Founder of the WIFTV Actor Career Mentorship, actor Krista Magnusson (Away, The Order, The Baby-Sitters Club), returns with a new round of dynamic actors who will have an opportunity to grow their careers in acting.
This mentorship is unique in that it focuses on career progression rather than the craft of acting, and both the mentees and their mentors are self-identifying women who either reside in or work regularly in Vancouver. Over the next 6 months, from January to July 2020, the pairs will meet for one hour, once a month to work through specific career goals & challenges. The 22 selected mentees look forward to receiving insight into relationship management, developing and sustaining long-term careers, creating their own projects, branding, and work/life balance. To enhance the mentorship experience, mentees will also volunteer each month with Quest Food Exchange, as a way to pay it forward, share insight from their mentor among fellow mentees, and engage with the Vancouver community that gives so much support to the film & TV industry.
WIFTV is very pleased that this year’s record number of 38 applicants proved to be more diverse than previous years, garnishing the highest number of women of colour applicants and selected mentees in the Mentorship’s existence.
This year’s jury included actor and founder of the mentorship program Krista Magnusson (Away, The Order, The Baby-Sitters Club), Emmy Award-winning Casting Director Jackie Lind CSA (Fargo, Snowpiercer, Hell On Wheels, Van Helsing), and film & TV Director Alexandra La Roche (Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Van Helsing).
“I found this experience really illuminating. It has motivated me to do better and it has reminded me how important passion is for the craft. Their desire to learn is intoxicating,” says Lind.
The mentees have already completed the Career Strategy Goal Workshop with Aaron Hutchinson of Actors Business Collective, which helps them clarify their original goals for the program and create actionable, specific and measurable goals to work on with their new mentor.
The following are the 22 selected mentees for the 2020 program, in alphabetical order by last name, and their paired mentors:
- Alison Headrick – Nicole Oliver
- Alison Ward – Carly Pope
- Angelica Stripe – Tammy Gillis
- Angie Ip – Jen Spence
- Ariel Hansen – Fiona Vroom
- Chanika Desilva – Crystal Balint
- Chelsea Brown – Loretta Walsh
- Claudia Absi – Jill Morrisson
- Corey Woods – Priscilla Faia
- Crystal Tisiga – Carmen Moore
- Emma Cam – Enid-Raye Adams
- Juliana Bergstrom – Pascale Hutton
- Kay Metchie – Rukiya Bernard
- Keren Burkett – Karen Holness
- Lucy McNulty – Camille Sullivan
- Maddison Silva – Luvia Petersen
- Madeline Wahl – Crystal Lowe
- Madison Isolina – Carmen Aguirre
- Martina Biljan – Gabrielle Rose
- Melissa Woodside – Bronwen Smith
- Princess Davis – Catherine Lough-Haggquist
- Sara Bynoe – Sonja Bennett
WIFTV is grateful to the amazing lineup of mentors for volunteering their time. Talking about her experience, Gabrielle Rose commented, “I think the thing I love about mentoring someone is the connection, the opening of horizons. It takes a village as they say. I learn so much from these relationships.”
For more information or to arrange interviews with a mentor, mentee, or program coordinator Krista Magnusson, please contact communications@womeninfilm.ca. Applications for the 2021 mentorship will open in October 2020.