Ashley Glover, Studio BRB

Originally from New Zealand, Ashley Glover has 14 years experience in the industry and has worked in BC film for the last 9 years. As BRB’s expert in production, Ashley oversees physical production from development through to delivery and simultaneously spearheads the management of internal workflows and operations at Studio BRB. ​​ For scripted, Studio BRB is always looking for Hallmark friendly content to develop and pitch. We love our MOWs! Anything Christmas, magical romance and cozy mystery. We're really leaning towards internationally set productions in beautiful places like Scotland, Ireland, Iceland etc. Series and feature length films for streamers in the thriller, crime, mystery, drama and comedy genres as well.

On the unscripted side, we’re really looking for a mix of content—from talent-driven docu-series to fun, ambitious formats, as well as documentary series and one-offs. At the moment, we’re especially focused on True Crime, including both formatted series and standalone docs. We’re gearing up to announce a big Studio BRB unscripted pitch competition in the coming weeks. We’ll be inviting producers from across the country and internationally to submit their ideas for a chance to develop and pitch to networks with us!

Carol Whiteman, WIDC

Dr. Carol Whiteman has been recognized by two Governor General’s award nominations, the Leo Award for Outstanding Achievement (2024), and multiple other awards for promoting gender equity and inclusion in Canada’s screen industry. With a passion for creating space for authentic voice she has advanced a generation of screen writers and directors across Canada and internationally. An executive producer on thirteen award-winning feature films, including Monica’s News (2024), With Love and a Major Organ (2023), and Marie Clements’ Red Snow (2019), Whiteman also serves on a variety of industry committees including as co-chair of Screen BC’s MPIO Task Force.

Request a meeting if you are a woman or non-binary storyteller or an industry stakeholder interested in discussing WIDC programs, mentorship, development, production of narrative fiction or collaboration opportunities, or if you would just like to practice your pitch and discuss next steps.

Carolyn Irwin, Pink Buffalo

Producer and Director at Pink Buffalo Films and True Calling Media, Carolyn creates powerful documentary pieces profiling individual human stories.She has a passionate love for people, genuine human connections and storytelling. She prides herself on being the first female director of Vogue’s 73 Questions series, her episode featuring Cole Sprouse garnered over 4 million views on YouTube. Carolyn’s documentary focus centres around diversity and inclusion, having produced and directed a series around accessibility in the workplace, and working alongside several local Indigenous groups. Carolyn is looking for documentary and unscripted concepts, from a documentary feature film to an unscripted tv series, whether you have unique access to a person or story whose voice should be heard or simply the budding idea of a thread you'd like to follow, she is keen to talk!

Pink Buffalo Films is also always keen to get excited about a compelling script of any genre, so she’s also open to passing along scripted concepts to the rest of the team.

(Carolyn is also showing in our SOAR Shorts Program! Check out her film The Wish Baker)

David Strasser, Director/Executive Producer (Hallmark)

David Strasser is an award-winning film & television director and executive producer based in Vancouver, Canada. Known for his work on Hallmark and Lifetime, his projects span holiday, romance, mystery, and thriller genres. Recent highlights include The Wish Swap (2025), Nelly Knows Mysteries (2024). An alumnus of the TIFF Filmmaker Lab and Berlinale’s JETS Talent Lab, David’s work has earned accolades, including Canadian Screen and Leo Award nominations. With a Film Production degree from Vancouver Film School and a Juris Doctorate from UBC, he has also contributed to script development for numerous acclaimed television features.

David is seeking pitches for television features in the rom-com, holiday, and thriller genres, with a strong emphasis on unique and clever hooks that stand out while remaining grounded in the conventions of their genre. Stories should captivate with fresh concepts that instantly spark curiosity and feel both relatable and engaging for audiences.

Dylan Playfair, Crystal Mountain Films

Dylan Playfair owns and operates Crystal Mountain Films alongside his wife Jen Araki Playfair. Their films have appeared in Cannes Indie Shorts Awards, and New York Film Festival to name a few. Crystal Mountain Films recently began production on the feature film Breeder alongside Rabbits Black (Longlegs).

Crystal Mountain Films is searching for contained horrors, thrillers and low to mid budget buddy comedies.

Geoff Manton, Boldly

Geoff is a co-founder and Executive Producer of Boldly. He has worked closely with his partners to spearhead a Values-based producing model that has influenced countless commercial productions over the last decade. He has also woven this model into original projects and documentaries produced for Telus Originals and the CBC, along with multiple short films that have earned premieres at TIFF, SXSW and Slamdance. Geoff is currently developing a long-form documentary about climate change and vulnerable masculinity. True to his community values, Geoff founded Filmable, a non-profit community-building initiative, which has created new opportunities to meaningfully connect independent filmmakers and strengthen the Vancouver independent filmmaking industry.

Boldly is interested in daring projects that challenge the status quo, make us sit with discomfort and shift our perspective; insightful commentary on society with strong aesthetic appeal; documentary, series and narrative features.

Martin Calvo, Studio 104 Entertainment

Martin Calvo is a Canadian-Argentine Producer & Director currently based in Vancouver, BC. In 2019 he co-founded the indie production company Studio 104 Entertainment which focuses on bringing unique and original ideas to the screen while prioritizing inclusivity in all aspects of collaboration. Martin’s goal is to continue to enhance his craft and uplift under-represented voices by working alongside other artists in the indie film scene through writing, co-writing, story editing, and producing. In 2022 he co-produced a Telus Original documentary Overtime, visited TIFF with the DGC short film N'xaxaitkw which he was an associate producer on, and more recently in November 2024 he produced a ISO funded short film titled LUCIEN. Martin has returned to his documentary directing roots with his ongoing project No More Wet Feet, which started production in late 2022 and was part of The National Film Board's Filmmakers Assistance Program in 2023.​​

Martin is looking for feature films with a clear point of view, largely in the genre and thriller space for the time being.

Natasha Howes, Telefilm

Natasha Howes is Telefilm's recently appointed Regional Feature Film Executive for Western Canada. She is a seasoned entertainment executive and entrepreneur with over 20 years experience as an independent developer, producer and marketer of international films. Natasha founded MATRIARCH Entertainment, a North American film finance and production company mandated to acquire and develop a slate of scripted and factual TV and film content which amplifies the female voice. She has produced and co-produced award-winning films in the US, Canada, the UK and Europe including features, shorts and documentary titles: FATIMA (2020), Late Harvest (2016), Cosmic Origins 3D (2011) and The 13th Day (2009).

Natasha is seeking feature length films built for theatrical release with original authentic storytelling and a bold creative vision.

Rachel Knapp, Lark Productions

Rachel Knapp is a development associate at Vancouver-based Lark Productions. With a decade of production experience in both Canada and the U.S., she joined Lark in 2021 and works across both scripted and unscripted development projects, helping take them from pitch to screen. Rachel is looking for 1-hour episodic or serialized dramas – with emphasis on procedurals, grounded genre or romance space. Lark is not necessarily looking for 30-minute comedies but always happy to take those pitches.

Lark is not looking for anything in the young adult or kids space. Rachel also works in the unscripted department, so she’s happy to hear anything on the reality/factual side!

Ronny Kurland, Reckless Pictures

Ronny Kurland is a graduate from Capilano University with a bachelor’s degree of Motion Picture Arts. Since a young age she has always been intrigued by the film industry, driving her to produce and develop her own films. In university, Ronny opened her own film company Octopi Media which produced commercials, documentaries, corporate videos, and independent films. Ronny first joined Timeless Pictures in 2021 and worked her way up from an Executive Producer’s Assistant to Co-Executive Producer. Ronny has produced over 35 TV-movies, shot all over the world, and has helped set up series with networks such Hallmark, NBCU and Amazon.

Now as Reckless Pictures’ Creative Executive (Development & Production), Ronny oversees an extensive development slate which includes high concept series in all genres, TV movies, and feature films.

Zac Hoffman, The Grove Films

Zac Hoffman is a producer at The Grove Films. After wrapping up a career on the Canadian National Ski Team, Zac shifted his focus to filmmaking, striving to tell authentic and honest stories in the world of sport. His producing work spans numerous documentaries for Telus Originals, Arc’teryx and more, all known for their thoughtful portrayal of the human experience through the lens of sport. Amongst these documentaries Zac has directed numerous episodes of outdoor sport travel show Ascend TV on Apple TV, CBC Gem, Outside, Roku and more.

Zac is looking for feature length and short documentaries in production and development with a focus on sports & the outdoors, focusing on human stories of challenge and adversity with topics of gender, mental health, identity and societal barriers; and other projects in early stage development with similar themes across a wider range of genres and formats (Series, Narrative fiction, etc.).