2008 Astral Media Mentorship Award Winner: Michelle Latimer

Women in Film and Television – Toronto (WIFT-T), in partnership with Astral Media, is pleased to announce the first annual Astral Media Mentorship Award winner: Michelle Latimer.

The Astral Media Mentorship Award gives one under-represented Canadian producer the invaluable opportunity to prepare for the 2008 Banff World Television Festival. The winner will have an intensive pre-festival mentorship with a senior Astral Media executive and the opportunity to pitch and network at Banff. Throughout the festival, the winner is given one-on-one coaching to help her bring her concept from script to screen.

Michelle Latimer

As a Métis filmmaker, actor, and human rights activist, Michelle Latimer’s focus has been on social change and humanitarian/citizen action through the arts. Michelle was recently nominated for the prestigious Don Haig Award (2008) for her contributions as an emerging filmmaker, and has been featured as a humanitarian and artist to watch on APTN’s 7th Generation. Michelle is currently producing the documentary Jackpot and developing a television series, as well as a short documentary about Aboriginal youth artists. Prior to this, she mentored for two years under filmmaker, Peter Raymont. Her short film Tomorrow, which she produced, wrote and directed, was commissioned by LIFT /2007 ImagineNATIVE Film Festival. 

Michelle will receive her award at the 2008 Crystal Awards Gala Luncheon on Monday, December 1, 2008 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto.

Mentors:

Michelle Marion

Michelle Marion is the Director, Canadian Independent Production for the pay-TV networks The Movie Network and Mpix. She manages the networks’ Canadian Content budgets and oversees all Canadian Content expenditures including pre-buying and making equity investments in Canadian feature films and the commissioning of original drama series and documentaries. Michelle created the Original Programming Strategy for The Movie Network and commissioned series including Slings & Arrows, ReGenesis, and Terminal City . Upcoming series include Durham County , ZOS, ReGenesis III and a series based on the Giller Prize-winning book Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures. Previously, Michelle was in Astral’s Strategic Planning Department where she was Strategist – Network Licences and was responsible for business strategy and regulatory portfolios including the licence renewals for the pay networks and Astral’s bid for the network Cinefest. Prior to this, she held several positions in Astral’s Communications Department: Writer/Editor, Publicist and Manager of Communications. Concurrently, she pursued a “freelance” career of script analysis and story editing for various Canadian production companies. She sits on the selection committee for the Canadian Film Centre’s Feature Film Project, is a member of ACCT, CWC, and WIFT-T, and has sat on the jury for Canada’s Top Ten.

Patricia Scarlett

A fifteen year veteran of the international television industry, Patricia has developed an impressive list of clients, partners and co-producers around the world. At TVOntario she opened up the Latin American market. In 1995, she launched her own television and film distribution company, Compass International to represent the productions of domestic and international independent producers of children's, documentary and arts programmes. That was followed in 2000 with the launch of Scarlett Media Inc. Educated in Canada and Jamaica, Scarlett has traveled extensively and speaks English, French and Spanish. As a veteran of the television and film industry, she has attended all major trade conventions, film festivals and conferences and worked closely with many established producers and talent. She has nurtured award-winning products like the first-ever Inuktitut language film: Atanarjuat The Fast Runner, winner of the 2000 Cannes International Film Festival Camera d'Or prize. Patricia currently resides in Toronto.

Marina Cordoni

Cordoni has excelled in her career as a senior distribution, production and sponsorship executive, responsible for sourcing financing and securing revenues on diverse Film and Television properties.

She developed her solid media career in the UK in the late 80’s, working with high profile media companies including the TV and Film divisions of PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and Virgin Communications where was instrumental in the launch of the new TV division created to develop, market and sell theatrical features and television programming worldwide.Returning to Canada in the late 90’s, Cordoni continued to work in various roles on diverse TV productions with top US and Canadian talent. In 2004 she officially launched Maz Entertainment, to provide focused and tailored services for the independent Canadian production industry. Cordoni immediately struck a strategic partnership with top Toronto based producer General Purpose Pictures (“Save us from our House!”, “The Heat with Mark McEwan”) where she creates beneficial marketing opportunities between top Canadian / global consumer companies and TV series via sponsorship and product placement.

Cordoni’s dedication, ground breaking research/intellectual information, practices and principles in the area of sponsorship have helped lead the way for other companies to focus on this resourceful area for increasing revenues.

For further information regarding the application process, please click below:

2008 Application Process
Media Release

In Partnership With

Back to Top