Nancy Chapelle, Executive Director
Appointed in 2015, Nancy is the Executive Director of the Bell Fund, a private independent production fund. Since 1997, the Fund has received over $200 million in financial contributions from Bell TV to support the development and production of high- quality Canadian content. Previously she held the position of Managing Director of Content & Programming for TVO, where she led the evolution of the public broadcaster’s content strategy from a single broadcast channel to a relevant and agile multiplatform media organization. Before that Nancy was President of Catalyst Entertainment, a Toronto-based production and distribution company she co-founded in 1990. She’s the recipient of two Rockies and a Gemini award as well as being recognized as one of WXN’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women (Arts and Communication) in 2011. Nancy has served on various Boards and Advisory committees including The RTA School of Media Advisory Committee, The Toronto Film Board, The Peer Project- Youth Assisting Youth and as a mentor with the WXN Wisdom and Broadcast Management Studies, Schulich School of Business mentoring programs.
(Montréal)
Claire Dion, Associate Director
Claire has held positions at the Institut québécois du cinéma, the SGCQ and SOGIC (now SODEC). She has taught scriptwriting at the Université du Québec, associate produced for Robert Favreau’s feature L’Ange Noir and was a script editor on Super 2 Sans Plomb. Claire set up the Quebec office for the Maclean Hunter Television Fund, now the Independent Production Fund and was a consultant for Shaw Cablesystems and the CanWest Promotion of Programming Fund. Claire has a BA in television studies from Concordia and a master’s degree in Cinéma from USC. A former chair of CLSC Côte-des-Neiges, Claire is a member of the Canadian Academy of Cinema & Television, Femmes du cinéma de la télévision et des nouveaux médias de Montréal and vice-president of the Fondation Marijo.
Suzanne Lacey, Program Manager
Suzanne is a media leader with over 20 years of experience. From directing multi-platform content and promotional strategy to project managing for TV and digital media, Suzanne has also acted as director of broadcast scheduling and executive in charge of production for factual and dramatic series. Supported by years of executive management training and professional development, Suzanne’s objective is to continue contributing to the Canadian media and entertainment sectors by bringing a strategic and creative approach to projects, and helping teams achieve their full potential.
Charles Zamaria, Financial Director
Since 1996, Charles has served as financial director for the Bell Fund, Independent Production Fund, and COGECO Program Development Fund. Concurrently, he is a tenured professor in RTA School of Media at Ryerson University. He also serves as principal investigator for the continuing international and longitudinal research study, the Canadian Internet Project. Charles has worked for CTV, YTV, CBC, Telefilm Canada and several independent production companies in various capacities. He has credits on dozens of award-winning independent film and television productions. He is also the author of numerous articles and publications and has led several cultural trade forums and missions for the Canadian government. He has assisted in the creation of national standards and tools for the digital media industry.
Rachel Feldbloom-Wood, Business Analyst
Before joining the Bell Fund team, Rachel managed Bell Media’s BravoFACT program. She sat on both the BravoFACT & BravoFACTUAL juries, travelled coast to coast doing program outreach, and organized special initiatives at some of Toronto’s most notable film festivals. Rachel’s been immersed in the world of arts funding since 2008, when she began working in the grants department at the Toronto Arts Council. She started her career at the Toronto International Film Festival, which prompted her to create an evening film program for teenagers, teaching them about the importance of world cinema. She holds a Specialized Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Film Studies from York University.
Mark Shapland, Office and Communications Coordinator
Mark began his post-secondary education at Carleton University, where he completed his Bachelors of Arts in Film Studies. With a passion of studying film theory and a desire to share the film-going experience with others, he worked at Cineplex Varsity & VIP Cinemas, a theatre committed to showcasing the latest in Canadian and independent films, later becoming a projectionist, working with both digital and 70mm film. Mark then went on to complete a graduate degree in Television & Film - Business at Centennial College. Prior to working at the Bell Fund, Mark most recently interned in the distribution department at Breakthrough Entertainment.
Chantal Côté, Program Manager
Chantal has been working in the digital world for nearly 20 years. She previously worked for ICI ARTV and ICI EXPLORA specialty channels as head of digital services. Chantal has also worked for Astral where she was advisor, digital services for Z TV. At TVA as head of digital services, Chantal was responsible for creating and enhancing the sites’ content and social media channels. Chantal also worked at Canoe for several years as a journalist for the arts and entertainment section and project manager. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications, film and advertising from Université de Montréal. She is also a member of the Canadian Academy of Film & Television.
Isabelle Doré, Communications Coordinator
Isabelle Doré joined Deloitte as a Copy Editor after having held various positions for five years at Desjardins. Before joining the Bell Fund, she worked as Assistant Coordinator, Web and Print at Telefilm Canada. She holds a bachelor’s degree in language sciences as well as a certificate in applied communication.