Evaluation Juries

Jason Della Rocca is a game industry entrepreneur, funding advisor, and cluster expert. He specializes in business/partnership development, pitching/funding, and ecosystem/cluster development.

As the co-founder of Executions Labs, he was a hands-on early stage investor to over 20 independent game studios from North America and Europe. Between 2000-09 he served as the executive director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), and was honored for his industry building efforts with the inaugural Ambassador Award at the Game Developers Conference. In 2009, Jason was named to Game Developer Magazine’s “Power50,” a list which profiles 50 of the most important contributors to the state of the game industry. As a sought after expert on the game industry, Jason has lectured at conferences and universities worldwide.

Jason Edward Lewis is a digital media poet, artist, and software designer. He founded Obx Laboratory for Experimental Media, where he directs research/creation projects on computation as a creative and cultural material. He co-directs the Initiative for Indigenous Futures, the Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace research network, and the Skins Workshops on Aboriginal Stortyelling and Video Game Design. He is a Trudeau Fellow, and University Research Chair in Computational Media and the Indigenous Future Imaginary as well as Professor of Computation Arts at Concordia University, Montreal.

Lewis' creative work has been featured at Ars Electronica, Mobilefest, Urban Screens, ISEA, SIGGRAPH, and FILE, among other venues, and has been recognized with the inaugural Robert Coover Award for Best Work of Electronic Literature, a Prix Ars Electronica Honorable Mention, several imagineNATIVE Best New Media awards and five solo exhibitions. He's the author or co-author of chapters in collected editions covering mobile media, video game design, machinima and experimental pedagogy with Indigenous communities, as well as numerous journal articles and conference papers.

Before joining academia, Lewis spent fifteen years in Silicon Valley exploring early digital and networked media at the Institute for Research on Learning (where he was a Carnegie Fellow), Fitch Design, and Interval Research. In 2009 he founded Arts Alliance Laboratory, the research and development arm of London-based venture capital firm Arts Alliance. Born and raised in northern California, he is Cherokee, Hawaiian and Samoan.

Jason Ryle is the Artistic Director of the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival based in Toronto, Canada. imagineNATIVE is the world’s largest showcase of film, video, audio and digital media works created by Indigenous media artists. In his capacity as Artistic Director, Jason oversees all artistic and programming aspects of the annual Festival and the organisation’s year-round activities, including international co-presentations and special projects. He is an Advisor for the NATIVe - A Journey into Indigenous Cinema special series at the Berlinale (Germany) and has served on numerous festival and council juries in Canada and internationally, most recently at the Tampere Film Festival (Finland).

Jean-Michel Albert holds a BBA (finance option) and a BA from the University of California. He today has a total of 20 years of experience in the completion of development projects, from conception to production. He has also developed innovative and creative projects for many national and international production companies. He currently works as an independent producer and consultant in the field of new media and founded the Marseille Web Fest, an international festival held for the first time in 2011.

Jean-Christophe Yacono (yako) has developed an impressive photographic and digital body of work in numerous artistic projects over the years. His oeuvre has been featured at the Biennale d’Art Numérique (BIAN), the Festival International du Film sur l’Art (FIFA), the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma (FNC), the Cirque du Soleil, PdA’s ArTV studio, the Centre Pompidou, and the Centrale Powerhouse Gallery, among many others.

Since 1993, yako has focused on new forms of digital writing on screens and in public spaces. Through photography, interactive “new realities” and “freeze-frame,” he began his ongoing reflection on gesture, on the fly or choreographed, in movement, experimental or theatrical, in forms on image, in sequences, and on the shifts and blurs that motion makes on the sensor itself.

Yako has developed a practice in media and visual arts through projects that include Wonderland (2008), a public performance of immersive theatre and live audiovisual creation, Musicbox 2 (2009), an interactive installation presented at BIAN, and the production of interactive videos in short and medium formats such as Noirceur (2020), and Fear in Motion (2019) presented at the Imperial Cinema during FIFA 38 and in a selected number of other festivals.

Jean-Pierre Faucher is an international business consultant in the interactive media sector, specializing in video games. He also provides expertise as senior business advisor at Inno-centre Montréal and Technology Business Accelerator in Mexico City, serving in this capacity as a coach for Mexican- and Quebec-based firms. He is a member of the executive committee of the UNESCO Chair of International Communication and Development at UQAM, a co-producer of the Canadian Guide to the Video Games Industry. Jean-Pierre was formerly director of partnership development for the Alliance numérique du Québec, founder of the Montreal International Gaming Summit, co-founder of the Canadian Interactive Alliance (CIAIC), publisher and product manager for Quebecor Media and a jury member for the OCTAS Gala of the Réseau action TI du Québec.

Jeff Mignon is the founder and CEO of the RevSquare/Mignon-Media digital agency, which specializes in communications for the corporate, education and media sectors. He is also the publisher of a news site for kids, Kiddoki.com, and an investor in two start-ups: Open Topic and Fuzu Media. He is the co-creator of Quelcandidat.com, the first participatory media site in France, featuring news from both professional reporters and “citizen journalists.” In addition to this, he was the founder of Formules Presse, a Paris-based media consulting firm, where he was co-CEO and creative director as well for 10 years. He also helped create the 5W Infographics computer graphics agency (New York, Madrid) and the Mediapolis media consulting agency (Warsaw).

Jen Goertzen is VP UX at BRYTER and currently based in Berlin, Germany. She co-founded Caribou, a Canadian UX consultancy, in 2011. Over the course of her career, she has led and consulted with design and product teams across a wide range of industries including interactive retail experiences, secure messaging, classical music streaming, and no-code automation.

Jennifer Lufau is actively engaged with inclusivity topics in the video game world. With her Afrogameuses association, she works for better professional integration and visibility of within the sector. Also a content creation expert, she is a Social Media Manager at Ubisoft and has strong experience in managing international communities.

Jess Murwin is a nonbinary Indigenous artist and curator of Mi’kmaq, Scottish, Welsh and Irish descent currently based in Montreal, Quebec They received formal artistic training from Notre Dame de la Tilloye (France) and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (Canada), as well as informal training on various sets, at artist centres and in workshops in Canada, Europe and India. Their work is largely community-based, combining futurism and social engagement through a variety of mediums.

As a programmer, they have worked for the Atlantic International Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, and Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire à Montréal, among others. Their focus in presenting films and media artworks has always been to champion stories by female, 2SLGBTQ+, and Indigenous artists. They see this work as a critical way of reclaiming narrative spaces and as an important political and artistic act.

Their next project, Canoe Body, is in pre-production.

Joan Jenkinson is a founder and the inaugural Executive Director of the Black Screen Office where she works to support Black Canadians in developing talent, accessing funding, and assuming decision-making roles in television, film and digital media. She also fosters relationships with federal funding agencies, broadcasters and distributors.

Joan is a founding Partner/Producer at Artemis Pictures which is focused on developing and producing high- end scripted content for television and the cinema, for international audiences.

Joan was Vice-President of Independent Production for ZoomerMedia Limited, Television Division. She commissioned, developed and executive produced hundreds of hours of award-winning creative content in all genres for VisionTV. Such titles as Songs of Freedom, Inside The Mind of Leonardo, The Naked Archeologist, Rabbit Fall, and Soul.

Joan spearheaded VisionTV’s ground-breaking DiverseTV/NSI initiative which produced award-winning comedy and drama programs and earned her a Visionary Award from the ReelWorld Film Festival.

For five years, Joan served as Executive Director of Women in Film and Television - Toronto (WIFT-T), where she established professional development training and networking opportunities for women in screen- based media.

Lives in Berlin and has been writing scripts for television since 1990. Passionate about new formats and independent production, he created the blog "Web Series Mag" on the French newspaper Liberation website to review the web fictions of the whole world. Also a consultant, he observes, analyzes, criticizes, studies and catalogs this particular format, offering his expertise to online platforms and content producers. He regularly gives lectures on webseries. In 2015, he founded the Web Series World Cup and released the first statistic study (“Web Series Anatomy”), in 2016 he published “Le guide des Webséries – la nouvelle vague” and in 2017 was elected first president of the French web creators’ association (WAF).

John Gill is an independent media consultant providing strategic, business, and programming consultation to Canadian media organizations. Before that, John was the CEO of the National Screen Institute.

He was the Senior Vice President, Dramatic Content for Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. where he had overall content responsibility for the company’s five dramatic channels – Showcase, History Television, Showcase Action, Showcase Diva, and the Independent Film Channel. John was also responsible for launching BBC CANADA and BBC Kids and has directed the programming of the National Geographic Channel.

As Director of Network Scheduling at TVOntario, he designed the network's broadcast schedules and directed the design, production, and implementation of TVO's on-air positioning. John's educational credentials include an MBA from the Ivey School of Business and a BA from Queen's University.

Jonathan Lessard is associate professor of game design and virtual worlds in the Design and Computation Arts department of Concordia University. He has a long history of digital game design and development both within the industry and as independent artist. He currently leads the LabLabLab, a research team focused on playful interactive conversations with virtual agents, for which he has received multiple grants. He holds a Phd in Cinema and has published many scientific articles in such leading venues as Games and Culture, DiGRA, Foundations of Digital Games and the International Conferencce on Interactive Digital Storytelling.

Jordan Molaro is the President of Nu Media Films and is a writer, editor, and director driven by an incredible passion for the art of filmmaking. Born and raised in the North End of Winnipeg Manitoba, Jordan was exposed at a very early age to filmmaking. At 13 he was cast for a lead role in the film “the Fragile”. The film captures the harms and effects of inhalants. As a recipient of a scholarship to the Manitoba Theatre of Young People, it sparked a keen interest within him to expand on creative writing.

This passion along with the Seven Sacred teachings kept him in check and in balance. It became quite apparent that Jordan’s life would be centered upon his passion for filmmaking. His works are often noted for their unique style, elegance, cultural significance, technique and the ability to relate his characters well with his audience.

Passionate about global business, culture and innovation, Josette D. Normandeau has successfully combined her skills as a journalist, entrepreneur, and executive producer to lead a creative production house that has collaborated with partners worldwide to achieve international recognition.

Josette first attracted attention as a radio journalist and show host in Quebec City, but it was in Boston - as Director of New England Audio’s multimedia division - where she first began to explore and capitalize on the emerging world of digital technology.

By the early 1990s, Josette had launched and was managing both the World Trade Centre Montreal and the European Union Chambers of Commerce in Canada. Responsible for fostering international business cooperation and development across all industries, she was a delegate at numerous summits and trade missions, and excelled at the complex exercise of diplomacy and matchmaking.

Josette joined IDEACOM in 1994 where her avant-garde approach soon led to the production company becoming a pioneer in the convergence of TV and the Internet. President since 2000, Josette now acts as both content and executive producer, managing business development while spearheading all aspects of the complex international co-productions that have become her signature.

Under Josette’s leadership, IDEACOM has produced more than 500 hours of high-end original programming, and has received over 100 national and international distinctions along the way.

In 2010, Josette established Zenith ABC—a digital offshoot that has become the heart of digital development for the group. Over the years, she has forged several first-look co-production partnerships - notably with French conglomerate Mediawan’s AB and CC&C labels, and Factual Factory, a division of France’s leading independent TV production company, Satisfaction Group. In 2017, Josette also signed a strategic partnership with prolific production and distribution house Cineflix Media to facilitate and accelerate the creation of factual and scripted content for the global market.

Involved in policy-making at all levels of government, Josette is a long-standing member of various boards and advisory committees where she has contributed to critical advancements in independent TV and digital production. She is currently on the national board of directors of the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) and President of the independent media producers’ association of Quebec (AQPM).

As an educator, Josette helped reboot the documentary producer training program at INIS - the professional audiovisual training center in Montreal - and headed the program from 2007 to 2012. A sought-after speaker, panelist and moderator, she has twice addressed the National Assembly in Paris, toured New Zealand at the invitation of French Fest, and represented Canada at the Bogotá Audiovisual Market in Colombia.

A black belt in both karate and aikido, Josette has competed in national and international tournaments, and headlined the TV series Deadly Arts where she travelled the planet to train with - and be tested by - the world’s greatest martial arts masters.

Josette studied at Colorado College and Harvard University, and received a BA in English Literature from the University of Sherbrooke where she is co-chair of the board of directors. Among her many accomplishments, she was decorated by France with one of the country’s highest honors, the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Juan Baquero is a director, producer, story consultant and podcaster currently splitting his time between Toronto and Bogota. Currently, Juan directs a bi-weekly nonfiction podcast, Relatos Amarillos, advises Colombia’s Public Media System RTVC on convergence strategies and works as a mentor for Hot Docs Doc Accelerator Program. Juan has over 20 years experience in the field and has worked with a variety of media companies, including Discovery Channel En Español, Discovery USA, CBC, Arte France, NHK (Japan), Canal Der Spiegel, TVO, OMNI, Bravo, RCN and RTVC. In 2012, Juan co-founded The Doc Story Studio, an organization devoted to promoting the art of nonfiction storytelling, and Twice Upon a Time, a multi-platform nonfiction storytelling lab that explores the space where journalism and art converge. His experience as a storytelling mentor, instructor and consultant spans over a decade, including work with Hot Docs, LIFT, and The Doc Story Studio. Juan’s work has been recognized over the years, including Hot Docs Top 10 Audience Favourite for Listen to This (Proximity Films and TVO). Credits: Director, Editor, Cinematographer. Listen to This also received a Gemini Award nomination for best Arts Documentary in 2011. In 2020 Juan received a Best Director nomination at the Canadian Screen Awards for his directing work for Equator 360 (Primitive Films). In 2022, Juan’s El Cubo (original concept and creative director) received an India Catalina Award for best interactive project. Juan holds an undergraduate degree in telecommunications from the University of Florida and a Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School.

A published freelance writer and web content manager with a 20-year career. I have been a content freelancer for Disney, Time Warner, Viacom, News Corporation and various other media sites. I have also been hired by a few independent production companies to rewrite and polish scripts, have worked as press for high profile film festivals such as Toronto International Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, NY Film Festival, among others. Also, I was on the 2019 web series jury for the American Black Film Festival, the 2010 AAWIC Film Festival, Ocktober Film Festival, and on the 2020 Jury for NYC Webfest.

Graduated with a bachelor's degree in Graphic Communication from Laval University in 2003, Karen works in the field of video games, where the creation of experience is strongly combined with the emotion of the player. For her, the experience isn't just about what's on the screen: the user is the creative initiator. In almost 15 years, Karen has worn many hats. Going from game designer to project manager, she has evolved as much in more technical mandates as in mentoring. She now applies her knowledge to the development of software products, where artificial intelligence and data management allow companies to offer highly personalized experiences to their customers.

Trained as an entertainment lawyer, Kelly Lynne Ashton has been working in the  Canadian film, television and digital media industries for over twenty years. She has worked as a business affairs executive in several Toronto television production and distribution companies, including Atlantis Films Limited and the Owl Group of Companies. Kelly Lynne then entered the world of digital media to act as Senior Producer at children’s web studio Big Orbit Inc. While at Big Orbit she also developed, managed and marketed the online youth research company Reactorz.   She has also worked in government relations and media policy as Director of Policy at the Writers Guild of Canada. Kelly Lynne is currently bringing together the different strands of her career in the Canadian media industries - legal, business, marketing and research - and providing consulting services to clients in all areas of the industry including evaluation services for various funds, authoring research reports and acting as Conference Curator at Interactive Ontario’s business of interactive digital media conference iVentures.   Kelly Lynne recently obtained a Certificate in Leadership and Inclusion from Centennial College and implemented it in authoring the “A Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit for the Interactive Digital Media Industry” for Interactive Ontario.