• Doug Frith is leaving his post as president of the Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association to start his own consulting company. The group, responsible for the Hollywood majors in Canada, has put general counsel Wendy Noss in his place on an interim basis.

• The National Film Board has handed control of its English-language division over to former journalist and Alliance Atlantis executive Cindy Witten. The new director-general of the English Program comes with more than two decades experience at the CBC, including serving as senior producer of Big Life with Daniel Richler and as a director/journalist at The National. She starts Feb. 25.

• Former CHUM EVP of sales and marketing David Kirkwood is retiring, leaving its new parent CTVglobemedia on Jan. 31. Kirkwood was with CHUM since May 1984, joining just months before it launched MuchMusic.

• Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada has named Greg Mason VP of marketing. Mason will take charge of all Canadian marketing for Disney’s film branch, bringing with him 15 years experience with Buena Vista Pictures Distribution and, most recently, Mason Marketing Solutions.

• Web video outfit mDialog has appointed Norm Bolen, former new media exec at Alliance Atlantis and CBC, to its board of directors.

• Alan Gregg is now VP of internal production at the new Canadian office of Ireland-based animation studio Brown Bag Films. Gregg was previously VP of the children’s division at Alliance Atlantis.

• Janice Walker has been promoted to VP of animation production for Decode Entertainment. Previously a producer, Walker will take charge of production on all of Decode’s animated series.

• Karynn Austin is now director of distribution and marketing at Equinoxe Films, working out of its Toronto offices.

• Toronto-based 9 Story Entertainment has named Jill Fraser VP of business affairs and Krista Barron is now manager of production finance. Both report directly to 9 Story VP and COO Steve Jarosz.

• Director Aaron James Sorensen (Hank Williams First Nation) has signed a deal with Beverly Hills-based management firm Luber/Roklin Entertainment and partner Matt Luber.

• The Canadian Film Centre has shuffled its board of directors. Neal G. Clarance, Kate Alexander Daniels, John Riley and Etienne de Villiers have all been appointed as members, replacing Jeffrey R. Ibbotson, Eric Pertsch, Mark Prior and Victoria Wisdom.

• Anthony Cicione is the new corner man for The Fight Network as SVP of programming and production. He will be in charge of all news and programming operations, programming and hiring new talent, among other responsibilities.