Final Mile Club (YORK U AMPD)

Part 1 of a 2-part series on the changing landscape of film, media, and the performing arts in Canada and beyond. An all-star panel of women leaders discuss issues facing emerging creatives today, challenges for professional development in the field, and institutional responses to equity and social justice.

Guests:

AMANDA CORDNER

Actor | Director

Amanda Cordner is taking the country by storm playing 7ven, a hip, queer art gallery owner, on the HBO Max hit Canadian show, Sort Of. York University, Amanda has been hailed for her intelligence and electric intensity in stage shows like Featherweight and The Penelopiad. Body So Fluorescent – one of two shows Amanda created with David di Giovanni, along with Ring The Roses – won her the Jon Kaplan Spotlight Award at SummerWorks.

LAURA FRIEDMANN

Producer | Director, Wrapped Productions Inc.

Colombian-born, Toronto-based creative producer and director Laura Friedmann explores gender equality, human rights, intergenerational trauma, diaspora and healing through TV and film. With over eight years of experience, Laura’s work has been featured on CBC, YesTV, and CGoodTV with her production company, Wrapped Productions Inc. In both her art and industry activity, Friedmann is a longstanding gender equity advocate participating in numerous initiatives promoting the advancement of women and BIPOC creatives in the Canadian arts industry. Initiatives include in the Creative Sovereignty Lab, Creators of Colour Incubator & Big Pitch @TIFF, and The Native Film & Storytelling Institute.

JENNIFER HOLNESS

President | Writer | Producer, Hungry Eyes Media

Canadian Screen Award winner Jennifer Holness brings powerful, thought-proving Black stories to the TV and silver screen through her production company, Hungry Eyes Media. Holness’ films have earned global praise at international film festivals, including SXSW, Hot Docs and Tribeca. Jennifer’s television work is equally prolific, with Shoot the Messenger (CBC, WGN/USA) and Guns (CBC), earning her a Best Writing Canadian Screen Award for Guns, alongside four additional Canadian Screen Award wins and a Rose D’or international.

Holness is a dedicated advocate for diversity and mentorship outside the writers’ room. She is a founding member of the Black Screen Office and mentors diverse talent through organizations like The Reel World Film Festival, Black Women Film!, Through Their Eyes, The Toronto Black Film Festival, and The Montreal Black Film Festival.

BETH JANSON

Chief Operating Officer, Toronto International Film Festival

Beth Janson has created space for innovation and diversity in North America’s leading cultural sectors for over two decades. In 2003, Janson established the Tribeca Film Festival New Media Fund for transmedia works and then went on to become CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

Today, Beth is ushering in a new era as the Toronto International Film Festival’s Chief Operating Officer. Outside of the film industry, Janson helps women jumpstart economically impactful companies with Rent the Runway Foundation’s Project Entrepreneur program. Janson knows the importance of developing a robust network to create social change through art. She’s committed to supporting the next generation of cultural innovators to reach their full potential.

MUMBI TINDYEBWA OTU

Artistic Director, Obsidian Theatre

Obsidian Theatre Acclaimed theatre creator and director Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu was raised in Kenya and Victoria, BC. Now, based in Toronto, she is innovating the Canadian Theatre Industry as Artistic Director for Obsidian Theatre. Mumbi’s recent works The Brothers Size (Soulpepper), Trout Stanley (Factory Theatre), Here are the Fragments (The Theatre Centre/The ECT Collective), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Soulpepper) and Oraltorio: A Theatrical Mixtape (Obsidian/Soulpepper) have earned her a Dora Award for her Outstanding Direction, Toronto Theatre Critics Awards, a Pauline McGibbon Award, a Mallory Gilbert Protege Award, a Harold Award, and two nominations for the John Hirsch Directing Award.

Artist and entrepreneur, Sophie Brussaux, talks about her unconventional path to a career in the arts and her experience launching a new company with a little help from friends. Throughout she shares her approach to finding your passion and ways to build collaboration into your practice.

Join award-winning strategist, documentary producer and AMPD Theatre alumnus Shayna Haddon, as she shares her expertise in the field of creative strategy and networking. Haddon talks about the importance of mastering digital skills, connecting with audiences and gaining creative experiences while forging your own path in today’s evolving world of art and culture.

In this episode of the Final Mile Club podcast, multidisciplinary artist Brendan Fernandes shares practical tips on securing funding as an artist. Grounded in lived experience as a York University alumnus of AMPD’s Visual Arts BFA program, Fernandes talks about the importance of maximizing available resources, documenting the creative process, articulating the meaning of art in various forms, and creating opportunities for community, visibility, and recognition.  

About the Guest  

Internationally recognized Canadian artist Brandon Fernandes fuses dance and visual arts to examine issues of cultural displacement, migration, labour, and queer subjectivity. Through a hybrid of artistic disciplines, Fernandes creates installation, video, sculpture, and dance that masterfully use art for advocacy. Fernandes is a proud alumnus of the Visual Arts BFA program at York University, where he specialized in sculpture. Now, he is inspiring the next generation of art-based changemakers as a teacher at Northwestern University. 

Part 2 of a 2-part series on the changing landscape of film, media, and the performing arts in Canada and beyond. An all-star panel of women leaders discuss the future of work, changes in hiring and development practices, and what people need to know about starting – and staying – in the industry.

Guests: 

AMANDA CORDNER

Actor | Director

Amanda Cordner is taking the country by storm playing 7ven, a hip, queer art gallery owner, on the HBO Max hit Canadian show, Sort Of. York University, Amanda has been hailed for her intelligence and electric intensity in stage shows like Featherweight and The Penelopiad. Body So Fluorescent – one of two shows Amanda created with David di Giovanni, along with Ring The Roses – won her the Jon Kaplan Spotlight Award at SummerWorks.

LAURA FRIEDMANN

Producer | Director, Wrapped Productions Inc.

Colombian-born, Toronto-based creative producer and director Laura Friedmann explores gender equality, human rights, intergenerational trauma, diaspora and healing through TV and film. With over eight years of experience, Laura’s work has been featured on CBC, YesTV, and CGoodTV with her production company, Wrapped Productions Inc. In both her art and industry activity, Friedmann is a longstanding gender equity advocate participating in numerous initiatives promoting the advancement of women and BIPOC creatives in the Canadian arts industry. Initiatives include in the Creative Sovereignty Lab, Creators of Colour Incubator & Big Pitch @TIFF, and The Native Film & Storytelling Institute.

JENNIFER HOLNESS

President | Writer | Producer, Hungry Eyes Media

Canadian Screen Award winner Jennifer Holness brings powerful, thought-proving Black stories to the TV and silver screen through her production company, Hungry Eyes Media. Holness’ films have earned global praise at international film festivals, including SXSW, Hot Docs and Tribeca. Jennifer’s television work is equally prolific, with Shoot the Messenger (CBC, WGN/USA) and Guns (CBC), earning her a Best Writing Canadian Screen Award for Guns, alongside four additional Canadian Screen Award wins and a Rose D’or international.

Holness is a dedicated advocate for diversity and mentorship outside the writers’ room. She is a founding member of the Black Screen Office and mentors diverse talent through organizations like The Reel World Film Festival, Black Women Film!, Through Their Eyes, The Toronto Black Film Festival, and The Montreal Black Film Festival.

BETH JANSON

Chief Operating Officer, Toronto International Film Festival

Beth Janson has created space for innovation and diversity in North America’s leading cultural sectors for over two decades. In 2003, Janson established the Tribeca Film Festival New Media Fund for transmedia works and then went on to become CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

Today, Beth is ushering in a new era as the Toronto International Film Festival’s Chief Operating Officer. Outside of the film industry, Janson helps women jumpstart economically impactful companies with Rent the Runway Foundation’s Project Entrepreneur program. Janson knows the importance of developing a robust network to create social change through art. She’s committed to supporting the next generation of cultural innovators to reach their full potential.

MUMBI TINDYEBWA OTU

Artistic Director, Obsidian Theatre

Obsidian Theatre Acclaimed theatre creator and director Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu was raised in Kenya and Victoria, BC. Now, based in Toronto, she is innovating the Canadian Theatre Industry as Artistic Director for Obsidian Theatre. Mumbi’s recent works The Brothers Size (Soulpepper), Trout Stanley (Factory Theatre), Here are the Fragments (The Theatre Centre/The ECT Collective), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Soulpepper) and Oraltorio: A Theatrical Mixtape (Obsidian/Soulpepper) have earned her a Dora Award for her Outstanding Direction, Toronto Theatre Critics Awards, a Pauline McGibbon Award, a Mallory Gilbert Protege Award, a Harold Award, and two nominations for the John Hirsch Directing Award.

Perfect the art of auditing with LA’s rising voiceover star Isaac Robinson-Smith who has nabbed roles in Marvel Studios’ What If...? and Black Panther: War for Wakanda.  Discover how new graduates can gain confidence through audition preparation, performer community vs competition, and finding relatable side-hustles that build toward a successful career. 

Explore how to expand your creative career path with Hollywood set decorator Carolyn Loucks. Her work on Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, Robocop and The Incredible Hulk are just some of the career highlights in her 25+ year career.  

Join Carolyn as she discusses the importance of continuous education, work-life balance, and how first gigs out of school can lead to the unexpected. 

How do you stay creative after graduation? Learn how recent AMPD graduates use creativity in unconventional ways throughout their unique career paths. Guests include Deloitte people analytics leader Tracy Pokroy, recruitment officer Sadie Cahill, graphic designer Nicole Beno, and multimedia producer Phoebe Sequino. 

Is compensation for "exposure" worth it? Navigating the legal side of the creative world can be tricky, especially for somebody trying to break into the business. Join one of Toronto's top entertainment lawyers, Emmanuel Evdemon, as he shares his knowledge of the creative industry’s legal considerations.