Excerpted from Solidarity in Action – ACTRA Toronto Operating Plan 2O23- 2O24
In 2022, we hired a new Manager of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. With this enhanced focus, ACTRA Toronto will continue to utilize training & education, strategic communications, data and analytics, events & opportunities, advancements in policy, and partnerships with key industry allies to further our Anti-Black Racism, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging agenda.
ACTRA Toronto in 2023 will:
- Continue the promotion of ACTRA Toronto’s diverse members through the ACTRA Toronto Spotlight feature on social media, and workshops that spotlight specific groups of underrepresented performers in the industry.
- Form a new Committee to focus on the advancement of performers living with a disability.
- Continue our ongoing support of Voice Committee mentorship of members who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour, performers living with a disability, performers with accents, seasoned performers and performers who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ and are interested in voice work on commercials, animation, and video game productions.
- Further a collaboration between the Diversity & Inclusion Committee and the Stunt Committees to identify and mentor stunt performers who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour.
- Continue to support and build on the work of Working the Scene in Colour, including additional outreach to industry partners and assist the program in expanding nationally.
- Celebrate the Sandi Ross Awards to recognize industry professionals and production companies who have demonstrated a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Continue to hold workshops to support performers who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour and performers living with disabilities, interested in producing their own work.
- Work together with ACTRA National and industry partners on collective efforts to address racism including outreach, training, and mentoring of performers and crew.
- Continue the ongoing support to ACTRA National in seeking equal access to skilled Hair and Make-Up artists for performers who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour.
- Work together with ACTRA National and industry partners on collective efforts to address discriminatory practices in wardrobe and make-up for performers living with disabilities.
- Work with ACTRA National and partner unions and guilds to develop a method for an inter-union/guild reporting system for harassment and discrimination.
- Continue to develop and grow partnerships with community and cultural film festivals and emphasize the importance of showcasing projects featuring ACTRA Toronto members including the following festivals:
- BIPOC International Film Festival
- Hamilton Black Film Festival
- imagineNative Film Festival
- Reel Asian Film Festival
- Reelworld Film Festival
- Regent Park Film Festival
- Toronto Black Film Festival
- Toronto Jewish Film Festival
- Work with ACTRA National to ensure that organizations that track viewing habits of the Canadian public, do so with full diversity stratification.
- In addition to work challenging racism, the ACTRA Toronto Council and Committees will continue to advance gender equality, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging through:
- Calling on agencies and government funders to require productions in receipt of tax credits and public monies to collect and report demographic information to measure and track the industry’s commitment to gender equality and diversity.
- Reintroduction of the Nell Shipman Award, presented by the Toronto ACTRA Women’s Committee (TAWC) that recognizes a female-identifying producer, writer, showrunner, mentor, or programmer who has advanced gender equality in the industry.
- An expansion of Working with Queer Performers, a best practices guide produced by outACTRAto, to further focus on working with trans and non-binary performers.
- A return to in person participation in Ontario based Pride events including participating in the Toronto Pride Parade.
- Continuing to build the profile of ACTRA Toronto’s 2SLGBTQIA+ performers in script readings under the banner of Working the Scene in Rainbow.
- Assisting ACTRA National in the creation of a national committee, similar to outACTRAto, that shares initiatives from our branch using the reach of a national committee to affect change in the industry. This type of collaboration was a recent success with the adding of non-binary performance categories to IMDb.
- Continue to develop and grow partnerships with community and film festivals that emphasize the importance of gender equality, advance Queer stories, feature performers from the disabled community and showcasing projects featuring ACTRA Toronto members including the following festivals:
- Female Eye Film Festival
- Inside Out Film Festival
- ReelAbilities Film Festival
- Continued support of the Act Your Age (AYA) Committee on-line skill building and networking sessions for seasoned performers.
- Developing a strong rapport with Young Emerging Actors Assembly (YEAA) members through a series of initiatives that encourage open discussions and utilizing social media to create a tone of relatability and
approachability.
- Continued work to prevent sexual harassment including working with industry partners to develop best practices and oversight for acting coaches, educators, and teachers through our involvement with the Canadian Creative Industries Coalition and the Association of Acting Coaches & Educators (AACE).
Excerpted from Looking Forward - ACTRA Toronto Operating Plan 2022-23
Building on the work that began in earnest in July 2020 when the ACTRA Toronto Council approved the hiring of an Industry Relations: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion staff person, ACTRA Toronto will continue to utilize training & education, strategic communications, data and analytics, events & opportunities, advancements in policy, and partnerships with key industry allies to further our Anti- Black Racism, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging agenda.
ACTRA Toronto in 2022 will:
- Continue the promotion of ACTRA Toronto’s diverse members through diversity.ACTRAonline, the ACTRA Toronto Spotlight feature on social media, and showcases that spotlight specific groups of underrepresented performers in the industry.
- Continue our ongoing support of Voice Committee mentorship of members who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour, performers living with a disability, performers with accents, seasoned performers and performers who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ and are interested in voice work on commercials, animation, and video game productions.
- Facilitate a collaboration between the Diversity & Inclusion Committee and the Stunt Committees to identify and mentor stunt performers who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour.
- Continue to support and build on the work of Working the Scene in Colour, including additional outreach to industry partners.
- Celebrate the Sandi Ross Awards to recognize industry professionals and production companies who have demonstrated a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Continue to hold workshops to support performers who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour and performers living with disabilities, interested in producing their own work.
- Work together with ACTRA National and industry partners on collective efforts to address anti-Black racism including outreach, training, and mentoring of performers and crew.
- Offer ongoing support to ACTRA National in seeking equal access to skilled Hair and Make-Up artists for performers who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour.
- Work together with ACTRA National and industry partners on collective efforts to address discriminatory practices in wardrobe and make-up for performers living with disabilities.
- Further strengthen and develop anti-racism & discrimination education courses for members.
- Work with ACTRA National and partner unions and guilds to develop a method for an inter-union/guild reporting system for harassment and discrimination.
- Continue to develop and grow partnerships with community and cultural film festivals and emphasize the importance of showcasing projects featuring ACTRA Toronto members.
In addition to work challenging anti-Black racism, the ACTRA Toronto Council and Committees will continue to advance gender equality, diversity, equity and inclusion through:
- Continued work to prevent sexual harassment including working with industry partners to develop best practices and oversight for acting coaches, educators, and teachers through our involvement with the Canadian Creative Industries Coalition and the Association of Acting Coaches & Educators (AACE).
- Calling on agencies and government funders to require productions in receipt of tax credits and public monies to collect and report demographic information to measure and track the industry’s commitment to gender equality and diversity.
- Promotion and celebration of the Nell Shipman Award, presented by the Toronto ACTRA Women’s Committee (TAWC) that recognizes a female-identifying producer, writer, showrunner, mentor or programmer who has advanced gender equality in the industry.
- Continued support of mentorship programs like the tool kit sessions and film creation lab that are connecting women identifying filmmakers to develop their skills on both sides of the camera.
- Continued promotion of Working with Queer Performers, a best practices guide produced by outACTRAto, ACTRA Toronto’s Queer Committee.
- Participation in the Pride events including participating in the Pride Parade.
- Continuing to build the profile of ACTRA Toronto’s 2SLGBTQIA+ performers in script readings under the banner of Working the Scene in Rainbow.
- Continued support of the Act Your Age (AYA) Committee on-line skill building and networking sessions for seasoned performers.
- We will also continue to advocate for a change in the perception of seasoned performers – from invisible and easily dismissed, to capable, employable, and engaged through educational workshops with Casting Directors.
- Renewed support of the Young Emerging Actors Assembly (YEAA) including the redevelopment of YEAA Shorts and its partnership with Reelworld.
Excerpted from Recovery & Renewal - ACTRA Toronto Operating Plan 2021-22
In June 2020, following the tragic death of George Floyd, ACTRA Toronto issued a strong statement condemning anti-Black racism, police violence and discrimination. ACTRA Toronto Councillor, Kevin Hanchard, hosted a panel with former ACTRA Toronto Councillor and Diversity Advocate, Jani Lauzon, former ACTRA Toronto Councillor and Child Advocate, Tabby Johnson, former Co-Chairs of the Diversity Committee: Sedina Fiati and Farah Merani, current Co-Chairs of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee: Lisa Michelle Cornelius and Samora Smallwood, ACTRA Toronto Treasurer, Richard Young and Stunt Coordinator and former ACTRA Toronto Councillor, Angelica Lisk-Hann, to talk about past efforts and recommendations for the road ahead.
The Town Hall, hosted by Kevin Hanchard was a reminder of the incredible work done by members to make the diversity of Ontario talent visible through books, catalogues and now on-line databases. Ontario can play anywhere in the world and you can cast the world here, too. Partnerships with cultural film festivals, casting go-sees, networking sessions and cross committee work has helped to further the growth of ACTRA Toronto’s diverse membership.
One of the key recommendations made during the Town Hall was to increase dedicated resources to focus on
diversity, equity and inclusion. In July 2020, the ACTRA Toronto Council approved the hiring of an Industry Relations: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion staff person. ACTRA Toronto engaged the services of BIPOC Executive Search and are thrilled to welcome Jenn Paul to the ACTRA Toronto team. Jenn brings over a decade of experience as a producer, filmmaker, educator, organizer and champion of diversity to this new position.
ACTRA Toronto in 2021 will continue to develop its anti-Black racism plan including:
- Promotion of ACTRA Toronto’s diverse members through diversity.ACTRAonline, the ACTRA Toronto Spotlight feature on social media and showcases that spotlight specific groups of underrepresented performers in the industry. The first Showcase, featuring Black Performers, was made possible through a grant from Ontario Creates and a partnership with the Casting Directors Society of Canada.
- A Different Lens, a project to support the development of demo reels for diverse performers, produced in
conjunction with industry partners.
- Ongoing support of Voice Committee mentorship of performers who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour interested in voice work on commercials, animation and video game productions.
- Collaboration of Diversity & Inclusion Committee, the Women’s Stunt Committee and the ACTRA Toronto Stunt Committee to identify and mentor stunt performers who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour.
- Continue to support and build on the work of Working the Scene in Colour by connecting Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) writers and diverse performers.
- Celebrate the Sandi Ross Awards to recognize industry professionals and production companies who have demonstrated a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Work together with ACTRA National and industry partners on collective efforts to address anti-Black racism including outreach, training and mentoring of performers and crew
- Develop an anti-racism education course for members
- Explore on-line respectful workplace training for members of ACTRA Toronto together with members of other unions and guilds
- Continue to develop and grow partnerships with community and cultural film festivals including ReelWorld, imagineNATIVE, ReelAsian and the Regent Park Film Festival.
In addition to work challenging anti-Black racism, the ACTRA Toronto Council and Committees will continue to advance gender equality, diversity, equity and inclusion through:
- Continued work to prevent sexual harassment, including working with industry partners to develop best practices and oversight for educators, coaches and teachers
- Calling on agencies and government funders to require productions in receipt of tax credits and public monies to collect and report demographic information to measure and track the industry’s commitment to gender equality and diversity.
- Exploring options to update the ACTRA Toronto census.
- The promotion and celebration of women who are “walking the talk” through the Nell Shipman Award, presented by the Toronto ACTRA Women’s Committee (TAWC) that recognizes a female-identifying producer, writer, showrunner, mentor or programmer who has advanced gender equality in the industry.
- Continued support of mentorship programs like the Tool Kit sessions and Film Creation Lab that are connecting women identifying filmmakers to develop their skills on both sides of the camera.
- The promotion of Working with Queer Performers, a best practices guide produced by outACTRAto, ACTRA Toronto’s Queer Committee.
- Participation in the Pride events, including marching in the Pride Parade.
- Bringing together writers and ACTRA Toronto’s LGBTQ+ performers in script readings following the successful model of Working the Scene in Colour.
- Supporting Act Your Age (AYA) on-line skill building and networking sessions for senior performers.
- Challenging ageism by promoting work and work opportunities for AYA performers.
- Partnership with Holland Bloorview to identify and support child performers living with disabilities.
- Continued support of the Young Emerging Actors Assembly including the development of YEAA Shorts and partnership with ReelWorld.
Exerpted from ACTRA Toronto Operating Plan 2020-21
Diversity is our strength. Inclusion is our goal. As the Ontario ACTRA census found, more than 50% of new ACTRA members are physically or culturally diverse. Work with industry partners to promote and celebrate diverse stories and talent is making a difference.
In 2020, ACTRA Toronto will:
- Support the work of the Council, Advocates and Committees to promote diversity and inclusivity in the union and in the industry through:
- Nell Shipman Awards
- Ongoing support of CUES: Canadian Unions for Equality on Screen
- Sandi Ross Awards
- Support of BIPOC TV & FILM: Black Indigenous People of Colour activities and workshops
- Spotlight on diversity and areas that are underrepresented in the membership and on our screens through on-line performer database
- Continued outreach and partnerships with cultural and community film festivals
- Participation in the Pride Parade and activities
- Joint committee work to help in achieving the goal of inclusion
- Challenging ageism by promoting work and work opportunities for “seasoned” performers
- Co-ordination of activities and communication methods
