OUR TEAM

CHAIR

DIRECTOR OF SPONSORSHIP / OPERATIONS

Karen is an accomplished strategic leader and Executive Director with a proven track record in business growth, operational efficiency, and community-driven innovation. As Chair of the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International (TAAFI), Karen has played a pivotal role in scaling the organization from a startup to a thriving mid-sized business. Her expertise in governance, process optimization, and stakeholder engagement has been instrumental in ensuring TAAFI’s long-term sustainability and impact within the animation industry.

With over a decade of experience in animation production, Karen has developed a deep understanding of organizational strategy, operational excellence, and audience engagement.

Karen’s ability to implement scalable operational frameworks and develop streamlined business processes has positioned her as a key figure in driving efficiency and innovation. Under her leadership, TAAFI established best practices in governance, financial planning, and community outreach, ensuring the festival’s continued growth and industry relevance.

DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY

Rhys Yorke, a Creative Director with a diverse career spanning video games, comics, TV, film, and animation, has worked on notable projects like Deadpool, ThunderCats, G.I. Joe, The Secret World, FarCry, and TV series such as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, The Expanse, Titans, and Blue's Clues and You. A member of the Directors Guild of Canada, Rhys is passionate about innovative storytelling and consistently explores new opportunities in various mediums. Rhys now brings his extensive technical expertise to TAAFI as the Director of Technology.

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING / INDUSTRY

Sumira has spent her entire career in animation. She started as an animator and has worked in various departments in creative and technical roles for more than 15 years. Her resume includes roles at Awesometown Entertainment, Arc Productions, Nelvana, and DQ Entertainment, where she animated, supervised and led the development of impactful animated movies such as ‘Barbie: Star Light Adventure’ and ‘Elliot the Littlest Reindeer’, and animated television shows such as ‘Remy & Boo’, ‘Daniel Spellbound’, ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ and ‘Mickey Mouse Clubhouse’.

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

As the Director of Marketing at Pipeline Studios, D’Arcy leads consumer marketing for the Pipeline brands and oversees trade marketing initiatives for the studio. D'Arcy has led the creation and execution of integrated, consumer-facing marketing campaigns for some of the hottest children's content in the world, bringing over a decade of this experience to the TAAFI board.

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Ghadi is a creative communications professional with a background in animation production, social media management, and graphic design.

As Director of Communications at TAAFI, she leads strategic messaging, social media, media relations, and content creation to elevate the festival’s industry presence.

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE / TREASURER

Chris’s passion for building communities and meeting new people is the driving force of why he’s been in management for most of his life. He’s been involved in a variety of organizations and capacities from clubs, camps, studios and now TAAFI. It’s never just one thing with Chris, and he thrives in that. His love for animation and his passion for people has brought him to his current career in production management and position at TAAFI, where he aims to help support and grow the animation community.

Director of Programming

Shorts Programming Lead

Copywriter / Newsletter

Partnerships Lead

Ambassador/Volunteer Coordinator

Sponsorship Coordinator

Programming Coordinator

Technology Lead

Merchandise Lead

Marketing Coordinator

Film Screener

Special Events Coordinator

Partnerships Coordinator

Partnerships Coordinator

Partnerships Coordinator

OCAD University

Centennial College

Durham College

University of Toronto

George Brown College

Cambrian College

Algonquin College

Loyalist College

Mohawk College

Seneca College