ACCT Announcements

Toronto, July 13, 2011 – The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is pleased to announce its new Board of Directors, effective immediately. Producer Martin Katz (Prospero Pictures) is the new ACCT Chair.

The 12 new ACCT Board Members, from all areas of the film, television and digital media industries (in alphabetical order) are:

· ACCT Chair – Martin Katz, President, Prospero Pictures

· Barry Avrich, President, Endeavour Marketing

· Celia Chassels, Partner, The Gary Goddard Agency

· Jonas Diamond, Executive Producer, Smiley Guy Studios

· Anne Fitzgerald, Chief Legal Officer, Cineplex Entertainment

· Bryan Gliserman, Co-President, eOne Films

· Robin Mirsky, Executive Director, Rogers Group of Funds

· Gabriel (Gabe) Nachman, (retired partner PricewaterhouseCoopers)

· Mary Powers, President, M. Powers Communications

· Mark Slone, SVP Marketing & Publicity, Alliance Films

· Kevin Wright, Senior Vice President, Astral Television Networks

· John Young, Managing Director, Temple Street Productions

“The composition of this active new industry board presents a real opportunity to reinvigorate the Academy,” says ACCT Chair Martin Katz.  “Now we can better connect our current members with our corporate partners and reach out to some 400,000 professionals working in the Canadian media industry today.”

ACCT Quebec Chair Charles Ohayon welcomes the change: “We begin a new chapter in the history of the Academy with this new Board of Directors which has taken on the responsibility of the organization as we move into the future.”

Mr. Ohayon, who also spearheaded the strategic changes, thanked the industry players who were on an interim advisory council to steer the ACCT through a challenging period. In alphabetical order, they are: Sandra Cunningham, President, Strada Films; Alain Gourd, Consultant; Martin Katz, President, Prospero Pictures; Michael Kennedy, Executive Vice President, Filmed Entertainment, Cineplex Entertainment; Robert Lantos, Producer, Serendipity Point Films; Robin Mirsky, Executive Director, Rogers Group of Funds; John Riley, President, Astral Television Networks; Andra Sheffer, Executive Director, Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund; Mark Slone, SVP Marketing and Publicity, Alliance Films; Jay Switzer, Founder, Jay Switzer Media Consulting; and Patrice Theroux, President, Filmed Entertainment, Entertainment One.

ACCT will soon create a National Advisory Council made up of representatives from across Canada to ensure major regions are represented.

Following the 26th Gemini Awards, ACCT will create a new Awards Governance Committee composed of representatives from the nation’s Unions, Guilds, and Associations to review the rules and regulations governing the Gemini and Genie awards.

Established in 1979, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is a national, non-profit, professional association dedicated to the promotion, recognition and celebration of exceptional achievements in Canadian film, television and digital media. Unifying industry professionals across Canada, the Academy is a vital force representing all screen-based industries.