The Crystal Awards, this year celebrating their 20th anniversary, were established to recognize and promote women working in film and TV, and they remain as relevant as ever, says Sadia Zaman, executive director of WIFT-T, which organizes them.

‘It’s easy to forget how heavily the industry relies on the talents of women and how influential these women are,’ she says. ‘They inspire, they motivate, and they set a standard for creativity and leadership that many of us aspire to. The Crystal Awards are a great reminder of their contributions.’

Four leaders in their fields are being honored this year for their varied and substantial accomplishments and contributions to the industry. Recipients of the 20th annual Crystal Awards include Virginia Thompson, president and executive producer at Vérité Films; Kit Redmond, executive producer and partner at RTR Media; Barbara Williams, EVP content at Canwest Broadcasting; and actor, director and activist Sandi Ross.

Recipients are chosen by an independent jury of former Crystal Award winners. The accolades will be handed out Dec. 1 at a gala luncheon at The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto.

There is more on the winners below.

Virginia Thompson
Creative Excellence Award

As president of Regina’s Vérité Films, Thompson has produced the CTV smash comedy Corner Gas, which has sold to 26 countries around the world, as well as youth drama series renegadepress.com and YTV kids show Incredible Story Studio, which has picked up over 40 international awards.

‘So many prestigious women have won Crystal Awards over the years, so it is amazing to be acknowledged as part of that group,’ says Thompson, whose current projects include The B Team, a comedy created with Kevin White for CBC, and The Dealership, a drama created with Andrew Wreggitt and Jeff Beesley for Canwest.

‘A lot of my success is a result of the mentorship I received early in my career from some extraordinary women,’ adds Thompson, who started off in news at CBC when current CTV exec Susanne Boyce ran Midday, then went to work for producer Linda Schuyler on the Degrassi series.

‘It is a daunting industry to start out in, and that is why WIFT-T is so important. It helps create those connections and a support network of people to guide you.’

Kit Redmond
Mentorship Award

With more than 25 years experience in TV and radio, Redmond is a founding partner of Toronto’s RTR Media along with design diva Debbie Travis and Hans Rosenstein. The shop produces reality and lifestyle programming including Global’s From the Ground Up with Debbie Travis and W’s Maxed Out.

Redmond recalls her first break out of college was taking part in a CBC training program.

‘There were very few women in the media then, and this training course was the first time an equal number of men and women participated, so it was a really big thing,’ she says. ‘I don’t know where I would be today without that program, and that is why WIFT-T is so important. It helps open doors.’

Redmond, a past vice-chair of WIFT-T and twice lead mentor for WIFT-T’s Warner Bros. Entertainment Banff Mentorship program, also manages the NSI Totally Television program for emerging writers and producers, where she helps participants develop their skills and meet the right people to move their projects forward.

‘When you mentor, you not only pass on what you know – which is an incredibly valuable thing to do – but you learn so much yourself,’ she says.

Barbara Williams
Outstanding Achievement Award

Williams started her career more than 25 years ago as the receptionist at now-defunct CKO Radio and worked her way up to key executive broadcasting positions, including VP of lifestyle programming at Alliance Atlantis and VP and GM of Toronto1 (now Sun TV), which she helped launch. In 2005, she joined Canwest as SVP of programming and production.

‘I was always willing to take the leap and go for any opportunity that came my way,’ she says. ‘And luckily those leaps have never been over a really big cliff – I always landed on my feet. Although there were hurdles along the way, I always looked at them as opportunities, not problems.’

She notes that women have made huge gains in the industry since the Crystal Awards were launched.

‘It was tough for women to gain experience when the industry was contained by a couple of networks, but today there are so many more channels, and women are taking advantage of these opportunities to gain practical experience,’ she says.

‘Organizations like WIFT-T also deserve credit. They have trained, encouraged and helped to position women in the industry, and made everyone think about the skills that women can bring to the table.’

Sandi Ross
Award of Distinction

Sandi Ross is a 30-year veteran of the stage and screen. Her credits include three seasons at the Stratford Festival, appearances on the TV series Trailer Park Boys and Twice in a Lifetime, and the movies Down in the Delta, Camilla and Blues Brothers 2000.

As an activist, she has promoted opportunities for black actors by serving on numerous diversity committees, and spearheaded the creation of Into the Mainstream, a talent directory of visible and audible minority actors. She was the first female and first person of color to serve as president of ACTRA Toronto Performers.

‘I remember looking for an agent back in 1983 and being told [by agencies] that they already had one black actress,’ says Ross. ‘There was very little work for black actors at the time. The stats showed that if a Caucasian actor was getting 100 auditions a year, an actor of color was getting 20. There was a lot of racism and sexism, but over the years I have seen the progression of women and more cultural diversity in film and television take place hand-in-hand.’

Ross sees receiving a Crystal Award as an important honor.
‘At one point I was on 11 different committees while juggling a career as a working actor, which was no easy feat,’ she says. ‘So this award means all my hard work over the years has been noticed. It is a huge thank-you from my industry, and I send a huge thank-you back.’