The National Film Board (NFB) is a Canadian public media and cultural institution that produces and distributes authentic and courageous documentaries and animation films made by Canadians for Canadians and the rest of the world.

I’m responsible for planning, developing and creating NFB advertising and social media content, working closely with the Marketing, Platforms and Innovation Lab teams. My job is to define the creative vision for the sector, ensure that deliverables meet needs and strategic requirements, and analyze campaign performance to recommend improvements.

After graduating from film school in London, England, I emigrated to Montreal, where I live with my two children. After spending over a decade as a music TV director, I moved into the communications industry in the early 2000s, writing for clients such as Cirque du Soleil and Skidoo.

How many years have you been a judge?

This is my first year!

What excited you about judging for the Telly Awards?

I won a couple of Telly Awards over 20 years ago so it was not only an honor, but a blast from the past!

What was your first job in the industry? What did it teach you?

Editing two episodes of a primetime hit Canadian TV drama. It taught me how to be a professional editor and work to a deadline.

What project are you most proud to have worked on?

Inside Hothouse, a recent YouTube 3-episode series about young animation filmmakers who created six amazing films at the NFB in early 2025. Highly effective content creation that highlights the NFB as a unique creative hub while showcasing the incredible artistry of the filmmakers and their films.

What’s the most challenging part about your job and/or the industry?

Cutting through the noise/clutter. An ad or piece of content can be fantastic but struggle to break through through no want of trying.

What do you look for to determine excellence in video?

Ideally, something that manages to reconfigure my brain in an unexpected way, whether through visuals, story, humour or any other audiovisual means.

What are your current roles and responsibilities and what do you love most about your job?

I’m responsible for planning, developing and creating NFB advertising and social media content. The National Film Board isn’t only a Canadian treasure, it’s been part of global culture for almost 90 years, so it’s an absolute honour and delight to help our films reach as wide an audience as possible.

What initiatives or projects are you working on now that excite you?

Excited to increase the scope and effectiveness of the NFB’s social media content while starting to plan next year’s nationwide ad campaign.

Do you have any specific practices you lean on to spark creativity?

A clear, inspirational brief, then structured time.

What inspired you to pursue your career path?

My Communication Studies prof in college, and Nic Roeg’s film Don’t Look Now.

In your experience, what is a significant change you are seeing happen in the video, television, and/or film industry, and what insight can you share about how to navigate it?

Slop (whether created by AI or a human) means that breaking through the noise/clutter is harder than ever. My worry is that audiences become too distracted to appreciate genuinely good video/TV/film content. Creators need to double down on excellence and pray that great work wins out if and when the slop bubble bursts. Yuck.