The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, otherwise known as the Canadian Academy, has announced eight participants for the first edition of its executive residency program.

The program is designed by the Canadian Academy, in collaboration with BIPOC TV & Film, The Black Academy, and imagineNATIVE, to provide executive-level access for mid-career industry professionals who are Black, Indigenous, and persons of colour.

It matches participants who work in film and television across Canada with senior-level production, creative, and business executives from Bell Media, CBC, and Boat Rocker who will act as their advocates in the program. The advocates will provide the participants with access to sessions around professional development, community building, and corporate best practices.

The eight-month-long program was created to help break down the barriers that currently exist for Black, Indigenous and persons of colour who are pursuing a corporate career.

Presented by the Canadian Academy’s supporting partner, Telefilm Canada, the program’s collaborative partners include Bell Media, CBC, Comweb Foundation, Pinewood Toronto Studios, Canada Media Fund, and Boat Rocker, with community partners BIPOC TV & Film, The Black Academy, and imagineNATIVE.

The participants include Tobi Abdul and Nancy Datus, whose advocate will be Tina Apostolopoulos, senior production executive, original programming, unscripted and features for Bell Media; Imad Elsheikh with advocate Manny Groneveldt, director of entertainment production and executive producer, DEI content for Bell Media; and Angelique Knights with advocate Shaleen Sangha, VP of content, kids and family for Boat Rocker.

The list also includes: Mary Galloway with advocate Sarah Adams, director of current production, drama for CBC; Korede Afolabi with Paige Murray, executive in charge of development, drama for CBC; Tam Dan Vu with advocates Jennifer Shin, director of development, comedy for CBC, and Sarah Quan, executive in charge of development, comedy for CBC; and Karam Masri with Mélanie Lê Phan, executive in charge of current production, comedy for CBC.

As a way of fostering industry growth, inclusion and mentorship, the Canadian Academy has previously launched initiatives such as the WarnerMedia Access x Canadian Academy writers program and the WarnerMedia Access x Canadian Academy directors program for participants from underrepresented communities; and Women in Post – “a program designed to address the barriers to entry and advancement for creatives who identify as women or non-binary working in the post production industry,” says a news release.

Images courtesy of The Canadian Academy; pictured left to right (top row): Angelique Knights, Imad Elsheikh, Karam Masri, Korede Afolabi (bottom row): Tam Dan Vu, Mary Galloway, Tobi Abdul, and Nancy Datus.