*in alphabetical order
FRANCESCA ACCINELLI
Interim Executive Director & CEO at Telefilm Canada
LinkedIn | Company Website
Francesca Accinelli joined Telefilm in 2006 as Deputy Director, English Market for the Canadian Television Fund (now known as the Canada Media Fund), and was subsequently appointed director of the unit in 2008. Prior to joining Telefilm, Accinelli worked as a cultural administrator and theatre producer before moving on to television production, where she worked on big-budget TV series and TV movies produced by Alliance Atlantis and other production companies.
TOM ALEXANDER
Theatrical Releasing at Mongrel Media
LinkedIn | Company Website
A strong background in festivals, exhibition and promotion – plus a film degree and an MBA – has led Tom Alexander to a 20-years-and-counting career running theatrical distribution for Mongrel Media, bringing films such as Brooklyn, Call Me By Your Name and Knives Out, plus hundreds of other great titles, to Canadian audiences.
Before joining Mongrel in 2001, Tom worked in various capacities with Alliance Atlantis Communications, Famous Players, and the Toronto International Film Festival Group, among other organizations. He holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business (Marketing, and Arts & Media Administration).
MAURO ARAGONI
Director, That Dirty Black Bag
LinkedIn | IMDb
Mauro Aragoni is a director and writer know for That Dirty Black Bag (2022) an AMC original series and S’arena. A Tale from Nuraghes (2016) . He was born in 1988 in Sardinia. Throughout his career he worked with actors such as Travis Fimmel , Dominic Cooper , Aidan Gillen , Douglas Booth , Richard Sammel , Giancarlo Giannini , Anna Chancellor , the rapper Salmo and many others.
RUDY BUTTIGNOL
President, NXT Broadcast Strategy + Brand
LinkedIn | IMDb
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C.M. is an independent broadcast executive, and a moderator of documentary financing forums in Asia and Europe. From 2007 to 2022, he served as President and CEO of British Columbia’s public broadcaster, Knowledge Network, and concurrently as President of BBC Kids (2011-19). In 1993, Buttignol was recruited as public broadcaster TV Ontario’s first Commissioning Editor, eventually serving as Creative Head of Network Programming until 2006. His award-winning commissions include documentary series Emergency Room; Search & Rescue North Shore; British Columbia; An Untold History; Emmy/Grammy-winner Yo-Yo Ma: Inspired by Bach; and Afghanistan, The Wounded Land. Feature documentaries include Manufactured Landscapes and Oscar-nominated Writing with Fire. From 1975 to 1993, Buttignol worked as an independent writer, director and producer of history and arts documentaries and children’s series. He was born in Pordenone, Italy, and graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Toronto’s York University, and Harvard and Stanford executive programs. He is the winner of nine Canadian Academy Awards, an honorary Doctor of Letters, and Member of the Order of Canada.
MONICA CIARLI
Head of International Office, Minerva Pictures
Company Website
For over 20 years she managed the identity of OSN and NBC Universal and was awarded important International prizes as Creative Director. In the last few years she moved in distribution, and in Minerva Pictures she manages the International office, in particular the International sales.
J. MILES DALE
Producer
IMDb | Company Website
J. Miles Dale is a Canadian producer and director best known for producing the critically acclaimed film, The Shape of Water, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2018. Prior to that, Dale was the executive producer and principal director on the popular FX Network series The Strain, co-created by Guillermo del Toro, for all four of its seasons. He had also partnered with del Toro to produce the horror hit Mama, starring two-time Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain. Dale’s other credits include the critically acclaimed remark of Carrie which starred academy award winner Julianne Moore; box-office smash The Vow, starring Oscar nominee Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum; and Universal Pictures; sci-fi horror prequel The Thing. He also produced the cult classic Scott Pilgrim vs the World and Hollywoodland, which received a Golden Globe nomination for Ben Affleck’s performance. Dale’s television credits include the Gemini Award-nominated Robocop: The Series, Emmy nominated Friday the 13th: The Series, and the critically acclaimed TV movie All-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story. Since his Oscar win, Dale has worked on several projects including, the film Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, the series Sex/Life, and the movie Antlers by Scott Cooper. He has continued working alongside del Toro in his Academy-Award-nominated Nightmare Alley starring two-time Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett and Bradley Cooper, and the upcoming Netflix series Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. He’s also the executive producer of the new Disney Animation: Immersive Experience that will showcase for the first time ever the best of the classical Disney movies in a 360-immersive environment.
CRISTIANO DE FLORENTIIS
Co-Founder and Artistic Director, ICFF
LinkedIn | Company Website
Cristiano de Florentiis is the Founder and Artistic Director of the ICFF. The film festival inaugurated in 2012 spans across 9 Canadian cities and has become one of the most influential showcases for contemporary cinema in North America. Along with his passion for cinema, de Florentiis has always cultivated his love for television and journalism. Since 1997 he has been working for the Italian state television RAI, providing weekly news coverage from Canada for different programs.
SANDRO DEL ROSARIO
Visual and Media Artist, Art Director at the Williams Institute
LinkedIn | Website
Sandro Del Rosario’s films and installations are inspired by places, feelings and memories of feelings, distilled through a labor intensive animation process that transforms still images, photos, paintings and collages in moving, imaginary spaces. Born in Italy, Del Rosario came to the U.S. with a Fulbright Scholarship in 1998. He received an MFA in Experimental Animation from the California Institute of the Arts. His work has been awarded and exhibited in many festivals and venues worldwide, including at the Annecy Film Festival, the London Film Festival, the Berlinale Talent Campus, the MoMa, the Lincoln Center and the Hong Kong Film Festival. Over the past fifteen years Del Rosario has been a fellow in residence with his work at a number of prestigious foundations in Europe and in the U.S, at the Bogliasco Foundation, the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and the Santa Fe Art Institute among the others. Based in Los Angeles, California, where he currently works as Art Director, he also traveled extensively as a Visiting Artist and Visiting Assistant Professor at non-profit foundations and universities across the United States.
DAVID DEXTER
Director, SIRT- Screen Industries Research and Training Centre at Sheridan College
LinkedIn | Company Website
As Director of SIRT, David Dexter, is responsible for creating a leading innovation player and a SmartStage for the film, television, interactive and gaming industry in Canada. Dexter has advanced the centre’s Virtual and Augmented Reality innovation capabilities, as well as developed Canada’s first Intelligent Digital Human Cluster. With over twenty-five years of experience, Dexter has worked at multiple innovative and cutting-edge companies in the mobile (Nokia), technology (IBM) and music industries.
FABRIZIO FERRAGNI
Director – Foreign Market Offer, RAI Italia
Company Website
Fabrizio Ferragni began his career as Deputy Head of the Press Office of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. He then worked at TG3, where he operated as a political-parliamentary informant for the internal editorial staff. In 1990, he was assigned to the political editorial staff of TG1 where he was promoted to Editor-in-Chief. In 1998, he was appointed head of the Regional Editorial Board for Lazio and in September 2000 he was appointed Deputy Director of Journalism. In 2002 he was appointed Deputy Director of TG1. In 2016 he was appointed Head of the Institutional Relations Department, within the Communication, External Relations, Institutional and International Relations Department. In 2019 he was assigned directly to the Chief Executive Officer and, in the following month of July, he was appointed Director of the institution’s Thematic Channel. In 2020 he was appointed Director of the Channel in English and since January 2022 he has been Director of the Foreign Offer Department.
ANDREA FERRARI
Ambassador of Italy to Canada
Company Website
He graduated with a degree in Political Science from the University of Rome and entered the foreign service in 1990, with an initial assignment to the Legal Affairs Bureau, Treaty Law Division, and subsequently to the Press and Information Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. An initial posting to Kuala Lumpur in 1992, where he headed the Trade Office of the Embassy, was followed by an assignment to Budapest in 1996. He returned to Rome in 2000, serving in the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs until 2004, when he was posted to Beijing as First Commercial Counsellor. In 2008 he was named Ambassador of Italy to Qatar. He returned to the Ministry in 2012, to the Directorate General for the Promotion of the Sistema Paese and later to the Office of the Minister, where he served as Deputy Chief of Staff. In 2014 he became Deputy Director General of Political Affairs and Security, and Central Director for the United Nations and Human Rights. In 2016 he was named Italian Ambassador to Cuba. As of May 3, 2021, he is the Ambassador of Italy to Canada.
TAMMY FRICK
Chief Executive Officer, Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television
LinkedIn | Company Website
Tammy Frick is the Chief Executive Officer of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. With almost three decades of experience in the Canadian film industry, Tammy is dedicated to fostering and developing creative works and opportunities for talent both in front of and behind the camera. Prior to her role with the Academy, Tammy held a successful 27-year tenure as Executive Director of the Cinéfest Sudbury International Film festival. Tammy has served on the board of directors of several organizations, including as a founding member of Music and Film in Motion (MFM). Aside from the leadership and insights she offered to the development of MFM, in 2014 she orchestrated its transition to Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION), which seeks to promote and foster the ongoing expansion of the media arts sector in Northern Ontario, and took on a secondary role as CION’s Associate Executive Director, in addition to her responsibilities with Cinefest. Always looking forward with an innovative approach, Tammy was also the driving force behind the development and introduction of 2007’s Laugh Out Loud (LOL) Sudbury Comedy Festival, which carried out a first of its kind, live simulcast of an onstage performance by Jason Alexander in over 60 Cineplex theaters throughout Canada.
ELISSA GOLDBERG
Director, Ambassador of Canada to Italy
Company Website
Elissa Golberg is Ambassador of Canada to Italy, Ambassador designate of Canada to Albania and San Marino, High Commissioner designate to Malta, and Permanent Representative of Canada to the UN Agencies in Rome (IFAD, FAO, WFP). Prior to this, she was Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategic Policy at Global Affairs Canada from 2017 to 2021, the department’s Champion for Innovation and Experimentation, and Head of Performance Management and Results. Ms. Golberg has held several senior Canadian government roles, including: Assistant Deputy Minister – Partnerships for Development Innovation (2015-2017), Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva and to the Conference on Disarmament (2011-2015), Director-General of the Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force (2009-2011), and Representative of Canada in Kandahar, Afghanistan (2008-2009). Ms. Golberg is a member of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters, and the UN Central Emergency Revolving Fund Advisory Group. She sits on the Boards of the Centre for Global Governance and Innovation (CIGI), the Lewis Perinbaum Award, and the Advisory Board for the 2021 Canada Forum for Impact Investment and Development.
GIACOMO GIANNIOTTI
Actor
IMDb
Giacomo Gianniotti was born in Rome, Italy. He immigrated with his family at a young age and grew up in Toronto Canada. Giacomo splits his time in the year between Toronto, Rome, and LA, working in stage, film, and television. He is a bilingual actor working both in English and Italian. He graduated from Humber College’s Theatre Program and has also completed an actor’s residency at Norman Jewison’s Canadian Film Centre, in Toronto. He is an actor, producer and director, looking for noteworthy stories about the curiosities of our existence. Giacomo is highly respected around the world for his remarkable work as Dr. Andrew DeLuca in the medical drama TV series titled “Grey’s Anatomy”.
PAUL GOLINI
Producer/ Chairman, ICFF
LinkedIn | Company Website
He is the Chairman of ICFF and he is well versed in the film industry. He has spent several years investing and producing films, and has also has had a significant career in real estate as the co-founder and Executive Vice President of Empire Communities. The multi-talented Paul Golini has also been the executive producer of a few major productions; Meadowland (2015), directed by Reed Morano, starring Olivia Wilde and Luke Wilson; Acquainted (2018), directed by Natty Zavitz, starring Giacomo Gianniotti, and Laysla De Olivera; and The Cuban (2019), directed by Sergio Navaretta, starring Louis Gosset Jr., and Ana Golja.
PAOLO GRANATA
Associate Professor in Book and Media Studies at St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto
LinkedIn
Paolo Granata is an Associate Professor in Book and Media Studies at St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto.
As an educator, an innovator, and a cross-disciplinary media scholar, his advocacy efforts are focused on digital equity and digital sustainability, to explore the potential that information and communication technologies hold for enacting positive social change.
He is the founding director of the Media Ethics Lab at the University of Toronto and a member of the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society. Since 2018, he is a board member of the Executive Committee at the Canadian Commission for UNESCO.
EDWARD HANRAHAN
Director of Virtual Production at William F. Whites International
LinkedIn | IMDb
Edward Hanrahan, Director of Virtual Production at William F. Whites International. Most recently served as Global Virtual Production Manager and Technical Director at Scanline VFX, where he designed virtual production workflows that integrated with traditional visual effects. He also worked at Pixomondo as Virtual Production Designer, working on series such as Star Trek: Discovery. His VFX work also includes The Shape of Water and The Mandalorian.
JASON HUNTER
Production Lead, SI
LinkedIn | Company Website
As the Production Lead, Jason Hunter is the cinematography specialist at SIRT. His interest in film production began at a young age, watching diverse movie genres with his father. He was compelled to express his own stories through narrative storytelling and virtual production that would transport audiences into different worlds. Jason graduated from McMaster University with a double major in Theatre and Film as well as Multimedia and later obtained his Advanced Film and Television Certificate from Sheridan College. His extensive visual effects, motion capture, and 360 video production knowledge support applied research to local SMEs in adopting virtual and augmented reality technologies
NICK IANNELLI
Senior Vice President, Take 5 Productions
LinkedIn | IMDb | Company Website
With over thirty years experience, Nick Iannelli is a respected executive of the Toronto & international screen-based industries, and the Senior Vice President of Take 5 Productions, where he heads up all the post production and visual effects departments. Prior to joining Take 5 Productions, Iannelli was Senior VP at Deluxe Toronto, where he was responsible for the team which delivered Guillermo del Toro’s Academy Award-winning film Shape of Water and Pans Labyrinth, every SAW film installment from SAW 2 onwards, and Paul W.S. Anderson’s Resident Evil films.
ANDREA IERVOLINO
Producer, Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend
IMDb | Company Website
Iervolino is an Italian-Canadian producer who, since the age of 16, has produced, financed, and distributed over 60 films and has won several international awards and recognitions. In 2013, Iervolino co-launched AMBI Media Group that, since then, has been producing several award-winning films. He also produces animation with his company Iervolino Studios, amongst them the latest work, Puffin, a cartoon voiced by Johnny Depp. Iervolino was awarded Best Producer at the 71st edition of the Venice Film Festival and was named filmmaker of the year for his role as producer of In Dubious Battle at the Capri Hollywood Film Festival 2016.
SPENCER IDENOUYE
Virtual Production Lead, Screen Industries Research and Training Centre (SIRT)
LinkedIn | Company Website
Spencer Idenouye is the Virtual Production Lead at SIRT. As part of a collaborative team, Spencer is creating an integrated virtual production studio for training, applied research and commercial services. He provides leadership and expertise in applied research and technical research for the movie, television and gaming industries, and is focused on the application of VR technologies. Spencer’s education is extensive: A Masters in 3D animation, a BFA in Media Arts & Digital Technologies and two post-graduate diplomas in Directing and Editing in Advanced Television and Film and Computer Animation Digital Visual Effects. His expertise includes directing, editing, VFX artistry, cinematography, digital content production and motion capture.
STEPHEN KOZAK
Creative Research Lead, VFX Supervisor
LinkedIn | Company Website
Virtual Reality character animation pipeline Dynamic Digital Humans. World Record collaborator for the creation of the first digital human to be given citizenship. Panelist for webinars and seminars focusing on character development, and procedural animation pipelines. 20+ years of production and post-experience in film, broadcast, and interactive advertising and entertainment Animated Short distributed by Universal Studios and shown at 11 International film festivals including LA, Tokyo, Vancouver, Ireland 5+ years of R&D and teaching experience at University and College levels, program development in animation at Sheridan.
TEMBI LOCKE
Author, From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily and Finding Home
LinkedIn | IMDb
Tembi Locke is the New York Times bestselling author of her memoir From Scratch, and an actor, producer, and screenwriter with a passion for connecting with an audience both on the page and on the screen. From Scratch is a Reese’s Book Club pick, an Audie Awards Best Audiobook Finalist, and a Goodreads Best Books Finalist. Along with Reese Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine, Tembi serves as an executive producer and co-writer for the Netflix limited series inspired by her book. Tembi thrives at the intersection of storytelling and advocacy. She credits her advocacy work to beginning with her parents, who always encouraged her to do her part in nurturing a more just and humane world. Tembi speaks on healing after loss, reclaiming your personal narrative, everyday resilience, creativity and the deep belonging found through human connection. Her work includes giving a TEDx talk, keynotes around the country, and being an ambassador to organizations doing the vital work of changing our systems and society for the better. She is also a prolific actor, who cut her teeth with iconic comedies like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Friends before going on to star in over sixty television shows including The Magicians, Bones, NCIS, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend the global hit Never Have I Ever.
ANNAMARIA MORELLI
CEO, Elsinore Film
IMDb | Company Website
Annamaria Morelli is a producer with many years of experience in both the TV and film industries. She started working as a story editor for Rai and continued her career with a long collaboration with Mediaset, producing many successful Italian TV series. As a producer, she worked on several award winning films with Mediatrade and Cattleya, among others. She is best known for having curated the film debuts of Italian directors such as Paolo Sorrentino with L’uomo in piu’, Dario Albertini with Manuel and Phaim Bhuyian with Bangla (David di Donatello 2020 for Best New Director). From 2017 to 2019 she served as board member and head of production and co-production for TimVision. During this time she :is Italy’s commission editor for the series, Killing Eve and she co-produced, among others: Skam Italia, Dark Polo Gang, and My brilliant friend. She is currently CEO of Elsinore Film.
BOBBY MORESCO
Director, Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend
IMDb
Academy Award winning writer, director and producer Bobby Moresco started out as an actor in New York City, where he was raised in the Hell’s Kitchen district of Manhattan, three blocks and a world away from Broadway. Throughout the ’90s, Moresco focused much of his time on creating, writing and producing for television. Notable projects included Millenium, which earned him a Genesis Award, and EZ Streets. In 1998, he co-created and executive produced the critically acclaimed series Falcone, and was nominated for two Emmy Awards. In 2007, Moresco returned to television with The Black Donnelly’s, co-creating and executive producing the series for NBC starring Jonathan Tucker and Olivia Wilde. On the big screen, Moresco co-wrote and produced the breakout film of 2004, CRASH. The drama directed by Paul Haggis and starring an ensemble cast including Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Sandra Bullock, Brendan Fraser, Ryan Phillipe, Thandie Newton and Ludacris, was released by Lions Gate Films on May 6, 2004. In 2005, at the 78th Academy Awards®, Moresco and Haggis were awarded an Oscar for co-writing the film. Moresco’s other features include, Million Dollar Baby (2005 Academy Award Winner for Best Picture), which he co-produced and developed with Paul Haggis; and 10Th & Wolf, his directorial debut starring James Marsden, Giovanni Ribisi. Streets” (1997).
MICHAEL MOSCA
Director, CEO at Equinoxe Films
IMDb
After joining France Film in 1995, Michael helped to develop and build the Equinoxe brand. In 2009, Michael purchased Equinoxe Films from France Film and has played a pivotal role in the strategic management and profitability of the company’s various divisions. Under his leadership, the company acquires, produces and distributes film and television properties in Canada and around the world.
Michael is also responsible for establishing the company’s production arm, which kicked off in 2005, with a multi-award winning feature film , “Un Dimanche à Kigali” (A Sunday in Kigali). Mr. Mosca’s career in the film business spans over 30 years, in both distribution and exhibition. Prior to joining Equinoxe, Mr. Mosca worked in the area of exhibition for 15 years, eight of them as director of operations for Quebec at Cineplex Odeon Corporation, one of Canada’s largest exhibition chains. He is President of the Motion Pictures Pioneers Association of Quebec and is also a Member of the Board of Cine Québec and The National Institute of Image and Sound, Québec (INIS).
CONNOR MURPHY
Virtual Production Manager, The Third Floor Inc
Connor Murphy combines the latest Virtual Production techniques with his on-set production experience to achieve the needs of the show. Working closely with other departments, he designs and implements virtual production solutions that free up directors, actors, and creatives to do what they do best. In 2016, Connor worked closely with The Third Floor as Mocap Supervisor on Thor: Ragnarok, where he worked daily with the actors and director to achieve the ambitious scope of the project. On pioneering projects like The Mandalorian and Welcome to Marwen, Connor found creative, practical solutions to unique shooting challenges with a condensed schedule. Connor has continued to develop lightweight virtual production tools and Unreal integration, customized to our clients’ needs.
MATTHEW K. NAYMAN
Director, Virtual Production Specialist
LinkedIn | IMDb
Matthew K. Nayman is a Canadian film maker, visual effects artist and virtual production specialist from Toronto, Canada. After graduating York University’s Film Production program, Matthew directed several award-winning short films and provided visual effects services on many lower-budget web series and short films. Since then, Matthew has acted as VFX supervisor on feature films like “Violation” (Dir M.S. Fewer & D. Mancinelli), and “Control” (Dir J. Mark) , where his holistic view of how VFX work fits into the filmmaking process helped these films – despite their heavy VFX needs and limited budgets – become commercial successes. As co-founder and in-house Director of Virtual Production at Immersion Room, Matthew is continuing to explore the magic of film – both the power of the stories they tell, and the behind-the-scenes tech that brings them to life – and striving to make virtual production more approachable to all.
FRANCESCA NATALE
Art Director
LinkedIn | Website
Francesca is an Italian Art Director and Illustrator living in Vancouver, Canada.
Since the start of her career she has specialized in designing characters and their stories while developing the look of various types of animated projects.
Francesca is the Character Art Director and the Character Designer of The Angry Birds Movie and its sequel .Clients include LAIKA, Passion Pictures London, Dreamworks feature, Walt Disney TV, SONY PICTURES ANIMATION, Mackinnon and Saunders, Dwarf Studio Japan, Netflix, Nexus and Illumination Entertainment/Universal.
PASQUALE CROCE
Virtual Production Supervisor, EDI Effettidigital Italiano
Company Website
Pasquale Croce born and bred in Rome, with a strong passion for technology – especially the computer graphics – he coded programs and decided to enrol in engineering to perfect himself even academically given the self-taught approach. A short experience, though as he left the studies to start working for Alitalia producing technical drawings for the aircraft manuals. Rome became too small for him and he decided to move to Paris in 1995 where he worked for BUF COMPAGNIE, still today, an industry leader in visual effects. 1998 is the year of London, he contributed to the making of some music videos such as: “Hey boy Hey Girl” The Chemical Brothers; “Goin’ Down” Melanie C; “Word up” Melanie B. In 2000 he returned to collaborate with BUF in partnership with Virgin Digital to strengthen the US advertising market, he moved then to Los Angeles. Lots of ambition as well as the experience gained: this combo fuelled his return to Italy. In 2001, together with his partner Francesco Grisi, he founded EDI Effetti Digitali Italiani Srl, a leading company in Italy in visual effects in advertising and cinema, which collaborates with world-renowned Italian directors such as Gabriele Salvatores, Carlo Virzì, Gabriele Muccino, Alessandro D’ Alatri, Matteo Rovere.
ASHLEY PIERREPONT
VP, Commercial, Pinewood Group Limited
LinkedIn | Website
Ashley Pierrepont is currently the VP Commercial at Pinewood Group – Toronto. Before stepping into her role at Pinewood, she worked as an Executive Assistant before transitioning to a Facilities Coordinator at Revival Film Studios and worked for The Peak Group of Companies in the roles of Project Coordinator.
MOIRA ROMANO
Executive Producer, ETV Film Inc
LinkedIn
ETV Film Inc is a boutique Canadian production company located at Pinewood Toronto Studios. ETV Film Inc has multimedia production capabilities including; production of original web content, website and web product design, short feature and mini documentary, commercial content and executive production of feature films and television. The company is currently focusing on multimedia or ‘convergent’ productions, capsule television dramas, and independent film production.
MARCO SALADINI
Trade Commissioner at Italian Trade Agency – Ice-Agenzia
LinkedIn | Company Website
Marco Saladini manages the Toronto and Montréal offices of the Italian Trade Agency, tasked with developing trade and investment relations between Canada and Italy in a wide range of industries, ranging from industrial machinery to food and wine. Marco has extensive overseas experience and holds a Master’s degree in Political Sciences and a Certificate in Emerging Markets.
NICOLA SERRA
Producer – That Dirty Black Bag
LinkedIn | IMDb
Nicola Serra is Managing Director and Partner of Palomar, one of the oldest and most successful Italian television and cinema production companies. He worked as a producer on many productions both in TV and feature films. One of his recent works for TV is the Emmy nominated “Montalbano”. He’s currently involved in the production of two new international productions: “The Name of the Rose”, from the novel of Umberto Eco and “Gaddafi”, about the life of the Libyan dictator.
JIM SHERRY
Founder and CEO of Sherry Media Group Inc. and Consultant for Netflix
LinkedIn
Mr. Sherry is an entertainment executive, entrepreneur, and philanthropist operating within the Canadian Media Industry. Mr. Sherry is credited with developing leading entry and expansion strategies in Canada for many successful organizations including Netflix, Lionsgate Films, Miramax Films and Alliance Atlantis Communications. In 2020, Mr. Sherry’s media investment company Sherry Media Group (“SMG”) redirected its investment focus towards social activism and launched The Impact Series, a multimedia platform focused on content that addresses social issues under this initiative. SMG has since launched a companion podcast series similarly ambitioned called Driving Change. To date, The Impact Series has reached audiences in over 100 countries worldwide and lists the Academy Award-Nominated ‘Writing With Fire’ and the critically acclaimed ‘The Territory’ as titles under this brand.
MASSIMILIANO SICCARDI
Creator, Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit
LinkedIn | Company Website
Massimiliano Siccardi is a world-renowned Digital Artist. He is the precursor and inventor of the usage of technology, video, animations and projectors, for the development of immersive experiences. In 1996 he brings this new approach to art to the world and continues his production for nearly three decades on a global scale. In 2018 he co-founded, with the high profile Italian choreographer and director Marco Realino, the production company Visioni Eccentriche. Together they merged multidisciplinary arts and techniques, such as theatrical drama, dance choreography, animation, video art, cinematic effects, with state-of-the-art technology, developing a new genre with the Immersive Emotional Exhibitions. They developed and inaugurated with huge success a new version of Siccardi’s Van Gogh immersive experience in Toronto, starting in North American a new market that will be emulated by over six new companies. After Canada, the featured exhibition will then move to Chicago, San Francisco, New York and will be presented in a total of twenty-one venues only in the main North American cities.
ROBERTO STABILE
Head of Special Projects Internationalization Min Cult. at Cinecittà
Company Website | LinkedIn
Roberto Stabile is the Head of International Relations of ANICA (Italian Film Audiovisual And Multimedia Industries Association). He has established a network of information and representative desks for the international audiovisual industry relations with Italy, set up in major global markets and with the most important cinematographic foreign authorities. At the moment there are two permanent offices in Los Angeles and Shanghai, and a series of information desks in the major cities around the world.
TONY TARANTINI
Professor of the Faculty of Animation, Arts & Design, Sheridan College
Company Website
Tony Tarantini has been teaching at Sheridan College since the year 2000 and is currently the third year Layout and Art Direction teacher, Student Advisor, and Mentor to four production teams. Tarantini is a veteran of the animation industry with more than 20 years of creative and management experience. He has contributed to features and animated TV series such as Magi-Nation, Redwall, Timothy , Ewoks, Beetlejuice, American Tail, Dog City, Rupert, Tales From The Cryptkeeper, Eek the Cat, Neverending Story, Blazing Dragons, Sam and Max, Ace Ventura, Pippi Longstocking, Care Bears , Little Bear, Babar, George shrinks, The Magic School Bus, Franklin, as well as the award winning short film, Tomboy.
STEVEN THIBAULT
COO, BRON Studios
LinkedIn | IMDb | Company Website
Steven Thibault, the COO of BRON Media Corp., is a partner in the company he’s helped steer since 2012. He oversees all corporate operations, and production finance, and is key member of the management group. Thibault has helped grow BRON into an industry leader and has established preferred relationships with production unions and guilds across the globe. He is part of every financial closing for the company, including its corporate facilities with Comerica, its more than 40 single picture production/financing deals, and its slate co-financing ventures with Warner Brothers and MGM. Prior to BRON, he was an auditor with Ernst & Young working extensively with private and public studio clients in Canada and around the world. He currently serves as a board member of the Canadian Media Producer’s Association. Thibault also serves on several policy and advisory committees in the industry.
SARA TIMLICK
Director of Sales Distribution & Development, Elevation Pictures
LinkedIn | Company Website
Sarah Timlick has been in the film business for over a decade. She is currently the head of sales, Director of Distribution & Development for Elevation Pictures. Elevation is one of the largest independent distribution companies in Canada, with titles such as The Imitation Game the 2014 TIFF People’s Choice Award and Academy Award for Best Screenplay, ROOM the 2015 TIFF People’s Choice Award and Academy Award for Best Actress, Moonlight 2017 Academy Award Best Picture and most recently this summer, Paw Patrol: The Movie now the highest grossing Cancon film of 2021.
DAVID USHER
Founder Reimagine.AI
LinkedIn | Company Website
David Usher is an artist, best-selling author and entrepreneur. As a musician, he has sold more than 1.4 million albums, toured all over the world, and has had #1 singles singing in English, French, and Thai. When David is not making music, he is equally passionate about his other life, as a Geek. David is the founder Reimagine AI an artificial intelligence creative studio that builds virtual beings and virtual being technology. He is also the co-creator (with Dr. Damon Matthews) of the Climate Clock, tracking global warming in real-time. David has a degree in political science from Simon Fraser University and his book on creativity and innovation, Let the Elephants Run • Unlock Your Creativity and Change Everything, is out now. Also who should I introduce him to as he is working with an Italian company and like to talk more about that and potential expanding that engagement
