TORONTO – John Galway was named president, English-language program of the Harold Greenberg Fund today while Bryn Matthews was appointed to chairman of the board of directors.
John Riley, president of Astral Television Networks made the announcements today.
Astral Media The Harold Greenberg Fund/Le Fonds Harold Greenberg is Canada’s largest private funding agency for English and French-language films and scripts, investing approximately $45.8 million since its inception in 1986. It is named for the late brother of Astral Media’s CEO Ian Greenberg.
As president of the fund, Galway will be responsible for its disbursements and investments in film and television through its English-language programs for production equity, script development, story optioning and family film programs. In addition to the daily management of the fund, Galway will also oversee the long-term strategic direction of the English-language programs.
“John Galway brings to The Harold Greenberg Fund extensive experience in the Canadian film and television industry, having recently served as the English National Television Sector Head at Telefilm Canada. We are very pleased to have him helming the English-language division of the fund and look forward to leveraging his expertise to the full benefit of the myriad film projects that result from the development resources afforded by the fund,” said Riley in a release.
Prior to his most recent role at Telefilm Canada, Galway held the position of regional director for Ontario and Nunavut at Telefilm Canada. Galway also spent several years at the Canadian Television Fund, the Ontario Film Development Corporation (now the Ontario Media Development Corporation) and the Toronto International Film Festival Group before joining Telefilm Canada.
Matthews has been appointed chair of the board after serving as a member for over 10 years. He has spent his career in Canadian broadcasting as a producer and director in Toronto and was most recently president and COO for CTV’s CJOH-TV/Carleton Productions Inc. in Ottawa.
The appointments of Galway and Matthews reflect a new structure for the fund that will have the president and the chair functions represented as two distinct positions for the English-language program of The Harold Greenberg Fund.
In fiscal 2005, the fund has invested approximately $3 million towards its English-language programs comprising 95 script development projects and 14 equity projects.
Some of the its recent investments include Terry Gilliam’s Tideland, Snowcake starring Alan Rickman and Sigourney Weaver and Everything’s Gone Green, Douglas Copland’s first feature film.
