Board of Directors

Film Training Manitoba’s Board of Directors consists of ten members who set policy, monitor the financial health and performance of the organization, and provide guidance to the Executive Director.

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Chair: Andrew Yankiwski – Producer, Precursor Productions
Andrew owns Precursor Productions, an industry-leading Winnipeg recording studio and audio post production facility. Precursor specializes in creating top-tier audio for the music, film/TV, interactive and corporate media industries. Precursor has created audio for major entertainment brands including: Netflix, HBO, Amazon Studios, Marvel Studios, NBCUniversal, CBS Studios, Orion, FX, Syfy, MTV and many others. Precursor also teaches audio production in a series of boutique, hands-on classes offered in-studio.

Vice-Chair: Ellen Rutter – Production Manager, Line Producer and Producer (DGC-MDC ex-officio) 
Ellen Rutter is senior-level instructor, mentor and member of DGC-MDC. Ellen has instructed various FTM programs and regularly serves as an FTM mentor to upgrade the skills of Manitoba’s film industry professionals. Rutter is a member of the Directors Guild of Canada’s Manitoba District Council and has served as a Production Manager and Line Producer in the film industry for many years. She has served on FTM’s Board of Directors, as an FTM instructor and mentor, and was Vice Chair of SWIFT 2022.

Directors:

Kyle Irving – Producer, Eagle Vision (On Screen Manitoba ex-officio)

Kyle Irving O.M. has produced more than 230 hours of film and television content over 20 years. He delivered a fourth season of Eagle Vision, ICF and eOne’s drama series Burden of Truth for CBC, The CW, Hulu and Universal UK as executive producer. He is an executive producer on Orphan: First Kill, the feature film prequel to the hit film Orphan with eOne and Dark Castle, which is scheduled for a 2021 release. He is also currently executive producing a new doc series that he co-created called 7th Gen for APTN which will premiere in 2021.

Irving is an executive producer along with Taika Waititi on Night Raiders written and directed by Danis Goulet which just premiered at the 2021 Berlinale. He produced Diaspora written and directed by two-time TIFF winner Deco Dawson which is scheduled for release in 2021. Kyle just finished production as a producer of the new Madison Thomas feature film Finality of Dusk. Irving has produced numerous other award-winning feature film productions, notably: Oscar winner and nominee for Best Picture Capote with Sony, Walk All Over Me with the Weinstein Co, Blue State with MGM, the multi award-winning We Were Children, Reasonable Doubt with Lionsgate and Lovesick with eOne.

Irving also executive produced Ice Road Truckers, one of the most successful and longest running docudrama series in television history for History Channel, AETN, and 80+ countries around the world. Collectively, Irving’s productions have been nominated for sixteen CSA’s with three wins, five Oscar’s with one win, five BAFTA’s with one win, five Independent Spirit Awards with three wins, one Golden Globe win, five Shorty Awards with two wins and one Cinequest audience choice award.

Having worked in the Indigenous community with his business partner Lisa Meeches for more than twenty years Irving has a strong focus on championing under-represented talent development and has mentored and supported numerous emerging writers, directors, producers and crew. He is also a strong supporter financially and in-kind to independent films. Irving also enjoys directing, he has directed on The Sharing Circle, Taken, the second unit of many of Eagle Vision projects and recently the virtual opening of the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s new Inuit Art Centre, Qaumajuq. 

Tanya Mazur – Script Supervisor/Continuity (IATSE 856 ex-officio)

Tanya is a Script Supervisor who has worked on the following selected productions: Bed Rest, The Porter and ‘Tis the Season to be Merry.

John B. Lowe –  Filmmaker and Actor (ACTRA Manitoba ex-officio)

Community Members at Large:

Aaron Graham – Production Manager
Aaron is a full member of the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) and serves on the executive of the DGC Manitoba’s district council. He has served as a Production Coordinator and Assistant Production Coordinator on such Winnipeg-based productions as “Midnight Sun”, “Breakthrough”, “The Parts You Lose”, and “Burden of Truth” Seasons 1 and 2.

Aaron also has an extensive background in freelance film writing including the publications Screem Magazine and Art Decades. A partial list of his interview subjects include Terry Gilliam, John Landis, James Gray, Richard Franklin, Charles B. Griffith, Stuart Gordon and Richard Linklater. Graham was also selected to the Berlinale Talent Campus at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival.

Jill Latschislaw

Jill Latschislaw has worked for over 15 years in post-secondary, having held roles including Senior Manager of Workforce Development and Community Initiatives and Work Integrated and Academic Coordinator with MITT, as well as Co-operative Education Coordinator with the Asper School of Business.

In her current role as Business Development Manager with Red River College Polytechnic’s Corporate Solutions team, Jill is responsible for helping organizations develop training – including micro-credential training – to fill skills gaps. Her specialities include business development, program planning, contract training, consulting services, partnership initiation and management and she is engaged in industry-driven program development and initiatives, as well as business, industry and community engagement.

One of Jill’s passions is assisting First Nation communities, Indigenous Peoples, and newcomers in accessing training. She is a Co-Chair of the Manitoba Collaborative Indigenous Education Blueprint Steering Committee, a Board Member with Film Training Manitoba, a Conference Committee Member with the Education Research Forum (Shawane Dagosiwin) and a Conference Board Member with the Manitoba Quality Network (QNET).

Reil Munro
Reil Munro is a member of IATSE 856 has numerous film credits as writer/director and is also a professional in the electrical and camera departments for commercial films. Reil has worked on many sets in his long spanning film career, on such films and series as, Arbor Live!, Death Race, Red 2, The Medicine Line, and Elijah. Reil’s objectives are to strictly collaborate with creative individuals, be it technical or creatively. Reil is a non-union Director of Photography, with over 10 years’ experience as a lighting, camera movement specialist (sanctioned) with the last 7 years spent exclusively operating the camera, and lighting for episodic television, music videos and documentaries. His years of working in professional motion picture gave him an extensive appreciation of lighting, camera movement, and composition, which he has segued into his own.

Carrie Wilkins – Producer/Line Producer/UPM

Carrie is a partner in a local production company, Bonus Production Services, and is a current member of the Directors Guild of Canada. Carrie serves as Co-Chair of Canada’s SWIFT Conference.

The last 30 years of entrepreneurship in various industries have provided Carrie with a deep understanding of effectively improving operations to positively impact growth and profit, while creating a positive and empowering workplace culture. She looks forward to working with the FTM staff, board members, and community members to continue providing opportunities for learning and development in the Manitoba film industry.

Luther Alexander – Producer and Cinematographer

Luther Alexander is a Saulteaux producer and cinematographer working in documentary and film narratives for 10 years. His work has been broadcast on television for CBC and APTN and films screened at festivals locally and internationally, the latest being Eagle Girl in Los Angeles. As an NSI alumnus of New Voices and Indigidocs, he is also alumni of U of W in Management and Filmmaking at NYFA. He is currently working on a slate of five film projects with his partners at Code Breaker Films into 2020.