The Program Advisory Committee is comprised of professionals and academics with a wealth of experience and knowledge. Their input about RTA and its future provides valuable guidance.
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Aspa Kotsopoulos
Senior Analyst, CRTCDr. Kotsopoulos is an independent scholar and co-editor of Programming Reality: Perspectives on English-Canadian Television (Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2008). She has worked as a senior analyst at the CRTC since 2006, after joining the federal public service as part of the Recruitment of Policy Leaders Program. She obtained her Ph.D. in Communications at Simon Fraser University in 2004 with her dissertation entitled Romance and Industry on the Road to Avonlea, which was nominated for a Governor-General's Award. Prior to government, she designed and taught university courses on film, media and popular culture, and contributed her work to several academic publications.
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Bill Roberts
President and CEO, Zoomer TVMr. Roberts is a recognized international advocate for public service media, including broadcasting, and a steadfast supporter of democracy and free expression. An advisor and contributor to government, business, academia and media organizations, Bill has extensive intercultural and international experience in broadcast communications, constitutional affairs and policy-making. Skilled in finance, marketing and business administration, he has led many cultural organizations to improved productivity and profitability. In addition to stewardship of S-VOX, Canada’s foremost provider of television and digital content focused on spiritual awareness and personal growth and wellness, Bill teaches broadcast communications and policy at the University level, sits on numerous domestic and international cultural boards, and is a globally active Canadian in matters relating to good governance and capacity building in media.
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David Zitzerman
Partner, Goodsman Entertainment GroupDavid Zitzerman is a partner in the Entertainment Group at Goodmans. He is one of several lawyers dedicated exclusively to entertainment and media law. His practice focuses on the film, television and multimedia industries in Canada and the United States. His clients include independent producers, Hollywood studios, broadcasters, distributors, cable and game companies, talent guilds and agencies, writers and performers. He regularly lectures on entertainment and media law at a number of educational institutions and associations, including the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall law schools and the Cannes Film Festival. David is a director and serves on the Executive/Finance Committee of the Canadian Film Centre, is a Gold Patron of the Toronto International Film Festival and is a member of Film Ontario.
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Jay Switzer
Former President & CEO, Chum Ltd.Jay is the former longtime President, CEO, and Board member of Canadian broadcaster CHUM Limited and a twenty-five year veteran of the Canadian arts & media business community. Jay started at CHUM Ltd. in 1983 as Program Manager Citytv and worked through various promotions to the head role as President and CEO of CHUM Ltd. until July 2007. Jay was instrumental in the creation and launch of CHUM's specialty channels dating back to the creation and launch of MuchMusic in 1983/84. A proud champion of new independent Canadian feature film (and television) production, Jay supported over 200 new Canadian feature films in his role at CHUM over the past decades. Jay is a board member of Canadian media companies William F. White International Inc. (Comweb Group) and OUTtv. Jay is Chair of Glassbox Television Inc. and is also a board member of the Canadian Centre for Diversity.
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Jian Ghomeshi
Broadcaster/Writer, CBCJian Ghomeshi is an award-winning broadcaster, writer, musician and producer. He is the host and co-creator of the national daily talk program Q on CBC Radio One and Bold TV. Since its inception in 2007, Q has garnered the largest audience of any cultural affairs program in Canada and has become the highest-rated show in its morning time slot in CBC history. Jian has presented a number of television documentaries, including The End, Screw the Vote, and Philanthropy Inc., and spent three years as the host of the Gemini Award-winning CBC TV program, Play.
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Jill Golick
President, Writers Guild of Canada, WriterJill Golick lives at the corner of TV and Digital. Combining deep experience in series television with a passion for social media and the latest digital tools, Jill has been telling stories on the web since 2007 under the banner of her company Story2.OH. As a screenwriter, Golick has more than 200 hours of produced television to her credit, ranging from educational kids’ series to gritty police drama. As a new media creator, she has written and produced three digital dramas. Her transmedia tween detective franchise, Ruby Skye P.I., is one of the first crop of web series to be supported by the Independent Production Fund. Golick is the president of the Writers Guild of Canada. She teaches advanced television writing at York University and blogs about screenwriting and transmedia at jillgolick.com.
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Joanna Webb
Senior Vice-President Programming, CTVJoanna Webb oversees programming strategy for CTV's specialty channels, including Bravo!, The Comedy Network, SPACE, and Star! And Fashion Television and plays an integral role in the company's conventional and specialty cross-channel program synergies and scheduling strategies. Joanna was previously Vice-President, Head of Programming and Production for Corus Television, where she oversaw all programming and production in the Television group including Movie Central, HBO Canada, W Network, Cosmopolitan TV, Viva, W Movies, YTV, Nickelodeon, Treehouse TV and CMT. Prior to that she was Vice-President of Programming Women’s Specialty Television at Corus Entertainment overseeing all content initiatives for W Network, Cosmopolitan Television, Viva and W Movies. Webb led the programming strategies for W Network, the #1 specialty channel for women and the launch of Cosmopolitan Television, the first English language television network inspired by the world’s bestselling magazine for women in 2008.
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Jocelyn Hamilton
VP Original Programming, Corus EntertainmentAs Vice President, Original Programming, Kids, Comedy, Drama, Jocelyn Hamilton is responsible for overseeing scripted original development and production for Corus Entertainment’s specialty and pay networks, including Movie Central, HBO Canada, YTV, Treehouse, W Network, CosmoTV, OWN Canada and CMT. An award-winning producer and broadcasting executive with over two decades of experience, Hamilton is a loyal supporter of the Canadian production industry, is a member of the President’s Council at Corus, and sits on the board of the Alliance for Children and Television. In her previous roles at Corus as the Vice President, Programming for Corus’ kids networks and the Vice President, Production and Development for Nelvana Studio.
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Karen Thorne-Stone
President and CEO, Ontario Media Development CorporationKaren Thorne-Stone was appointed President and CEO of the Ontario Media Development Corporation in July 2007. The OMDC is a provincial agency which supports economic development in Ontario’s cultural media industries. In this capacity, Karen is responsible for promoting growth and investment in the province’s entertainment and creative industries including film and television, interactive/digital media, music, book and magazine publishing. Previously Karen was with the city of Toronto, where, for over 18 years, she served in a variety of roles including film commissioner and executive director of economic development.
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Keith Pelley
President and CEO, Rogers MediaKeith Pelley became President and CEO of Rogers Media in September 2010. Before joining Rogers, Mr. Pelley was Executive Vice President Strategic Planning at CTV and President of the CTV/Rogers Olympic Consortium where he built and led the strategic plan for coverage of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Previously, Mr. Pelley was the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto Argonaut CFL team and the President of Canadian sports channel TSN. He is also the Chair of the Sports Celebrity Festival in support of Special Olympics, is on the Outreach Committee for Kingsway Lambton Church, and is a founding Board Member and current Chair of The Argos Foundation - Stop The Violence.
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Kevin Sugden
Director of Design Communication, Research in MotionWith a background in architecture and design, Kevin is part of the development team at Research in Motion, as the Director of Design Communication.
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Kirstine Stewart
Executive VP, English Services, CBCKirstine Stewart holds one of the highest profile jobs in Canadian television. In 2010, she was asked to step in as EVP of English Services at CBC. Since coming to the CBC in 2006 as general manager of CBC English Television, Stewart has been the network's "chief creative officer," overseeing and commissioning drama, comedy, arts, current affairs and documentaries. She has revitalized ratings and generated new revenue for the broadcaster, all while recognizing the CBC’s public service mandate. She has also nurtured the ongoing development of CBC’s legacy programming—shows such as Marketplace, The Fifth Estate, The Nature of Things, Rick Mercer Report and Hockey Night in Canada. Stewart notes that CBC has proven Canadians want to see themselves and their stories reflected in their daily entertainment, and will support high-quality Canadian television when given the opportunity.
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Matt Hornburg
Executive Producer/Partner, MarbleMediaMarbleMedia is an innovative content creation company at the forefront of television and new media production, devoted to telling stories that entertain and engage audiences across all platforms. Matt and Co-Founder Mark Bishop have received international acclaim for many of their projects, including the hit TV series and websites This is Daniel Cook and This is Emily Yeung, now airing in 86 countries and in 10 languages. Additionally, Matt is an active member of Interactive Ontario, the Alliance for Children and television, the Canadian Film and Television Production Association, and the Academy of Canadian Cinema. He is often asked to speak at various universities and colleges as well as industry conferences and markets.
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Michael Hirsh
CEO, CookieJar EntertainmentRecognized throughout the children’s entertainment industry as a leading business and brand-builder. In 2004, Michael spearhearded the creation of Cookie Jar Group, along with Toper Taylor. In a short period of time, he has been responsible for turning Cookie Jar Group into one of the world’s preeminent edutainment studios. Michael’s distinguished career in children’s entertainment began in 1971, when he co-founded Nelvana Limited. He played a pivotal role in transforming Nelvana into a world-class animation company and developed and produced many of television’s most celebrated animated programming. He also pioneered many of the worldwide co-production, marketing and distribution techniques that have become standard industry practice. Michael also co-founded Teletoon, Canada’s leading animation network.
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Nancy Chapelle
Chair of Program Advisory Council, Managing Director, Content and Programming, TVONancy Chapelle is TVO’s Managing Director, Content and Programming. When she first arrived at TVO the public broadcaster was one channel. Today, it’s a public educational media organization with 5 channels of programming across multiple platforms. Chapelle supervises all of TVO’s in-house production as well as the hundreds of hours of commissioned and acquired programming. Prior to her current role at TVO, Chapelle was President of Catalyst Entertainment which she co-founded in 1989. Catalyst merged with Cambium and formed CCI in 2002. Chapelle has a proven track record as an award winning Producer with over two decades’ experience in children’s, family and live event programming – including her work with the global brand Thomas the Tank Engine.
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Peter Sussman
President, Aver Media; Former CEO, Alliance Atlantis Entertainment GroupPeter was one of the controlling shareholders of Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. and CEO of its Entertainment Group. Alliance Atlantis is an entertainment company that was recently sold to CanWest Global Communications Corp. and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners for $2.3 billion. For more than 20 years, Peter participated in the production and distribution of thousands of hours of film and television. He recently moved back to Toronto after spending 14 years in Los Angeles. Peter capped off his years as a multi-award winning Producer by assembling and launching in partnership with CBS, the CSI Television Franchise, comprising CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami and CSI: New York. Over the years, Peter completed hundreds of the types of transactions provided by Aver Media.
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Raja Khanna
Co-CEO, Glassbox TelevisionA seasoned digital media entrepreneur, Raja is the Co-CEO of GlassBOX Television Inc., an integrated television, broadband and mobile media company. At GlassBOX Raja helps guide the company toward its goal of launching new cross-platform channels that capture media mind-share in the digitally-savvy consumer market. Prior to GlassBOX Raja was Founder and CEO of Snap Media, a web and social media content company, and Co-Founder of Quickplay Media a leading global mobile video solutions provider. Raja sits on the boards of GlassBOX, QuickPlay, Sears Canada and is the Co-Chair of the Board of the National Screen Institute.
