Call Me Fitz creator Sheri Elwood was honoured Monday with ACTRA Toronto’s inaugural Nell Shipman award.

Hosted at Toronto’s Spoke Club Monday night, the gala event was created and hosted by the Toronto ACTRA Women’s Committee (TAWC), a working group within ACTRA that aims to tackle key issues faced by female performers and industry professionals.

Elwood was selected for the award for her career-long efforts to ensure women were well-represented both in front and behind the camera. To date, Elwood’s achievements include three seasons of the award-winning Fitz, which she created and ran, directing credits with TV series Strange Days at Blake Holsey High and the 2000 feature film Deeply, and early gigs as a writer on Ready or Not, Flash Forward and I Was a Sixth Grade Alien!

According to TAWC co-chair Nicole St. Martin, Elwood was a natural choice for the award’s first year.

“We looked at a whole bunch of producers work and said what are the criteria we are looking for? How many women have they hired as writers, directors and cast? She just came out on top. That was it. She was it.”

The award is named after trailblazing Canadian filmmaker Nell Shipman (Oct. 25, 1892 – Jan. 23, 1970), who wrote, directed, produced and acted in a stunningly long list of films in her long career.

TAWC’s organizers wanted a name for the award that reflected their intention of honouring pioneering female screen industry professionals and in Shipman, found the perfect fit, says St. Martin.

“We got permission from [Shipman’s] family and they were delighted,” she recalls.

While TAWC is still determining how the award will move forward for its sophomore edition, the success of this week’s gala and its fit with the organization’s goals indicates a bright future, St. Martin says.

“Women are underemployed in this industry and underrepresented both behind and in front of the camera. This award dovetails with ACTRA Toronto’s overall objective to see more of Canada on all our screens in all our variety and diversity.”