Local Talent Selected for Mentorship Program
Two Nova Scotians have secured placements through the Canadian Media Production Association's Atlantic Mentorship Program.
The successful candidates were selected by a panel on their merit and fit with the mentor company identified. The program offers five paid training opportunities in the film, television and interactive media sectors in Atlantic Canada. Under the guidance of industry professionals, they will have the opportunity to develop their abilities.
Ruth Vollick, an assistant post-production co-ordinator, was selected to mentor at Emotion Pictures, a Halifax based production company run by Thom Fitzgerald and Doug Pettigrew. Emotion Pictures was founded in 1996 and since then have created well-known feature films such as The Hanging Garden, 3 Needles and Cloudburst, which premiered at the 2011 Atlantic Film Festival. Ms. Vollick will be involved in funding and development as well as pre- and post-production duties.
Rebecca Sharratt, a producer trainee, has been selected to work with local producers Bill Niven and Jay Dahl at Northeast Films Inc. Northeast Pictures have produced two feature films over the past year, Roller Town and There are Monsters and have also recently produced The Picnicface Show for Comedy/CTV.
Ms. Sharratt will have the opportunity to work with the team to develop a project, find new projects, investigate new media strategies and gain experience in running a production company.
"We are happy to welcome Rebecca to the team," said Mr. Niven. "We look forward to sharing with her some of the experience and knowledge we have been fortunate to acquire throughout our years in the industry."
The Atlantic Mentorship Program is supported by Film Nova Scotia, Telefilm Canada, the Government of New Brunswick, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation. Canadian Media Production Association is a non-profit, national industry trade organization.
"We congratulate the successful applicants in securing these placements," said Ann MacKenzie, president and CEO of Film Nova Scotia. "We have seen some great talent evolve in the industry from this program and we are happy to be a part of an initiative that works to support and grow the local talent in Nova Scotia."
Film Nova Scotia is a provincial Crown corporation reporting to the Minister of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism. The corporation provides a wide range of programs and services to support the province's audiovisual industry. Nova Scotia is among the largest production centres in Canada.