Breaking Barriers will discuss creative avenues to improve accessibility, diversity, and equity in the arts sector.
Deanna Cadette, MPPA (She/Her)
Advisor – Talent and Industry, Warner Bros. Discovery Access Canada
Deanna Cadette is a media entertainment executive, dedicated to leading workforce development and industry transformation through strategic partnerships, evidence-based initiatives and a focus on outcomes.
She serves as talent and industry advisor for the Warner Bros. Discovery Access Canada team, after launching the five-year office in 2020 during its initial phase of growth. The team invests in career pathway initiatives for creators, craftspersons and technicians from historically underrepresented communities in Canada.
Prior roles in entertainment include project lead for CBC’s engagement and inclusion office, director of the former WGC/Bell Media Diverse Screenwriters Program, policy analyst at the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC), and camera assistant with the Cinematographers Guild (I.A.T.S.E. 677).
Deanna’s professional experience is supported by an MA in Public Policy, a BA in Journalism & Film Studies and a Certificate in Project Management.
Ilter Ibrahimof (He/Him)
Co-founder, Artistic Director, Fall For Dance North
Ilter Ibrahimof is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Fall for Dance North, Toronto’s Premier International Dance Festival. Born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, Ilter moved to North America in 1998, first to attend Emerson College in Boston and then living and working in New York City and Montréal before settling in Toronto. Ilter’s own dance touring agency Sunny Artist Management was active from 2004-2020, representing dance companies & artists of the highest caliber from around the world.
As a creative mind in the dance field, Ilter is regularly invited to participate in various festivals and conferences in Canada and around the globe as a curator and speaker. He is the host of ISPA’s podcast Meditations On and an Associate with the art consulting group CASC, based in the Netherlands. In 2020, Dance Collection Danse Hall of Fame awarded Ilter the Sandra Faire Next Generation Award.
Keshia Palm (She/Her/They/Them)
Artistic Producer, Paprika Festival
Keshia Palm is a Filipino-German artist from Treaty 6 Territory who seeks to expose, challenge and dismantle systems of oppression by creating thoughtful and inclusive art/spaces — as a Producer, Director, Dramaturge, Playwright, and Actor. Keshia has developed and performed new works with IBPOC, queer, women, and trans artists with companies across Canada. Since 2016, they have found community where there are trees standing in the water creating art, bringing artists together, and supporting emerging artists through ArtistProducerResource.com, and artistic producing the Paprika Festival. During the pandemic, she has focused on creating micro-art-experiences reflecting on what gifts the future will bring, and what tools we have to ignite transformative change.
Select Credits — Direction: As a Former Fat Kid, Tangled (Nightwood Groundswell Festival). Assistant Direction: The Year of the Cello (Theatre Passe Muraille), Beautiful Man (Factory Theatre), The Winter’s Tale (Shakespeare in the Ruff). Performance: The Cherry Orchard (Modern Times), Shadow Girls (Rhubarb Festival).
Moderator
Akua Delfish (She/Her)
Co-founder, GoLEFT Creatives Inc
Akua Delfish is a multidisciplinary artist in love with cultural art forms of African and Caribbean origins and has performed for over 34 years. She is the Co-founder and Program Director for D’LYFE Dance Company, and the co-founder of GoLEFT Creatives Inc., a creative services and consultation company. Akua holds an M.A. in Communication, Culture, and Technology from Georgetown University and an Honours B.A. from York University in Fine Arts Cultural Studies, with a minor in Sociology.
In other capacities, Akua is senior communication professional in the federal public service, an event producer with CaribbeanTales Media Group, and an emerging film producer. Supporting cultural arts, young artists, and the community are at the heart of Akua’s involvement; current projects include artist development workshops, mentorship, online series production, as well as publication and lecture opportunities.