Whether you’re cast in a project that shoots abroad or you’re a producer on a quest for locations and tax credits, we’re all finding ourselves traversing the globe more than ever. Getting to know (and joining) our sister Women in Film & Television organizations around the country and the world can be a resource of unending value. From the quickest route to crewing-up with talented women to taking advantage of great events and programing, WIFTs around the world expand our networks and our horizons.
By Mellini Kantayya
This past summer, I was warmly welcomed by Women in Film and Television – Toronto (WIFT-T). Established in 1984, WIFT-T is the oldest Women in Film and Television chapter in Canada and also boasts of the largest Canadian membership and staff. They represent women in all areas of screen-based media at every stage of their careers.
Though we share the same mission, every organization is unique. If there were two words to capture the spirit of WIFT-T, they would be “cultivation” and “mentorship.” WIFT-T operates under a “cohort” system, with programming specifically tailored to those in their early careers (less than five years), mid careers (five to ten years), and at the executive level (over ten years). This facilitates, as Executive Director Heather Webb said, “women learning, sharing, and mentoring throughout their careers [while] offering each member unique opportunities to tap into a diverse and supportive network in the industry,” whether their goal is breaking into the business or securing that corner office.
Left to right: Christina Anderson (Program & Special Events Coordinator), Heather Webb (Executive Director), Kadon Douglas (Communications & Engagement Manager)
One exciting manifestation of this is WIFT-T’s recent launch of a six-month formal mentorship program. Members at the early-career or mid-career level apply to be coached by an executive level member who has chosen to participate. Both mentors and mentees attend workshops to ascertain goals and expectations. Mentees emerge with a plan with quantitative, tangible outcomes and support along the way.
WIFT-T August “Walk and Talk” at Trinity Bellwood Park in Toronto
Before leaving Toronto, I also had the pleasure of participating in another program that embodies their spirit of cultivation and mentorship by joining one of their “walks and talks.” Inspired by serial media entrepreneur Geraldine Laborne’s “Global Mentoring Walks,” members meet monthly at one of Toronto’s beautiful city parks to, well, walk and talk—giving members the opportunity to chat and network in a casual environment with leading women in the industry.
You can learn more about (and join!) Women in Film and Television Toronto at http://www.wift.com
Mellini_Kantayya
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Rachel Schwartz
Welcome to NYWIFT, Rachel Schwartz! Rachel Schwartz has been a staff member at the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) since January 2019, in rising roles as the Manager, then Director, and now Head of Daytime and Children’s & Family Emmy Awards. Prior to that, she worked at the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards, for eight years. Therefore, she is halfway to an “administrative EGOT.” Rachel graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern University with a BA in Theatre and a minor in Women’s Studies in 2005. The crowning achievement of her education was her undergraduate thesis on a proposed new voting system for the Primetime Emmys. She has been obsessed with awards shows since sixth grade, when she passed out Oscar ballots to the rest of her class. She is proud to be a native New Yorker, born and raised in Queens.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Ceilidh Michelle
Welcome to NYWIFT, Ceilidh Michelle! Ceilidh is the author of Butterflies, Zebras, Moonbeams, (Palimpsest Press 2019), shortlisted for the Hugh MacLennan Award for Fiction and Vagabond: Venice Beach, Slab City and Points In Between (Douglas & McIntyre 2021). Her novella, Living Waters, was shortlisted for the Malahat Review's Novella Prize and The Commonwealth Prize, she's received an honorary mention from Writers Digest, and has been shortlisted for the Eunice Williams Prize for Nonfiction. The CBC has listed her twice as an author to watch. Her work has appeared in Maclean’s Magazine, 49th shelf, Room, Saltwire, Long Reads, and others. Originally from Nova Scotia, she lives in New York.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Sydney Sidner
Welcome to NYWIFT, Sydney Sidner! Sydney is an award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter and educator with an impressive resume of work appearing on TV, film and in the theater. In our interview, she encourages creators to be both passionate and flexible. Read on to learn more.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Jennifer Sklias-Gahan
Welcome to NYWIFT, Jennifer Sklias-Gahan! Jennifer is a New York-based actress, writer, and filmmaker. She is the founder of Demivoula Studios and 18 Bleecker Films, an award-winning production house. She is known for her work in The Urban Ghost Story: Matilda, a short film she wrote and stars in with actor Sean Avery, produced by Academy Award-winner Christine Vachon and 18 Bleecker Films. Matilda took home several honors on the festival circuit, including Best Short Film. She recently completed the indie feature The Cutting Room Floor, and has two other features filmed in 2025 (The Wingers and Windows) being released in 2026. Jennifer’s gothic ghost story book, The House in the Middle of the Street, the first in a series of dark tales, is now available worldwide, distributed by Simon and Schuster. A gorgeous vinyl version, beautifully illustrated by Myles Mullen, is available through Rare Bird publications. The audio version, narrated by Jennifer herself, will have a worldwide release this summer. She’s currently writing the next book in her gothic series, The Last Days and Nights of Ellie Boread. Jennifer plans to create this ancestral narrative into a feature film. In our interview, we discuss her career through acting, directing, writing, and owning a production company; gothic aesthetics; and her upcoming projects.
READ MORE
