CCR People

Sylvia Sweeney has been appointed as executive director of the National Film Board (NFB)’s Ontario Production Centre. The appointment is effective June 24. Prior to joining the NFB, Sweeney was president since 1987 of Elitha Peterson Productions Inc. She replaces Louise Lore, who is leaving the NFB after six and a half years in the position. Gordon Lee, senior director of uplink services, has left Canadian Satellite Communications Inc. He is doing contract work for some specialty channels. Art Reitmayer becomes president of Multivan Broadcast Corp., which has been licensed to run an over-the-air ethnic station in Vancouver. Previously, he was a VP with CanWest Global, which acquired some of the assets of WIC Western International Communications, where he was president of WIC Television Inc. The Canadian Television Fund has axed its recently created regional vice president positions. Berni Wood, Carole Vivier and Susan Brinton, who were hired in July 2001 to increase the regional presence of the CTF, will continue working for the fund. Vivier will draw up a new action plan to increase the CTF’s nationwide presence. Woods and Brinton’s new positions have not yet been defined. The fund is also searching for a president and CEO as Gary Toth is on a leave of absense. Louise Baillargeon will continue to act as interim CEO until a new person is hired. Once Toth returns, the intent is to "define a meaningful role for him at the fund taking advantage of his extensive experience and expertise." As well, six new members were added to the board of directors of the CTF at its annual general meeting in Banff on June 10: Trina McQueen, Steve Smith, Loren Mawhinney, René Bourdages, Paul Gratton and Beth Haddon. They replace outgoing board members: Richard Stursberg, Heather Martin, Bill Mustos, Philippe Lapointe, Susan Ross and Rudy Buttignol. Suzanne Chapman has been named as executive producer of Collideascope Digital Productions. Previously, she was VP of television production at Alliance Atlantis in Toronto. The National Hockey League has hired Sean Kirby of Prospectus Associates Inc. to lobby on its behalf on matters dealing with broadcast regulations, licensing for conventional, specialty and pay services, the Internet and direct-to-home satellite distribution. Kirby was an aide to the prime minister and a federal Cabinet minister, has advised CEOs and senior executives, and provided strategic communications advice to the Royal Bank. He was a media spokesperson for the prime minister during the 1997 election campaign. The NHL presented its views on Internet retransmission to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage in Ottawa on June 6. Brian Tobin, former minister of Industry Canada, has taken a non-voting, advisory position on the board of directors of the Canadian Recording Industry Association for a term of at least one year. Gordon McIvor has joined the board of directors of Vision TV. He is currently VP of public and government affairs at Toronto-based Canada Lands Company Ltd., a Crown corporation that acquires, develops and resells federal lands. He has also joined the board of the VisionTV Foundation, a registered charity mandated to raise funds to support the production of programming for the channel. Susan Millican has been named the new CEO of the National Screen Institute. She is the former VP of programming at the Women’s Television Network. Diane Rhéaume has been named acting secretary general at the CRTC. Susan Flanders has been appointed as director of development at Minds Eye Pictures. She will oversee all of Minds Eye’s development projects from the company’s office in Edmonton. Richard Camilleri, president of Sony Music Entertainment Canada from 1993 to 2000, has been hired as COO at CanWest Global Communications Corp. He will be in charge of integrating CanWest’s television, newspaper, radio, advertising and interactive business objectives. He succeeds Tom Strike, who was named corporate COO. Strike will oversee all corporate functions at the company. The job changes come into effect July 1. As well, CanWest has let go long-time Ottawa Citizen publisher Russell Mills, amid allegations of influence by the prime minister. The Citizen had run editorials calling for the prime minister to step down. CanWest will not discuss the firing, but denies the allegations of political influence. Entertainment insurance broker Arthur Winkler received the Jack Chisholm Award for lifetime achievement, and IMX’s Chris Zimmer the Chetwynd Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence at the Banff Television Festival on June 12. Zimmer has produced such films as Margaret’s Museum, The Divine Ryans and New Waterford Girl. Winkler has been in the insurance business since 1949, and exclusively in the entertainment sector since 1985.

CCR People

Broadcast | June 21, 2002

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