Creative
Long Winter
Long Winter Music and Arts Festival ↗ - Toronto, Canada (2016-2020)
Tea Base Collective, Harbourfront Centre, the Gladstone Hotel, Workman Arts, OCAD University, Venus Fest, Bedroomer, Trap Door, Pleasure Dome, Trinity Square Video, Lost is Found Collective, The Tranzac, ISO Radio, FSR Radio, True Connection, InterAccess, Club Quarantine, et al.
Toronto’s kaleidescopic, carnivalesque all-ages, pay-what-you-can multi-arts series. In four seasons, brought the organization through a critical period of growth: established a first arms-length Board of Directors and strategic planning process, helped formalize collective communication and programming processes; sourced 10+ new venue, program, and presenting partners when the fest lost its home base; initiated first-ever international projects and increased annual revenues and activity by over 400%. Successfully guided the organization into public operating funding and status. Presented over 1,200 artists and engaged audiences of over 20,000. Initiated first international and cross-sector programs, including collaborations with research (Ryerson, Université de Rouens), policy (City of Toronto), and real estate.
Creative
A More Beautiful Journey ↗
Intersection Festival, Music Gallery, City of Toronto ↗ - Toronto, Canada (2022-2023)
CREATIVE TEAM
Amy Gottung (co-creator, creative producer) + Joseph Shabason + Dan Werb (co-creators)
Sanjeet Takhar + David Dacks (project design + development - Music Gallery)
Soundways (geolocated XR audio software)
Karen Vanderborght (creative technologist)
Intersection Festival (presenter)
CURATOR PARTNERS
Arts Etobicoke
Regent Park School of Music
Council Fire Native Cultural Centre
SKETCH
RISE
Long Winter
The Remix Project
Canadian Music Centre
REGENT PARK NEIGHBOURHOOD SPONSOR
The Daniels Corporation
TECH PARTNERS
Ableton
Splice
PRESENTING AND PROMOTIONAL PARTNERS
City of Toronto
ArtworksxTO
TTC
JURY
Hugh Marsh
tUkU Mathews
Cadence Weapon
Alison Cameron
Mario Anzola
TTC, ArtworksxTO The Music Gallery, Regent Park School of Music, Council Fire, The Daniels Corporation, Taxi Agency, City of Toronto, Intersection Festival, Taxi Agency, Soundways, Collectif MU, The Daniels Corporation, The Music Gallery, The Remix Project, Regent Park School of Music, Council Fire Native Cultural Centre, SKETCH, Arts Etobicoke, RISE, Long Winter, Canadian Music Centre, Ableton
An historic XR (extended reality) audio installation to transform Toronto public transit, in honour of the centennial anniversary of the TTC.
Through a web-based mobile app, riders experience an eclectic mix of site-specific ambient songs, soundscapes, and scores for over 25 discrete stretches of TTC line – written by musicians from, and for, neighbourhoods spanning the breadth of the public transit grid. These sounds can be experienced through a web-based mobile app. Musical excerpts unfold generatively for listeners travelling across streetcar or bus routes. AMBJ offers new modes of encounter with our urban geography: simultaneously public and private, intimate and communal, and accessible to millions of daily riders across the TTC.
ARTISTS included:
Absolutely Free
birthday boy
Brodie West
Casey MQ
Chelsea Stewart
chiquitamagic
Debashis Sinha
Emissive
Felipe Sena
Jahmal Padmore
Korea Town Acid
Kind Mind
Nick Storring
OBUXUM
Prince Josh
Red Bear Singers
Stefana Fratila
+ more
https://www.cbc.ca/arts/ttc-music-app-a-more-beautiful-journey-1.6575859
Consulting
Alter-Places ↗
Creative Europe, Sorbonne Nouvelle, La Station-Gare des Mines - Europe (2023-2024)
Natalia Bobadilla, Olivier LeGal, Gaspard Bourgeois, et al.
European Union
A collaborative initiative by a network of cultural spaces, researchers, and networks across Europe and Canada, and funded by a grant from the European Union, Alter-Places is a cooperative project about sustainable practices, exploring the value and contribution of sustainable practices implemented by Alternative Cultural Places in the development of green, fair, diverse urban ecosystems through collaborative work. The project extends over 2024-2025 and brings together 5 European alternative cultural places, the Canadian expert DIY Space Project (a project I founded in 2021), the European network Trans Europe Halles and the interdisciplinary research laboratory LabEx ICCA. Over the last 20 years, Alternative Cultural Places (ACPs) have emerged across Europe through the actions of creative workers. The covid-19 crisis highlighted the role of ACPs in our local ecosystems as laboratories of sustainable practices. However, the unique value of these places remains unclear. ALTER-PLACES explores the value and contribution of sustainable practices implemented by ACPs in the development of green, fair, diverse urban ecosystems. Taking as starting point a holistic view of sustainability (social, economic and environmental) this cooperative project has 4 objectives: 1) Explore the innovative sustainable practices developed by ACPs and evaluate their role in urban resilience 2) Identify & assess obstacles and tensions that ACPs face in developing sustainable strategies 3) Build the capacity of ACPs to implement and monitor durable projects through exchange of best practices 4) Raise public authorities’ awareness regarding the role and value of ACPs in fair urban renewal. ALTER-PLACES has been conceived with a pluri-disciplinary, participatory and mixed methods approach. The project design is composed of 4 phases: project set up, surveying & mapping, co-constructing, prototyping & testing, disseminating & evaluating. Our target groups include creative workers in ACPs, ACPs’ stakeholders, and local, national and European networks. These groups will benefit from a mapping…
Lead local consultant and partner to Vibelab, a global leader in purpose driven consultancy for nighttime culture. We developed and conducted a local outreach and engagement process, in order to understand the industry and community’s most pressing needs.
As Toronto’s nightlife and cultural scenes recover from the harshest impacts of Covid-19, the City of Toronto undertook initiatives to review the zoning, licensing, and planning policies that influence hospitality, entertainment, and nightlife in the city.
221A is a non-profit cultural organization based on unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) territory, that provides housing, studio spaces, funding, and resources that support artist research, creation, and presentation within contemporary art and culture. 221A focuses on improving the conditions of low-income Black, Indigenous and racialized artists and communities, creating new tools for a more sustainable and accessible cultural sector, and contributing to public knowledge and dialogue on the historical and intellectual conditions of art and design.
221A is the founder of a networked cultural land trust model, currently underway in Vancouver. The project facilitates community acquisition and management of land through which long-term, below-market leases and pathways to ownership can be provided to artists and charitable organizations, with a focus on BIPOC tenants.
Among other projects, 221A is also collaborating with the Yee Fung Toy Society to develop a mixed-use community-based cultural hub in Chinatown with low-income housing for seniors and artists and specialized production and presentation spaces. The design is intended to foster intergenerational exchange and create a long-term partnership model for community-owned assets.
Our engagement included:
Research, coaching, and consultation to inform the development of the organization’s private fundraising strategy. Deliverables included an internal audit, external scan, preliminary prospecting, data frameworks and analysis for target development, collaborative support with the development and integration of new systems and practices, strategic and tactical recommendations.
Creative
Together Apart ↗
Toronto, Canada; Paris, France (September - November 2021)
Collectif MU, Collectif Ascidiacea, University of Ryerson (Faculty of Communication and Design), City of Paris, City of Toronto, French Consulate, Université de Rouens Music Ontario, Club Quarantine, Unit 2, Sou Sou, Strangewaves, FSR Radio, Gentrification Tax Action, Bunker 2, True Connection, ISO Radio, Not Dead Yet, The Shell Projects, Debaser, On Earth, Gendai, Making with Place, Xpace, Lula Lounge, Together Apart Research Conference, Music Ontario, InterAccess, Canadian Independent Music Association, Dundas West-Little Portugal BIA, St. Anne’s Anglican Church, The Garrison, Process, Studio AM, Réseau Map, Manifesto XXI
International DIY music and art festival , showcase, and conference co-presented by Long Winter and La Station. Sept 24 + 25 // Nov 26 + 27 Toronto, Ontario // Paris, France // Virtual Fieldgate Lot // St. Anne’s Anglican Church // Lula Lounge // Xpace // InterAccess Gallery Second instalment of a two-part, binational exchange: multi-arts festivals, conference, editorial, and industry events, co-produced and co-programmed by Collectif MU/La Station (Fr) and Long Winter (ON): September 20-21, 2019 (at La Station in Paris, France), and Sept 24-25 (Dundas West - Fieldgate Lot / The Garrison) and Nov 26-27 (St. Annes, Lula Lounge) An international conference on DIY scenes and spaces: Nov 27, based at Lula Lounge, St. Anne’s (651 Dufferin), and streamed internationally 2 nights of live shows and art installations on Dundas West (Fieldgate lot); all performances filmed for online showcase. 13 international, cross-sector panels and talks on issues of equity, DIY space, accessibility, networking, and more (Building and Sustaining DIY spaces, DIY outside the core, DIY across Ontario, Hip Hop & DIY, Building Trust & Advocacy for the DIY sector + much more) Over 9 free IRL workshops for local DIY organizers, artists, industry, and community members that included social mentorship lunches, technical workshops with free tools (Serato workshop with Freeza Chin, Ableton workshop for trans and female-identifying participants by Ciel, Touchdesigner integration of visuals x music workshop with Karl Skene), and practical, community-building workshops (co-visioning future spaces with It’s OK*, Budgeting for your DIY event with On Earth, Funding your project with Josephine Cruz, ISO Radio, et al.) B2Bs for labels, promoters, tour bookers, and music agents – included local workshops as well as panels and keynotes Offered in parallel to an academic symposium (not included in our activity / budget), co-presented with Ryerson Faculty of Communication and…
Consulting
Community Hub in Downsview Airport Development
North York Food Bank ↗ - (2024)
Ryan Noble, Sahar Gafouri and team
Secured multi-year funding from The Metcalf Foundation towards the establishment of a community hub as a central element in the redevelopment of the Downsview Airport lands in North York, Toronto.
North York Harvest Food Bank (NYHFB), along with partners the Learning Enrichment Foundation (LEF) and BuildingUp, is pursuing the establishment of a new community hub as part of the redevelopment of the Downsview Airport Lands. This collaborative, purpose-built space would combine the community skills development, employment training, and food distribution activities of its partners in the implementation of a holistic approach to poverty reduction and local economic development
Creative
Mini-docs - neighbourhood spotlights: A More Beautiful Journey
(2023)
DOP/Editor: Adam Seward | Tomorrow Night Films; PA/1st AC: Callum Kelley @vhsdeath8; AMBJ Marketing/Comms: Kat Cooper
Kat Cooper (communications)
Commissioned, produced and co-directed three quick digital features on Toronto artists and their site-specific work of the 2023 AR sound project for public transit.
OBUXUM - Jane & Finch
Red Bear Singers - Regent Park
Felipe Sena - Dufferin
Creative
Long Winter Paris
Long Winter (Toronto, Can), La Station Gare des Mines (Paris, Fr) - Paris, France (September 2019)
Long Winter, La Stations - Gare des Mines, Collectif MU
Le Bureau Export, La Gaîté Lyrique, French Consultate
With Collectif MU at La Station (Paris, France), co-presented a two-day festival and music industry conference, bringing 40+ Toronto-area artists and industry to Paris: an eclectic roster of under-represented, high-potential talent. Presented an accompanying France-Canada DIY music industry conference at La Gaîté Lyrique.
JESSICA93 • FUCKED UP • NEW FRIES • BUDDY RECORDS • PHÈDRE • ICE CREAM • CARIN KELLY • EDNA KING • JOEL EEL • DOOMSQUAD • HAVIAH MIGHTY • ATELIER CISEAUX • TELEPHONE EXPLOSION • OPALE • MATTHEW PROGRESS • SYLVERE • SCOTT HARDWARE • MYST MILANO. • DJ SUNDAE
Consulting
DIY Space Project ↗
Trans Europe Halles et al. - (2022-2023)
Trans Europe Halles, City of Toronto, The Toronto Metropolitan School, Vibe Lab, et al.
TORONTO DIY SPACE PROJECT - INTERVENTIONS FOR ALTERNATIVE CULTURAL SPACES Peer-driven, locally focused, internationally informed, the Space Project is a direct intervention in support of the preservation and stimulation of self-organized, alternative culture. We are working for urgent results and long-term shifts. THE PROCESS From a city-wide open call and juried process, three collectives seeking access to space were selected for participation. Collectives are paired with a neighbourhood-focused cross-sector advisory group to support them in their journey to find, secure, or sustain new spaces. Advisory groups are curated in coordination with the applicant, based on individual context. Members are drawn from spheres ranging from research, urban planning, real estate, building ownership and operation, and government. The experience is documented to inform policy and opportunities for alternative cultural and social spaces, in Toronto and elsewhere. Participation includes: compensation construction of a work plan focused on immediate needs (e.g. finding or securing space, building a governance or business model, pursuing partnerships, forming networks, fundraising, conducting advocacy) facilitated group meetings and one-on-one coaching with advisors local connections and introductions to open longer-term opportunities research to support policy recommendations INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE The DIY Space Project is an associate member of project partner Trans Europe Halles, an international network of grassroots cultural spaces across Europe and beyond. Thanks to the generous support of Trans Europe Halles, in May of 2022 representatives from each of our collectives attended the network’s annual conference, and participated in a multi-venue, multi-city tour in Prague, Amsterdam, and Berlin. We met and exchanged with community-run spaces, advocacy networks, and government officials engaged in grassroots space policy. We experienced new models, built connections, and compared environments and challenges. In each city, government officials from Toronto and the host municipality exchanged contexts, advancements, and best practices. Instructive cases are informing project paths for…
Ongoing business development for fast-growing avant music label and creative collective.
Speaking
Facilitation
Various (incl:) Vibelab, Artscape Daniels Launchpad, Meridian Hall, University of Toronto
Workshop designer, facilitator
Recent projects include:
Alter-Places - Workshop Facilitator - “Strategies of Survival” - 2024 -with alternative cultural places, researchers (Sweden, Croatia, Canada, France, Germany, Ukraine)
Vibelab - Lead Facilitator - 2023 public consultations to inform the City of Toronto’s night economy strategy
VIVA Singers -Assistant Conductor - 2012-2022 - music education and performance program for youth and young adults with disabilities
Artscape Daniels Launchpad - 2014-2020 - workshop facilitator (workshops for professional creatives).
Meridian Hall - 2015 - Specialist High Skills Major: Ontario high school program
University of Toronto - 2012-2014 - Teaching Assistant (History of Western Music core courses)
Creative
Second Spring ↗
Julian Hou, Matt Smith, Fan Wu, SF Ho, Kasper Feyrer, Eddy Wang et al.
Ensemble, programming, project development
Creative
Changeup (hackathon/exhibition)
Toronto (September 2018)
Brian Wong, Jeff Van Harmelen, Oscar Chiu, Matt Raymond, Sherry Kennedy
Toronto Media Arts Centre, MUTEK (Montreal)
Pop-up tech and art jam, workshop series, and exhibition at Toronto Media Arts Centre. 50+ participants. 3-day creation period. 1 exhibition. ●○○●●○ MENTORS • PROJECT LEADS ●○○ | FLOATER MENTORS ●° Markus Heckmann / Derivative / #synth #audio-visual #cg #collaboration #installation ●° Sarah Friend / https://isthisa.com / #blockchain #interactive #generative ●° Nadine Lessio / #games #tech #design #installation ●° Protim Roy / #machine learning #music #art ●° Henry Faber / #community #VR #games ●° Jonathan Carroll / http://toughguymountain.com/ / #VR #interactive ●° Cat Bluemke / http://brandscape.club / #VR #interactive | PROJECT LEAD MENTORS °● Kyle Duffield + Daniele Hopkins / Electric Perfume °● Xavier Snelgrove / wxs.ca °● Izzie Colpitts-Campbell / Dames Making Games Toronto / https://dmg.to/ °● David Psutka / actactact.bandcamp.com °● Xuan Ye / a.pureapparat.us/g-a-r-d-e-n °● Trevor Blumas °● Julia Romanowski / www.juliaromanowski.com °● Monica Bialobrzeski / monicabialo.com/ °● Peter Rahul °● Projoy Roy °● Karl Skene / www.youngoffenders.co/artists/karl-skene/ #generative visuals #lighting design #interactive °● Greg Smith / HOLO °● Sherry Kennedy / HOLO °● Sarah Jane Mortimer °● Brian Wong / It’s Not U It’s Me | MC °● Zoe Daniels / writer/comedian / Hacker U | Speakers + Workshop Facilitators °● Tom Augur / Art+Science °● Xavier Snelgrove / https://wxs.ca ●° Sarah Friend / https://isthisa.com / #blockchain #interactive #generative °● Protim Roy | Adjudication °● Jeremy Bailey / Famous New Media Artist °● Adam Tindale / OCAD University °● Henry Faber / Gamma Space Collaborative Studio °● Daniele Hopkins + Kyle Duffield / Electric Perfume °● Anthea Foyer / InterAccess ●●○●○○○●●●○○○●○○●●●○○ PARTNERS ○○○ | PRESENTING ●• Toronto Media Arts Centre ●• MUTEK Montréal | CREATIVE •° Gamma Space Collaborative Studio •° Dames Making Games Toronto •° Charles Street Video •° Electric Perfume •° The Brandscape •° Gen Art Hack Party •° HOLO •° Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre (CFMDC) •° It’s Not U It’s Me •° Playnice&Co / www.letsplaynice.ca |…
Consulting
Artist coaching / consulting
Various (incl): Sarah Ruba, Jessy Lanza / Lanza Trio (documentary film project), Golha Iranian Orchestra, Sylvain Sailly (artist) Seyblu (musician), Sara Elmagel (filmmaker), Radha Chaddah (artist), Edwin Huizinga (musician), Classical / Stereo Live Revolution (independent producer), Andrea Tyniec (musician)
Independent artist consulting: practice and career development, project or grant funding, strategic support
Alter-Places workshop - Malmö, Sweden - Hypnos Theatre Moderator
Arts of Survival - Trans Europe Halles (2024) Moderator: Alternative cultural spaces under crisis: resilience, renewal, and challenges Co-Programmer with Izolyatsia (Ukraine), La Station-Gare des Mines (France), Lab-Ex (France) - panel series
Sommet de la Nuit - Mtl2424(2023) Panelist: DIY Spaces
Space of Urgency Conference -* Frei(t)räume* (2022) Co-programmer and speaker: Building a Global Cultural Mycellium
Towards an Alternative Vision of Creative and Cultural Third-Places (2022) Université de Sourbonne Nouvelle et al. Panelist: Alternatives and Policies
ArtLab - La Station Gare des Mines, Paris (2022) Presenter: A More Beautiful Journey x Soundways AR collaboration
Canadian Music Centre AR composition workshop (2022) Panelist
Indie Week Canada(2022) Panelist: Industry Insights
Trans Europe Halles Conference (2022) Presenter: Toronto DIY Space Project
City of Toronto Music Office Masterclass: DIY presentation and promotion
Venus Fest Panelist: “Relocalizing our music scene”
Global TO Moderator: capitalism panel with panelists Rosina Kazi (LAL, Unit 2), ShoShona Kish (Digging Roots), and musician Ian Kamau.
University of Toronto - entrepreneurship Panelist: multiple workshops presented by ONRamp, the University of Toronto’s Entrepreneurship Centre and the university’s Faculty of Music
Seneca College Guest lecturer: PR and publicity in the non-profit sector
Artspond: This Space - Lessons from the Landscape Round table on spatial precarity, gentrification, and the arts
Third Spaces conference - École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Paris-La Villette (ENSA Paris-La Villette) Speaker and collaborative think tank participant at international cross-sector research conference on creative and cultural third spaces, run by ADAIR (Art and Design Actions for Inclusive Renewal) University of Toronto Panelist and speaker for University of Toronto’s Lives in Music and Music and Entrepreneurship courses
Creative
Should I Be Scared of This?
Toronto, Canada (2017)
Jordan Foisy, Chris DePaul, Miles DePaul
Comedian Jordan Foisy lives in a scary place. We all do. It’s called The World. From rising sea levels to war to worrying about being a bad friend, there are simply too many fears to fit in the day. We need a better way to fear. Join Jordan as he interviews experts about all the things that freak him out so he can decide whether he should be scared of this.
Fundraising and development strategy, grant and proposal writing, program evaluation design and communications support for this progressive food security, urban agriculture, and community advocacy organization in Toronto’s west end.
Creative
Make 'em Laugh: The Funny Business of America
PBS/WNET ↗ - New York, New York (2007-2008)
Ghost Light Films, Thirteen / WNET (as Thirteen / WNET New York), Rhino Entertainment Company (in association with), BBC Cymru Wales (in association with), Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (2009) (USA) (TV), Yleisradio (YLE) (2010) (Finland) (TV)
In core production team of five, delivered six-hour broadcast documentary series on the history of American comedy. Managed stills research, placement, licensing; prepared interviews.
Grant writing and strategic development for North York’s largest food bank, serving 16,000 people each month through over 60 community programs.
Projects include:
Metcalf Inclusive Economies Trillium Fidelity Foundation Social Investment funds Foundation grants
Business development and funding consulting for this fast-rising creative industries development network, building mentorship, connections, and engagement between Los Angeles and Toronto.
Creative
Charity ↗
National Film Board - (2021)
National Film Board of Canada, PFR (Parastoo Anoushahpour, Faraz Anoushahpour and Ryan Ferko)
Production management for 360 video shoots for the National Film Board and MoCCA’s co-presentation of this interactive media art project.
North of Toronto, in the centre of a sprawling suburb sits an ornate, unfinished cathedral once surrounded by farmland. Built by a late mining mogul, this structure is now encircled by newly built homes on streets named after members of his family, as well as his prize-winning Holstein cows.
The most famous of these cows was named Charity.
In July 2017, residents of this community awoke to find a chrome replica of Charity, double its original size, suspended on 25-foot tall stilts in the centre of a small crescent facing their homes.
In the cow’s reflection we witness a struggle between a municipal bureaucracy, a wealthy donor and an unsuspecting community, all forced to confront questions of how to represent the identity of a place.
Grant and funding support for Vancouver’s celebrated improvised music series.
Development strategy and multi-year foundation grant writing for one of Toronto’s largest food banks. From its 108,000 sq.ft. distribution hub, Daily Bread supplies food to nearly 200 food programs across Toronto with a fleet of five trucks. Through its research and advocacy, Daily Bread has become a key thought leader locally, provincially and nationally on issues about hunger, life on low income, housing, and income security.
Speaking
Advisory Committees
Various (Toronto Metropolitan University, City of Toronto, Urban Land Institute, et al.)
Advisory
City of Toronto - Nightlife Advisory Committee
University of Toronto School of Cities - Reimagining Music Venues
Toronto Arts Council - Juror, Project Grants
City of Toronto, Tourism - City of Toronto narrative focus group
Urban Land Institute - Technical Assistance Panel - cultural space project
City of Toronto Economic Recovery Group / Track - Music, Entertainment, Film
Ryerson FCAD Professional Music Program - program development committee
Creative
Song of Extinction
Luminato Festival, Music in the Barns - Toronto, Canada (2015)
Rose Bolton, composer / Marc de Guerre, filmmaker / Don McKay, poet. Performed by Music in the Barns Chamber Ensemble, Members of Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, VIVA! Youth Singers of Toronto, with Music Director John Hess.
World premiere of live score + film on 25-foot screen with 100+ member ensemble in the Hearn Generating Station at Toronto’s international Luminato arts Festival.
SONG OF EXTINCTION was a visual and sonic experience exploring the calamitous impact humans are having on the planet and its creatures. Featuring stunning large-scale projections and a tightly enmeshed score for live chamber orchestra, chamber choir, electronics, and youth chorus, SONG OF EXTINCTION interwove breathtaking moving images with live surround sound on the Hearn’s towering industrial space.
Grant writing and development consulting for Canada’s only non-partisan, non-profit working to build environmental leadership and government action on the environment.
We do this through 3 programming streams: 1 / PARLIAMENTARY INTERNSHIP FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
Entering its 4th year, our Parliamentary Internship for the Environment places interns with MPs to support environmental leadership on Parliament Hill and helps prepare young Canadians for careers as environmental champions.
2/ EVERY DAY ADVOCATES & 100 DEBATES
We raise the capacity of Canadians across the nation to advocate for the environment and hold our elected officials accountable for their commitments.
3/ CANDIDATE ENDORSEMENTS
We identify environmental leaders of all major parties running for office and help connect voters and have run successful endorsement campaigns in the Federal (2015, 2019), Manitoba (2016), B.C. (2017) and Ontario (2018) elections.
Strategic counsel through an ambitious period of growth, including launch of a cross-Canada tour and the development of an original music video and documentary project, via Canada Council’s New Chapter grant.
Creative
Save the Cat! [working title]
Carma Productions / Miriam Carlsen, Director - Germany, Denmark, Iran (2023)
Pitch development support for this early-stage documentary about the ambitions and trials of a young, aspiring filmmaker in Iran. When, in the months preceding the uprisings, he decides to make an illegal action film depicting Iran as a mistreated cat, he unknowingly creates a strange allegory for what might become his own destiny in the months that follow. [In production]
Creative
Music in the Barns at the Great Hall
Music in the Barns and the Canadian Association for Theatre Research / Association Canadienne pour la Recherche Théâtrale
With Artistic Director, produced this extended, inter-media concert. An imaginative transformation of Toronto’s Great Hall, addressing urgent social and environmental issues with interactive installation, live chamber music, and politically-charged performance.
John Cage’s Lecture on the Weather, Michael Oesterle’s Daydream Mechanics, Becoming Sensor installation Room with Ayelen Liberona, filmmaker and dancer, Natasha Myers, anthropologist and dancer, Allison Cameron composer and field recordist, Rosina Kazi & Nicholas Murray of LAL, composers
Funded by an OAC Compass Grant, guided non-profit through first pivotal period of organizational development, delivering a comprehensive SWOT including an external scan on the newcomer artist service space in the GTA, and over 15 interviews with staff, participants, board members, and others in the sector. Provided high-quality documentary video recordings for research and communication purposes. Offered organizational audit and strategic analysis for staff and board, in preparation for strategic planning.
Consultation and writing: COVID advocacy toolkit
Co-programmed and produced series of community-driven composer/ensemble workshop series at Canadian Music Centre. Facilitated collaborations between composers and filmmakers, DJs, dancers, scientists, carillon towers, period ensembles, live electronics, traditional Chinese instruments, NASA field recordings (image and sound), and more. Co-presented interdisciplinary one-day collaborative intensive with Canadian Music Centre and Jumblies Theatre.
Development consulting for this land planning consultancy focused on Indigenous rights and engagement.
Shared Path Consultation Initiative (Shared Path) is a charitable organization that is addressing the challenges and opportunities that emerge where land use change and Aboriginal and Treaty Rights intersect. Planning, as a political and sometimes contentious process, has the potential to impact Indigenous political and territorial claims. We seek to provide opportunities and resources that enhance, inform, and facilitate Indigenous-non-Indigenous bridge building, particularly within the realm of land planning practice.
In response to the TRC Calls to Action 47, 57, and 92, Shared Path provides resources for First Nation, Métis, municipal, and provincial government, as well as professionals in land use change to better engage in consultation and relationship-building. Shared Path connects and supports a network of people urging legislative reform to provide clarity in these processes. Shared Path develops opportunities and resources to advance a broader public understanding of the historical, political, cultural, and environmental factors that inform planning. Shared Path creates opportunities for education and information sharing through workshops, seminars, and projects designed to facilitate relationship-building.
Creative
Never Grow Up / Ne Grandis Pas
KRAK XR, Le Labo ↗ - Toronto, ON (2021)
Karen Vanderborght, Gillian Bleckenhorst, Maxwell Lander, Omar David Rivero, Mehdi Cayenne
Do you remember your favourite games you liked to play as a kid? Never Grow Up celebrates traditional children’s games, enciting re-discovery through a series of whimsical immersive puzzles.
But you are not alone. A demanding sidekick cries for your attention and care. This creature will be your companion, antagonist, and nemesis. Time is limited as slime invades the scene while you solve the challenges.
After a stressful first round, shapeshifting wormholes give you a chance to replay the same scenes by changing roles, perspective and strategy.
Game interactions are a metaphor for the mechanics of childhood trauma. They demonstrate both the power (and corruptibility) of positions of control, as well as the dependence of mental health on compassionate relationships.
Organizational development consulting for this national social justice education and professional training non-profit, empowering communities to understand, shape, and use the law then they can become active participants in breaking down barriers to justice.
Level is a Canadian justice education charity.bWe level barriers to justice by building empathy, increasing equity, and advancing social justice. We deliver programs nationwide, in support of a justice system that treats everyone with dignity and an informed society where everyone can exercise their rights and has the opportunity to thrive.
We deliver programs - to youth, law students, and lawyers - focused on innovative justice education, social justice awareness, legal mentorship, and access to justice training.
Creative
Nuville ↗
KRAK XR ↗ - Toronto, Canada (2021)
Karen Vanderborght and team
Museum of Toronto, Mammalian Diving Collective, Mandy Lam, Workman Arts, Cara Spooner, Tangled Art + Disability, et al.
In partnership with Creative Director Karen Vanderborght, generated funding (Canada Media Fund, Canada Council), exhibitions (Myseum of Toronto) and built an interdisciplinary team for the first phase of this experimental new media adventure.
Nuville is a real world augmented audio game that turns your urban walk into a sci-fi adventure. Guided by audio instructions, players perform whimsical urban interventions which they record and share via accessible social media platforms. Nuville’s story and AR experience are a continuous collaboration between humans and AI technology.
A “Gesamtkunstwerk” encompassing interactive performance, open AI, and urban design, the multiplayer sci-fi story is a casual XR game. Its creation, and first realizations, include collaborations with performance and parkour artists, sound artists, and a range of creative communities with unique urban perspectives.
Nuville’s dystopian technocratic narrative is inspired by Jean-Luc Godard’s nouvelle vague classic Alphaville and the manga series Blame by Tsutomu Nihei. Interactions are inspired by books by Alain De Botton (Architecture of Happiness), cultural theorist Paul Virillio (City of Panic) and architect Pierre Thibault (Et si la beauté rendait heureux).
Creative
Florentine Films
New York, New York (2008)
Buddy Squires, Kerstin Park-Labella
Assisted co-director/producer team in organizing footage and shaping an early narrative for a project-in-development about changing conditions and rising threats to unembedded war correspondents. The project follows photojournalist Yannis Behrakis in the aftermath of the death of his Reuters colleague Kurt Shork and AP cameraman Miguel Gil Moreno from a 2000 ambush in Sierra Leone. [Unreleased]
Organizational development consulting, grant writing, during a critical transition period for this space-based non profit.
The Laneway Project:
We know that laneways have the potential to be vibrant, living spaces - and that thriving public spaces help to create strong neighbourhoods, communities and cities.
We work in partnership with the development and design community to upgrade and activate laneways. We work with municipalities and other stakeholders to create laneway-friendly policies and procedures. We develop resources and host events to inspire and support residents, community groups, businesses and other stakeholders in improving and making better use of their local laneways.
Creative
Treasures of the AGO: The Hulk ↗
KRAK XR, Art Gallery of Ontario - Toronto, Canada (2021-2022)
Priam Givord, Gillian McIntyre, Sherry Philips, Karen Vanderborght, et al.
The first proof-of-concept VR pilot to establish a museum standard for narration and immersive viewing in virtual reality. Presentation of the AGO’s permanent tall ships collection in virtual reality.
A multi-player, interactive narrative allows visitors and online viewers to immerse themselves in the history of the time and discover details usually hidden within the object on display. The VR format engages through active learning and stimulated imagination.
Co-founded and helped launch this cultural research and incubator non-profit; served on inaugural Board of Directors.
UKAI Projects helps people outside of traditional and institutional cultural production do their work and contribute to our collective well-being. We do this through research and prototyping with emerging technologies and tools, new ways of organizing to get things done, and new operating and business models. We employ counterfoil research, the role of culture in addressing social and environmental issues, and provide atypical, long-form residency opportunities for creative entrepreneurs.
Helped board and staff develop a marketing and communications strategy for an expanded multi-partner season. Strategic counsel and planning.
Founded in 2011, Tkarón:to (Toronto)’s Thin Edge New Music Collective has emerged as one of Canada’s foremost ensembles dedicated to presenting and commissioning composers of our time. Driven by an unquenchable curiosity, they’ve produced a vast array of innovative and intricate programs, while engaging in unique and ambitious collaborations. In addition to their annual concert season, the “provocative, thrilling, and thought-provoking” (Musicworks) TENMC has been presented on concert stages across Canada and throughout the world.
While engaging with internationally-revered composers such as Maria De Alvear, Linda Catlin Smith, Allison Cameron, Mick Barr, Elliott Sharp, James O’Callaghan, Barbara Monk Feldman, Jessie Cox and Ana Sokolovic, the ensemble continues to nurture emerging voices, who comprise a considerable number of their 70+ commissioned works. It’s all part of their distinctly eclectic and community-oriented outlook—endeavouring to bring 20th and 21st century music to an ever-expanding listenership.
Creative
Planet Earth ↗
Dynamic Maestro
Dyan Machan, Johan de Meij, Jed Parker
Archival stills and footage research for this 50-minute visual accompaniment to a new symphony by Johan de Meij. For Director-Editor Jed Parker.
Consulting
Tapestry Opera ↗
Tapestry New Opera - Toronto (2014-2016)
Michael Mori, Katie Pounder, et al.
Led fundraising strategy for foundations (public and private), corporate giving and sponsorship, marketing and communications for Canada’s largest contemporary opera company
Creative
Videography
The Kit Magazine, Sweet Potato Chronicles, Glenn Gould Festival, Tapestry Opera, Dan Lim Photography, Plum TV - (2006 - 2014)
Producer/camera/editor:vnews, documentary, lifestyle, and behind-the-scenes video for digital, broadcast, editorial and commercial clients.
Clients include: Plum TV (Preditor - 2008), The Kit Magazine (2010), Sweet Potato Chronicles (2011), Dan Lim Photography (2011), Tapestry Opera (2016), Glenn Gould Symposium (2014)
Consultation and coaching for this independent new theatre company: production budgeting and planning for an epic trilogy supported by a Canada Council New Chapter Grant.
Grant writing: federal multi-year operational funding for this regional institution, during a pivotal shift in funding models.
Creative
Noye's Fludde (opera)
Trinity St. Paul’s | VIVA! Youth Singers of Toronto | Kingsway Chamber Strings
Produced this unique rendering of Britten’s beloved opera with 100+ local performers: an eclectic mix of Toronto-area youth and amateur musicians alongside professional chamber orchestra and soloists. VIVA! Youth Singers, Kingsway Chamber Strings, Trinity-St. Paul’s, et al.
Helped build strategy and secure essential national and regional funding (public and private foundations, government grants) for an ambitious national expansion.
Creative
A-Site
KRAK XR - (2020)
Karen Vanderborght, Mandy Lam, David Psutka, et al.
With Creative Director, developed curriculum, curated team, generated funding for this interactive, multi-platform training toolkit for artists.
A-site’s hands-on workshops and interactive toolkit series introduce mobile augmented reality and AI as essential contemporary tools in the presentation and dissemination of artwork, and an accessible archive bridging past and future.
“Big tech” offers ubiquitous, accessible tools that abet digital access – but at costs in areas of autonomy, ethics, and finances - for artist, curator, and public. Do we really want a global conglomerate gatekeeper? Artists and artist-run institutions need their own tools, access, and knowledge to fully benefit from the implementation of AR and AI technologies. The A-site workshop and digital toolkit series put knowledge directly into the hands of artists.
Cutting-edge, custom AR and AI workshops for independent artists and small to mid-range arts organizations: introducing low-cost and free, open-source tools for the presentation and dissemination of multi-disciplinary artistic work.
AR or augmented reality technology creates opportunities around inclusivity, mobility, way-finding, and decision-making — both individual and collaborative. AI needs more input from artists. We explore AI as a co-creator and co-creator. Write with GPT-2, auto-generate music lyrics, compose music, or transform your voice into a violin.
Workshops are targeted to artists, curators, and arts presenters across a full range of disciplines. Topics explore tensions between open-source and models and proprietary concerns, creative constraints and augmentations of AI, and exhibition space-making possibilities of AR.
Organizational development and grant consulting to this downtown choral program for children, adults, and youth, with and without disabilities.
Fundraising and development support: operating grants
Strategic counsel and support for DIY music promoter and ad-hoc network of local dance scenes, electronic artists and collectives.
Provided strategic counsel and grant support during critical period of leadership transition for this high-performing 30-voice chamber ensemble.