Moderator: Rahul Chaturvedi

A recent graduate of the prestigious Canadian Film Centre (CFC), Rahul Chaturvedi is an Indian-Canadian filmmaker who enjoys telling heartfelt, hopeful, whimsical stories of underrepresented groups. He currently has a web series in development with CBC Gem, and is a writer on a half-hour show in development. He also recently worked on STATION ELEVEN as a script consultant and dialect coach.

His past works include the award-winning short film FORBIDDEN TIKKA MASALA, which was programmed by the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for their Film Circuit and Reel Comfort programmes. The film was released digitally by Omeleto to 200K+ views, and has been licensed by the TIFF Digital Platform and CBC Gem.

Rahul is an alum of several development programs including the BIPOC Showrunner Bootcamp, the Reel Asian Pitch competition, Reelworld E20, WarnerMedia X BlackList Writer Pipeline, WarnerMedia AccessFestivals, Roadmap Writers BIPOC Initiative, and the BITS Horror Development Lab. His work has been supported by Telefilm, CCA, OAC, and the Indigenous Screen Office, and covered in several media outlets such as CNBC-TV18, The Sun, Toronto Star, The Metro, and Brampton Guardian.

Speaker: Adriana Chartrand

Adriana Chartrand is the Lead, Indigenous Initiatives & Content Analyst with Telefilm Canada. She is a mixed-race Native woman (Red River Metis (Michif)/settler) from Winnipeg, MB. She previously managed the imagineNATIVE Institute, which develops and delivers professional development programming for Indigenous filmmakers. She has a Master’s in Cinema Studies from the University of Toronto, previously worked in social work, and speaks English and French.

Speaker: Jeremy Spry

National Director CMF Program Administrator at CMF since January 2020, Jeremy has always been an active and passionate supporter of the Canadian entertainment industry. He was briefly a commercial attorney for a national law firm but has since been working exclusively in the entertainment industry in various capacities. He mostly worked on the production side of the industry as a business affairs executive and producer (Muse Entertainment, Spheremedia, Just for Laughs) and advocate (twice elected toCMPAboard of directors), but also on the broadcast side (legal counsel forCBC/Radio-Canada)and finance sides as well (account managerNational Bank of Canadamedia group). He must also admit to dabbling in acting as a child. He holds a political science degree from McGill and law degrees from Université de Montréal and Oxford University. He also completed the HEC-TVA program in film and television management.

Speaker: Erin Dean

Erin is the CEO for Creative Saskatchewan. She is responsible for the overall operation of the organization, by providing strategic leadership and working closely with the provincial
government, industry stakeholders, the Board of Directors, and the senior management team. Erin was Creative Saskatchewan’s first
employee, as the Director of Programs, and has been heavily involved in the creation of programming right from the start. Previously, Erin was a Program Officer at the Saskatchewan Film Commission and has experience working in Business Affairs for several independent production companies.

Erin obtained her BFA in Film and Video Production and BA in English at the University of Regina. Erin also holds a Certificate in Entertainment Law from the Osgoode Hall Law School. In her spare time, Erin enjoys spending time with her family, especially baking with her daughter, watching the silver screen, and game nights with friends. “At Creative Saskatchewan, we accelerate opportunities for Saskatchewan’s creative industries – we make Saskatchewan a great place to live and work.”

Speaker: Johnny Zhang

I have 9 years of experience in the financial services sector supporting companies in the Media and Entertainment industry.

I hold a post-secondary degree in Business Administration from Brandon University. My professional designations include a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from University of Regina and a Certificate in Financial Services Advice from Canadian Security Institute.

I am committed to continually building my knowledge so I can provide you with advice that is current and relevant in today’s environment.