NEW YORK — U.S. media conglomerate WarnerMedia today announced the creation of a new Canadian talent development team which will focus on increasing representation of diverse talent in front of and behind the camera.
The company says the move is part of its ongoing commitment to building a more inclusive and innovative industry and to forging deeper connections with audiences around the world.
Leading the new Canadian talent development team’s efforts under WarnerMedia’s Global Access Programs initiative are Canadian industry notables Deanna Cadette (pictured, left), serving as executive director, and Melanie Nepinak Hadley (mush gih wii kihnew ikwe, right) in the role of program director. The team will focus on building relationships with and opportunities for creators of all genders, abilities and identities from Canada’s underrepresented communities, including members of Indigenous, Black and other racialized groups, creators with disabilities and members of the LGBTQ2+ and Francophone communities, says the press release.
A key partnership with the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television will be announced in the coming weeks, it adds.
Most recently, Cadette led engagement and inclusion initiatives at the CBC. In addition, as the former director of the Writers Guild of Canada/Bell Media Diverse Screenwriters Program, Cadette led the operations, finances and content development of the initiative which significantly increased the hiring of talent from underrepresented communities in TV writers’ rooms and provided a network for creators and industry decision-makers, says the release.
Hadley is also joining WarnerMedia from the CBC where she was the executive in charge of production and oversaw the development and production of projects such as Trickster, Heartland and Frankie Drake Mysteries. As the first and only Indigenous production executive at the public broadcaster, Melanie was an advocate for inclusion and integral in developing meaningful relationships with a diversity of Canadian talent.
“More than ever, representation matters,” said Christy Haubegger, WarnerMedia’s chief enterprise inclusion officer and head of global marketing and communications, in the release. “We look forward to bringing the amazing Canadian stories from both seasoned and emerging storytellers to the Canadian and global market.”
Photos of Deanna Cadette and Melanie Nepinak Hadley borrowed from their LinkedIn profiles.
