Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Sasha Henry
Writer/Director
Producer
Sasha Leigh Henry is a writer, director, and producer having recently wrote and directed 'Bitches Love Brunch', starring Prism Prize Lipsett Award winner Karena Evans and playing internationally at Cambridge Film Festival, Oxford Film Festival and Atlanta Comedy Film Festival. Sasha has produced 7 films including Kelly Fyffe Marshall’s 'Black Bodies' and Randall Okita's 'The Lockpicker' (John Dunning Discovery Canadian Screen Award winner).
Sasha is currently in development for an original comedy series about a millennial black woman and her imaginary best friend. As a frequent panelist and speaker, Sasha is an alumni of POV 3rd Street, Black Women Film, and was recently featured in a TIFFxRBC collaboration highlighting up and coming women in the arts.
Joan Jenkinson
Television
Executive
Joan Jenkinson is an influential television executive who has won multiple awards for her work as Executive Producer on Song of Freedom (Canadian Screen Awards for Best Direction and Best Picture Editing in a Documentary Program, and Best Sound in a Non-Fiction Program), Inside the Mind of Leonardo (3D International Creative Arts Award for Best Documentary) and She’s the Mayor (Toronto Star’s “Pick of the Week”, 13-weeks running, 2011). As the VP of Independent Production at ZoomerMedia, she executive produced hundreds of hours of award-winning creative content. Joan also served as the Executive Director of Women in Film and Television Toronto, designing professional development curriculum for 900 media professionals.
Floyd Kane
Creator/Writer
Producer
Floyd Kane became a Writer/Producer after many years as a lawyer and senior executive within the entertainment industry. In 2005, he wrote and produced the series North/South (CBC), going on to write and executive produce SOUL (Gemini Nomination for Best Writing in a Dramatic Series). He has written on shows like Continuum (Syfy) and Backstage (Disney) and Across the Line (Best Atlantic Feature at the Atlantic Film Festival and Best First Feature at the Canada Film Festival), Jean of the Joneses, which debuted at SXSW, and Brown Girl Begins. Floyd is an alumnus of the Summer Institute, NSI Totally Television Program, the TIFF Talent Lab, the Shaw Media Showrunner Programme and TIFF Studio.
Peter John Kerr
Creative Director/
Director Producer
Peter-John has over 10 years experience in the creative and digital marketing industry. A former co-host of SunTV’s Street Eats and a Universal/Last Gang Records Recording Artist, he is currently Founder and Creative Director at Shift, directing and producing content and a number of digital series with some of North America’s top brands. Peter-John specializes in bringing stories to life and creating engaging content for clients like RBC, YUM! Brands, Pepsi Co. and Mercedes Benz. He is a graduate of Ryerson University’s Radio & Television Arts Program, where he directed and produced Cuban-Canadian based documentary, “La Bicicleta”.
Terry E. Markus
Entertainment
Lawyer
Terry Markus is an independent consultant/lawyer providing business & legal affairs services to the entertainment, broadcasting and media industries. In addition, she co-produced the dramatic short “DNA” (TIFF 2003); co-executive produced the feature length film “SUCK” (TIFF 2009); executive produced the documentary short, “Chasing the Lion” (2016), about Canadian triathlete Lionel Sanders; executive produced the dramatic short, “Fearfully & Wonderfully MADE” (2018); and, is currently executive producing a number of projects including feature length films “Cidic” and “Cold Strings”, and the feature length documentary “Connecting the Dots”. Terry is also part-time faculty at Humber College, Faculty of Entertainment & Media.
Shelley Niro
Artist / Director
Shelley Niro is a member of the Six Nations Reserve, Bay of Quinte Mohawk, Turtle Clan. Shelley graduated from the Ontario College of Art, Honours and received her Master of Fine Art from the University of Western Ontario. Niro was the inaugural recipient of the Aboriginal Arts Award presented through the Ontario Arts Council in 2012.
Niro received the Governor General’s Award For The Arts from the Canada Council, The Scotiabank Photography Award and received the Hnatyshyn Foundation REVEAL Award.
Niro received an honorary doctorate from the Ontario College of Art and Design University in 2019.
Romen
Podzyhun
Chairman / CEO Channel Zero
Romen Podzyhun is Chairman & CEO of Channel Zero Inc., a company he co-founded in 2000. He is also Corporate Head of News and Drama Programming for Movieola, Silver Screen Classics, REWIND, CHCH and Ouat Media, overseeing original program development, production, distribution and scheduling, and supervising program acquisitions. Romen develops strategic linkages between entertainment and electronic businesses, and has led Channel Zero’s innovations in original TV programming and expanded its digital networks into national brands. Before founding Channel Zero, Romen had a distinguished 20-year career as a senior retail executive. He applies his knowledge of film by serving on film festival juries and panels world-wide.
R.T.
Artist / Director
After winning an unmatched 13 Much Music Video Awards, directing over 160 music videos, commercials, short films, and working with international artists like Drake & Snoop Dogg, R.T. moved into long form filmmaking in 2012. Known for his acute connection to underground culture and bold perspective, he has been tapped to direct television for Netflix, Disney, HULU and NBCUniversal. His international episodic television work has taken him to three continents, earning him two Canadian screen award nominations, and a Directors Guild of Canada nomination.
R.T. has just finished the premiere season of UTOPIA FALLS, a science fiction hip hop series he created, co-wrote, directed and executive produced for HULU. He continues to follow his passion for storytelling, creating & developing socially conscious commercial filmmaking properties from diverse cultural perspectives.
Blake Tohana
Financial Executive
Blake Tohana is a senior financial executive with more than 20 years of experience in the media and entertainment industry. Since April 2016, Blake has been CFO of 9 Story Media Group., the world’s largest independent creator, producer and distributor of kids and family content with more than 1,200 employees worldwide and operations in Toronto, New York City, Dublin, Manchester and Bali. Blake has previously held senior management roles at Tricon Films & Television, marblemedia, Magna Entertainment, Fireworks Entertainment and Alliance Communications. Since 2013, Blake has served on the Board of Directors of Woodbine Entertainment Group and from 2010 to 2019, he served on the Board of Directors of Ontario Creates, an agency of the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Cultural Industries. Blake is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds an MBA from McMaster University and a B.Sc. from Western University.
Srinivas Krishna
President, Divani
Films Inc
A media artist, inventor and entrepreneur, Srinivas Krishna is the founder of the pioneering AR VR studio AWE Company and CEO of the spatial experience platform Geogram. His public art work has been applauded by The Globe and Mail, as “utterly breathtaking… genius.” His feature films have premiered at Toronto, Sundance and Cannes and have been distributed worldwide. Srinivas launched his career in 1991 with the international hit Masala, which was voted by the British Film Institute among the Top Ten South Asian Diaspora Films of the 20th Century.
Board of Directors
Andria Case
Reporter
Andria Case joined CTV News in 1997 as a general assignment reporter, and overtime, has become CTV Toronto’s go-to Arts and Entertainment Reporter. Today, she continues to report from the streets of Toronto, as well as sharing the weekend anchor desk with Colin D’Mello. She shows tremendous tenacity on red-carpets at events, from TIFF to the JUNO’s. She has interviewed top celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Brad Pitt and Denzel Washington. Prior to joining CTV, Andria was the producer and host for One O’Clock Live, a reporter and camera operator for CHWI-TV News in Windsor and a writer and reporter for CFPL-TV in London, ON.
Cheryl Hudson
Philanthropic Advisor
Through her philanthropic advisory practice Cheryl guides business owners, professionals, foundations, charitable and non-profit organizations in shifting strategies from short-term, less structured giving to sustained, focused, high-impact philanthropy directing large-scale philanthropic investments to organizations. After, a career driving profit and growth at TD Bank, Cheryl served as Director, Corporate Engagement, at World Vision Canada. She’s a director on the Boards of the Canadian Film Centre and The Art of Time Ensemble. A member of The Professional Advisory Council at SickKids Hospital Foundation and a volunteer on the fundraising committee for the Ontario Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Nam Kiwanuka is a multi-platform journalist and the new host of The Agenda in the Summer. She has hosted magazine shows for the NBA and CFL and was a MuchMusic VJ. She has worked with CNN and BET and was a columnist for the BBC’s Focus on Africa magazine.
Nam Kiwanuka
Journalist
April Mullings
Financial Advisor
A graduate of the University of Toronto, April has worked in the accounting field for over 17 years. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a Specialist in Management and Economics. In 2003, she merged her background in financial management with her passion for film & television. For many years, she served as the Director of Finance & Business Affairs for a boutique Toronto-based production company. April is a natural lover of the arts. From time to time, you may also find this Jamaican-born island girl gracing the stage and captivating audiences with her other passion, dance.
Erica is an accomplished producer and production manager with over 20 years of experience in the film, television, media and education industries. Her commercials, for international brands such as Coca-Cola Ltd, RBC and Microsoft, have aired nationally on HGTV, Food Network Canada and other Shaw Media Inc properties. Early in her career, she was a member of the Gemini award-winning production team for the music documentary, Carry Me Home: The Life and Music of Nathaniel Dett. As founder of EpEc – Everyday People, Everyday Creativity, Erica designs and facilitates unique workshops for a roster of corporate and personal clients using Creative Problem Solving (CPS) and FourSight® frameworks. Erica currently works at Sheridan College as a professor and manager of the Creative Studio.
Erica Shaw
Producer/Professor
Manager
Victoria Shen
Labour and Human
Rights Lawyer
Erica is an accomplished producer and production manager with over 20 years of experience in the film, television, media and education industries. Her commercials, for international brands such as Coca-Cola Ltd, RBC and Microsoft, have aired nationally on HGTV, Food Network Canada and other Shaw Media Inc properties. Early in her career, she was a member of the Gemini award-winning production team for the music documentary, Carry Me Home: The Life and Music of Nathaniel Dett. As founder of EpEc – Everyday People, Everyday Creativity, Erica designs and facilitates unique workshops for a roster of corporate and personal clients using Creative Problem Solving (CPS) and FourSight® frameworks. Erica currently works at Sheridan College as a professor and manager of the Creative Studio.
