* Hollywood veteran Bud Yorkin has been elected to the board of Peace Arch Entertainment of Vancouver. Teamed with Norman Lear, he cocreated and produced television series including All in the Family, Maude, Sanford and Son and Good Times. For the big screen, his producer credits include Divorce American Style, Start the Revolution Without Me, Inspector Clouseau and Blade Runner.

* Mike Abram has been appointed president of Shaw Ventures, a newly formed division of Shaw Communications, which will manage the company’s investments in Internet, technology, interactive tv, e-commerce and telecommunications companies.

* Motion International has appointed Gordon Guiry to the post of vp, theatrical and Quebec distribution. Guiry has 30 years’ experience in Canadian distribution and has previously served as president of Astral Films, as well as running a consultancy which licensed feature film, tv and video programming libraries for domestic and foreign sales.

* Luce Pellerin has been appointed CineGroupe’s director, business affairs. Pellerin was previously director of legal and business affairs with Behaviour Communications and before that she headed the business affairs department at Telescene.

* David Kosse has been named managing director, u.k., for Alliance Atlantis/Kinowelt. Kosse is the former chairman of Universal Pictures u.k.

* The cftpa has named Beatrice Rafoul as its new vp, external relations. She will manage the production association’s government relations, its National Mentorship Program and its annual conference. Before joining the national association, Rafoul was an operations manager for Heritage Canada, a political advisor in the National Defence Ministry, and an organizer for the federal Liberals.

* sodec has hired two full-time project directors for its film and television production program.

Marielle Caron has held various production posts (Productions Du Regard, Bloom Films, Allegro) since 1987, and had been business affairs delegate with sodec since last October.

Colette Loumede has worked with Coop Video, du Regard and Synercom Teleproduction.

* Bonnie Thompson has been appointed associate producer at the National Film Board. Thompson has been with the nfb for 12 years, most recently as product manager, documentary west.

Jo Anne Walton has been named documentary product manager for the nfb’s western office. She will oversee the marketing and launch of documentaries produced by the nfb’s Vancouver, Edmonton and Winnipeg studios. Walton has worked as a journalist, television news producer, publicist and film distributor.

* Sylvie Peltier, formerly associated with Voyageur Productions, is the new in-house producer at Vancouver’s Insight Film and Video Productions. She will be responsible for documentary series including Insight’s World in Celebration series, and Ghost Towns: Faded Dreams of Canada, seen on History Television.

* The Canadian Screen Training Centre has appointed Max Berdowski its new exec director and ceo. Berdowski is the former news promotion and publicity manager of Global Television.