Judges
All judges have been involved in the film industry or in teaching film in some way. Most have been involved with the Charlie Awards as teenagers. We are grateful for the time they give to the festival to critique each film for the students and determine the finalists and winners.
Peter Shannon
Courtesy of Linkedin
Peter is currently the President of Memory Tree Productions. He has been a judge with the Charlies for about 18 years and was a finalist or co-winner of the Charlies with the films Food That Can Kill (1988) and Girl (1988 - no copy located yet).
He graduated from Conestoga College in Broadcasting in 1989, then worked with CTV news and C to C productions before founding Memory Tree in 1996. Memory Tree is now the largest production company in the region employing 15 people and working with companies like The Home Depot, Kraft Foods, Winners, The Government of Canada, and Ronald McDonald House.
He graduated from Conestoga College in Broadcasting in 1989, then worked with CTV news and C to C productions before founding Memory Tree in 1996. Memory Tree is now the largest production company in the region employing 15 people and working with companies like The Home Depot, Kraft Foods, Winners, The Government of Canada, and Ronald McDonald House.
DAVE DIAS
Courtesy of D. Dias
Dave Dias is a television writer who has written over 150 half-hours of animated programs in genres ranging from comedy, to action-adventure, to preschool. As Creative Producer, Executive Story Editor, and as a freelance writer, Dave has contributed scripts and story editing to 60+ series, including recent animated programs True and the Rainbow Kingdom on Netflix, Top Wing on Nickelodeon, and Dot on CBC. Dave is a two-time, Daytime Emmy Award nominee for his writing contributions to the Disney Channel series Rolie Polie Olie, and currently has his own animated series in development at Corus Entertainment.
For over two decades, Dave has been a frequent Judge at the Charlie Awards, and was a finalist or co-winner of the Charlies in 1988 for the films Food That Can Kill and Girl. Dave graduated from York University (BFA, Film Production, 1993), then worked as a picture editor at the animation studio Nelvana before transitioning to animation writing full time in 1997. Dave credits his time making student films in high school, and participating in the Charlie Awards, as the catalyst for pursing a professional career in the film and television industry.
For over two decades, Dave has been a frequent Judge at the Charlie Awards, and was a finalist or co-winner of the Charlies in 1988 for the films Food That Can Kill and Girl. Dave graduated from York University (BFA, Film Production, 1993), then worked as a picture editor at the animation studio Nelvana before transitioning to animation writing full time in 1997. Dave credits his time making student films in high school, and participating in the Charlie Awards, as the catalyst for pursing a professional career in the film and television industry.
PETER CONRAD
Courtesy of P. Conrad
Peter is a filmmaker and educator based in Toronto.
His most recent documentary film, On the Road to Virtue, chronicles the relationship between a Canadian social justice advocate and Salvadoran refugees in the 1980s. Previous documentaries include Guarding A Musical Treasure, a journey into the world of Baroque culture in Bolivia, as well as the science docs, The Challenge of Quantum Reality and The Mystery of Dark Matter for Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. With Radmilo Sarenac, he created the documentary English for Yu, which followed the journeys of three Bosnian women who moved to Canada in the early 90s. It was nominated for Best Social Issue Documentary at the inaugural Hot Docs festival in 1994. Recent scripted projects include the comedic short Dear Bear and the irreverent web series, Turning Intern.
Peter teaches videography and filmmaking in the Faculty of Media and Creative Arts at Humber College. His high-school film, Slipped Knot, didn’t make it out of the in-school competition for the Charlie Awards at KCI, but he kept making films anyway.
His most recent documentary film, On the Road to Virtue, chronicles the relationship between a Canadian social justice advocate and Salvadoran refugees in the 1980s. Previous documentaries include Guarding A Musical Treasure, a journey into the world of Baroque culture in Bolivia, as well as the science docs, The Challenge of Quantum Reality and The Mystery of Dark Matter for Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. With Radmilo Sarenac, he created the documentary English for Yu, which followed the journeys of three Bosnian women who moved to Canada in the early 90s. It was nominated for Best Social Issue Documentary at the inaugural Hot Docs festival in 1994. Recent scripted projects include the comedic short Dear Bear and the irreverent web series, Turning Intern.
Peter teaches videography and filmmaking in the Faculty of Media and Creative Arts at Humber College. His high-school film, Slipped Knot, didn’t make it out of the in-school competition for the Charlie Awards at KCI, but he kept making films anyway.
Robert Douglas
Courtesy of R. Douglas
Robert Douglas taught student filmmakers at KCI and Eastwood Collegiate for 27 years, before he retired in 2007. Many of his students went on to careers in film, and many of them won Charlie Awards. He was there in the 1970’s when students literally cut their film stock — the only copy they had — with a razor blade in a gig, splicing together montages of 1-inch pieces of film with editing tape, shown on a Bell and Howell film projector. Legion are the stories of students holding up a blue slip from Kodak Film, “We are sorry to report that your film footage could not be developed.” Later, in the late 80’s, he taught students how to use ‘non-destructive' editing platforms on computers that froze or lost their films. “Did you backup the footage?” Of course not. Why would we do that! What’s a backup? Through it all was the sustaining “magic of film, intoxicating and thrilling, birthed from an irony that film is an illusion that turns out to be no illusion at all.” It still works its magic on him.
Brennan Ball
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Brennan is a producer/director at Memory Tree Productions.
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Paul Francescutti
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Paul is a self-employed director and videographer. His film, SUUBI: Dance, Drum, Dream, premiered to a sold-out audience at the 2015 Grand River Film Festival. He directed a local Oktoberfest Stein & Dine film, and filmed Operation Christmas Child in Kitchener.
He also mentors and teaches at Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, offering guidance and hands-on experience in the TV Mobile Production Lab. Previously, Paul worked at CTV as a producer and TV director. He graduated from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in the Graphic Arts Management program. |
Brandon Hardy
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Brandon is Creative Director at Oak & Rumble Media, a boutique, creative video production firm in Waterloo. They make commercial, corporate, academic, and animated videos.
He graduated from Conestoga College's Broadcast Television program, and was formerly a student at RCSS. |
Kyle Lacelle
Kyle owns and operates Kyle Lacelle Productions. He went to high-school at RCSS. He's an independent producer and media specialist with credentials in live ENG programming, field production and media consultation.
Wil Groleau
Zac Marshall
Zac currently works at Memory Tree Productions. He was a judge in 2011 and 2013. He didn't go to high school in the area, so he missed the opportunity to compete in the Charlies.
He went to Sheridan College in Oakville from 1999 to 2002 for Media Arts.
He went to Sheridan College in Oakville from 1999 to 2002 for Media Arts.
