Women in Film and Television Vancouver and William F. White International Inc. (WFW) are pleased to announce that Annette Reilly has been selected as the mentee for the 2020 Production Management Mentorship Program. This is the 9th year of the joint mentorship program hosted by the two organizations.
Annette Reilly is an award-winning filmmaker and actor, known for her role as Diana Spellman, Sabrina’s mortal mother, in the Netflix original “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”. Growing up in small town Alberta, she pursued her love of theatre and earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Victoria in British Columbia and was eventually led to film in an effort to bring pressing social justice issues into cinematic storytelling. Her film, “A Typical Fairytale” (which she directed, produced, and acted in), just screened at the Vancouver International Women in Film Festival and has been nominated for 4 Leo Awards, has won an award for Best Art Direction, an honourable mention at the National Screen Institute Film Festival, and several Finalist awards. Annette was recently an Executive Producer and Production Manager on another Storyhive funded film, “Spirit Glitch”, which will be doing its festival run beginning January 2020.
The mentorship program will provide Reilly with a 3-day on-site placement at WFW’s facilities in Toronto where she will gain hands-on, technical training in Camera, Lighting, Grip, Location Support and Specialty Equipment. The program includes guidance on how to properly budget for film production equipment on a shoot, as well as one-on-one sessions with a professional female production manager.
“I am truly grateful for this opportunity,” said Reilly. “It’s coming at such a crucial time in my career and I can’t wait to soak up the knowledge from my Production Manager mentor. I can’t thank WIFTV and William F. White enough for selecting me for this valuable learning experience.”
This year’s jury consisted of Lily Hui (Producer, Production Manager), Michelle Samuels, (Production Manager, Lighthouse Pictures Inc.) and Tug Phipps, (Client Services Coordinator, Emerging Filmmakers/Digital Content, WFW), chaired by Natasha Tony WIFTV’s Board Director/Mentorship Chair and founder/CEO of Elevate Inclusive Strategies.
“Annette already has a tremendous amount of experience and aptitude,” said Phipps. “We hope to facilitate a real advancement in her career with the insight and connections she can gain from working with Whites.”
Strong runners up included Rebecca Steele and Kristyn Stilling.
This year, we are pleased that Annette’s mentor will be the highly experienced Kim Steer.
Steer has a background in art and production design and has grown her career to become a producer of Canadian independent films. She learned how to balance the needs of the creative forces with the realities of day-to-day production and is now known as a highly respected line producer/production manager. Among her numerous credits, she recently guided the Netflix production of “A Series of Unfortunate Events” as the Production Supervisor, worked as the Production Manager for 10 episodes of the TV series “Proof” (TNT), and completed all six seasons of the Showtime series “The L Word.”
WIFTV is grateful for the support of WFW and for the opportunity to provide this mentorship opportunity to a deserving talent in our industry.