BIPOC TV & Film and Bell Media Welcome Eight Mid-career Creators to the Unscripted Producers Lab
Eight Black, Indigenous, and racialized producers have been selected for the third edition of the BIPOC TV & Film Unscripted Producers Lab, presented by Bell Media.
“BIPOC TV & Film is thrilled to be once again partnering with Bell Media to deliver this powerful training program for unscripted BIPOC producers,” said Nathalie Younglai, founder of BIPOC TV & Film. “At a time when diversity and inclusion initiatives are losing funding and under attack, programs like these are even more important than ever to elevate BIPOC creatives in the industry.”
The 2025 lab participants are Flex Aleo, Denneil Annett, Kathlyn Rose Gardiner, Ahmed Girde, Tanya Hoshi, Bruce Thomas Miller, Témi Shobowale, & Kotiande Yomo.
“Supporting initiatives that foster authentic voices and perspectives is essential in driving meaningful growth”, said Justin Stockman, VP, Content Development & Programming, Bell Media. “Proudly partnering with BIPOC TV & Film, we welcome the third cohort of exceptional creators to the Unscripted Producers Lab, empowering them as they advance their creative journeys.”
Announced in 2022, with an inaugural cohort in 2023, the program is designed to enhance the leadership skills and industry acumen of mid-career creators and content producers who have experience working on unscripted series or are in the development phase of an original unscripted or factual series. The lab, which follows the lifecycle of an unscripted series, is developed in collaboration with BIPOC TV & Film and Bell Media’s Director of Strategic Planning Li Yeh and Production Executive Kelsey-Ann Maria.
Executives from Bell Media will share insights into their work shaping the Canadian unscripted television landscape.
Speakers from Bell Media include:
Justin Stockman (Vice-President, Content Development & Programming)
Rachel Goldstein-Couto (Head of Development, Original Programming)
Sarah Fowlie (Head of Production, Original Programming)
Sarah Weaver (Director of Content, Acquisitions and Sales)
Brian Blazik (Head of Global Sales)
Keesha Chung (Marketing Manager, Crave)
Following the lab intensive, industry mentors will support the participants for three months to strengthen their network and activate their career goals. Participants will also join BIPOC TV & Film’s alumni network, receiving additional career development support and access to key stakeholders.
Previous lab participants include Vatsala Aron (production manager, Good Soup Productions and Meta4Films Inc.), Sabine Daniel (creator and executive producer, SUNNY’S QUEST), Priyanka Desai, Jason Bailey (producer, DRAGON’S DEN), Jonathan Jude (story editor, CANADA’S GOT TALENT seasons 2-4), Matt Rubio (producer, BIG BROTHER CANADA), Camille Lawrence (story producer, THE AMAZING RACE CANADA season 10), Kerriann Cardinal (producer, BONES OF CROWS: THE SERIES), and Amita Zamaana (senior producer, THE GREAT CANADIAN BAKING SHOW). As part of the Unscripted Producers Lab, they were mentored by Jennifer Pratt (TOP CHEF CANADA), Sam Dunn (Banger Films), Sean Conolly (Original Content Lab), Ann Shin (Fathom Film), Lauren Grant (Clique Pictures), Tanya Linton (Nikki Ray Media), and Andrea Griffith (Sphere Media).
Meet the participants:
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Flex Aleo is a multinational Executive Producer, Writer, and Actor. He is the Founder of Marvonnay Studios, a production company focused on cultural storytelling. The Marvonnay Studios slate currently includes two TV procedurals and two documentary series. Flex has over 6 years of experience as an Actor on projects like Star Trek: Discovery (Paramount+), assisting on productions such as An Optimist's Guide to the Planet (Crave, Apple TV), and has been selected for talent development programs such as the Reelworld E20 Writers Program and the Banff Netflix Diversity of Voices Initiative. He holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, where he was awarded $28,000 in scholarships for his acumen and commitment to the Film/TV industry. Flex is on a mission to create more culture-centric stories because he believes deeply that the more we fall in love with culture, the closer humanity will move toward world peace.
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Denneil Annett is a Haudenosaunee woman from Six Nations of the Grand River, Wolf Clan, Cayuga Nation. She has worked in unscripted television, contributing to the docusoap series Friday Night Thunder and One Dish One Spoon in roles such as Script Supervisor and Trainee Assistant Director, and recently served as Assistant to the Director on In the Heart of the South. Mentored by Laura Milliken of Big Soul Productions Inc., Denneil directed digital media content for Friday Night Thunder and the demo reel for LAX Nation, a sports docusoap currently in development.
With a background in Psychology and training in Art Therapy, Denneil brings a deep understanding of character, motivation, and emotional storytelling. As a participant in the BIPOC TV & Film Unscripted Producers Lab, she aims to strengthen her producing skills while developing LAX Nation, a project rooted in authentic, Indigenous-led storytelling within the unscripted genre.
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Ahmed Girde is a creative and story producer based in Toronto who approaches storytelling with curiosity and a deep sense of community. His experience includes work on Big Brother Canada (Global), Beast Games (Amazon Prime Video), and Cross Country Cake Off (CTV), among other series. Beginning in competition television has sharpened Ahmed’s instinct for spotting unique voices and shaping compelling on-screen moments. He is now expanding into lifestyle and docu-series work, with a focus on developing stories rooted in communities that influence mainstream culture while still existing at the margins.
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Kathlyn Rose Gardiner is a Filipina Producer/Director based in Toronto. Her work explores superficial barriers that interrupt rich and meaningful connections. The barriers that are built, internal biases we hold, and the intolerance of these differences distract us from our own internal discoveries. These rifts are just a small part of our universal story, to be understood as to understand - deeply, intimately, and sincerely. Her work is rooted in realigning our primal connection to one another, our communities, and most importantly our truest selves.
With her experience ranging from commercial (Holt Renfrew, McCann, Brand Power, Array of Stars), experimental (THEIRS, 2021), scripted (Don't Forget Me, 2023), to unscripted work (Family Feud Canada - CBC, Still a Mystery - Discovery ID, Charmed to Death - Oxygen) - Kathlyn brings a multifaceted perspective to all her productions.
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Tanya Hoshi is a producer and director based in Toronto. Over the past decade, Tanya has built a diverse portfolio spanning film, web series, commercials, and digital content. She has held leadership roles at leading Canadian companies including Shopify and RBC, where her storytelling reached millions of entrepreneurs globally.
Tanya is the producer behind award-winning documentaries WE WILL BE BRAVE (2023), acquired by CBC Gem, and TURNING TABLES (2018), acquired by CNN’s Great Big Story.
Tanya is currently developing her first unscripted series which is supported by the IDM Future Forwards Program and is a 2025 graduate of the ACCESS BIPOC Producers Program.
Through her newly founded company, Hoshi Media, Tanya’s vision is to produce commercially-viable Canadian productions and mentor the next generation of storytellers. In between productions, Tanya can be found jurying for film festivals and film funds, coaching emerging filmmakers, and volunteering for her Zoroastrian community.
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Bruce Thomas Miller is an Anishinaabe writer, director, producer, and multidisciplinary artist, and the owner of First Nation Creations Productions Inc. Based in Calgary, Alberta, and originally from Northern Ontario, Bruce weaves stories that are thoughtful, engaging, and deeply human. His work bridges the worlds of art and identity, blending personal journeys with universal themes of connection and belonging.
Currently in production on his first feature documentary, Bruce also has several projects in development that explore the intersections of culture and storytelling. Through his creative practice, he seeks to reconnect with his Anishinaabe roots and bring greater visibility to Indigenous voices within the entertainment landscape, while supporting BIPOC stories and storytellers.
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Témi Shobowale is a casting producer, pro makeup artist of 15 years, and beauty founder expanding her work in unscripted production. On Home Town Takeover Canada S1, she focuses on research, outreach, interviews, and story development. She has headed makeup departments in film and TV and is the founder of Essentials by Temi.
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Kotiande Yomo is a Toronto-based unscripted producer and entrepreneur behind PiliPili Spices’ cooking series In The Mix and the community food storytelling platform Kitchen on Road. His work blends culinary culture, small-business storytelling and youth education; recent projects include a docu-series on Solaso Beauty & Supply’s 20-year family business journey and the Spice Master Boot Camp, created with local schools to teach students production, branding and food culture. Kotiande has produced branded and editorial content with colleges and community partners (Centennial College, Peel District School Board), led live tapings and pop-ups, and manages end-to-end production—story development, casting, budgets, field producing, post and distribution. As founder of PiliPili Spices, he builds partnerships that turn local stories into national conversations. He joins the Unscripted Producers Lab to sharpen development, expand networks, and scale impact-driven docu-series for television and streamers.