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.
(Montreal)
Chantal Côté, Deputy Director
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.
(Toronto)
Abigail Borja, Office and Communications Assistant
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Élie Michaud-Alexis, Administrative Coordinator and Project Analyst
Élie holds a bachelor’s degree in Cultural and Media Production Strategies from UQAM University and is passionate about the arts, culture, and media. Before joining Bell Fund as Administrative Coordinator and Project Analyst, she was contributing editor at UQAM’s cultural magazine where she covered a variety of events and worked as programming coordinator at Montreal’s Fashion Week. Élie also interned at the production company Urbania under the media exploration program LAB URBANIA.
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.
(Toronto)
Suzanne Lacey, Deputy Director
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.