IN THE KNOW:
Introducing Victoria’s New Film Commissioner
Earlier this year, the Vancouver Island South Film and Media Commission (VISFMC) announced that its CEO Kathleen Gilbert would be retiring at the end of April. After a nationwide search, the Commission recently found a replacement, Peter Hayman.
With 25 years of film and TV experience, Hayman has an impressive resume. He studied film at Algonquin College in Ottawa and the University of California, Los Angeles. After graduating, he worked on film sets and then as a film editor. He later produced and directed non-scripted productions and founded a Toronto-based production company. Fast forward, and he assumed the role of CEO at Torch Television in Los Angeles, where he created and oversaw the production of television series for broadcasters including TLC, Teletoon and Discovery. He was also the executive director and a business agent for the International Cinematographers Guild of Western Canada.
VISFMC’s board president Don Enright said about Hayman, “He has produced, directed, developed, managed, innovated and delivered; been a seriously successful money-raiser and highly effective labour leader; and he has a lifetime’s worth of professional relationships here and in the U.S.”
Hayman is set to start in the role at the start of May. “I look forward to sharing my own enthusiasm with those looking for the perfect place to create their film and media projects,” he said. “As we enter a new era of film and media production fuelled by new technology and innovation, the possibilities are boundless.”
FROM THE CURRENT ISSUE OF DOUGLAS:
Adventure, Culture, History — and Reconciliation
The rise of Indigenous tourism has been a long time coming. British Columbia is leading the way.
When Tyson Atleo (?ikaatius) was a teenager living in Ahousaht, B.C., he felt excluded as tourism in nearby Tofino began to take off. Not only did surfing culture feel foreign to the Ahousaht hereditary representative, but it was frustrating to watch his traditional territories generate wealth for foreign and out-of-town investors. “Our people have stewarded [this territory] for a very long time and not only were we marginalized from the exponential growth of Tofino’s tourism sector,” but as development increased, he says the Ahousaht people fell further behind.
While one solution was to enter the tourism market, a complication arose because, like many Indigenous governments, Ahousaht officials were stretched thin managing public services and the well-being of reserve members. “There was very little room to think about economic development and stewardship in a creative way,” says Atleo. So a group of hereditary chiefs, including Atleo, formed the Maaqutusiis Hahoutlhee Stewardship Society, a non-profit society focused on sustainable economic development.
Read the full story in the latest issues of Douglas.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR:
Coming up:
APRIL
April 3: Designers Mixer
April 8: Introduction to Coding Workshop
April 10: Intro to VIATEC 101
April 11: Victoria Chamber Emerge Connector
April 13: Kidovate Youth Entrepreneurship Experience
April 16: Victoria Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting
April 16: Thriving Non-Profits Revenue Diversification Workshop
April 17: Business Transformation Roadshow
April 18: Saanich Peninsula Chamber April Mixer
April 23: Advanced AI: Friend of Foe — UVic Lecture
April 30: Breakfast with Premier David Eby Presentation
April 30: Breakfast with Premier David Eby Presentation
MAY
May 7: Greater Victoria Business Awards Ceremony
May 27-28: Agile Open Canada Technology Un-conference
JUNE
June 1: Principles for Responsible Management Education Chapter North America Biennial Meeting
June 11-13: Local Government Management Association Conference
