Vancouver, BC (August 25, 2025) – Gender Equity in Media Society (GEMS), formerly Women in Film and Television Vancouver (WIFTV) has announced the participants for the 2025 Emerging TV Producers Program (ETVP), overseen by Program Director Milena Salazar. This initiative is designed to empower women and gender-diverse creators by providing them with the skills, strategies, and mentorship needed to launch successful careers in the Canadian television industry. This year in an effort to include other provinces who are underrepresented in the Canadian funding landscape, the program announced its expansion, on top of BC creatives the program opened to applicants from Alberta and the Yukon for the first time.
This year’s participants are Kelsey Andries (The Rage), Tamara Black (Pilled), Uga Carlini (The Man Manual), Lisa Genaille (The Deal), Jimpinu (New Roots), Irene Karas Loeper (The Last Resort), Naomi Mark (Last Bite), Panta Mosleh (Faking Halal), Felicia Simone (Dating App Chronicles), and Ching Yu (Earth Mama).
“We are thrilled to be presenting the fourth edition of our Emerging TV Producers Program” says Anaïsa Visser, Executive Director of GEMS. “New this year, we have cohort members joining us from our neighbouring provinces, Alberta and the Yukon, in an effort to support underrepresented communities across Western Canada, and to foster cross-provincial relationships. The Staff and Board at GEMS are proud to continue to contribute to the elevation of the calibre of TV content being grown in Western Canada by providing this invaluable opportunity for education and mentorship.”
Past participants of the Emerging TV Producers Program have achieved notable success, further highlighting the impact of GEMS’ initiative. Recent success from past participants include producer Jessica To, who is currently producing the seventh season of travel docuseries Postcards From… for AMI with Black Rhino Creative and is in development on a feature film version of Headcase, announced in Variety this summer after the short film’s world premiere at Fantasia. Producer Krista Rand’s Award-winning feature film Re: Uniting, had a Canadian and US theatrical run in 2024 and Giselle Miller’s web series Novelette is Trying, which World Premiered at the Vancouver Queer Film Festival (VQFF) is now on OUTtv. These accomplishments underscore the program’s role in attracting exceptional talent and empowering creators to realize their visions and make significant contributions to the Canadian television and film industry.
“The ETVP armed me with critical knowledge about the Canadian landscape and industry that would’ve taken me months to understand on my own. It allowed me to start moving out into the industry with more confidence and build better and stronger connections,” says producer Jessica To.
Presented by Canada Media Fund (CMF), the ETVP is designed in two phases. Phase One is a five-day intensive workshop, to be held in-person in Vancouver, September 24th – 28th, 2025. Topics covered will include assessing opportunities, navigating funding applications, pitching, financing, creating budgets, and making industry connections. Program veteran Deborah Osborne is returning as Lead Instructor. Deborah’s wide range of experience in executive, creative, administrative and crew positions has supported many live productions and a variety of award-winning programming for major networks and distributors in North America and Europe.
Throughout the program, participants will benefit from the insights of a distinguished lineup of guest speakers, previous guest speakers include: Nelu Handa (Executive Producer of Run the Burbs and Writer on Sort Of), Jennifer Podemski (Executive Producer of Little Bird), Julia Niendorf (Post-Production Executive and Client Manager), Sarah Quan (CBC Development/Comedy), Nicola Pender (Founder of Pender PR), Lydia Guo (Entertainment Lawyer at CFA Law), Deb Patz (Television Production Specialist), Alexandra Raffe (Executive Producer of Kim’s Convenience), and Camille Beaudoin and Eric Rebalkin (Producers at Mosaic Entertainment). The program selects leaders who bring a wealth of experience from various facets of television production, providing participants with a comprehensive understanding of the industry, from creative development and post-production to legal aspects and public relations.
During Phase Two, which runs from September 29th through December 19th, 2025, participants will be matched with an industry mentor to assist them with packaging their projects for market. The intent is to partner each project and participant with a mentor whose work and lived experience can truly resonate with the participants’ own vision and goals for their project. Past mentors include Cailey Cavallin (Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent) and Nicole Mendes (Anne with an E) from LARK Productions, Camille Beaudoin from MOSAIC Entertainment, Violator Films’ Lori Lozinski (Little Bird), Alexis McLaren from Bell Media, writer and showrunner Sarah Dodd (Cardinal), co-Showrunner of Run the Burbs and writer on Sort Of Nelu Handa and CBC Comedy executive Melanie Le Phan. Past ETVP participants include Jenny Lee-Gilmore (Overtime), Jovanna Burke (Parallel), Krista Rand (Re: Uniting), Giselle Miller (Novelette is Trying), Ellie Cameron-Smith (Dormant), Johanne Michel (The Light in You), Mimi Dejene (Jackie’s Haven), actor-turned-producer Steph Song (Blood & Water) and many more.
The ETVP cohort was selected by a jury of esteemed producers, including Nimisha Mukerji, Aden Abebe, and Sarah Angelle. These jurors reviewed applications from women and gender-diverse creators across BC, Alberta and the Yukon ultimately awarding program spots to the following participants:
Kelsey Andries – The Rage (Calgary, AB)
Tamara Black – Pilled (Vancouver, BC)
Uga Carlini – The Man Manual (North Vancouver, BC)
Lisa Genaille – The Deal (Hope, BC)
Jimpinu – New Roots (Vancouver, BC)
Irene Karas Loeper – The Last Resort (Langley, BC)
Naomi Mark – Last Bite (Whitehorse, YT)
Panta Mosleh – Faking Halal (Vancouver, BC)
Felicia Simone – Dating App Chronicles (Vancouver, BC)
Ching Yu – Earth Mama (Canmore, AB)
GEMS acknowledges the support of our sponsors and funders: the BC Arts Council, BC Gaming, Heritage Canada, Telefilm, Creative BC, and City of Vancouver.
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More Information:
For more information about ETVP, please visit:
gemsvancouver.org/program/emerging-tv-producer-program/
About Gender Equity in Media Society (GEMS):
GEMS is a member-based organization committed to creating an equitable screen-based industry for women and gender-diverse people. By addressing systemic barriers, we strive for inclusivity and representation in media.
We advocate for equity in funding, employment, and promotional opportunities for women and gender-diverse people in the film and TV industry. Our low-barrier, accessible programming includes mentorship and educational events to boost participation in screen-based media. Our signature event, GEMFest, celebrates women and gender-diverse creators through film screenings, discussions, professional development, and networking opportunities.
Women (trans and cisgender), Two Spirit, non-binary, and gender-diverse people are welcome to become members of GEMS, with men encouraged to join as allies. GEMS, formerly known as Women in Film and Television Vancouver (WIFTV), was incorporated in 1989 as a not-for-profit society in British Columbia. Our offices are located on the unceded traditional and ancestral homelands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.
Media Inquiries:
Nicola Pender, Pender PR
m: 604.617.4807 / nicola@penderpr.com