The Indie Filmmaker’s Amplifier

Cheryl Grossman is an entertainment lawyer who works with established and emerging production companies and creative individuals in film, television, podcasts, and digital media.  She guides clients and negotiates deals at every stage of their creative process from development to production to exploitation of works.  As their legal counsel, she provides them with proactive and practical advice, based on her years of experience in media production, broadcaster business and rights management, and law. Cheryl previously worked at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in the Business and Rights Department and at Bay Street law firms.  Before that she was a political correspondent at the Quebec legislature for CJAD Radio and later worked in television news and on documentaries that aired on the CBC, National Geographic Channel, and History Channel.

Canadian filmmaker Cathleen MacDonald grew up in a Nova Scotia fishing village where she was immersed in nature, an outdoor lifestyle, and a storytelling culture. Now based in Mississauga, Ontario, Cathleen is the director-producer of the WORKING ANIMALS series (Discovery Channel, Canal D, Animal Planet), director-producer MOVING ON series (CBC, winner Bronze, Columbus Film Festival; and series nomination Gemini Award), director-producer documentary DE-ESCALATE (funded by Ontario Arts Council), director DESPERATE CHURCHWIVES, digital producer THE DIVIDED BRAIN (CBC Docs), director-producer of the 10-part anthology series THE LOST MUSEUM (winner International Web Excellence Award). Her films have screened at festivals and have been broadcast and distributed nationally and internationally. Cathleen is a former board member for the Oakville Film Festival and serves as a speaker and juror for industry festivals, organizations, and funders. She has taught workshops on pitching and producing skills. She studied graphic design, photography, and animation at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (Halifax), then attended York University (Toronto) where she obtained an Honours BFA in Film Production. 

Shazia Javed is the Founder, CEO and Producer at LifeSketch Media, a production company committed to showcasing perspectives from historically marginalized communities. She recently produced, directed and showran TV series Potluck Ladies (Hollywood Suite, YES TV, Prime Video),  which won the Best Drama Series Award at SeriesFest, Denver & was a finalist for two awards at Yorkton FF. She produced and directed 3 Seconds Divorce (Netflix, ORF) which won the Audience Choice Award at Reelworld Film Festival. She served as a writer and director on Namrata (NFB, Hot Docs) which was a finalist for three AMPIA awards. Shazia’s achievements led her to be inducted into Playback’s 10 to Watch in 2020. She is an alumna of BANFF Spark Accelerator for Women in the Business of Media, Netflix/BANFF Diversity of Voices, Reelword E20, Women in the Director’s Chair, BIPOC TV & Film’s Showrunner Bootcamp & Director’s masterclass, and the DOC Breakthrough Program, where she won the Development Award for best pitch. Her work has screened at prestigious festivals such as Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Mumbai International Film Festival, and DOXA Documentary Film Festival. Her work has been supported by the Canada Media Fund, Independent Production Fund, ISO, various arts councils, Canadian and international broadcasters. She is a 3-time MARTY Award winner and a holder of Civic Award of recognition from the city of Mississauga for her outstanding achievements in the arts,  She is currently overseeing a robust slate of projects at LifeSketch Media.

Emily Gagne is the Marketing Manager for Hollywood Suite, a Canadian broadcaster featuring iconic films and series from throughout cinematic history. Also serving as the Shorts Programmer for the Gimli International Film Festival and co-curator of the Revue Cinema’s We Really Like Her! screening series, Emily is passionate about creating space for new and underappreciated creators on both big and small screens. 

Naiyelli Romero Agüero is a Venezuelan-Canadian producer with experience managing and coordinating productions at a variety of scales. She holds a BFA in Film Studies from Toronto Metropolitan University in 2018, where she received the Women in Film Award for her thesis work. Since then, she has produced a variety of short films and her work has screened at international festivals, such as VIFF, Whistler, HollyShort, and Seattle, as well as on leading platforms like Prime Video and CBC Gem. Her short film Sara, directed by Jessica Hinkson, won Best Canadian Short at the 2023 Silver Wave Film Festival and has global distribution from 7 Palms Entertainment.  She was a Production Manager on Alison Duke’s Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story (Tribeca Film Festival), a Production Coordinator on OYA Media Group’s Black Community Mixtapes (Winner of 2 Canadian Screen Awards) and A Mother Apart (Top 3 Audience Favourite at Hot Docs Festival, and Best Canadian Feature, Best First Feature, and Audience Award-Winner at Inside Out Film Festival).