Advisory Board
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BANFF’s 2025 Content Advisory Board contributes to the curation of inspiring and innovative session programming.
Roy Ashton
Partner
Gersh Agency
Roy Ashton is the Head of the TV Literary & Packaging Dept. at The Gersh Agency, with offices in Los Angeles and New York. Prior to joining Gersh as Partner in November 2011, Ashton spent 13 years at Creative Artists Agency. Starting in the mailroom, Ashton worked is way up...more
Speaking at: Coffee With... Roy Ashton, Gersh,Speed Meetings - Characters Talent Agency, Gersh, MGM Studios
Moreyba Bidessie
Director of Scripted Development and Sales
A+E Networks
Mark Bishop
Co-President, Blue Ant Studios
marblemedia
Mark Bishop is Co-CEO and Partner at marblemedia. An accomplished entrepreneur, brand-builder and trusted media industry advocate, Mark, alongside co-founder Matt Hornburg, has grown marblemedia into one of Canada’s leading independent production, distribution and digital media companies.
In addition to serving as executive producer across marblemedia’s successful portfolio of television and...more
Vanessa Case
SVP Global Head of Unscripted Production, Vice Studios & Pulse Films
Vice Canada
Vanessa Case is SVP Studio Canada at VICE Media, the world’s leading youth media company. Vanessa heads all of VICE Studios’ productions in Canada including development, production, financing, sales and licensing, as well as overseeing VICE’s production and post-production facilities in Toronto.
A senior media executive with a career spanning two...more
Speaking at: Speed Meetings - CNN, Vice Media, eOne,Speed Meetings - CNN, Discovery, VICE Media
Pat DiVittorio
VP, Programming, CTV & Specialty
Bell Media
As Vice-President, Programming, CTV and Specialty, Pat DiVittorio is responsible for all linear and digital content and programming strategy for CTV, CTV2 and Bell Media entertainment channels including CTV Comedy, CTV Drama, CTV Sci-Fi, CTV Life, Much, MTV, and E!. In addition to this portfolio, DiVittorio plays a key role...more
Paul Heaney
CEO
TCB Media Rights
Paul Heaney launched TCB Media Rights in October 2012 with a mission to achieve four things: to sell and pre sell at a high rate, to help producers co-create IP, establish a global commercial and creative network by facilitating international buyer’s briefs and to act as an agent where applicable....more
Meghan Hooper
Executive Vice President, Head of Original Movies and Limited Series, Entertainment and Youth Group
ViacomCBS Inc.
Meghan Hooper White is Senior Vice President, Original Movies, Co-Productions and Acquisitions, for Lifetime and Lifetime Movies (formerly LMN). Based in New York, Hooper White oversees the development and production on both original films and original co-production film commissions, international co-productions and all program acquisitions for Lifetime and Lifetime Movies....more
Speaking at: Coffee With... Meghan Hooper, ViacomCBS
Pippa Lambert
Founder
Hellcat
Pippa Lambert is a TV and Film executive with 20 years experience in development, packaging, sales and finance at global companies including Endeavor Content, WME, ICM Partners, All3Media International and BRON Studios.
Lambert has worked across many genres and formats including premium TV documentaries, reality TV, premium scripted...more
Speaking at: Coffee With... Pippa Lambert, Hellcat
Clelia Mountford
Co-Founder
Merman
As co-founder of Merman with Sharon Horgan (CATASTROPHE), Clelia develops and produces a multitude of projects with a host of international talent.
Clelia has most recently executive produced the comedy drama series FRAYED (Sky One/ABC Australia) written by and starring Sarah Kendall, THIS WAY UP (Channel 4/HULU) written by Aisling Bea and starring Bea and...more
Jamie Schouela
President, Global Channels and Media
Blue Ant Media
Jamie Schouela serves as President, Canadian Media at Blue Ant Media. He is charged with leading the strategic direction and operations of the company’s Canadian television, print, digital, and consumer event properties. Blue Ant’s brands include BBC Earth Canada, Cottage Life, T+E, Makeful, Smithsonian Channel Canada, Love Nature, the Seasons'...more
Philipp Steffens
CEO
Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland
Philipp Steffens has been Head of Fiction at RTL Television since March 2014 and is responsible for productions including Starfighter, Der Lehrer, Duell der Brüder and the series Deutschland 83, which won a Grimme Award in 2016. Immediately following his graduation from the Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg in 2006, Steffens started his own production company (greenskyFILMS)with several...more
Courtney Thomasma
Executive Vice President of Streaming
AMC Networks Inc.
Courtney Thomasma is the Executive Director of BBC AMERICA, a hub of innovative, culturally contagious programming including the wildly acclaimed series Killing Eve; top-rated phenomenon Doctor Who; Emmy® and IDA-winning Planet Earth II and the producers’ next epic story of our planet, Seven Worlds, One Planet; Emmy-winning Blue Planet II; acclaimed drama Luther; ground-breaking unscripted series Top Gear; and...more
Speaking at: 30 Minutes With... Courtney Thomasma, BBC America
Tonya Williams
Founder & Executive Director
Reelworld Film Festival
Tonya Williams is an award-winning actress and the Founder, Executive and Artistic Director of Reelworld Screen Institute and Reelworld Film Festival, now celebrating its 20th year. With over 40 years in the entertainment industry, she is a passionate and tenacious advocate for Canadian BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) Canadian...more