Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada – March 14, 2024
On March 13, 2025, Adam Smoluk, Executive Director of Film Training Manitoba, was awarded the prestigious King Charles III Coronation Medal. This commemorative distinction is awarded to Canadians who have demonstrated dedication and commitment to the well-being of Canadian society.
The Honourable Dan Vandal (Member of Parliament for Saint Boniface — Saint Vital) presided over a special ceremony at the Parroquia Nuestra Señora De La Asuncion (formally Precious Blood Catholic Church) to honour 20 citizens from the Greater Winnipeg area, all recipients of the King Charles III Coronation Medal.
“Adam Smoluk has decades of service within Canada’s film industry. He has been highly successful with leading, negotiating, and delivering cutting-edge film industry training and partnerships with a wide collection of industry stakeholders.” Said Andrew Yankiwski, FTM’s Board Chairperson and owner of Precursor Productions. “Film Training Manitoba’s team all wish to congratulate Smoluk, his wife Jennifer, and his family on this important honour.” He added.
The Coronation Medal was created to mark the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, which took place on May 6, 2023. It is the first Canadian commemorative medal to mark a coronation.
The ceremony aimed to highlight the outstanding contributions of these individuals, who are making a significant impact on their communities, the province, and, in some cases, nationally and internationally.
“During the pandemic, Smoluk led the unprecedented delivery of 19 film-specific COVID-19 safety sessions, which trained over seven hundred Manitoban film workers. His leadership during a turbulent period contributed to keeping our film industry workers safe.” Said Terence Fuller, the President of IATSE 856. “It’s outstanding that a member of our film community is being recognized for his dedication and accomplishments.” He added.
Description of the medal:
The Canadian Heraldic Authority designed the medal, which was approved by The King. The medal is manufactured by the Royal Canadian Mint.
The Coronation Medal is the first Canadian honour to feature the Canadian Royal Crown approved by His Majesty The King as part of its design.
The front side of the medal features a crowned image of His Majesty King Charles III wearing coronation robes. Around the effigy appears the text, “CHARLES III DEI GRATIA REX” (Charles III, by the Grace of God, the King) and “CANADA.”
The reverse of the medal portrays the Royal Cypher (the monogram surmounted by the Canadian Royal Crown) over the sunburst design of the Canadian Coronation emblem.
The date of the Coronation is inscribed on the left side of the medal. “VIVAT REX,” meaning “Long Live The King,” is inscribed on the right side.
The medal is attached to a ribbon using an arrangement of dark blue, bright red and white, identical to the United Kingdom’s Coronation Medal ribbon.
Recipient’s bio:
Adam Smoluk has been with Film Training Manitoba since 2006 and was promoted six times to the senior executive position. Smoluk graduated with a Business Administration diploma from McMaster University and honours from Red River College Polytechnic’s Human Resource Management and Management Development programs. He earned a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) designation and a Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) designation. He completed micro-credential certificates in career and employment coaching from the University of Winnipeg and Leading Through Conflict, Emotional Intelligence, and French Essentials from Western University.
He was selected to participate in RRC Polytech’s billboard campaign for distinguished alumni, and he delivered commencement addresses at McMaster University and RRC Polytech. He studied on scholarship at the British American Drama Academy at Oxford University and was the youngest person ever selected to the National Screen Institute of Canada’s Features First Program for professional filmmakers. He was the sole writer from the Americas awarded selection to the 2016 eQuinoxe Europe International Screenwriting Program in Lindau, Germany. He served on the executive of Youth Employment Services Manitoba, the Advisory Board for Essential Skills Manitoba, the ACTRA Manitoba’s council, and is the former Chair for the United Way of Winnipeg’s GenNext Council for young community leaders. He was a key organizer of the first GenNext Summit held in North America.
He currently serves as the Vice-Chair for the Westland Foundation, which provides post-secondary scholarships for inner Winnipeg students. He also currently serves on the Manitoba Construction Sector Council’s Educators Working Group and on the Advisory Committee for REEL Canada, which promotes Canadian Cinema.
Smoluk has extensive experience providing programming support to post-secondary schools, and he is the former Chair of the Advisory Committee of RRC Polytech’s Digital Film and Media Production post-graduate program and the Chair of Assiniboine College’s Interactive Media Arts program’s advisory committee. Smoluk has also served on RRC Polytech’s Information and Cultural Industries Strategic Council, the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology’s micro-credential industry advisory committee, McMaster University’s micro-credential review committee, and a programming review committee for McMaster. For over a decade, Smoluk has served as a mentor for the University of Manitoba’s Career Mentorship program.
Smoluk was a recipient of the Future Leaders of Manitoba award; he was awarded an Investors Group scholarship for leadership studies at The Peter Lougheed Leadership Institute at the Banff Centre, the Manitoba Federation of Labour’s Al Cerilli scholarship, a scholarship to attend the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Winnipeg Program and an RBC Foundation scholarship to attend governance training with the Institute of Corporate Directors.
His debut film, HORSETHIEVES was awarded the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Film at the Winnipeg International Film Festival. His second feature film, FOODLAND was acquired by Shaw and premiered on the Independent Film Channel (IFC). The film was broadcast on Super Channel and designated to the Gem selections for critically acclaimed films. He served as a director for the Frantic Films and Discovery Channel’s true-crime series IN PLAIN SIGHT. Smoluk contributed profiles of the Right Honourable Edward Schreyer and Manitoba Film & Music’s former CEO Carole Vivier for THE HEART OF WINNIPEG, a book that profiles community leaders.
For further information please contact:
Jenna Paterson-Coutts
Communications and Outreach Coordinator
Film Training Manitoba
204 – 245 McDermot Ave
jenna@filmtraining.mb.ca
204-989-9669 Ext.3