of the Canadian media outlets, in all media, including television, radio, outdoor, print, online and mobile. MME provides resources to help producers produce media content, help distributors distribute media content and help media outlets commission and acquire media content.
Prior to Multiple Media Entertainment, Michael was the President of Peace Arch Television Ltd., a division of Peace Arch Entertainment Group Inc., which was a publicly traded company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the American Stock Exchange. With offices in Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver and a studio facility and production offices in Toronto (Dufferin Gate Studios), Peace Arch developed, produced and distributed, on a worldwide basis, numerous high profile films and television series including The Tudors (Showtime/CBC/Sony), Bulging Brides (Fine Living Network/Slice Network) and Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp (WE TV/Slice Network) to name a few.
Prior to Peace Arch, Michael was the Vice President of Programming at Craig Media Inc. and was responsible for the acquisition and scheduling of all television programs from suppliers including all of the major Hollywood studios and Major League Baseball, NFL, NASCAR, NBA, etc. The Craig Media broadcast assets, including MTV Canada, TV Land Canada and the conventional over-the-air television stations in Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Toronto, were sold to CHUM Limited in 2004 for $265 million.
Prior to Craig Media Michael was CEO of Unified Entertainment Inc. (a television program distribution company) and the CEO of Ewireless Canada Corporation (the Canadian division of the Chicago-based company which was involved in direct response radio and outdoor advertising). Prior to that, for more than 12 years, Michael was the President & COO of Telegenic Programs Inc., one of the largest independent distributors of US network simulcast television programs in Canada. Telegenic supplied several thousand hours of simulcast programming to the Canadian broadcasters each season. The series, specials, movies and mini-series included such high profile programs as Late Show With David Letterman, The Academy Awards Show, The Bold & The Beautiful and America's Funniest Home Videos to name a few.
Michael has been the Producer, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer or Production Executive of more than $250 million of Canadian content Productions including five television series and more than a dozen films, TV movies and Mini-Series. [ Minimize ]

Maureen Levitt
Creative Development Executive
Super Channel

Maureen Levitt joined Super Channel, Canada's only national English Pay TV service, at its inception in 2007. As Creative Development Executive she works with the independent production community in Western Canada and the Territories to develop their feature length films and documentaries intended ...
[ Extend Bio ]

Christine Wilson
Executive Director, Content Planning
CBC

A passionate advocate of public broadcasting, Christine has enjoyed a long career with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation working at head office in Ottawa, the English media centre in Toronto and in a small regional station in Fredericton. She has experienced the business from every angle - enjo...
[ Extend Bio ]

Aubie Greenberg
Director, Original Programming, Movie Services
Astral Television Networks

Aubie Greenberg is director, original programming for Astral Television Networks - Movie Services. In this role, Aubie oversees original development and production for The Movie Network and HBO Canada and also acquires Canadian feature films for The Movie Network.
The Movie Network and HBO ...
[ Extend Bio ]

Kathleen Meek
Manager of Original Programming, Movies Services
Astral Television Networks

Kathleen Meek is the Manager of Original Programming for Astral Television Networks' Movie Services which includes The Movie Network and HBO Canada. The Movie Network is a premium pay television service available in Eastern Canada that offers award-winning Canadian original series, documentaries and...
[ Extend Bio ]

Jose Zimmerman
International Acquisitions Manager
TV Brasil

JosÃ© Zimmerman has been a producer of feature films and documentaries since 1975. In September 2002 he was invited to be the Ombudsman of the Brazilian state regulatory agency of movies and audiovisual, where he remained until February 2008. In March 2008 he became the International Ac...
[ Extend Bio ]

Justin Rebelo
Director of Canadian Programming
Super Channel

Justin Rebelo has worked as a programmer for The Movie Network, Much Music and has been the Director of Canadian Programming for Super Channel since 2007. He's also enjoyed stints at the Toronto International Film Festival, DreamWorks distribution, as a writer/director/producer at TMN/MPix and on m...
[ Extend Bio ]

Jason Gwozdz
Vice President, Comedy & Animation
MTV

Jason Gwozdz is Vice President of Comedy and Animation at MTV in New York. As a Canadian transplant his biggest challenge is trying to master the use of such words as 'out', 'about' and 'orange', sadly without much luck. In his role at MTV Jason oversees 'Silent Library', the recently greenlit 'M...
[ Extend Bio ]

Caroline Underwood
Senior Producer, Science & Natural History
CBC

Caroline Underwood is a Senior Producer with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Science and Natural History Unit and its flagship programme, the multi-award-winning series The Nature of Things with David Suzuki that explores issues, discoveries and events in the worlds of science, medicine, tec...
[ Extend Bio ]

Monika Ille
Manager of Programming- Eastern Canada
APTN

Monika Ille is a First Nations member of the Abenakis community of Odanak. She has worked in the communication department of the SociÃ©tÃ© Radio-Canada and at the National Film Board, where she collaborated in the development of a training program for Aboriginal filmmakers. I...
[ Extend Bio ]

Julie Di Cresce
Director of Original Programming
Movie Central

Julie Di Cresce has recently been appointed Director of Original Programming for Movie Central, where she is responsible for pre-licensing Canadian feature films and the development and production of commissioned series, as well as an active member of the committee which administers the Corus Made w...
[ Extend Bio ]

Tom Mazza
Executive Vice President Head of Worldwide Television
Cookie Jar Entertainment

Tom Mazza is a veteran of the television industry with extensive experience in television development, production, distribution, research and marketing. He has lead large studio based divisions, smaller boutique production and distribution companies and his own independent company.
Mr. Mazza is currently Executive Vice President Head of Worldwide Television at Cookie Jar Entertainment, a Toronto based supplier and distributor of television programming. He is responsible for the development, production and worldwide distribution of all of Cookie Jar's entertainment properties including its 6,000 episode library of programming. Upon his arrival in 2009, he launched THE JAR, the live action division designed to broaden the company's profile of television shows beyond kids into teens and young adult fare. In his first year, Mazza placed a dozen new animated and live action projects from kids to prime time. Series were sold in Canada to Teletoon, CBC and The Family Channel; and in the U.S. to Nickelodeon, FOX, CBS, and MTV. In 2003, Tom Mazza co-founded Madison Road Entertainment, a Los Angeles based Entertainment Company created to serve the branded entertainment needs of the broadcast television and advertising industries. Working with advertisers to create opportunities to deliver a brand's message into programming, Madison Road developed projects internally and co-developed with networks on existing series. While at MRE, Mazza Executive Produced Treasure Hunters for NBC, and Greensburg with Leonardo DiCaprio for Discovery. MRE integrated Proctor & Gamble, Levi's, Pfizer, Mars, Wal-Mart, Toyota, ASK.com, and Motorola into numerous television properties including Treasure Hunters, Entertainment Tonight, The Apprentice, America's Next Top Model, Bernie Mac and The Office.
Prior to co-founding Madison Road, Tom Mazza served as President of Columbia Tri-Star Network Television (presently Sony Television) where he directed all operations of the network television division: development, current programming, casting, publicity, business affairs, production, and movies of the week. CTTV was a full service television studio serving all broadcast and cable networks. Series produced under his watch included: Dawson's Creek (WB), King of Queens (CBS), Family Law (CBS), The Guardian (CBS), Pasadena (FOX), and The Tick (FBC.) Mr. Mazza was also responsible for eight movies of the week sold to ABC, CBS, NBC, Lifetime and TNT.
Prior to his lead role at Columbia Tri-Star Television, Mazza spent twelve (12) years at Paramount Network Television as Executive Vice President of Creative Affairs. He was responsible for all prime time television development and production (comedy, drama, reality) and managing Paramount's roster of writers and on-air talent. While at Paramount, he was in charge of some of the most successful franchises in Paramount's history: Fraiser, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Macgyver, Becker JAG, Nash Bridges, Clueless and Soul Food.
Before moving to network television, Mr. Mazza was responsible for the marketing and research for Paramount's first-run and off-network television series sold to the U.S. marketplace. In addition to launching off-network shows, Mr. Mazza marketed first-run series The Arsenio Hall Show, Hard Copy and Entertainment Tonight.
He began his career in the marketing department at WUSA-TV (channel 9) in Washington D.C. and later at KATZ Communications in New York City.
Mr. Mazza received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Dayton and a Masters from The Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Southern California. [ Minimize ]

Jennifer Chen
Director of Programming & Acquistions
Channel Zero Inc.

Jennifer Chen is the Director of Programming and Acquisitions at Channel Zero managing content for four television networks in Canada: Movieola- The Short Film Channel, Silver Screen Classics, CHCH in Ontario and Metro 14 (CJNT), the ethnic channel in Montreal. She was formerly the General Manager o...
[ Extend Bio ]

Kristi Felton
Senior Manager, Entertainment
DirecTV

Kristi Felton is senior manager of Entertainment for DIRECTV Inc., the world's largest pay TV provider. She is responsible for content development, strategy and acquisition, and program planning and scheduling for DIRECTV's proprietary networks and on demand offerings.
Felton's responsib...
[ Extend Bio ]

Lucia F. McCalmont
Director of Program Acquisitions
HDNet

Lucia McCalmont is the Director of Program Acquisitions, HDNet and reports directly to owner Mark Cuban. McCalmont is based in Dallas, Texas and works with producers, directors and distributors to expand HDNet's library of non-fiction high definition programming including concerts, documentaries, s...
[ Extend Bio ]

Susan Alexander
Production Executive, Drama Content
Shaw Media

Susan Alexander is a Production Executive with Shaw Media for their dramatic channels Global, Showcase and TVtropolis, overseeing the development and production of a variety of dramatic series including Haven, Endgame, Jack of Diamonds, Exes & Ohs and Producing Parker.
Prior to becomin...
[ Extend Bio ]

Heather Marshall
Director of Business, Rights, and Content Management
CBC

Heather Marshall is the Director of Business, Rights and Content Management for CBC News, Documentary Unit, documentary channel and Factual Entertainment. She leads the business group that negotiates deals with the independent producers who produce original programs for CBC, such as Village on a Di...
[ Extend Bio ]

Joan Jenkinson
Director of Independent Productions/Executive Producer
ZoomerMedia

Joan Jenkinson is the Director of Independent Productions/Executive Producer for ZoomerMedia, Television Division (formerly S-VOX) owner of VisionTV, One: the Body, Mind & Spirit channel, Joytv 10 and Joytv 11. Her responsibilities include creating and executive producing documentaries, comedy, drama, music, and lifestyle/reality programming; representing the organization and making presentations at industry functions; participation in diversity initiatives. She has been with the company for nine years. (See list of productions and awards)
Jenkinson is the co-creator and executive producer of the Cultural Diversity Drama Competition which has created three television drama pilots, Kink in My Hair, Hotel Babylon and St. Jamestown and DiverseTV with the National Screen Institute which has developed six drama projects including the award winning drama six-part series, Soul and the soon to be released comedy series She's the Mayor.
Before joining the VisionTV group of channels in May 2001, Jenkinson served for five years as Executive Director of Women in Film and Television - Toronto for five years, where she helped hundreds of people gain the knowledge and skills necessary to advance their careers in the broadcast, film and new media industries. Her responsibilities included corporate strategic planning, the management of WIFT-T's budget and personnel, and curriculum design for the organization's professional development programs.
Jenkinson continues to mentor emerging creative talent in the film and television industries. The ReelWorld Film Festival awarded Jenkinson the 2010 Tony Stoltz Visionary Award. She is a Founding Board Member of the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival, as well as Co-founder and Founding Chair of the Reel World Film Festival. She has also volunteered her time to a number of other organizations, including the Canadian Film Centre, the Black Film and Video Network, Arts Toronto and the Urban Alliance on Race Relations. [ Minimize ]

Brigitte Vincent
Commissioning Editor
Astral Media

Brigitte Vincent has been working in the television field for 25 years. She first started as a researcher, reporter, then became director of public affairs shows (Radio-QuÃ©bec, TVA and Radio-Canada).
In 2000, she left journalism and public affairs and started producing. She...
[ Extend Bio ]

Mik Perlus
Head of Content Development
marblemedia

Miklos Perlus (Mik) has worked on both sides of the camera for over twenty years as an actor, screenwriter and development executive. He is currently working as Head of Development - Kids & Scripted for marblemedia, where he is developing TV content that extends across multiple platforms.
...
[ Extend Bio ]

Sandra Kleinfeld
Director of Independent Production & Development
CBC

Sandra Kleinfeld has been with CBC Factual Entertainment since its inception in 2006, supervising the Canadian iterations of several international formats such as the successful and award-winning Dragons' Den, The Week the Women Went, and Test the Nation. She oversaw development of the first Englis...
[ Extend Bio ]

Susan Makela
Director of Network Content, Original
Corus Television

As the Director of Network Content, Original for Corus Television, Susan is responsible for the negotiation of contractual terms for original Canadian development and production deals across all of Corus' pay and specialty networks.
Susan works closely with funding agencies and Corus' prod...
[ Extend Bio ]

JC Mills
Vice President of Acquisitions
Zodiak Rights

JC Mills is Vice President of Acquisitions for Zodiak Rights.
As the U.S. point of contact, Mills is charged with acquiring U.S. formats and finished programs from networks and third party producers to be sold worldwide. Additionally, he liaises with Zodiak USA on behalf of Zodiak Rights...
[ Extend Bio ]

Gavin Friesen
Director, TELETOON Interactive
Teletoon Canada

As Director, TELETOON Interactive, Gavin is responsible for the strategic development of TELETOON, TELETOON Retro, and TELETOON at Night websites in English and French. In addition to defining content and new product initiatives, he works with independent producers and production partners to create...
[ Extend Bio ]

Nic Wry

Wry Consulting

Nic Wry, an Emmy nominated producer, has been working in the world of film, television production and broadcasting for over 30 years in positions ranging from Supervisor of On Air Operations, to Executive Producer and Executive Vice President. He was Executive Producer of SCTV for NBC for which h...
[ Extend Bio ]

Rachael Weaver
Senior Director of Programming, Planning & Scheduling
HDNet

Rachael Weaver is the Sr. Director of Programming, Planning & Scheduling at HDNet, a high definition broadcaster available on cable & satellite in the US, Canada, and Mexico. She is accountable for the overall look & feel of the network broadcast, and, in consultation with owner Mark C...
[ Extend Bio ]

Yvonne Body
Head of Co-Productions and Acquisitions
Beyond Distribution

Yvonne joined Beyond Distribution in 2002. Based in Beyond's London office, she is responsible for sourcing programming from around the world to add to Beyond's growing catalogue of factual, lifestyle, drama and children's programming.
Prior to Beyond, Ms. Body spent 5 years in New York as...
[ Extend Bio ]

Corrie Coe
Senior Vice President, Independent Production
Bell Media

Corrie is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production for CTV, Canada's largest private broadcaster, where she oversees the company's development and independent production teams. With a cross-channel and company-wide focus, she is responsible for the overall development and execution of creative ...
[ Extend Bio ]

Lynne Carter
Production Executive, Original Factual Content
Shaw Media

Lynne Carter started her broadcasting career at Citytv in 1984, holding various positions including Syndication Manager, Production Manager, and Sr. Associate Producer for a number of programs (including the Gemini Award winning MediaTelevision), In 2001 she headed East to Halifax and joined newly l...
[ Extend Bio ]

Harvey Kahn
Founder
Front Street

Harvey Kahn, founder of Front Street, has been an independent producer since the mid 1980's. He's produced numerous independent features and television movies including the critically acclaimed feature, WE DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE (Warner), starring Naomi Watts and Mark Ruffalo, which was a competiti...
[ Extend Bio ]

Anil Wanvari
Founder
The IndianTelevision.com

Anil Wanvari, is a trade analyst turned media entrepreneur who has many pioneering initiatives to his credit. He is the founder of The Indian Television Dot Com group which operates several online verticals covering television, radio, music, the internet, administers and produces several television and broadcast industry awards and TV shows, and offers consulting and research services to new entrants in the Indian market.
On the internet front he has set up Indiantelevision.com, tellychakkar.com, radioandmusic.com, tellydost.com (India's first community network for those involved in television), and animationxpress.com (a partnership with animation industry expert Anand Gurnani) . All are successful properties.
Wanvari also started India's most credible television awards The Indian Telly Awards which are in their eleventh year. The Tellies are the premier awards for Indian general entertainment programming, and onscreen talent and behind the scenes technicians. Another pioneering initiative has been the New Talent Awards which was instituted four years ago to reward debutantes in the entertainment industry for their excellent work. The Indian Telly Awards and The New Talent Awards are telecast as a variety show on a leading entertainment channel Colors worldwide and generate millions of viewers.
He also instituted The NT Awards and the Indian News Television Summit in July 2007 which now in its fifth edition . Both the events seek to serve the news television industry.
He is a board member of The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, New York andhas been hosting the judging of the International Emmy awards semifinals in India for the past six years.This apart, he is also associated with the Banff International Television Festival and Awards and has been hosting judging for some of its categories over the past two years.
He has been at the forefront at trying to push the Indian television industry globally. Wanvari is the Indian representative of Reed Midem in India for two of the world's biggest audiovisual markets in the world - MipTV and Mipcom - held in Cannes France. Indian representation at these markets has more than quadrupled since he took over the role.
Along with MPA of Hongkong, he pioneered the India Television Summit in 2005, the Indian Broadband Digital Networks Forum in 2006 and India Digital Networks Summit from 2007 to 2010, all of which received full endorsement from India's Information and Broadcasting Ministry and accolades from the television, media and trade community. Wanvari is also the Indian partner of Nokia Music Connects, a music industry platform, set up in 2009, along with Music Matters, Hong Kong, the IMI and Nokia. Additionally, Wanvari is a member of the Conference Committee of the IBC which is held in Amsterdam.
He has been a consultant and researcher for several international companies wanting to enter the Indian media space. [ Minimize ]

John Lindsay
Vice President of Content
KCTS9

John Lindsay is an award winning television production executive with experience in both commercial broadcasting and public television. He has supervised hundreds of productions including co-productions with many of the world's leading broadcasters.
While working for Oregon Public Broadcas...
[ Extend Bio ]

Sarah Fowlie
Manager of Original Programming,
The Comedy Network

Manager of Original Programming , The Comedy Network BellMedia Sarah Fowlie has been part of The Comedy Network since it's launch in 1997. She has worked in the Development and Production department on series such as Odd Job Jack, The Jon Dore Television Show, and most recently Hiccups and Picnicfa...
[ Extend Bio ]

Jon Rutherford
Vice President, International Sales & Acquisitions
Tricon Films & Television

Jon oversees all sales and acquisitions in the distribution department at Tricon Films & Television, which contains a catalogue of over 1200 hours of programming. Along with managing operations, he focuses on worldwide television and home video sales while building digital, new media, merchandis...
[ Extend Bio ]

Stephen Finney
Production Executive, Drama Content
Shaw Media

Stephen is a production executive working on original drama content for the Shaw Media group of channels including Global and Showcase. He oversees development and production of several original programs including Lost Girl, Almost Heroes, Kenny Hotz's Triumph of the Will, Drunk and On Drugs Happy ...
[ Extend Bio ]

Sandy Perkins
Vice President, Programming
Super Channel

Sandy Perkins is Vice President of Programming for Super Channel which is Canada's only national English Pay TV service. In her role Sandy oversees all program licensing and scheduling, working closely with the development team and Justin Rebelo, Director of Canadian Programming.
Super Cha...
[ Extend Bio ]

Michael Goldsmith
Director, Original Programming
Family Channel, Disney Junior, and Disney XD Astral Kids

Michael is Director, Original Programming for Astral's Family Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD. In this role, he oversees the slate of shows and movies for the network while continuing to develop television productions to air across all platforms.
Since joining Family Channel, Michael ...
[ Extend Bio ]

Trish Williams
Director, Independent Production, Drama
Bell Media

Trish was recently promoted to Director, Independent Production, Drama, at Bell Media. Trish joined CTV in 2008 and has acted as a Production Executive on CTV's top-rated dramatic series including Flashpoint, The Listener and Degrassi and is currently overseeing the upcoming 6-part Untitled Martin G...
[ Extend Bio ]

Banff Media Festival

2011 Development Executives