TORONTO — FRIENDS (formerly known as Friends of Canadian Broadcasting) announced today Marla Boltman (above) has been appointed as the organization’s executive director and spokesperson, effective immediately.
Boltman’s hiring follows the departure of FRIENDS’ former executive director Daniel Bernhard last summer.
“With the imminent arrival of key pieces of legislation, Boltman will serve as a powerful advocate for Canadian voices at a critical time for the country’s cultural media policy,” reads a FRIENDS press release announcing her appointment.
Under her leadership, “FRIENDS will continue to engage Ottawa on CBC’s mandate and budget while working to ensure that social media and streaming platforms contribute equitably to Canadian content and journalism. With the free speech debate now squarely at Parliament’s doorstep, FRIENDS commitment to eradicating illegal content online remains stronger than ever,” the release says.
“It is a great pleasure to welcome Marla as the executive director and congratulate her on her new position,” said Raymonde Lavoie, chair of the board of directors for FRIENDS, in the release.
“Marla’s extensive and varied experience has given her a unique understanding of the challenges in the Canadian media sector. She has the passion and pragmatism needed to rally elected officials, stakeholders, and the public around ensuring that foreign companies that benefit from doing business in Canada support the creation of Canadian stories,” Lavoie said.
Boltman has more than 20 years of combined experience in policy and regulatory advocacy, content production, and entertainment law. Most recently, she was senior vice-president of business affairs and operations at Halfire Entertainment, where she co-produced Alias Grace, the miniseries based on Margaret Atwood’s novel by the same name.
Previously, Boltman was vice-president of business and legal affairs and general counsel at the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), “where she provided broad-based legal and strategic business advice on various aspects of the independent production sector” and “also played a leading role in the collective bargaining of various creative union and guild agreements,” the release says.
She has also previously worked at DHX Media (now WildBrain), the Canada Media Fund, the Canadian Film Centre and Alliance Atlantis Communications.
“Every step of my career has been marked by the same through line — carving out space for Canadian voices and protecting our culture and values in the process,” Boltman said in the release.
“I look forward to building on FRIENDS’ strong reputation and contributing to the conversation around journalism and democracy, the future of public broadcasting, and the regulation of Big Tech to ensure a level playing field for Canadians in our own backyard.”
Boltman is a member of the board of directors of POV Youth Film and Media Training Network. She was previously chair of the program advisory committee for Centennial College’s Business of TV & Film Program, a member of multiple CMPA working groups, a member of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Televisions’ Canadian Screen Awards TV Rules and Regulations Committee and has served on the board of directors of the Canadian Retransmission Collective.
She holds a law degree from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University, a BAA in Radio and Television Arts from Ryerson University, and a BA in Sociology from the University of Western Ontario.
Photo supplied by FRIENDS.
