Tag Archives: Banff World Media Festival

Banff World Media Festival unveils 2022 Rockie Ward Gala recipients

From a media release:

The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is proud to reveal this year’s exciting lineup of the Rockie Award Gala recipients. The in-person ceremony will take place at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada on Tuesday, June 14th at 6:30pm MT.

Hosting the Festival’s flagship awards program is Jully Black, Canada’s Queen of R&B/Soul and a true Canadian icon. She has been named as one of ‘The 25 Greatest Canadian Singers Ever’ (CBC Music) and she is a platinum selling artist and performer; a Juno, Gemini, Toronto Theatre Critics Association and Dora Mavor Moore Award recipient, a celebrated morning television host, a Canada’s Walk of Fame inductee and a television and musical stage actress of resolute faith and conviction.

Rockies Gala Awards to be bestowed include:

SIR PETER USTINOV COMEDY AWARD: Ana Gasteyer (American Auto, Saturday Night Live)
The award recognizes a creative talent who has made an outstanding comedic contribution to the media industry. Past honorees include: Kenan Thompson, Sean Hayes, John Cleese, Tracey Ullman, Bob Newhart, Tantoo Cardinal, John Candy and Bill Hader.

INCLUSION AWARD: Vivica A. Fox (Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & 2, Empire)
Presented by A+E, the Inclusion Award recognizes an individual whose efforts and vision in media champion and reflect the diversity of the world in which we live. Past Honorees include: Danielle Brooks, LeVar Burton, Jonathan Murray and Elizabeth Vargas.

Jean-Marc Vallée will be posthumously awarded the CANADIAN AWARD OF DISTINCTION
Presented by the Canada Media Fund (CMF/FMC) and MadeNous, the award is given to a Canadian whose body of work exemplifies outstanding achievement in the entertainment industry. Past Honorees include: Simu Liu, Eric McCormack, Kim Cattrall and Sheila Hockin.

INNOVATIVE PRODUCER AWARD: Eagle Vision
Presented by Lionsgate, the Innovative Producer Award recognizes the entrepreneurial excellence and achievements of an independent producer in TV/digital media. Past honorees include: Sinking Ship Entertainment, Wattpad Studios, Scott Brothers Entertainment, New Metric Media, Wolf + Rabbit, Don Carmody and marblemedia.

CREATIVE VOICE AWARD: Rose Matafeo (Starstruck, Funny Girls)
The creative voice award is bestowed on an executive or creative talent that has created outstanding work that breaks through, inspiring and connecting global audiences.

SHOWRUNNER OF THE YEAR: Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson and Jonathan Lisco (Yellowjackets)
Presented by Variety, Showrunner of the Year recognizes exceptional achievement of a showrunner or writer/producer for their creative vision, overseeing from development, through pre- to post-production, and as the driving force of a series. Past honorees include: Jed Mercurio, Moira Walley-Beckett, John Ridley, Damon Lindelof, Joey Soloway and Clyde Phillips.

“We are delighted to shine a spotlight on these incredibly deserving Rockies Gala honourees who have made such a strong impact and meaningful contributions to the entertainment industry,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director of the Banff World Media Festival. “We can’t wait to welcome these great talents to the Festival in-person to celebrate together.”

Additional awards to be presented at the ceremony include:

IMPACT AWARD: Presented by The Hollywood Reporter, this award is bestowed annually to an individual or group that has made a significant and impactful contribution to screen-based entertainment. Past honorees include: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Shore, accepting on behalf of The Good Doctor; Anthony Anderson, accepting on behalf of black-ish; and Justin Simien accepting on behalf of Dear White People.

PROGRAM OF THE YEAR: The Program of the Year award is presented to an outstanding, critically acclaimed, ground-breaking, and/or highly rated program from within the last calendar year. Past recipients include: It’s a Sin, This is Us, Handmaid’s Tale, Making a Murderer and Surviving R. Kelly.

THE GRAND JURY PRIZE: The Grand Jury Prize is awarded to the highest scoring project in the Rockies Program Competition by the festival’s specially appointed Grand Jury of industry executives. Past recipients include: I May Destroy You, Fleabag, Big Little Lies, Planet Earth II and Sharp Objects.

The Banff World Media Festival is the international conference and marketplace where new business partnerships are forged and new TV, film and digital media projects are ignited. With delegates from 50+ countries, the Festival attracts the world’s top creators, producers, showrunners, talent, networks, studios, streamers, press and media companies. In addition, BANFF continues to deliver important fellowships and initiatives including The BANFF Spark Accelerator for Women in the Business of Media, supported by the Government of Canada which empowers and trains Canadian women entrepreneurs to launch and grow their own sustainable businesses within the screen-based industries as well as the Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative, a program that jumpstarts and accelerates the careers of up to 100 Black, Indigenous and People of Colour producers and creators.

About the Rockie Awards
With a 43-year legacy, the Rockie Awards consist of the International Program Competition and Gala Awards. The International Program Competition is open to all genres and platforms including drama, non-fiction, digital, kids, youth and podcasts. Timed in the heart of awards voting season, the prestigious Banff World Media Festival competition recognizes excellence in global television and digital content. Entries from more than 40 countries compete each year, and winners are selected by an international industry jury of 150+ senior entertainment and media professionals. The Rockie Awards Gala honours outstanding talent and executives from the industry. Over the years, the prestigious Gala event has attracted some of the industry’s biggest names including Sir Laurence Olivier, Gregory Peck, Dinah Shore, Ricky Gervais, Chuck Lorre, Martin Short, James Burrows, John Cleese, Dick Wolf, Will Arnett, Christine Baranski, Sir David Attenborough, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, to name a few.

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Banff’s 2022 Rockie Awards International Program Competition nominees announced

From a media release:

The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is pleased to announce the full list of nominees for the 2022 Rockie Awards International Program Competition, recognizing excellence in television and digital media from around the globe. Hosted by actress and comedian Rakhee Morzaria (Run the Burbs), the Rockies Program Competition ceremony will be held in-person as well as live-streamed on YouTube during this year’s Festival at 6:30 pm ET (4:30 pm MT) on Monday, June 13th.

The Rockie Awards International Program Competition is one of the largest awards programs of its kind, juried by an esteemed panel of 150 international industry professionals and covering all major genres. The Rockie Awards Grand Jury chooses the coveted Grand Jury Prize, selected from the top-scoring programs across the entire field of nominees. This year’s Grand Jury includes: Vanessa Brookman, Head of Kids EMEA, WarnerMedia; Trish Williams, Executive Director, Scripted Content, CBC; James Blue, Head, Smithsonian Channel & Senior VP, MTV News and Docs, ViacomCBS Entertainment & Youth Brands; Young-kyu Kim, Co-CEO, Studio Dragon; Caroline Hollick,  Head of Drama, Channel 4; Candice Wilson Cherry, Head of Development and Production, LOL and Monika Ille, Director, APTN.

“This year’s Rockie Awards are more international than ever before,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director of the Banff World Media Festival. “The creative spirit and exceptional work across the nominees truly exemplify the very best of global content.  We can’t wait to share this year’s show and celebrate in-person with nominees and winners once again in Canada’s beautiful Rockie Mountains.”

In addition to the Grand Jury Prize, the $25,000 Rogers Prize for Excellence in Canadian Content, awarded to the top Canadian production and The Francophone Prize for the top French-language production will also be awarded in addition to other special awards. In total, 29 awards will be bestowed in the category streams of Documentary & Factual, Arts & Entertainment, Children & Youth, Scripted, and Podcast, in addition to the presentation of several Rockies Gala Awards to be announced soon.

Leading nominations by company are:

  • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) – 23 nominations
  • National Geographic and Disney Branded Television – 9 nominations each
  • HBO – 7 nominations
  • Sky – 6 nominations
  • Warner Brothers – 5 nominations

Leading nominations by country are:

  • USA – 54 nominations
  • UK – 59 nominations
  • Canada – 30 nominations
  • Australia – 9 nominations
  • France – 6 nominations

Additional countries represented in the nominations are:

  • Argentina
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Brazil
  • Canary Islands
  • China
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • Germany
  • India
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Mexico
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Qatar
  • Singapore
  • Sweden
  • Uruguay

FOR THE FULL LIST OF NOMINEES, PLEASE VISIT: https://rockies.playbackonline.ca/nominees

Now in its 43rd year, BANFF is the international conference and marketplace where new business partnerships are forged and new TV, film and digital media projects are ignited. With delegates from 50+ countries, the Festival attracts the world’s top creators, producers, showrunners, talent, networks, studios, streamers, press and media companies. In addition, BANFF continues to deliver important fellowships and initiatives including The BANFF Spark Accelerator for Women in the Business of Media, supported by the Government of Canada which empowers and trains Canadian women entrepreneurs to launch and grow their own sustainable businesses within the screen-based industries as well as the Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative, a program that jumpstarts and accelerates the careers of up to 100 Black, Indigenous and People of Colour producers and creators.

ABOUT RAKHEE MORZARIA

Rakhee Morzaria is an actress and comedian who produced, wrote, and starred in the Canadian Screen Award and Canadian Comedy Award-nominated web series, NOTE TO SELF about the daily adventures of an overconfident second-generation millennial.

Rakhee has performed at the Toronto Fringe Festival, Toronto Sketchfest, SheDot Festival, Hart House Theatre and Bad Dog Theatre. She is a graduate of Factory Theatre’s artistic training program, Second City’s Conservatory, the Second City Bob Curry Fellowship Program, and she has performed in various shows with the company. Her on-screen credits include Global TV’s PRIVATE EYES, FX’s WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, and HUDSON & REX.

Her comedy has been featured at the WIFT-T showcase, Atlantic Film Festival, and the National Screen Institute’s Film Festival.

Rakhee Morzaria is a writer and star in CBC’s original Comedy Run the Burbs, which will return to CBC and CBC Gem for season 2 in 2023.

Image courtesy of CBC.

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Netflix’s Bela Bajaria and Participant’s David Linde join the Banff World Media Festival’s Keynote Summit Series lineup

From a media release:

The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is proud to announce Bela Bajaria, Head of Global TV for Netflix and David Linde, CEO of Participant as Summit Series keynotes, a premium speaker lineup featuring the boldest voices and world’s most influential media leaders. The 43rd edition of the Festival will take place in-person June 12-15, 2022 at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada.

“We are beyond excited about Bela and David joining us at BANFF this June,” said BANFF Board Chair and Lionsgate Television Group Chair Kevin Beggs. “The incredible line-up of speakers, award recipients, and talent reinforce what we have been saying for years now – The Banff World Media Festival is the ‘it’ gathering for global content creators. See you in June!”

“Bela and David are two of the most accomplished and inspiring entertainment executives in the industry,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director, Banff World Media Festival. “We’re looking forward to hosting them on the BANFF stage as they deliver what are sure to be thoughtful insights on the future of the industry, programming opportunities and their unique content strategies.”

The BANFF Summit Series is a curated lineup of keynotes featuring global players who are shaping the future of the media industry.

Now in its 43rd year, BANFF is the international conference and marketplace where new business partnerships are forged and new TV, film and digital media projects are ignited. With delegates from 50+ countries, the Festival attracts the world’s top creators, producers, showrunners, talent, networks, studios, streamers, press and media companies. In addition, BANFF continues to deliver important fellowships and initiatives including The BANFF Spark Accelerator for Women in the Business of Media, supported by the Government of Canada which empowers and trains Canadian women entrepreneurs to launch and grow their own sustainable businesses within the screen-based industries as well as the Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative, a program that jumpstarts and accelerates the careers of up to 100 Black, Indigenous and People of Colour producers and creators.

ABOUT BELA BAJARIA
Bela Bajaria was named Head of Global TV for Netflix in 2020, overseeing all English language and local language scripted and unscripted series around the world. Bajaria leads the team for all of television, responsible for hit series including Bridgerton, MAID, Stranger Things, Lupin and Squid Game. Previously, she oversaw local language originals, managing the teams behind shows such as La Casa de Papel (Spain), The Witcher (Poland), Who Killed Sara? (Mexico) and Kingdom (Korea).

Prior to joining Netflix in 2016, Bajaria was President of Universal Television, where she made history as the first woman of color to oversee a studio. Earlier, she held two key posts simultaneously: Senior Vice President, Cable Programming for CBS TV Studios, and Senior Vice President of Movies and Miniseries for CBS Network.

Bajaria currently serves on the LA Board of Governors for the Paley Center and the Board of LA’s Saban Community Clinic, where she received the Lenny Somberg award in 2018. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for Meridian International Center. Bajaria was honored by the Asia Society in 2021 as one of their Entertainment Game Changers of the Year, and has also been honored by the “I Have a Dream” Foundation of LA, The March of Dimes Foundation, and received the Industry Leadership Award from the LA Indian Film Festival.

ABOUT DAVID LINDE
David Linde is CEO of Participant, the leading global media company dedicated to entertainment that inspires and compels social change. Founded by Jeff Skoll, the company’s contributions were honored in 2021 with a retrospective at MoMA and by American Cinematheque as the inaugural recipient of the Power of Cinema Award. Linde is responsible for leading the company’s overall strategy, content creation, social impact, operations, strategic investments and acquisitions. Noteworthy films from Participant include Oscar® Best Picture winner Spotlight; Oscar winners for Best Documentary Feature, American Factory, CITIZENFOUR, The Cove and An Inconvenient Truth; Oscar winners for Best Foreign Language Film ROMA and A Fantastic Woman; as well as acclaimed, award-winning long-form content including Steve James’ docuseries America To Me and Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us.

Linde’s background spans production, global distribution and building multiple companies from the ground up. Linde has served as chairman of Universal Pictures, co-founder of acclaimed specialty film studio Focus Features and CEO and owner of Lava Bear Films. Linde currently serves on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Board Of Trustees of the American Film Institute and the Board of Directors of Film Independent.

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Banff World Media Festival announces first keynotes, plans for in-person 2022 event

From a media release:

The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is thrilled to announce plans for this year’s event to safely return in-person with an exciting lineup of Summit Series keynote speakers, topical panel discussions and celebrity master classes as well as networking opportunities to connect the global media industry to ignite new projects and support business development. The 43rd edition of the Festival will take place in-person June 12-15, 2022 at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada. 

Chairman of Universal Studio Group (USG), Pearlena Igbokwe (top left), is confirmed to participate in a Summit Series keynote conversation at the Festival on Tuesday, June 14. Igbokwe leads four powerhouse studios: Universal Television, UCP, Universal Television Alternative Studios and Universal International Studios that produce over 3,000 hours of programming currently airing or streaming around the globe.

An exclusive ‘In Conversation With’ session is confirmed with leading global health and pandemic expert Dr. Ashish K. Jha (top middle) and renowned philanthropist and entrepreneur Frank Giustra (top right) to discuss the impact of mis/disinformation on public awareness and the responsibility of the media and entertainment industry to combat it.

“BANFF is back, bigger and better than ever,” said BANFF Board Chair and Lionsgate Television Group Chair Kevin Beggs. “We couldn’t think of more fitting speakers to kick off the festivities than the head of Brown University’s School of Public Health, Dr. Ashish Jha, a visionary leader who has given useful and politics-free advice to millions during the pandemic; Frank Giustra, founder of Lionsgate which has grown from a start-up in 1999 to a leading content, distribution, and platform studio today, and who was recently named Co-Chair of the Crisis Group; and Pearlena Igbokwe, Chair of Universal Television Group, one of the most prolific television studios operating in Hollywood today.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome the industry back in the Canadian Rockies this June,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director, Banff World Media Festival. “The BANFF Board of Directors, Content Advisory Board and our team are working to bring you the best edition of BANFF yet, and we’re thrilled to be launching this year’s content slate with the announcement of keynote conversations featuring global leaders Pearlena Igbokwe, Dr. Ashish Jha and Frank Giustra.”

Igbokwe and her team support a slate of ambitious storytellers, including Jordan Peele, Sam Esmail, Nahnatchka Khan, Tina Fey, Seth MacFarlane, Julie Plec, Amy Poehler, Tanya Saracho, Michael Schur, Alan Yang, David Heyman, Selwyn Hinds, Tarell McCraney, Lorne Michaels, Gareth Neame, Debra Martin Chase, Nick Antosca and Dick Wolf, among numerous others. She currently oversees 129 projects across 29 platforms worldwide, including the major broadcast networks, streamers and numerous cable outlets. Notable USG projects under her purview include “Hacks,” “Never Have I Ever,” “Girls5eva,” “Young Rock,” “The Umbrella Academy,” “Dr. Death,” “Gaslit,” “Joe vs Carole,” “Made in Chelsea,” “Clickbait,” “We Are Lady Parts,” “Making It” and longtime NBC favorite “Hollywood Game Night.”

The timely conversation between Dr. Ashish Jha and Frank Giustra will discuss the impact of mis/disinformation on public awareness and the responsibility of media and entertainment platforms to combat it.

The renowned Rockie Awards International Program Competition is one of the world’s largest program competitions of its kind, with participation from more than 55 countries annually including an international jury of 150 industry professionals. Category winners, including the Grand Jury Prize, the Francophone Prize and other special prizes, will be announced during the Festival on June 13th.

Now in its 43rd year, BANFF is the international conference and marketplace where new business partnerships are forged and new TV, film and digital media projects are ignited. With delegates from 50+ countries, the Festival attracts the world’s top creators, producers, showrunners, talent, networks, studios, streamers, press and media companies. In addition, BANFF continues to deliver important fellowships and initiatives including The BANFF Spark Accelerator for Women in the Business of Media, supported by the Government of Canada which empowers and trains Canadian women entrepreneurs to launch and grow their own sustainable businesses within the screen-based industries as well as the Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative, a program that jumpstarts and accelerates the careers of up to 100 Black, Indigenous and People of Colour producers and creators.

ABOUT PEARLENA IGBOKWE
Pearlena Igbokwe is Chairman, Universal Studio Group (USG), where she leads four powerhouse studios: Universal Television, Universal Content Productions (UCP), Universal Television Alternative Studios and Universal International Studios that produce over 3,000 hours of programming currently airing or streaming around the globe. Igbokwe reports directly to Jeff Shell, CEO NBCUniversal.

In her capacity as Chairman, Igbokwe and her team support a slate of ambitious storytellers, including Jordan Peele, Sam Esmail, Nahnatchka Khan, Tina Fey, Seth MacFarlane, Julie Plec, Amy Poehler, Tanya Saracho, Michael Schur, Alan Yang, David Heyman, Selwyn Hinds, Tarell McCraney, Lorne Michaels, Gareth Neame, Debra Martin Chase, Nick Antosca and Dick Wolf, among numerous others.

Igbokwe currently oversees 129 projects across 29 platforms worldwide, including the major broadcast networks, streamers and numerous cable outlets. Notable USG projects under her purview include “Hacks,” “Never Have I Ever,” “Girls5eva,” “Young Rock,” “The Umbrella Academy,” “Dr. Death,” “Gaslit,” “Joe vs. Carole,” “Made in Chelsea,” “Clickbait,” “We Are Lady Parts,” “Making It,” and longtime NBC favorite “Hollywood Game Night.” Universal Studio Group also houses NBCUniversal Formats, the original podcast platform, USG Audio, and its graphic novel imprint, USG Graphic.

From 2016 to 2020, Igbokwe was President, Universal Television, where she oversaw creative development, casting and production and led the division to new heights with record production output. Some of her development highlights include “Russian Doll,” “The Good Place,” “New Amsterdam,” “The Bold Type,” “Good Girls,” and Dick Wolf’s successful new franchise, among numerous other notable projects. In a highly competitive landscape, Igbokwe was able to secure pickups for her projects on every major streaming service, a variety of premium cable outlets and every broadcast network.

Before her studio role, Igbokwe served as Executive Vice President, Drama Programming, for NBC Entertainment, where she developed the top-rated new broadcast dramas for three out of her four years in the role (“The Blacklist,” “Blindspot” and “This Is Us”).  Previously she worked at Showtime for 20 years, where she was involved in developing the pilot and overseeing the first five seasons of “Dexter,” Showtime’s most popular series ever. She also developed and supervised the Emmy Award-winning and critically acclaimed original series “Nurse Jackie” and developed the pilot for “Masters of Sex,” starring Michael Sheen. In addition, she shepherded Tracey Ullman’s “State of the Union,” Damon Wayans’ “The Underground,” Kirstie Alley’s “Fat Actress” and the television adaptation of the hit feature film “Barbershop.” She was also instrumental in the five-season run of the hit Showtime series “Soul Food,” a two-time NAACP Image Award winner for Best Drama Series.

She currently serves on the boards of the Hollywood Radio and TV Society (HRTS), National Association of TV Programming Executives (NATPE), Television Academy Executive Committee and the Friends Board of the Saban Community Clinic.

Igbokwe has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University and an MBA from Columbia University. She was born in Nigeria and resides in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.

ABOUT DR. ASHISH K. JHA
Ashish K. Jha, M.D., M.P.H., is recognized globally as an expert on pandemic preparedness and response as well as on health policy research and practice. He has led groundbreaking research around Ebola and is now on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response, leading national and international analysis of key issues and advising state and federal policy makers. Dr. Jha has published more than two hundred original research publications in prestigious journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA and the BMJ, and is a frequent contributor to a range of public media. He has extensively researched how to improve the quality and reduce the cost of health care, focusing on the impact of public health policy nationally and around the globe. Dr. Jha is currently the Dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University. Before that, he was a faculty member at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School since 2005. He was the Director of the Harvard Global Health Institute and also served as the Dean for Global Strategy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

ABOUT FRANK GIUSTRA
Mr. Giustra is President and CEO of the Fiore Group, a private firm managing a broad portfolio of private investments and companies, focussing on natural resources, entertainment, art, food and lifestyle.

Frank Giustra shares the love of film. In 1987, he co-founded the International Movie Group and was executive producer of a number of films including the 1988 hit “Buster”, starring Phil Collins. By 1997, Frank’s entrepreneurial success also included the founding of Lionsgate Entertainment, now one of the world’s largest independent film companies. Today, Mr. Giustra is a major shareholder of Thunderbird Entertainment, a creative-driven, pure-play content production studio that creates and owns global and award-winning scripted, factual and animated programming.

Mr. Giustra brings an entrepreneurial approach to philanthropy to catalyze new ideas and innovations that can be scaled and shared. He co-founded Acceso, a social business builder that brings entrepreneurial solutions to global poverty. Acceso manages agribusinesses in Colombia, El Salvador, and Haiti.

For over two decades the Giustra Foundation has supported innovative solutions to some of the most pressing humanitarian and economic challenges — focussing on women and children, homelessness and refugee resettlement. The Giustra Foundation is a founding partner in the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative.

In 2020, he became co-chair of the International Crisis Group, an independent non-partisan source of analysis and advice to policymakers on the prevention and resolution of deadly conflict.

Frank is passionate about philanthropy, quantum physics, and the odd wild adventure.

About BANFF
The Banff World Media Festival and the Rockie Awards host one of the world’s most important gatherings of entertainment industry executives and creators, dedicated to content development, production, broadcast and distribution within the screen industries. BANFF provides a platform for the evolving global media industry to develop its creative and business objectives. It serves as a leading destination for co-production and co-venture partners and is an unparalleled marketplace for international decision-makers to connect with new partners, learn from industry leaders and execute new business deals. 

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The Banff World Media Festival appoints Bron’s Brenda Gilbert as Vice Chair of the board

From a media release:

The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) announced today Brenda Gilbert (above left), President of BRON Media Corp has assumed the role of Vice Chair of the Board. Lionsgate’s Kevin Beggs was recently announced as Board Chair. In addition, Justin Stockman (above, right), Vice President of Content Development and Programming, Bell Media has joined the Foundation’s Board of Directors, while long-standing members of the Board of Directors John Brunton, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Executive Producer Insight Productions Ltd; Ira Levy, Executive Producer, Breakthrough Entertainment; and Blair Miller Managing Partner, TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good are stepping down.

“We’re delighted to welcome BRON’s Brenda Gilbert as Vice Chair of the Board and Bell Media’s Justin Stockman to our BANFF family,” said BANFF Board Chair and Lionsgate Television Group Chair Kevin Beggs. “Brenda leads one of today’s premier production companies and shares our passion for impactful storytelling. Her business expertise and creative vision make her the perfect addition to the Board, and Justin’s strong programming background and relationships will contribute greatly in continuing to make BANFF an amazing event.”

“BANFF continually raises the bar in fostering creativity and business development throughout the industry,” said Gilbert. “I am incredibly honored to have been appointed Vice Chair of the Board and look forward to working with Kevin and the team to further enrich and diversify the global marketplace.”

“It is my distinct honour to join the esteemed Banff World Media Festival Board of Directors,” said Justin Stockman, Vice-President, Content Development and Programming, Bell Media. “I look forward to collaborating with Kevin, and my fellow board members as we expand the conversation around content creation and diversification and look toward to shaping the future of our industry in Canada and around the world.”

Additional members of the Banff Television Festival Foundation’s Board of Director’s include:

Kevin Beggs
Chair, Lionsgate Television Group, Lionsgate

Colin Bohm
EVP, Content and Corporate Strategy, Corus Entertainment Inc

Sally Catto
General Manager, Entertainment, Factual and Sports, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Sean Cohan
Chief Growth Officer and President, International, Nielsen Company

Tom Cox
Executive Producer, SEVEN24 Films

Valerie Creighton
President & CEO, Canada Media Fund

Sandra Dewey
Most Recently President, Business Operations and Productions HBO Max, TNT, TBS & truTV

Scott Henderson
Communications Executive

Jeniffer Kim
Senior Vice President, International Originals, HBO Max

Stephen MacDonald
President, Global Content Licensing & International, A+E Networks

Lisa Meeches
Founder and Executive Producer, Eagle Vision

Robin Mirsky
Executive Director, Rogers Group of Funds, Rogers Communications Inc.

About Brenda Gilbert
Brenda Gilbert is the President of BRON Media Corp, a company she co-founded and leads with her husband, Aaron L. Gilbert. The Vancouver based parent company has offices in Los Angeles, New York, London and Toronto. BRON Media Corp. is the parent company to operating units BRON Studios, BRON Releasing, BRON Digital, and BRON Ventures (holds an interest in a portfolio of 10 content companies). The BRON group of companies are industry leaders in production, finance and the sales and marketing of film, series television and animation.

Brenda has a special focus on BRON’s non-scripted arm BRON Life, and is currently an Executive Producer on several projects, including the Untitled Nicki Minaj series with HBO Max. Over her 20+ years in the media space, Brenda has produced, or executive produced more than two-dozen projects, including the recent animated film The Willoughbys, which premiered on Netflix in 2020.

Founded in 2010, BRON has been behind more than 100 productions and is proud to have been part of 27 Academy Award nominations and 6 Academy Award wins for the films: Fences, Joker, Pieces of a Woman, Greyhound, Bombshell, Roman J. Israel Esq., and Judas and The Black Messiah.

In addition to her role on BRON’s Board of Directors, Brenda sits on the board of Film Independent, she was the track chair for mentoring initiatives with Woman in Animation, is an Advisor to the Vancouver Film School and La Salle College, plus has volunteered her time with Vancouver Community College.

About Justin Stockman
As VP, Content Development & Programming, Justin Stockman is responsible for English TV programming including CTV, Crave, and Bell Media’s English-language specialty channels Discovery, MTV, E!, Much, CTV Drama, CTV Life, CTV Comedy, CTV Sci-Fi with a focus on developing groundbreaking new content.

Stockman’s role includes the ongoing negotiation and development of Bell Media’s Original Production programming content for all platforms with local producers and international studios.

Stockman also leads Bell Media’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, both internally as a member of the organization’s Diversity Leadership Council and with external partners like HireBIPOC, the definitive and ubiquitous industry-wide roster of Canadian BIPOC creatives and crew working in screen-based industries.

Formerly Vice-President, Brand Partnerships and Client Strategy on the Bell Media Sales team, Stockman role included oversight of the Sales team in leveraging Bell Media’s competitive advantage in content, production, data and platforms with clients, agencies, and internal stakeholders while driving new revenue opportunities through strategic brand integrations and data-driven client strategies.

Previously Vice-President, Premium SVOD and OTT, Bell Media, Stockman was responsible for strategy, management, programming, content licensing, merchandising, and marketing partnerships for Bell Media’s premium subscription video on demand (SVOD) services, Crave, Crave + Movies + HBO, and STARZ as well as driving direct-to-consumer revenue including customer acquisition and retention. Additionally, Stockman’s portfolio included oversight of English and French customer care centres for Crave, and Bell Media’s over-the-top (OTT) services including TSN Direct, RDS Direct, and STARZ, as well as Much Studios

Prior to this, Stockman worked as Vice-President, Specialty Channels, where he oversaw all brands and day-to-day activities affecting Entertainment Specialty Channels Much, MTV, Gusto, E!, Bravo, Space, The Comedy Network, and their complimentary digital networks, as well as Pay channels TMN and HBO Canada.

Stockman was previously Executive Director, Marketing, Specialty Channels, where he oversaw all brand-positioning, consumer and trade marketing, social media marketing, and social media communities for Bell Media’s Specialty properties.

Stockman has worked at Bell Media for more than a decade in various capacities including creative services and production as creative director, supervising producer, producer, writer, editor, and web designer.

In 2015, Stockman was recognized with the 2015 Digital Play of the Year by Playback.

Stockman graduated in 1996 from York University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with Specialized Honours in Visual Arts Studio. In 2009 he earned his MBA through a joint program at Cornell University in New York and Queen’s University in Kingston.

Located in Banff, Alberta, Canada, BANFF is a premium marketplace and conference, an intimate space where unparalleled access, creative inspiration and expert insight combine to launch fresh content and new business strategies. Celebrating its upcoming 43rd year in 2022, the festival has grown into a must-attend annual event where media moguls, producers, creatives and industry stakeholders along with broadcasters and digital media companies tackle issues and trends, forge relationships and nurture partnerships in one of the world’s most stunning landscapes.

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