Trebas Institute Advisory Committee

Michael Parenteau - Director, Cinematographer

Director and cinematographer, Michael Parenteau has turned his early days in a small mountain town into a diverse career of filmmaking. His work spans commercial, television, music videos and film, and includes productions for Red Bull Media House and Universal Pictures. From aerial shots to underwater, his work has taken him around the world, including to Oaxaca, Mexico, where he filmed Ride of the Dead (Mountainfilm 2018). Growing up in a small mountain town and immersed in the world of action sports groomed him for his first film with Red Bull Media House. Unaware at the time, but that early experience at Red Bull launched a film career full of work for automotive, architectural, and athletic brands such as Ford, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Wall Street Journal, NBA, Head, Mercedes AMG and more. Best Producer, Audience Award Best Documentary, and Best Cinematography are just some of the awards that line his shelves. His film Ride of the Dead earned him Gold at the Telly Awards. From films to commercials to music videos, Michael’s raw talent has enabled him to shoot both high profile people and locations around the globe. Over the course of his expansive career Michael has stayed true to his hard working and tenacious roots, constantly displaying undeniable talent and creative innovation for immersive storytelling. Mountain peaks, under water, anywhere around the world - there aren’t many places that Michael Parenteau hasn’t ventured to capture breathtaking imagery with a camera. As an action sports athlete, Michael brings a tenacious work ethic to filmmaking, and clients and creatives love working with him. Michael is internationally represented as a commercial director.

Patricia Bebia-Mawa - Vice President of Silvertrustmedia, Executive Producer, Director

Patricia Bebia-Mawa is the Host and Producer of Planet Africa Television, a weekly television series that is broadcast across Canada on OMNI TV and is syndicated to Europe and Africa. She is also the Managing Editor of Planet Africa Magazine, a publication circulated within Canada and the United States. In addition, Patricia serves as Producer of Arise on CTS Television and Destiny Television on Grace TV. Prior to coming to Canada, Patricia was the Host of Lunch Date, a daily talk show, and Thinking About You on DBN Television in Lagos, Nigeria. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and a Multimedia diploma from Algonquin College of Science and Technology in Ottawa. A sought-after speaker and event host, Patricia was the face of Western Union for three years, and has received numerous awards including The Toronto Police Community Service Awards and Women Achievers’ Award for outstanding contribution to the community

Terence "TEE" Lam - Music Producer, Songwriter, and Educator

Terence “TEE” Lam is a music producer, songwriter and educator (Ableton Certified Trainer) from Toronto, Canada. 

Upon graduating from the Audio Production & Engineering program at Metalworks Institute in 2010, TEE joined multi-platinum award-winning production company Kuya Productions as a producer/songwriter. Some of his notable successes include producing the 2014 Juno award-winning R&B/Soul record of the year, “Can’t Choose” by JRDN and co-writing Billboad hits “Here” by Alessia Cara and “Too Good” by Drake, ft. Rihanna.

TEE’s versatile production style has allowed him to cross-over genres and work with various artists from around the world. He’s produced and written for some of K-pop’s biggest acts – EXO (“Stay”), Suho (“Dinner”), and D.O. (“That’s Okay”) among others – yielding several million streams on Spotify and Youtube. His foray into electronic music has also garnered credits on songs by Adventure Club (“Need Your Heart”), DVBBS (“Wicked Ways”) and Kaskade (“With You” with Meghan Trainor). Most recently TEE co-produced “U Should” by 2021 Best New Artist Grammy Nominee, CHIKA. 

Outside of the studio TEE enjoys giving back to the music community in the form of workshops, mentorships and 1-on-1 coaching. He’s also working on a solo artist project under the name POLUN (寶麟) - a project that infuses unique pop melodies with emotionally charged beats and features some of his favourite collaborators.

Social media:
IG: @polunmusic
TikTok: @polunmusic
Twitter: @polunmusic

Michael Patrick Lilly - Chief Creative Officer - Factory Film Studio

Michael Patrick Lilly was a student at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City and has evolved from a theatrically trained actor to talent manager, to feature film producer with over two decades of experience in New York city and Toronto. Mr. Lilly presently serves as Chief Creative Officer at Factory Film Studio where he advises projects as an executive producer and heads the film financing division. Factory Film Studio is a vertically integrated feature film production, marketing and distribution company with an expanding catalogue of independent film titles from around the world.

Mohit Rajhans - TV Producer, Content Creator, Branding

Mohit Rajhans is a Canadian writer, director, producer and reporter for multiple media outlets. He has many television and film credits to his name. Rajhans was born in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada and graduated from Cawthra Park High School and McMaster University. After a few years of acting, he went on to reporting for Omni TV in Toronto, where he covers everything from the Toronto Film Festival to some of the biggest Bollywood events from around the world. Some of his most memorable interviews include a rare one on one with Lisa Ray, A candid interview with Russell Peters and an in depth look at the world of Shah Rukh Khan. His film reviews are seen in articles across the country and heard weekly on the Flow 935 radio station in Toronto. His work has been showcased in magazines all around the world and he has been invited to a variety of festivals both as a panelist and a professional speaker. He is the co-founder of the FILMI Festival, which is the longest running showcase of South Asian films in North America and has also advised a variety of festivals on content from Canada. Other television credits include work with CBC, Tech TV, and Omni2. Rajhans has also performed as a stand-up comic all over the country and hosts a variety of staple events in the city in his spare time. He is the creator of an Omni produced series called The Changing Face of Comedy which currently airs on various Rogers Media Stations. He recently left the producing team of Breakfast Television for City TV after a producing for 8 years and still works a film critic for a variety of publications. In 2007, Rajhans was voted as the top South Asian Media Personality at Canada’s largest Mela, Masala, Mendhi Maasti. Mohit is currently the Director of Programming for Cineplex Digital Networks in Canada. He has also recently appeared on 4 seasons of the National CBC show 'Short Film Face Off' as well as the International show AVS on Sony Entertainment Television.

Roc Chen - Music Composer for film and video game industries

Roc Chen is one of the biggest names in China's film, television and video game industries. He's scored over 200 projects both within and beyond China's borders, proving that one can write film score in both western and eastern style. He has worked with major Chinese and Hollywood film studios such as Dreamworks, Disney, Universal, Wanda, and China Film Group. Before he obtained his master’s degree of composition at Sichuan Conservatory of Music, he chose the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China for his bachelor degree, making him a master of both art and the technology world. He now works from his 2 cutting edge music studios based in Los Angeles and Beijing. The experiences of working with Dreamworks and Disney helped him to understand the method and workflow of big studios and communication with filmmakers. Barry Morrow (screenwriter of Rainman) speaks highly of his music for US-China coproduction film Forbidden Kiss, which was nominated for Best Original Score at the New York City International Film Festival. Jackie Chan spoke highly of Roc's music for his blockbuster film Chinese Zodiac at the film's premiere. Roc works with orchestras around the global and has access to session players who specialize in both Western and Eastern instruments. The soundtrack album A Bite of China, music by Roc, has reached top seller at Amazon China on their film music catalogue. Roc's successes in China has brought him the attentions of Hollywood studios Dreamworks, which hired him as Chinese Music Consultant for Kung Fu Panda 3, joining music production process with Dreamworks music team.

Tonya Williams - Actress, Producer, Director, Film Festival Founder and Activist

Born in London, England Tonya Williams is an award-winning actress and producer who has worked in the entertainment industry for the last forty-five years in Canada and the USA.  She is best known for her nineteen years starring on the daytime drama The Young & The Restless as Dr. Olivia Winters.  She is also the founder and executive director of Reelworld Screen Institute, Reelworld Film Festival and Reelworld Foundation since 2000. She founded Reelworld to address the lack of opportunities, access and inclusion in Canada for Black, Indigenous, Asian and People of Colour in the screen industries.  Tonya currently sits on a number of boards including Wow Unlimited Media, The Black Academy, the Canadian Senior Artists Resource Network, is a founder and board member of the Black Screen Office, she also sits on the Telefilm Diversity & Inclusion Group, the Canadian Media Fund Black Industry Leaders Group, the Ontario Creates Advisory Committee and Canadian Creative Industries Coalitions Group.  She has won two NAACP Image Awards, an ACTRA Award of Excellence, a WIFT Crystal Award, the Harry Jerome Award and others. Tonya is based in Los Angeles.

Joanne Boreham - Casting Director, Producer, Voice Director

Joanne is a casting and voice director with over 25 years in the industry.  She’s cast live action and animation television series and films, that have been seen by millions around the world. These projects have garnered numerous nominations and awards, including Gemini, CSA and Annecy awards. Some of the films have screened at festivals like TIFF, Locarno and Vancouver.  She’s very active in the entertainment community and enjoys assisting in the development of new talent.

Jay Ruston - Grammy Nominated Mixer/ Producer

He has mixed for the likes of Metallica, Anthrax, Wilson Phillips and hundreds of Label Artists. Jay’s 20-year career has spanned across the world, selling millions of copies worldwide, and continues to be both an innovator and activist for human rights as well as being involved with organizations against animal cruelty.

Annick Obansawin - Performer, songwriter, and show creator

A member of the Abenaki Tribe, Annick has over twenty-five years of experience, and is a veteran of the entertainment space, as a performer, songwriter, and show creator.  In 2015, Annick created the hybrid bridge series “Can You Imagine That” (Radical Sheep Productions) - a show that allows children to experience their career of choice, explained and explored through their eyes using animation, art and a whole lot of imagination. The series now plays on TVO Kids. Annick has starred in Genie and Gemini award winning shows such as: “The Adventures of Shirley Holmes” (YTV), Franklin The Turtle (CBC), “Cyberchase” (PBS) and favorites such as “Total Drama Island’ (Teletoon), “Goosebumps”, “ Flashpoint” (CTV), “Brat of the Lost Nebula” (Jim Henson), and  “Ella the Elephant” (Disney), among others. She considers her three seasons on “Lamb Chop’s Play Along” as a highlight of her career. Annick became a published songwriter at ten years old when Chedoke- McMaster Children’s Hospital made her song “Share” their telethon’s theme song while also asking her to perform. She won the John Lennon Songwriting Competition with her song “Maybe” and was a finalist in both The World Billboard Songwriting Competition and the USA Songwriting Competition. But her biggest award to date- being hired as a vocalist to sing with her childhood heroes Sharon, Lois and Braham on their CD “Let’s Dance”. Incorporating her passion for music, writing, and performing, Annick now creates quality educational programming for children, a world that will promote and inspire creative freedom, imagination and self-esteem. Annick is a graduate of The Second City, UFT’s Creative Writing program “Writing for Children” and a graduate of Centennial College’s “Children’s Entertainment” graduate program. 

Michael Da Silva - Manager, Sales and Acquisitions, Raven Banner Entertainment

Michael has almost 10 years of experience in international sales and acquisitions. Getting his start at the international sales company Cinemavault, he has managed acquisitions of films in all genres, and at many budget ranges, including the Academy-Award nominated film ‘Tangerines’.
Michael co-founded Annex Entertainment in 2015, with a goal of pushing the business of international sales farther up production timeline to include financing and development. He brings this experience to Raven Banner, where he continues to manage international sales and acquisitions, while coordinating with in-house productions and other early-stage developments to ensure that the creative and business components of the company work in harmony.

Judith Kanatahawi Schuyler - Indigenous Filmmaker

Judith Kanatahawi Schuyler (Haudenosaunee, Oneida) has served the Indigenous arts community for many years in multiple roles at some of the top Indigenous organizations in Canada, one being the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, an organization she was a part of for over 5 years. She is also the first Indigenous Programmer for the Forest City Film Festival’s Indigenous Film program in London, ON and the first film curator from Turtle Island for the Wairoa Māori Film Festival in New Zealand. She is presently in Covid stalled pre-production with her live action/VFX short film “There is Light” which speaks to addiction, in post-produciton for her LGBT themed film "Once Upon A Time in the Bay" and in development with her debut feature film script “Strippers Have No Names” a film that looks at the sexual exploitation of Indigenous women. Last year, Schuyler was a recipient of the Netflix Apprenticeship and Cultural Mentorship Program, which awarded grants to Indigenous creatives and production companies across Canada. She is also a part of the Membership Circle, helping to shape the future of the Indigenous Screen Office which is based in Toronto.

Sandy Daley - Producer, Social Activist, Actress and Radio and Television Personality and Emerging Filmmaker

Sandy Daley is an award-winning showrunner, producer, author, actress and radio and television personality who infuses passion into her projects. She’s originally from Kingston, Jamaica and has lived in Toronto for a number of years. Daley was the star of Another Planet, the first feature film which was written, produced and directed by a black woman in Canada, Christene Browne. Daley’s syndicated column, "Real Talk With Sandy", was published in New York, Toronto and Barbados. She won the Spirit Award for favourite columnist in 2009, which was handed out at Citi Fields in New York City. The first edition of her book, "Whose Vagina Is It, Really?", published in 2010, has been adapted into a play and will premiere at the Toronto Fringe Festival, July, 2022. Daley's play, "Chronicles of a Black Woman", premiered at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2021.The second edition of her first novel, entitled "Whose Vagina Is It, Really?: Uncensored", will be in stores July, 2022. Daley’s screenwriting credits include, "Untamed Chicks", "Daddy’s Not Around: DNA", and "The Wright Girl": all starring black leads. "Daddy’s Not Around: DNA", premiered at the Caribbean Tales Film Festival in 2019 and was screened at the Carleton Cinemas under the Cinefam umbrella. Daley is also an advocate for social justice and women’s rights, which permeates in her screenplays. She is the founder of the "Whose Body Is It, Really? Empowerment Symposium". The symposium focuses on the prevention of sexual violence against women. She is also the founder of "Mothers Against Violence Against Black Children", an organization that fights systemic racism against black children. Sandy Daley is also the recipient of the prestigious Governor's Award from Centennial College and the Rising Star Award from Ryerson University.

Keziah Myers - Executive Director, Advance

Keziah Myers believes in the skills and uniqueness of this country and knows that there is so much talent yet to be discovered. Currently as the Executive Director of ADVANCE, Canada’s Black Music Business Collective, Keziah’s main role is to advocate for the betterment, upliftment, and retention of Black Talent within the music industry. Leading this organization, Keziah focuses on changing processes, creating opportunities, and providing resources to ADVANCE members, and music industry organizations. Prior to ADVANCE, Keziah led music licensing initiatives at Entandem, and the A&R Operations at SOCAN, where she was instrumental in ensuring diverse hiring, updating internal systems, improving operations, and enabling all offices to better serve 150 000 members. Beyond this, Keziah has held positions in Label Operations Management and Publicity. She has also sat on Entertainment & Music Organization Boards, adjudicated as part of FACTOR and JUNO juries, and is a regular guest presenter for Art-Focused programs, colleges, universities, and high schools.

Tazito Garcia (Taz) - Actor/Producer

Tazito Garcia is a Former corporate executive, school teacher and pro athlete turned twenty three time International Multi-Award Winning Actor, Director, Producer, Keynote and film school board member that loves to give back and inspire the up-and-coming generation of filmmakers and creatives. Garcia Fought for Women in Film & TV since the early 2000's and pioneered indie filmmaking in 2009 by creating a string of no-to-low budget films that became extremely successful in the global film festival circuit. Garcia is also the Author of two top selling filmmaking books available on Amazon and the co-founder of the annual Movie Expo, an event that provides an educational and networking platform to bridge the gap between existing working professionals, upcoming talent, services and opportunities in the film and TV industry while highlighting the stars and departments behind the scenes such as composing, editing, casting, producing, writing and stunts. Garcia's recent projects include a supporting role in Project X-traction alongside Jackie Chan and John Cena and a Hallmark movie currently in pre-production.

Stephanie Harvey - Senior Director Costume workshop at Cirque Du Soleil

Born and raised in Alma, Quebec, Stéphanie graduated from Université du Québec à Montréal with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and more precisely with a profile in international management. Her career in the Live entertainment industry started 28 years ago at the Just for Laugh Festival where she was a production accountant for four years. In 1996, she joined the Cirque du Soleil family and started touring as Head of administration on the show Quidam. She then moved to the logistic team and eventually became Front of House director. Eight years, 48 different cities, three different Big Top shows

(a husband) and two daughters later, she came back to Montreal to start a more stable life for her family. For 3 years, she was Head accountant at Tristan, a Montreal based clothing company and although this opportunity allowed her to explore new experiences, her heart was still with Cirque du Soleil which she

came back to in 2007 as Chief Analyst at the IHQ. Since then, she joined the Planning team where she became the Senior Director for touring business in 2012. In this role, she is responsible of important contract negotiations with foreign partners such as, Fuji, Ocesa and IMM. Over the years, she succeeded

in maintaining a large network of partners around the world as well as developing new markets and partnerships. At the start of 2022, she decided to take a new challenge and join the creative services as Senior Director Costume workshop. She likes to manage big teams which she leads with integrity and transparency. A good part of her motivation is to share her knowledge and coach the next generation.

Bruce Dale - National Manager, Education and Training

Bruce has been with William F. White International since 2006.  He originally joined as a Client Service Representative for our lighting and grip rentals, before creating and running our Education and Training department in 2011.

Mike Harwood - National Director, Technical Support & Development

Mike has been with William F. White International since 1987. He originally joined as a Power Supply Repair Technician before being promoted to National Service Manager in charge of maintenance in Toronto. Today, Mike spends his days on set ensuring our clients are well taken care of, while also attending trade shows to research the latest innovations in film and lighting.