One of Canada’s most prolific producers, Daniel Bekerman produced The Witch (Sundance and Indie Spirit winner), Falling (directed by Viggo Mortensen), Come To Daddy (starring Elijah Wood) and Percy Vs. Goliath (starring Christopher Walken) amongst many others. His company Scythia Films is also one of the country’s leading service production providers (How It Ends, Ready Or Not, The Craft, Firestarter)

With over 25 years of experience across the industry, Rachel Nelson spearheads a diverse portfolio of Scripted and Unscripted content as Vice President of Original Programming at Corus Entertainment. In this role, Rachel leads strategies for commissioning, developing, and producing first class series for Corus’ slate of channels, and continuously demonstrates a devotion to empower and inspire world-class talent in an ever-evolving market.

Under Rachel’s leadership the Original Programming team oversees Canadian content for all of Corus’ original flagship channels including, but not limited to: Global, History, HGTV, Food Network, YTV, and Adult Swim. With a passion for character-first storytelling, Rachel has also grown content in the Corus Studios catalogue, which has garnered interest on an international level with more than two hundred hours of content sold thus far.

Over the years, Rachel has worked closely with the independent production community and possesses an exceptional ability to discover the next generation of content creators. She has led multiple teams in the Canadian content space and has partnered with independent producers from coast to coast. She has been a key leader in the production of many hit series in her career, with hundreds of hours of content created under her purview, and helped build the Canadian industry into the success it is today.

Surrounded by deep relationships in the media space, Rachel has left an indelible mark on dozens of award-winning, top-rated shows in Canada, the U.S., and abroad.

Matt Orenstein is Vice President of Acquisitions and Strategy at Vortex Media. Previously, Matt was the co-founder of the Canadian film distribution company, ABMO Films, which released films including Academy Award-nominated First Reformed and Suspiria. Matt also worked at eOne as part of the US acquisitions group and is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University with an MS in Media Management.

Anishinaabe/Ashkenazi multi-disciplinary artist Tamara Podemski has been amplifying under-represented and marginalized voices on stage, screen and the recording studio for over thirty years. Best known for her roles in DANCE ME OUTSIDE, THE REZ, READY OR NOT, OUTER RANGE and RESERVATION DOGS, she is the recipient of the Sundance Special Jury Prize for Acting & IFC Spirit Award nomination (FOUR SHEETS TO THE WIND), imagiNative & American Indian Film Festival Awards for Best Music Video (MEEGWETCH), two ACTRA Awards & Canadian Screen Award (CORONER). She is also a CSA-nominated writer for FUTURE HISTORY (CBC) and INDSPIRE AWARDS (CBC).

In 2024, Tamara launched Blackbird Productions and premiered their mid-length feature THE LIGHT BEFORE THE SUN, which she produced and co-wrote. With the support of Telefilm and the Indigenous Screen Office, Blackbird has two features, two TV series and one web-series in development.

Patti Kendall has been at the forefront of marketing the Blue Mountain Village from early on. President of the Blue Mountain Village Association, and BMFM Executive Producer, Patti has innovated and spearheaded award-winning destination festivals and experiences over the last 20 years. From Salsa at Blue to Guitar Trail, floating stage concerts, the winter Light Trail to the Apple Pie Trail, Patti is the creative mind behind them all. Passionate about storytelling, collaboration, and visitor experiences, she continues to drive economic growth and position the Blue Mountains as a premier year-round destination.

After working in advertising and marketing at CHUM Television, CTV, and Rogers Sportsnet, Marni Moreau happily returned to South Georgian Bay to promote CMH Heli Skiing and the Ikon Pass to ski enthusiasts, and to develop Blue Mountain as a location for film and production projects. Marni is the Co-Founder of BMFF.

WINNIE W. WONG began her film career as a Production Secretary, then quickly moved on to the Assistant Director department in the Film, Television, Music Video and Commercial Industries. For many years she assisted two of Canada’s great directors, Norman Jewison and David Cronenberg. Winnie founded Wonder Wong PR and has managed and strategized numerous publicity and communications campaigns. Her recent projects include: Oscar-nominated Richard Linklater’s NOUVELLE VAGUE, Tracie Laymon’s SXSW Grand Jury and Audience Award Winner BOB TREVINO LIKES IT (starring Barbie Ferreira and John Leguizamo), Daniel Robbin’s Tribeca Audience Award Winner BAD SHABBOS (starring Kyra Sedgwick, David Paymer and Method Man), Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards’s ONE TO ONE: JOHN & YOKO, Ant Timpson’’s BOOKWORM (starring Elijah Wood, Nell Fisher, Michael Smiley), Raoul Peck’s Cannes Golden Eye winner ERNEST COLE: LOST AND FOUND, and award-winning Gail Maurice’s ROSIE (TIFF’s Canada’s Top 10 2022). Winnie is a voting member of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.