Neishaw Ali

President/Executive Producer - Spin VFX

Neishaw has been involved in the Film and Television Industry since 1988 in the cutting edge of evolution in Visual Effects and Animation. As a founding partner in SPIN, she has helped to shape and mold the Company in the art of Creative Science where there is a harmonious blend of both the Artistic Sensibilities and Business Strategy.

 

Panelist of: State of the Union: The Future of Animation in Ontario | Panel presented by Fresh TV

Benjamin Anders

BAA Animation Student, Sheridan College

Currently working on his 4th Year Thesis film at Sheridan College. In addition to his work with John K, he has also mentored under Joe Murray and completed character design work for Guru Studios and College Humor.

Instructor of: JOHN KRICFALUSI Master Class: Build A Story the John K. Way

Willy Ashworth

Owner - FLIPPED FILMS

WILLY ASHWORTH is a veteran of the animation industry in Toronto having served at NELVANA, THE ANIMATION HOUSE, CALIBRE DIGITAL PICTURES, STARZ, and TRAPEZE ANIMATION, as Effects Animator, Character Animator, Director of Animation, Storyboard Artist, and Animation Supervisor respectively. ASHWORTH’S short film WEENIE WAGON WOE was recently voted Audience Favourite at THE TORONTO ANIMATED IMAGE SOCIETY SHOWCASE in 2010, and was shown at festivals in London England and Melbourne Australia. THE ATTACK OF THE BOWLING BALL PEOPLE is ASHWORTH’S next independent production. Teaching, tutoring and mentoring young animators has been ASHWORTH’S most recent focus.

Panelist of: ROCK & RULE (Nelvana, 1983) RARE screening and reunion Q&A!

Emilie-Claire Barlow

Emilie-Claire Barlow is one of Canada's best-selling jazz artists over the last decade. She is the winner of the National Jazz Award for Female Vocalist of the Year (2008) and a four-time Juno nominee for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year.

Emilie-Claire is also a successful voice actor, lending her voice to animated characters on series such as: Total Drama, 6Teen, Stoked, Bakugan Battle Brawlers, and Almost Naked Animals to name just a few.

Panelist of: Almost Naked Animals Live Script Reading | presented by 9 Story Entertainment in partnership w ACTRA

Norm Beaver

Music Supervisor - Nelvana Limited

For 13 years Norm has worked with Nelvana beginning in Pre-Production Audio then on to the Music Supervision department. Norm has worked on series such as "Bob and Margaret", "6Teen", "Spliced", "Beyblade", "Sidekick" and is currently working on the Teletoon hit "Detentionaire". His work with composers Paul Intson, Martin Kucaj, DNA, and Neil Parfitt have provided many of children's favourite pieces of music. To keep his music skills fresh and alive, Norm also DJ's and performs in bands on various instruments. He also hides through an alias as the songwriter "Stormee".

Instructor of: Music for Animation Workshop and Demo | presented by The Eggplant Collective

David Berni

Voice Actor

As one of Canada’s top voice performers, David has over a thousand credits to his name. Lending his voice to national campaigns for companies such as HBO, McDonald’s, Kellogg’s, Volvo and Dorito’s.

In the animation world, David was nominated for 2 Gemini awards for his ensemble work on the series, Ruby Gloom and Iggy Arbuckle. Playing the characters Frank and Jiggers, respectively. David also wrote and performed on the animated series Balloonheads for Comedy Central. Some of David’s most memorable characters are Gobsmack from Pearlie, Paddy Pattinson for Scaredy Squirrel and Chaz Moneranian from Detentionaires. David also voices the popular character Duck, on Almost Naked Animals and has also begun work on the new series Rocket Monkeys, as computer, Yay-Ok.

Panelist of: Almost Naked Animals Live Script Reading | presented by 9 Story Entertainment in partnership w ACTRA

Ellen Besen

President for Life - Bison Bison

…an award winning director of animated shorts for the NFB and an independent filmmaker, as well

…a former faculty member in the animation department at Sheridan College

 …an internationally known expert on animation storytelling and author of Animation Unleashed 

Her films include Sea Dream, Illuminated Lives, Slow Dance World and Stroke. Current projects include her new book in progress- Whole Cloth Storytelling which she is co-authoring with professor Aubry Mintz- and The Huntsville Treasure Hunt for Nuit Blanche North 2012.

Panelist of: The Art of Effective Storytelling Workshop | presented by The Treehouse Group

Charlie Bonifacio

Supervising Animator and Development Artist - ARC Productions Animation and Visual Effects

Charlie Bonifacio's career started at Nelvana in '76. Moving from design, model sheets and animation to posing and animation direction, he he started on "A Cosmic Christnmas" and worked through 5 holiday specials, Rock and Rule, 3 of the Care Bears features and the Ewoks series. As development began on "Drats" Charlie contributed to character designs and was animation lead on Dizzy in the eventually titled Rock and Rule. All hopes were that this feature would usher in a new Canadian feature film studio. Other highlights include teaching at Sheridan for 6 years, animation credits on Bluth's Land Before Time and All Dogs Go To Heaven, Disney's Hunchback, Mulan, Lilo and Stitch and Starz Animation's productions of 9 and Gnomeo and Juliet. Charlie currently works at Arc Productions Toronto.

Panelist of: ROCK & RULE (Nelvana, 1983) RARE screening and reunion Q&A!
Instructor of: Drawing in a Digital Industry | Workshop Featuring Charlie Bonifacio

Patrick Brealey

Songwriter/Performer - Patrick Brealey Music

A natural performer, sharp lyricist and charismatic pianist and guitarist, Patrick Brealey has made a place for himself on the Canadian folk scene with tours from coast to coast, national CBC radio play and engaging live performances. His style blends country, folk, jazz and blues, giving the roots of North American popular music a modern twist, while his versatile tenor voice evokes the sound of a different era, one where Roy Orbison once crooned. Brealey has released two full-length albums; received invitations to play at Mariposa and Eaglewood Folk Festivals; performed to thousands at Vancouver's ShoreFEST, a concert and live radio broadcast; and has played numerous intimate (and sold-out!) house concerts across the country. Brealey is recording his third album in 2012.

Panelist of: The Art of Effective Storytelling Workshop | presented by The Treehouse Group

Robin Budd

Director & Designer - Big Picture Animation

Robin Budd is one of Canada's foremost animation directors and has worked for many of the world's leading animation houses, from Toronto's Nelvana to Los Angeles' Walt Disney. Renowned for his bold, energetic style, Robin has brought his distinctive flair to such acclaimed feature films as Disney's Peter Pan: Return to Never Land, for which The New York Times singled out his "breezy, confident direction." His work in television has been equally celebrated, earning a prestigious Emmy Award for Best Animated Series (Beetlejuice). A product of Sheridan College's Classical Animation Program, Robin became a key member of Nelvana's creative team during its glory years, including the iconic feature film 'Rock & Rule'. Recent honors include the 2011'DHX Award for Excellence in Animation'.

Panelist of: ROCK & RULE (Nelvana, 1983) RARE screening and reunion Q&A!

Scott Caple

Scott Caple Design

A graduate of Sheridan College before digital everything, he has done primarily design and layout on projects including Arthur Christmas, Horton Hears A Who, WallE , Cars, The Incredibles, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Legend of Mulan, Tarzan, Fantasia 2000, Atlantis: The Lost Continent, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Rock a Doodle, Inspector Gadget, Droids and Ewoks, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs among others, and has worked on the videogames for UP, WallE, Ratatouille, and The Incredibles. He has also done efx animation on Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Trek II, Poltergiest and ET.

He has worked for Heavy Iron Studios, Pixar, Lucasfilm Ltd., Blue Sky, and Disney Feature Animation; also, Don Bluth Productions, Nelvana Productions, Gammage Animation, Guru, Pronk Design.  

Panelist of: ROCK & RULE (Nelvana, 1983) RARE screening and reunion Q&A!

Vince Commisso

Co-Founding Partner, President, CEO - 9 Story Entertainment

Vince Commisso is the Co-founding Partner, President & CEO of 9 Story Entertainment, one of the industry's leading creators, producers and distributors of award-winning content for young audiences around the world. With responsibilities for leading the production, creative, technical and sales aspects of the company's activities, Vince has contributed to 9 Story's production of over 500 animated and live action episodes, seen on some of the world's most respected children's channels and platforms.

Panelist of: State of the Union: The Future of Animation in Ontario | Panel presented by Fresh TV

Nick Cross

Nick Cross is a Canadian animator and film-maker. Trained as an illustrator, Nick began working in the commercial animation field in 1996. Since that time, he has worked on an impressive number of animated film, television and music video projects for clients such as Nickelodeon, Nelvana, Spumco, and New Line Entertainment. Also an award-winning independent filmmaker, his short animated film subjects have been seen in festivals and retrospectives around the world. Presently, he is working on his own self-produced, full-length animated feature film entitled, Black Sunrise.

Nick lives in Oshawa, Ontario with his wife and three dogs.

Panelist of: Indie Animators: Making it Work | Panel
Panelist of: Style vs. Design a panel discussion featuring John Kricfalusi and Nick Cross

Sean Cullen

Actor, Comedian

Sean Cullen has been touring and performing as a comedian for the past 20 years. He combines stream of consciousness improv with uncanny mimicry and broad musical talents to create a style that is uniquely his.

Sean has been featured in Time Magazine in the USA as the vanguard of comedy's next generation. He was a finalist in last season

Panelist of: Almost Naked Animals Live Script Reading | presented by 9 Story Entertainment in partnership w ACTRA

Jennifer Dodge

Executive Producer - Spin Master Entertainment

As Executive Producer for Spin Master Entertainment, the toy company’s film and television subsidiary, Jennifer Dodge oversees the development, financing and production of all on-screen entertainment for existing Spin Master brands and newly created intellectual properties.

Dodge joined Spin Master Entertainment after serving as VP Distribution and Sales Operations for Cookie Jar Entertainment, and as Director of Production and Development for Decode Entertainment (DHX Media).

Jennifer Dodge was appointed to this role in 2009 and is based out of Spin Master Entertainment’s Toronto office.

Panelist of: From Napkin Sketch to Greenlight: Development, Producers and You | Panel presented by GURU

Aron Dunn

Creative, Producer & Writer - Treason Media

An industry vet with over a decade of experience, Aron leads his merry band of
rebels on their campaign of creativity at Treason Media. When he’s not crafting
a killer pitch or approving the latest draft, he is staying in touch with his “inner
kid” by picking up the latest titles from the comic book store or testing the hottest
console game.  Over the course of his career, Aron has worked Disney XD,
Teletoon, Corus Kids, Astral Media and the CBC.  Prior to founding Treason
Media, Aron held senior development roles with some of Canada’s most prolific
and acclaimed producers, including Breakthrough Entertainment and Portfolio
Entertainment.

Host of: From Napkin Sketch to Greenlight: Development, Producers and You | Panel presented by GURU

Jay Edry

ExplicitDestruction

Jay Edry is trained in both classical and computer animation. He recently returned to school to strengthen his formal education in game programming. During his studies, Jay still made time to pursue his gaming passion by coding and designing the game Ninjics with a fellow colleague.

Jay was the recipient of Nelvana's Best Digital Character Award in 2006 and was the runner-up for Teletoon's Most Promising Student Award at the Ottawa International Animation Festival that same year. He also received the People's Choice Video Game Gold Award at TOjam(a 3-day game creation competition held in Toronto in 2010). His work demonstrates his strong passion both creatively and technically.

Jay is currently a working animator on DrinkBox Studios upcoming combat-platformer Guacemeele.

Panelist of: Press A To Jump: Animation, Art and Interactivity | Panel

George Elliott

Owner, President, Executive Producer - Elliott Animation

George Elliott is an artist, animator, director, award-winning children's author, and creative head of Elliott Animation Inc., a studio which became Fresh TV's formal production partner in 2007. George has earned more than 400 screen credits as a producer, director, art director, character designer, key poser, and layout artist. As a producer his projects have included 2D and 3D animation series for television, direct-to-video features, CD-ROM games and television commercials. George is currently executive producing Total Drama Island, 6teen and Stoked as well as Fresh's newest live action properties: My Babysitter's A Vampire for Teletoon and Really Me for Family Channel Canada.

Panelist of: State of the Union: The Future of Animation in Ontario | Panel presented by Fresh TV

Peter Emslie

Character Design Instructor - Sheridan College

Pete Emslie is a career cartoonist and caricaturist, always with a bent towards humourous illustration. Pete has drawn for Disney's Canadian merchandising division, illustrating Disney characters for various consumer products, as well as having spent several years at Walt Disney World in Florida illustrating theme park collateral material. He continues to work for Disney as a freelancer, in addition to teaching Character Design in the BAA Animation program at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario.

Instructor of: Caricature Workshop featuring PETE EMSLIE

Frank Falcone

President, Creative Director - Guru Studio

Frank Falcone has been involved in bringing film and television projects to life as an animator, director and executive producer for nearly 20 years. Frank received his art and animation training at both the University of Toronto, and the Sheridan College Computer Animation program where he currently chairs the Program Advisory Committee. Founded in 2000 with a mandate to create the best character-animated entertainment, Frank's Guru studio has expanded its services beyond commercial design for broadcast television, advertising, film and new media into content development and creation, full production, financing, marketing and distribution.

Panelist of: State of the Union: The Future of Animation in Ontario | Panel presented by Fresh TV

Catherine Feraday Miller

Art Director - Rocket 5 Studios Inc

A Torontonian born and raised, Catherine Feraday Miller began her career in LA at DreamWorks as a 2D classical animator, working on the features The Prince of Egypt and The Road to El Dorado. Switching to 3D animation in 1999, Cathy has worked for various feature and game companies in San Francisco and Toronto, and has taught 3D animation at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and at Max The Mutt Animation School in Toronto. Back in Toronto since 2009, Cathy is now working with her husband Tim as Art Director and co-founder for their own independent game studio, Rocket 5 Studios Inc.

Panelist of: Press A To Jump: Animation, Art and Interactivity | Panel

Brad Ferguson

Director, Almost Naked Animals - 9 Story Entertainment

Brad Ferguson, Director of the animated series Almost Naked Animals, is a classically trained animator, and has designed, animated and storyboarded for a wide variety of award-winning productions. Having not only worked in television production, Brad also has experience in graphic design, mascot development and online game creation. Sorry ladies, he's taken! Working at 9 Story Entertainment for nearly 10 years, Brad attributes the success of Almost Naked Animals to the many talented people surrounding the show and the unique & intense evolution each episode undergoes. Being a big believer in the art of improvisation, each story evolves at every stage in the process. This approach helps each episode to be as strong as possible, by allowing the jokes and moments grow organically.

Panelist of: Almost Naked Animals Live Script Reading | presented by 9 Story Entertainment in partnership w ACTRA

Nick Fox-Gieg

Nick Fox-Gieg Animation

Nick Fox-Gieg is an animator based in Toronto and New York. His film "The Orange" won the jury prize for Best Animated Short at SXSW 2010; his films have also screened at the Ottawa, Rotterdam, and TIFF film festivals, at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and on CBC TV. He was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to the Netherlands in 2006, and has received media arts grants from Bravo!FACT, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the arts councils of Ontario, Pennsylvania, Toronto, and West Virginia. Fox-Gieg holds an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts and a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University. He's currently a Fellow at the Eyebeam Art and Technology Center in NYC.

Panelist of: Indie Animators: Making it Work | Panel

Tim Foy

Composer - Pure West Music

Pure West has been creating award-winning music for television, film, and advertising over the past 18 years. With a specialization in children’s television, Pure West composed the music for a number of the most successful kids series on TV including Kratt’s Creatures, Zoboomafoo, Braceface, Donkey Kong Country, Wild Kratts, and Mudpit. Pure West received a Gemini nomination for their scoring of CBC’s critically-acclaimed series Our Hero and has been honored multiple times for outstanding work in children’s television by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada. Pure West has worked with numerous indie filmmakers to create scores for both short and feature films such as My Brother’s Keeper and King of the Camp.

Pure West was founded by the dynamic duo Paul Koffman and Tim Foy in 1994. Paul Koffman has a background in jazz composition and big band orchestration. While Paul was orchestrating a piece for jazz legend Freddy Hubbard, Tim Foy was picking up all his bad habits on the streets performing with and producing R&B, Reggae, Rock, and Funk acts such as George Clinton and One. Paul and Tim’s varied and wide-ranging musical backgrounds make them some of the most versatile composers and song writers working in television today.

Instructor of: Music for Animation Workshop and Demo | presented by The Eggplant Collective

David Gale

Vice President - ACTRA Toronto

Is the award-winning host of Loving Spoonfuls, the cooking with grandmothers TV series and Vice President of ACTRA Toronto.

Selected credits - Stage: All Out, The Fantasticks, Love and Human Remains, Hot Flashes and Chutzpah à go-go. Film: Mulroney: The Opera, Zero Patience. Television: The Tournament, Puppets Who Kill and The Newsroom. Voice: Tin Tin, Barney's Version, Chloe. Stage Directing: Godspell, Bye Bye Birdie, I Slept With Tony Trouble. Writing: Pop, Chutzpah à go-go which had its U.S. premiere in 2009, directed and choreographed by Gale. Hosting gigs: The Harold Awards, The Doras.

Host of: Almost Naked Animals Live Script Reading | presented by 9 Story Entertainment in partnership w ACTRA

Alan Gregg

Director, Original Content - TELETOON Canada Inc.

Alan Gregg is Director, Original Content for TELETOON Canada Inc. Gregg joined TELETOON in April 2010 and oversees original content development and production for TELETOON’s English and French networks and their respective multiplatform services. He also leads TELETOON’s Original Production team in Toronto and Montreal and works closely with TELETOON’s production partners across Canada.

Gregg has 18 years of experience in the film and television industry. Prior to joining TELETOON, he story edited a new preschool series for Guru Studio. He also recently opened an office in Toronto for the Irish animation studio Brown Bag Films, where he oversaw the studio’s project and business development as Vice President, International Production. Additionally, Gregg spent several years in various senior roles at Alliance Atlantis’ Children’s Television division, last serving as Vice President, Production & Distribution. During this time, Gregg was responsible for the creative development of a number of properties, both animated and live action, including Henry’s World, Ace Lightning, Dragon Booster and Lunar Jim.

In addition to numerous other production credits that include Degrassi: Next Generation (Creative Executive) and Instant Star (Creative Executive), Gregg’s work has been recognized with a Gemini award for Dragon Booster (Best Animated Program) in 2005 and the 2003 Alliance for Children & Television award for Henry’s World (Best Preschool Animation).

Panelist of: From Napkin Sketch to Greenlight: Development, Producers and You | Panel presented by GURU

Rex Hackelberg

Cartoonist - Independent Artist

Rex Hackelberg is a cartoonist from Toronto, Canada. Recognized for his playful drawing style and unique sense of color, his work has been featured in a number of film and commercial projects. His blog can be viewed at http://rex-h.blogspot.com.

Instructor of: JOHN KRICFALUSI Master Class: Build A Story the John K. Way

Winston Hacking

Mechanic - Exploding Motor Car

Winston Hacking is a filmmaker based out of Toronto, Canada. He creates stop motion animations, puppeteered mayhem and psychotropic video art for both the independent and commercial art world. He also operates a small stop motion studio for both independent and commercial projects.

He has collaborated with a diverse group of musicians from around Canada (Timber Timbre, 100 Dollars, Bruce Peninsula, Ohbijou, The Acorn). His work has been featured on television (AUX TV, Much Music, MTV Canada, Phase3 Germany), on blogs (Boooooom!, Vice - Deutchland, Dragon Frame Stop Motion) and at local and international festivals (Pleasuredome, TIFF, Slamdance).

He is currently producing a documentary and several short films utilizing both puppetry and stop motion animation.

Panelist of: Indie Animators: Making it Work | Panel

Matt Hammill

Game Designer & Animator - Matt Hammill

Matt Hammill is an award-winning animator, illustrator and game designer who grew up in the 1980s drawing video game bad guys and digging in the garden for dinosaur bones. Having studied illustration and computer animation at Sheridan College, he's worked on games, TV commercials, short films, poster campaigns, and children's books with clients such as Konami, Hasbro, Molson, JibJab and Kids Can Press. His latest release is the hand-drawn action-puzzle game "Gesundheit!" for iOS. He is based in Toronto, Canada.

Panelist of: Press A To Jump: Animation, Art and Interactivity | Panel

Ryan Henson Creighton

President - Untold Entertainment Inc.

Ryan Henson Creighton is the President and founder of Untold Entertainment Inc., a boutique studio in downtown Toronto specializing in games and apps for kids, teens, tweens and preschoolers. Since 2007, Untold has provided interactive services for many broadcasters and teevee production companies. Untold's original properties include Putty Crime (a game modeled entirely in clay), Spellirium, and Sissy's Magical Ponycorn Adventure, which became a worldwide viral hit after Ryan co-authored it with his five-year-old daughter Cassandra. Ryan has taught game development and computer skills at both elementary and post-secondary levels, and is the author of the Unity 3.x Game Development by Example Beginner's Guide from Packt Publishing.

Panelist of: Press A To Jump: Animation, Art and Interactivity | Panel

Michael Hirsh

Chief Executive Officer - Cookie Jar Entertainment

Michael is Chief Executive Officer of Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc. Recognized industry-wide as a leading business and brand-builder, Hirsh's innumerable achievements have helped shape today's era in animation production and distribution. In 1971, Hirsh co-founded Nelvana limited with Clive Smith and Patrick Loubert where he developed and produced many of television's most celebrated quality animated programs and in the process pioneered many of the worldwide co-production, marketing and distribution techniques that have become standard industry practice. Some of the shows that Nelvana is best known for are Babar, Bernstain Bears, Care Bears, Droids, Ewoks, Magic School Bus, Franklin, Little Bear, Max and Ruby, Rolie Polie Olie and Bob and Margaret as well as Rock&Rule.

Panelist of: ROCK & RULE (Nelvana, 1983) RARE screening and reunion Q&A!
Panelist of: State of the Union: The Future of Animation in Ontario | Panel presented by Fresh TV

Howard Jerome

Actor

Actor, singer, director, producer, activist, environmentalist, futurist, humourist, teacher, philosopher, rapper and, yes, even (many moons ago) wrestler. Born in Brooklyn New York, in the same neighbourhood as Zero Mostel, Mel Brooks, and The Weinstein brothers, Howard moved to Toronto in 1976 where he founded The Portable Theatre, a children’s touring theatre company.

A 40 year veteran of stage, screen and television, Mr. Jerome’s credits are numerous and impressive. Most notably, Barney’s Version, Naked Lunch (directed by David Cronenberg,) as well as Across the River to Motor City, Confessions of an American Bride, and Luck Number Slevin. Howard’s distinctive bass voice can be heard through numerous characters in many animated TV shows like Almost Naked Animals, Friends and Heroes, X-Men, Rupert the Bear, and Dog City.

Howard was born to be a performer, and it is with great pleasure and infinite delight that he’s benn privileged to entertain people throughout the world.

Panelist of: Almost Naked Animals Live Script Reading | presented by 9 Story Entertainment in partnership w ACTRA

J.J. Johnson

Partner, Producer, Director - Sinking Ship Entertainment

J.J. Johnson, 32, captains the creative aspects of each Sinking Ship Entertainment series from development and production to writing and directing. After discovering Daniel Cook in 2002, J.J. went on to create, direct, write and co-produce This is Daniel Cook. Since then, he has created some of Canada's most popular children's programs including This is Emily Yeung, Are we there yet?: World Adventure, Roll Play and the Shaw Rocket Prize winning live-action/CGI series Dino Dan. J.J. has directed over 75 hours of children's programming that air in over 150 countries around the world. The Toronto Star recognized J.J. as one of Canada's top children's television producers and Playback listed him as one of the Top 10 to Watch in 2006. J.J. sits on the board as co-president of the Youth Media Alliance.

Panelist of: From Napkin Sketch to Greenlight: Development, Producers and You | Panel presented by GURU

Linda Kash

Actor

Linda Kash began her professional life at the Second City in Toronto. She also appeared in a number of plays for Canadian Stage. She was a series regular cast member in The Comedy Mill, Max Glick, and Variety Tonight in Canada, and She TV, Minor Adjustments, and Style and Substance in the US.

Linda has been a guest on Seinfeld, Third Rock from the Sun, Cybill, Everybody Loves Raymond, Ellen and Sabrina. She also worked on Ken Finklemen’s series for CBC, At The Hotel (for which Linda won a Gemini Award.)

Kash’s list of films include Waiting For Guffman and Best in Show, both directed by Christopher Guest, and the multi-nominated Cinderella Man directed by Ron Howard.

Linda has co-created several shows for TV including My Talk Show, Go Girl!, and The Joe Blow Show, which she also directed.

Panelist of: Almost Naked Animals Live Script Reading | presented by 9 Story Entertainment in partnership w ACTRA

Mike Kerr

Producer - Cinevale Media Inc.

Michael Kerr has worked in the entertainment industry for over 12 years. He has written for such characters as the Ripping Friends, Ren & Stimpy, and the Jetsons. As an actor, he voiced the Ripping Friends' Chunk Nugget. He has been freelance writing and producing since 2004 and currently story edits and produces the hit Inuit preschool show Takuginai for the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation.

Instructor of: JOHN KRICFALUSI Master Class: Build A Story the John K. Way

Paul Koffman

Partner - Pure West Music

Paul has been creating award-winning music for television and film over the past 18 years. With a specialization in children's television. Paul composed the music for a number of the most successful kids series on TV including Kratt's Creatures, Zoboomafoo, Braceface, Donkey Kong Country, Wild Kratts, and Mudpit. Paul received a Gemini nomination for scoring CBC's critically-acclaimed series 'Our Hero' and has been honored multiple times for outstanding work in children's television by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada. Paul has worked with numerous indie filmmakers to create scores for both short and feature films such as My Brother's Keeper and King of the Camp.

Instructor of: Music for Animation Workshop and Demo | presented by The Eggplant Collective

John Kricfalusi

Spumco

With groundbreaking shows such as "Ren & Stimpy" and "The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse", John Kricfalusi has brought key elements of the golden age studio system to modern day television animation. He revived the practice of writing cartoons on storyboards and put the artists back in charge of the creative process. Ren and Stimpy changed the face of animation and its influence continues to be felt all over the industry.

His blog is an exciting education portal for students and professional alike, he champions and explains the work of giants such as Bob Clampett and the Fleischer brothers, and brings the ingenuity of unsung heroes such as Art Lozzi and Carlo Vinci to the spotlight.

He pioneered online cartoons and Flash animation with "The Goddamn George Liquor Program". He's the winner of 5 Annie Awards including the Windsor McCay Lifetime Achievement Award.

Speaker of: JOHN KRICFALUSI: Cartoony Animation | presented by Toon Boom Animation
Panelist of: Style vs. Design a panel discussion featuring John Kricfalusi and Nick Cross
Instructor of: JOHN KRICFALUSI Master Class: Build A Story the John K. Way

Chris Landreth

Filmmaker - Seneca College, NFB

Instructor of: CHRIS LANDRETH Master Class: Making Faces

Brett Long

Filmmaker - Exploding Motor Car

Brett Long is a filmmaker, stop-motion animator and puppeteer located in Toronto Ontario. He has created commercial and independent projects as well as created psychedelic visuals and performances for live shows. Brett has collaborated with some of Toronto's finest musicians, writing, directing, and documenting many of the projects. He is an architect of animation placing his fingers between every frame of motion. He has shared insight and filmmaking knowledge to patrons as early as 3 years old to patients as late as 90 years old. His work can be seen on television such as History Television, Aux TV, Much Music, as well as popular websites Bravo!fact, BOOOM!, Dragonframe, Rolling Stone, and many others. He is also a back seat driver in Toronto collective Exploding Motor Car

Panelist of: Indie Animators: Making it Work | Panel

Luis Lopez

Director, Studio Operations - Nelvana Studios

As Director of Studio Operations and with 15 years of experience in Film and Television production, Luis is responsible for leading the production of animated children’s content at Nelvana. He manages the production team, oversees budgets and leads relationships with local and international partners. In addition to managing Nelvana’s operation, he coordinates the efforts between the production, marketing, interactive and distribution divisions.

Overseeing the production of more than 150 half hours of original children’s content per year. Luis’ credits include: Mike The Knight, Backyardigans, Franklin 3D, Bakugan, Handy Manny, Spliced, Hot Wheels, Grossology, - multiple Emmy®-winning series Rolie Polie Olie and most recently Scaredy Squirrel, Babar and Bubble Guppies.

His creative, technical and business experience extends across the TV, Film and digital new media, over the past decade Luis has been instrumental in the studio's creative development and foray into digital technologies. Luis is a member of the President’s Council at Corus, he sits on the advisory board at Sheridan College and he is a deeply devoted supporter of the Canadian production industry.

Luis began his tenure at Nelvana in 1998, on his role as Technical Producer he was charged with leading the technical development and implementation of CG pipelines. Prior to leading Nelvana’s production initiatives he developed cutting-edge Feature Film VFX and CG workflows and he served as a Technical Director on Hollywood films including The Big Hit and Dr.Dolittle for Sony Pictures and Fox.

Host of: Festival Gala Opening RONAL THE BARBARIAN in 3D (North American Premiere)

Patrick Loubert

Writer, Director, Producer - Ragged Rascal Productions

Nelvana co-founder Patrick Loubert’s expansive and award-winning career as a writer, director and producer in Canadian entertainment has ranged from lovable animated series like Rolie Polie Olie, The Care Bears and Inspector Gadget to the hard-edged cult classic Rock & Rule to live action series including 20-minute workout and The Edison Twins. Patrick continues his contribution to the industry as President of Ragged Rascal Productions.

Panelist of: ROCK & RULE (Nelvana, 1983) RARE screening and reunion Q&A!

John May

Producer, writer, showrunner - Heroic Television

(along with writing/producing partner Suzanne Bolch) are the founders of Heroic Television and writer/showrunners with over twenty years experience. Recent hits include Connor Undercover for Family Channel/Disney XD and How To Be Indie for YTV and Disney Channel UK. Previously John and Suzanne created the animated series Captain Flamingo, were showrunners on a Nickelodeon sci-fi comedy series, and created the critically acclaimed, award winning CBC teen series Our Hero. John also wrote the pilot and sixteen episodes of The Magic Schoolbus starring Lily Tomlin.

 

Panelist of: From Napkin Sketch to Greenlight: Development, Producers and You | Panel presented by GURU

Mark Mayerson

Professor - Sheridan College

Mark Mayerson was born in New York and began working in animation in 1976. He has lived in Canada since 1980. In a 29 year career in TV animation, Mark has animated commercials, specials and series. He created the cgi series Monster By Mistake, which ran on YTV in Canada. In addition to animating, Mark has also done modeling, rigging and some technical direction. In a supervisory role, he has voice directed, directed and produced. Besides writing for Monster By Mistake, he has also written for Franklin the Turtle and Jacob Two-Two. For the last 8 years, Mark has been teaching animation at Sheridan college in Oakville, Ontario, and is currently the coordinator of the program. He writes about the art and business of animation at http://mayersononanimation.blogspot.com.

Host of: KAJ PINDAL | Retrospective + Q&A | Closing Ceremonies

Ben McEvoy

Principal / Producer - Co-Founder - Toronto Animation Arts Festival International

Ben McEvoy has spent the past decade learning about the business of creativity and networking his way into all sorts of exciting trouble. His experiences have seen him working across Canada as an animator and interactive designer/producer, launching, running and managing international animation and education projects in India, Singapore and China, supporting innovative animation education projects across Ontario, producing interactive content for film, television and brands, and even at one point dining with the Queen of England. A graduate of Sheridan's animation program, Ben currently works full time as the Head of Animation and Interactive for Optix Digital, a Director for Computer Animation Studios of Ontario (CASO), Professor & Coordinator in the Seneca Animation Arts Centre, and most recently a new business-for-artists training initiative, The Smartist Iitiative, to help artists compete and grow locally and globally. Ben is also the Co-Founder of the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International, or TAAFI. 

Host of: Festival Gala Opening RONAL THE BARBARIAN in 3D (North American Premiere)
Host of: Kick Ass Careers Talk and Workshop | presented by Sheridan

Tom McGillis

President, Executive Producer - Fresh TV

Tom McGillis is an executive producer, writer and series creator, specializing in children's and family entertainment. He is president and co-founder of Fresh TV, a world leader in creating and producing family entertainment. Fresh TV develops and produces television content that powerfully connects to kid, tween and teen audiences around the world.

Along with creative partner Jennifer Pertsch, McGillis has created the world-renowned series Total Drama Island, My Babysitter's a Vampire, Really Me, 6TEEN and Stoked. All of these series have aired around the world on Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, Teletoon and Family Channel.

Host of: State of the Union: The Future of Animation in Ontario | Panel presented by Fresh TV

Marlo Meekins

Marlo Meekins is an award-winning caricature artist, cartoonist and painter. She earned a BFA in Illustration from the prestigious Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia. She won the Silver Nosey Award for Caricaturist of the Year at the 2009 International Society of Caricature Artists. She teaches design in the Animation and Game Design program at Durham College and has worked in animation in the LA, NY and Toronto area on various productions.

Panelist of: Style vs. Design a panel discussion featuring John Kricfalusi and Nick Cross

Michelle Melanson

VP Production and Development, Supervising Producer - Radical Sheep Productions

Michelle Melanson Cuperus is VP Production and Development for Radical Sheep Productions and is Supervising Producer on the award-winning hit Stella and Sam and the new Disney Junior production Yub Yubs. She brings 20 years of experience in Children’s and Youth Programs to the table including producing World of Quest, Wayside and My Dad the Rock Star. Michelle oversees development on Radical Sheep’s diverse slate of properties including the 6-11 animated comedy The Bagel and Becky Show created by Dave Cooper for Teletoon Canada and Can you Imagine That, a live action/animation hybrid for Disney Junior.  

Panelist of: From Napkin Sketch to Greenlight: Development, Producers and You | Panel presented by GURU

Brenda Neitupski

President - Little Tugboat Productions

Co-founded in 2010 with partner, Josh Selig, Little Tugboat is a boutique Canadian Production company dedicated to creating quality children’s content.

Nietupski has an extensive broadcast history as Director of Programming for Canada’s Treehouse TV, and  Discovery Kids.  Brenda was responsible for building both networks’ roster of quality children’s programming through acquisitions and triggering Canadian production  and international co-production. Working in the industry for 20 years, Brenda brings a wealth of experience and knowledge about the Canadia broadcast landscape and promotion of children’s brands through cross platform strategies, marketing and sales.

A graduate of the University of Toronto in Cinema Studies and English as well as a Motion Picture student at Ryerson University, Brenda has cultivated her craft from a variety of avenues. Prior to her role at Corus Entertainment, Nietupski worked as an advertising producer and in various positions in the production and post-production industry. 

Panelist of: From Napkin Sketch to Greenlight: Development, Producers and You | Panel presented by GURU

Ryan North

Writer - Dinosaur Comics

Ryan North is the author of Dinosaur Comics, published every day at www.dinosaurcomics.com. He's also the writer of the ongoing AND bestselling Adventure Time comic book series, published by Boom Studios. He's currently working on a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style novel. He lives in Toronto with his wife Jenn and dog, Noam Chompsky.

Panelist of: The Art of Effective Storytelling Workshop | presented by The Treehouse Group

Kaj Pindal

Sheridan

Kaj Pindal is a living legend, most famous for making classic cartoons such as "I know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a fly" and "What on Earth!" at The National Film Board of Canada. A beloved and respected teacher at Sheridan College for decades, his first class included John Kricfalusi, another one of TAAFI's distinguished guests. Kaj invited UPA co-founder Zach Schwartz and Yugoslavian animator Zlatko Grgic to teach at Sheridan. Together they lead the successful summer school program for many years. Kaj created the Daytime Emmy Award winning children's show "Peep and the Big Wide World". He's proud to have been part of all-star teams throughout his career, and using animation for good causes, such as warning street kids about AIDS and substance abuse in films co-produced with Derek Lamb.

Panelist of: KAJ PINDAL | Retrospective + Q&A | Closing Ceremonies

Merle-Anne Ridley

Producer

Merle Anne has worked in many aspects of animation including producing, directing, development and voice direction. In addition to directing the Miss Spider special ”The Prince, Princess and the Bee”, she has produced several series including Beetlejuice, Eek the Cat, Rupert, and Ruby Gloom. She produced the feature length films Pippi Longstocking, Babar, and Franklin and the Green knight.

Merle Anne has voice directed more than 30 animated series ranging from Preschool (Max & Ruby ) to Adult prime time ( Dating Guy and Producing Parker) and many tween shows including 6 Teen, Jimmy Two Shoes, Spliced, Almost Naked Animals, Sidekick and Detentionaire.

Panelist of: Almost Naked Animals Live Script Reading | presented by 9 Story Entertainment in partnership w ACTRA

Peter Roe

Storyboard Artist - Nelvana Ltd.

Peter Roe (1969-1888) makes Austin Powers look handsome. He discovered Rock & Rule in 1985, wrote a definitive book on its creation (2001), wrote the liner notes for its DVD releases (2005) and is proud to oversee the TAAFI snack bar garbage bins on this occasion of Rock & Rule's big-screen appearance in Toronto (2012). In the years between, Peter graduated from Sheridan Nursery's Classical Animation program and has secretly worked at Nelvana Ltd. for 14+ years under the guise as its legendary after-hours elf, Sigfried. His unique brand of humour, adolescence and taste in underwear has kept generations of children, college students and peeping toms alike away from their studies and glued to their televisions. He hopes you will fund the publication of his aforementioned book. Please.

Susan Roman

President - Susan Roman Enterprise Inc

It must have seemed a HUGE stretch to go from voicing the gentle little Berry Princess in Nelvana's Strawberry Shortcake Meets the Berrykins - to being cast as the speaking voice of the ballsy Debbie Harry in the ground-breaking animated film, Rock & Rule. But, for Susan Roman, the role of Angel was a perfect fit and, to this day, it remains one of her favorites. She went on to voice an impressive array of animated characters including Snowy the dog in Tin Tin, and Champ Bear in the original Care Bears series (both Nelvana), the brother and sister duo of Eddie and Sara Lynn in the Fisher-Price series Little People, James the red engine in Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Melissa in The Raccoons, and the part for which she is probably the most well known - Sailor Jupiter in Sailor Moon.  

Panelist of: ROCK & RULE (Nelvana, 1983) RARE screening and reunion Q&A!

Barry A. Sanders

Animator

Toronto based animator Barry A. Sanders is a 14-year veteran of the animation industry. His work includes commercial and television animation, storyboards, illustration and animation direction for a variety of studios, including Nelvana, Guru, Axyz and the National Film Board of Canada. He also served for three years as the vice-president of the Toronto Animated Image Society. A previous winner of TAC's "Pitch This" contest, Barry has created and continues to expand a slate of development-ready properties. Barry is also lactose intolerant.

Host of: ROCK & RULE (Nelvana, 1983) RARE screening and reunion Q&A!

Laura Shepherd

Director - Pearlygates Productions

Laura Shepherd was the head graphic artist on "Rock and Rule". She has since designed, developed and directed several award-winning animated specials, shorts, pilots and series for Nelvana, including "Babar", "My Pet Monster", "Madballs", "Tales from the Cryptkeeper", "Marvin the Tap Dancing Horse" and "Jacob Two-Two". Laura also worked on the NFB's award-winning AIDS film "Karate Kids", Phoenix Animation's "Bedtime Primetime Classics" and "The True Meaning of Crumbfest", was Creative Producer on 9 Story's "If the World Were a Village', Creative Producer of Kim Cattrall's "Sexual Intelligence", and Post Director on several Cookie Jar series. Laura paints in her spare time, and lives on Ward's Island in Toronto with her husband and two children.

Panelist of: ROCK & RULE (Nelvana, 1983) RARE screening and reunion Q&A!

Clive Smith

President - Musta Costa Fortune

Co-founder NELVANA, Toronto-based ent. co. 1971-2001. B. UK '44, grad Ealing Art School '61. Began career animating Beatles, Lone Ranger series. Formed Nelvana '71 w/ Patrick Loubert, Michael Hirsh. Co-prod, dir. animated feature Rock & Rule, tv specials Cosmic Christmas, Devil & Daniel Mouse. Exec. prod. Babar, Tintin, Rupert, Beetlejuice. Dir. anim. Star Wars special for G. Lucas, A Wookie's Christmas, anim. series Family Dog with Spielberg & Tim Burton; dir. feature Pippi Longstocking. Prod. OMNIMAX film for Expo '95 w/ IMAX founder, Graeme Ferguson. 2 Emmys, Geminis, Houston etc. 2001 est. Musta Costa Fortune, developing film/tv projects. Financing/consulting tv, music & web projects. Lives in Toronto & London UK. Exec. PLAY RECORDS and PLAY DEEP STUDIOS UK.

Panelist of: ROCK & RULE (Nelvana, 1983) RARE screening and reunion Q&A!

Miguel Sternberg

Artist / Game Designer - Spooky Squid Games

Miguel Sternberg is a veteran of Toronto's indie game scene. He is one half of Spooky Squid Games, a former co-founder of Capybara Games and helps run The Hand Eye Society, a videogame arts and culture group. His pixel art has enriched the movie Crank, the back cover of Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together, the web game Legends of Zork, as well as countless unplayable cellphone games based on major movie franchises. He recently organized the Comics vs Games art show as part of TIFFnexus and is currently working on They Bleed Pixels, a fast-paced, gothic lo-fi, platforming beat'em up.

Panelist of: Press A To Jump: Animation, Art and Interactivity | Panel

Patrick Thompson

Artist - Well & Good

Painter Patrick Thompson's work expands out of Mistakism, an approach which embraces play, intuition, accidents and the embracing of imperfection in the process of developing his work.

His large wall murals and exterior painting have their roots in mural art, graffiti, children's drawings, action painting and site specific painting.

Thompson's work has found its way into many internationally recognized galleries and museums.

Most notably, Thompson exhibited at the Royal Ontario Museum Institute for Contemporary Culture in Toronto Canada, The Barcelona Centre of Contemporary Culture, Trace Gallery in Zurich and Articulate Baboon in Cairo Egypt.

Panelist of: The Art of Effective Storytelling Workshop | presented by The Treehouse Group

Rob Tinkler

MPP

Rob Tinkler is grateful to have been involved in countless animated series. Highlights include Sam & Max Freelance Police, Cat In The Hat, Cyberchase and Carebears (as Grumpy bear). In L.A. Rob recurred on American Dad, Celebrity Deathmatch as well as many Videogame titles. He has also written on such animated series as Almost Naked Animals, Wayside, Gerald McBoing-Boing, and Disney's Kick Buttowski. Rob has also performed in plenty of "live-action" TV and Film, including sketch comedy series (The Bobroom), cult features (Harold And Kumar Go To Whitecastle), and sitcoms (ABC's Notes From The Underbelly), but his first love has always been doing animation. In fact, Rob is so entrenched in the animated world that he often keeps his eyes toward the skies (watching for falling anvils).

Panelist of: Almost Naked Animals Live Script Reading | presented by 9 Story Entertainment in partnership w ACTRA

Mike Valiquette

Publisher/Director of Development - Canadian Animation Resources/Smiley Guy Studios

Mike Valiquette is the founder and publisher of Canadian Animation Resources and the Director of Development at Toronto's Smiley Guy Studios. He is an award-winning producer and artist with over 400 half hours of TV animation, numerous shorts, 6 features and 30 mass-participation video games to his credit. An outspoken industry leader and a proponent of a strong creative animation community in Canada, Mike currently sits on various industry boards and is a frequent guest speaker at festivals and industry events.

Host of: Kick Ass Careers Talk and Workshop | presented by Sheridan
Host of: Style vs. Design a panel discussion featuring John Kricfalusi and Nick Cross

Chris Walsh

Co-Owner - Mad Lab Productions

Chris has worked extensively as a commercial animator on a variety of internationally broadcasted television programs. He holds an MFA in Film Studies (York University, 2007), a BA in Film Studies and English Literature (Wilfrid Laurier University, 1993), and a Diploma in Media Arts (Sheridan College, 1998). He designed and continues to manage Sheridan College's stop motion animation department. He also manages the graduate year of the BAA (Animation) Program in general, and oversees student productions in 2D, CG, and stop motion. He is co-owner of Mad Lab Productions, an animation production company that focuses on sci-fi, horror, and comedy animation.

Host of: Indie Animators: Making it Work | Panel

Joseph Wilson

Executive Director - Treehouse Group

Joseph is currently working as an Education Advisor at the MaRS Discovery District advising K-12 education entrepreneurs in the Information technology, Communications and Entertainment group. He writes on issues of technology and culture for NOW Magazine, the Globe and Mail, Spacing and Yonge Street. He has edited two books and written many academic papers in astronomy, education, entrepreneurship and innovation strategies. He has also taught and worked in exhibit design at the Ontario Science Centre, the Royal Ontario Museum and the Rose Center for Earth and Space Science at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. He is the Executive Director of the Treehouse Group, which hosts the monthly Treehouse Talks salon, and produced Toronto's first Maker Faire in Spring 2011.

Host of: The Art of Effective Storytelling Workshop | presented by The Treehouse Group

Barnabas Wornoff

TAAFI Co Founder and Chairman

Independent director, animator and professor of animation. His animation credits include Teletoon's "Total Drama Island," Disney XD’s "Jimmy Two Shoes," "Danny Phantom," Nickelodeon's "Wow Wow Wubbzy," Teletoon’s "The Dating Guy" and Comedy Network’s "HOTBOX." He produced a satirical animated feature about Dean Del Mastro VS the musicians and artists of Peterborough called "Peterborough Time.” Further television credits include writing and animating the opening for CTV’s Lost in Canada and 4 episodes of his own sketch comedy and animated series called "The Super Popular Show" which placed at the Banff Television’s Audience Choice Awards. Barnabas is currently animating at 9 Story in Harmony on “Wild Kratts.”

Host of: Festival Gala Opening RONAL THE BARBARIAN in 3D (North American Premiere)

Sagan Yee

Freelance Animator - Saganimation

Sagan Yee is a recent graduate of Sheridan College's Classical Animation program, where she made a four-minute film in Flash about a malfunctioning particle accelerator that causes mini black holes to consume Toronto. Her first introduction to Toronto's indie game community was as a participant and later co-coordinator of the Difference Engine Initiative, a woman-focused game-making incubator run by TIFF.nexus and the Hand Eye Society. Currently she divides her working life between the TIFF Film Reference Library, and freelancing on a variety of projects ranging from kid's Flash games, t-shirt designs, and animating on Disney's Motorcity. She spends her free time dabbling, scheming, and ruminating.

Host of: Press A To Jump: Animation, Art and Interactivity | Panel

Richard Young

Actor - ACTRA

Richard continues to train with voice-over actors/coaches John Stocker and Melissa Altro.

He recently shot on both Degrassi and NBC's new hospital-drama series Saving Hope. They were great yet different experiences, and the episodes will air July 2012.

Young is also continuing his second year employed as part of The Second City's Educational Company. Here, he perform revues of sketch-comedy, original written material and improv for high-school audiences on The Second City Mainstage.

In January Richard shot his second BMO commercial "Closet" which is currently airing.

Panelist of: Almost Naked Animals Live Script Reading | presented by 9 Story Entertainment in partnership w ACTRA