Rave reviews for Karen Gelbart’s professional guidance have led to her win of this year’s Phyllis Switzer Mentorship prize at the Crystal Awards.

The Alliance Atlantis Communications SVP of lifestyle content was nominated for the recognition by former employee Kit Redmond, who today is executive producer and partner at RTR Media with Debbie Travis and Hans Rosenstein. She calls Gelbart ‘one of the best bosses I’ve ever had.’

‘When you’re Karen Gelbart’s employee, she helps make you better than you are,’ Redmond adds.

The Switzer mentorship award is presented in association with CHUM Ltd. in memory of the Citytv founder and Canadian Association of Broadcasters hall of famer who worked hard to advance women in Canadian TV and film. Gelbart calls winning the award ‘very important.’

‘I think good leadership amounts to creating an environment where people have the chance to succeed,’ she says of her mentorship approach. ‘It’s good for them and it’s good for the business to help them grow, because their newfound abilities help the business to do better.’

During her career, Gelbart has held several positions where she has actively mentored both women and men. Starting as a journalist at United Press International (in New York and Montreal), Gelbart worked her way up through the production ranks at CBC TV after discovering that ‘I loved the communal environment of television.’

In 1997, Gelbart moved to what was then Atlantis Broadcasting. Over the years, her responsibilities grew from running that company’s Cinevillage studio facility to today overseeing AAC’s lifestyle channels, including Food Network and HGTV. She also spearheaded Alliance Atlantis’ launch of the Fine Living digi in 2004.

In her spare time – what little she has – Gelbart is a self-confessed ‘foodie’ who has freelanced as a restaurant reviewer. She has also been a member of the Toronto Taste steering committee, which annually raises funds for Toronto’s Second Harvest food redistribution service.

Gelbart doesn’t feel that being a woman has at all limited her advancement in the TV industry.

‘It’s never really been an issue for me,’ she says. ‘Of course, at CBC, the trail had been blazed for women by [former CBC VP of television news, current affairs and Newsworld] Trina McQueen, who was one of my mentors.’

So what advice does Gelbart offer the next generation of TV workers?

‘Be flexible in what you are willing to do, because the current broadcasting environment is changing rapidly,’ she says. ‘Today, broadcasters are looking for people who are adaptable, knowledgeable, and willing to take risks.’

It is that type of wisdom that led to Crystal Awards organizers giving Gelbart the nod.

‘Karen is a true mentor and role model,’ says Sue Sheridan, executive director of Women in Film and Television – Toronto. ‘Her commitment to advancing women in film and television is an inspiration to those at all levels in the industry. Karen is an exceptional leader who perfectly embodies the values and beliefs of WIFT-T.’