The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) and Bell Media today announced the 14 recipients of this year’s Bell Media National Fellowship program who will attend this year’s Festival from June 9-12 in Banff, AB. As part of the $1.8 Million Bell Media TV Skills Development Initiative, the Bell Media National Fellowship program is intended to encourage professional development in the television industry by enabling emerging creative talent – including producers, writers, and directors – to attend BANFF and benefit from the vast programming, mentorship, and pitching opportunities that the annual event has to offer.
BANFF and Bell Media also announced today a previous fellow will be recognized for their achievement since first attending the festival as the recipient of the first-ever Bell Media Fellow Award of Distinction, to be presented at the Rockie Awards Lunch on June 10.
The recipients of the 2013 Bell Media National Fellowship are:
• Aubrey Arnason, Producer and TV Host, Vancouver, BC
• Jason Butler, Filmmaker and Producer, Toronto, ON
• Tobi Elliot, Producer, Gabriola Island, BC
• Tony Elliot, Screenwriter, Toronto, ON
• Tess Hamilton, Producer, Toronto, ON
• Stacy James-Fry, Sales, Sponsorship and Marketing Professional, Calgary, AB
• Margaret Lester, Writer, Mississauga, ON
• Faye Li, Director and Writer, Toronto, ON
• Jocelyn Mercer, Producer, Toronto, ON
• Jennifer Sharpe, Writer, Director and Producer, Toronto, ON
• Pat Smith, Writer and Producer, Toronto, ON
• Mike Sorrenti, President of GamePill, Aurora, ON
• Damon Surzyshyn, Camera Editor, Winnipeg, MB
• Priscilla White, Writer, Toronto, ON
“The chance to bring a project to BANFF is a huge opportunity,” said Corrie Coe, Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. “The best and the brightest of the world’s entertainment industry attend, speak, and network at this event and we’re thrilled to be able to offer this opportunity to this year’s fellowship winners and wish them all success in their future careers.”
Recipients of the Bell Media Fellowship program receive a full registration for BANFF 2013, round-trip travel, and must bring a suitable-for-broadcast project to BANFF with specific goals in mind. All projects must be Canadian and cover a number of genres including drama, documentary, children’s, comedy/entertainment, lifestyle or reality. The Fellows are also introduced to the larger BANFF community at an exclusive reception and networking opportunity sponsored by Bell Media.
For additional information about the Banff World Media Festival visit:http://www.banffmediafestival.com/ or connect with BANFF on Twitter andFacebook.
