Michele Alosinac, the new film sector development officer for the Toronto Film, Television and Digital Media Office (TFTDMO), wants to start from the ground up to create a film office that is more efficient and better connected to the whole of Toronto’s screen-based industries.

“We are trying to reevaluate everything – how we’ve been doing it, why we’ve been doing it and find a way to do it better and more efficiently,” Alosinac told Playback Daily.

The new role of film sector development officer is part of a larger overhaul of Toronto’s film office, which has seen Toronto film commissioner Zaib Shaik take on an expanded mandate, including music and multimedia initiatives.

With Shaik’s remit expanded, Alosinac is now front line on the production side. She’ll gather feedback from the industry and pass it along to Shaik, who can then liaise with the city about how to make Toronto a more attractive place for producers.

Having started just over a month ago, Alosinac says she already has plans on how to make Toronto a more attractive production destination.

First up is better coordination between departments. The city’s historic sites department is a good example, she says. With numerous museums and dozens of other properties across the city, productions currently have to contact each location directly to inquire about filming. Alosinac wants location scouts to be able to come to the Toronto film office directly, where staff can then coordinate shooting details with the historic sites department.

“We will advocate for you,” Alosinac said

She also said she wants to expand the film office’s relationship with the digital media and post-production sectors. To achieve this, Alosinac is meeting with companies across these sectors to find out how they can collaborate to make the city a more attractive place to complete all work related to films, from shooting to animation to postproduction.

“We want to drive business here, and we want to drive awareness about it as well,” Alosinac said.

She is also aiming to foster more personal relationships with producers on the ground, noting that face time can leave a lasting impression. For example, if there is a construction site infringing upon a shoot location, someone from the film office could be on-site to ask the construction crew to move.

“Those are the kind of things that personalize the experience here,” Alosinac said.

Prior to joining the film office Alosinac spent more than 20 years working in the film and television industry (Live Here, Buy This, Property Virgins, The Unsellables, Carnival Eats) and was the business development and film officer at the Ontario Heritage Trust.