COHORT 2 PARTICIPANT

I'm Founder and Co-President of Media Business Institute (MBI). This role allows me to drawn on my depth and the breadth of insight and experience in television sales, distribution, development and production. Over the years, I have developed an impressive list of clients, partners and colleagues around the world.

My career began with TVOntario where, as a highly successful international Sales Executive, I was responsible for opening up the Latin American market with sales in Brazil, Argentina and Chile. I have participated in industry events such as MIP-TV, MIPCOM, Banff, Hot Docs and NATPE.

After leaving TVOntario, I partnered with a colleague to launch Compass International, a TV and film distribution company representing domestic and internationally-produced children’s, documentary and arts programmes. I acquired and licensed Igloolik Isuma's, ATANARJUAT: THE FAST RUNNER, to CBC Television. This critically acclaimed film was also the winner of the 2001 Camera d’Or prize at the Cannes International Film Festival and Canada's top-grossing film in 2002.

Recognizing a knowledge deficit and lack of training opportunities for television/film students and emerging independent producers, I developed two innovative workshops - So You’ve Made a Film . . . Now What?, on domestic and international film/television distribution and marketing and So You Want to Be a TV Producer . . . Now What, focusing primarily on the intricacies of financing productions. These intense but lively workshops have been delivered at Queen's University and Humber College. The THINK IT, SHOOT IT, MOVE IT workshop was delivered in South Africa.