#FIRSTLOOK: SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED FOR THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER WOMEN IN ENTERTAINMENT CANADA EVENT

The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada announces an exciting lineup of powerhouse speakers at this year’s second annual event on Thursday, May 29, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto.

Hosted by Canadian comedian and YouTube creator Julie Nolke, this year’s event will feature a series of dynamic, women-centred sessions designed to inspire, inform, and ignite meaningful action. These sessions will explore key issues, opportunities, and challenges unique to women across the entertainment industry — on screen, behind the scenes, and in executive leadership roles:

The Art of Leadership, presented in partnership with Blink49 Studios

Moderated by Global Media and Tech Leader Kirstine Stewart, this session offers a compelling conversation with the women driving strategy, innovation, and influence across film, television, and digital media, including: Valerie Creighton, C.M., S.O.M., President & CEO, Canada Media Fund; Michela Di Mondo, Executive Vice President Distribution, Canada, International, Fremantle; Carlyn Klebuc, General Manager, Original Programming, Bell Media; Kat Kowalski, Senior Vice President, International Content Programming and Acquisitions, Pluto TV; Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer, Toronto International Film Festival; and Kerry Swanson, Chief Executive Officer, Indigenous Screen Office (ISO).

The Power of Music, presented in partnership with FACTOR

Moderated by Music Trade Journalist, Karen Bliss, this engaging panel presents the leaders shaping Canada’s music landscape who are setting the agenda and amplifying new voices. Speakers include: Julie Adam, President & CEO, Universal Music Canada; Jully Black, Canada’s Queen of R&B and Soul; Kristen Burke, President, Warner Music Canada; Keziah Myers. Executive Director, ADVANCE, Canada’s Black Music Business Collective; Meg Symsyk, President and CEO, FACTOR; and Patti-Anne Tarlton, Vice-Chair, Live Nation Concerts Canada.

(Caption Top-Bottom, Left-Right: Julie Adam, Jully Black, Kristen Burke, Keziah Myers, Meg Symsyk, Patti-Anne Tarlton)

The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada is a first-of-its-kind summit and Awards bringing the industry together across television, film, and music to celebrate and recognize the achievements of Canadian women driving the industry forward in their respective fields.

This year’s honourees include Margaret Atwood, recipient of the ICON Award; Tantoo Cardinal, receiving the Equity in Entertainment Award; Jeanne Beker, honoured with the Impact Award; Amrit Kaur is named the Breakthrough Award honouree; and Christina Jennings, this year’s Glass Ceiling Award honouree.

For tickets and more information, including the day’s full schedule and programming details, visit www.womeninentertainment.ca.

#FIRSTLOOK: CHRISTINA JENNINGS TO BE HONOURED AT THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER WOMEN IN ENTERTAINMENT CANADA GALA

The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada will honour award-winning producer Christina Jennings, Founder, Chairman and President of Shaftesbury, with the Glass Ceiling Award at this year’s second annual event on Thursday, May 29, 2025 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto.

The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada Glass Ceiling Award was created to recognize excellence in leadership in the Canadian entertainment industry from women who are setting the agenda and driving the industry forward.

Christina Jennings is the Founder, Chairman, and President of Shaftesbury, one of Canada’s most enduring independent production companies. A visionary producer of award-winning scripted storytelling, Jennings is known for her ability to build globally recognized, long-running series such as Murdoch Mysteries and Hudson & Rex. In addition to these flagship titles, Shaftesbury’s slate of work includes Slasher, Departure, SisterS, Frankie Drake Mysteries and Ruby & The Well. Most recently, Shaftesbury wrapped the first seasons of the one-hour crime drama Underbelly (starring Stephen Amell, Hamza Hak and Minnie Driver) and the hour-long drama Irish Blood (starring Alicia Silverstone).

Throughout her career, Jennings has collaborated with some of the most internationally recognized artists, including Jessica Tandy, Margaret Atwood – whose work Shaftesbury has adapted – as well as Tatiana Maslany, Elliot Page, Christopher Plummer, Eric McCormack, Victor Garber, Wendy Crewson and Archie Panjabi.

A dedicated mentor, she has made supporting emerging talent a cornerstone of her work through Shaftesbury and her longstanding involvement with the Canadian Film Centre, where she served as Chair of the Board for over a decade. Her contributions to the industry have been recognized with numerous honours, including the Order of Canada, Order of Ontario, the Academy Achievement Award, the MIPCOM Lifetime Achievement Award, and the PROFIT Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship at RBC’s Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Awards.

The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada is a first-of-its-kind summit and Awards bringing the industry together across television, film, and music to celebrate and recognize the achievements of Canadian women who are driving the industry forward in their respective fields. As previously announced, Margaret Atwood will receive the ICON Award, Tantoo Cardinal will receive the Equity in Entertainment Award, Jeanne Beker will be honoured with the Impact Award, and Amrit Kaur will receive the Breakthrough Award at this year’s event.

For tickets and more information, including the day’s full schedule and programming details, visit www.womeninentertainment.ca.

#FIRSTLOOK: MARGARET ATWOOD TO BE HONOURED AT THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER WOMEN IN ENTERTAINMENT CANADA RECEPTION

The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada will honour celebrated author, poet and activist Margaret Atwood with the prestigious ICON Award at this year’s second annual event on Thursday, May 29 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto.

Margaret Atwood

2025 ICON Award Honouree

The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada’s ICON Award was created to recognize Canada’s cultural icons who have advanced the representation of women in the media and entertainment industry, and whose artistic vision and excellence have inspired audiences at home and around the world.

Margaret Atwood is the author of more than 50 books of fiction, poetry, critical essays and graphic novels. Her 1985 classic, The Handmaid’s Tale, was adapted into an Emmy Award-winning MGM Television series now in its sixth and final season on Hulu and Crave. It was followed in 2019 by a sequel, The Testaments, which was a global number one bestseller and won the Booker Prize. In November, Atwood will publish Book of Lives, her long-awaited memoir.

Atwood’s other works of fiction include Cat’s Eye, a finalist for the 1989 Booker Prize; Alias Grace, which won the Giller Prize in Canada and was also adapted into an award-winning CBC series; The Blind Assassin, winner of the 2000 Booker Prize; The MaddAddam Trilogy; and Hag-Seed. She has received numerous awards, including the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the Franz Kafka International Literary Prize, the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Los Angeles Times Innovator’s Award.

The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada is a first-of-its-kind summit bringing the industry together across television, film, and music to celebrate and recognize the achievements of Canadian women driving the industry forward in their respective fields.

View the complete schedule of all panels and speakers here.

As previously announced, acclaimed actress Tantoo Cardinal will receive the Equity in Entertainment Award; iconic fashion and lifestyle journalist Jeanne Beker will be honoured with the IMPACT Award; and actor, writer, comedian and activist Amrit Kaur will receive the Breakthrough Award at this year’s event.

For tickets and more information, visit www.womeninentertainment.ca.

(Photo credit: Luis Mora)

#FIRSTLOOK: JEANNE BEKER TO RECEIVE IMPACT AWARD FROM HOLLYWOOD REPORTER WOMEN IN ENTERTAINMENT CANADA

The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada today announced that iconic fashion and lifestyle journalist Jeanne Beker will receive the IMPACT Award at this year’s second annual event on Thursday, May 29 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto. Beker will also be featured in a special keynote interview as part of the 2025 event, followed by an exclusive book signing of her recent memoir, Heart on My Sleeve: Stories from a Life Well Worn.

The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada’s IMPACT Award was created to recognize the positive impact of Canada’s very own trailblazers who have changed the narrative for women in media by pushing for more opportunities for better representation, voices and bold storytelling reflecting the authentic lived experiences of women.

Jeanne Beker

2025 IMPACT Award Honouree

For almost five decades, Jeanne Beker has been at the forefront of arts and culture. She earned her position as one of Canada’s most recognizable celebrities as a founding member of MuchMusic and the iconic host of Fashion Television. A media trailblazer and successful entrepreneur, Beker is also the daughter of Holocaust survivors and a breast cancer survivor. In her inspirational talks, she shares how she cultivated the drive, resiliency, and tenacity needed to fuel her incredible career, as well as the courage to face life’s challenges while empowering audiences to do the same.

Beker’s incredible broadcasting career began with CBC Radio when she became an arts reporter in St. John’s, Newfoundland. After three years, she returned to Toronto to work at CHUM radio and was soon co-hosting Citytv’s ground-breaking music magazine series, The New Music. In 1983, she helped launch “the nation’s music station,”MuchMusic, before becoming the host of the legendary Fashion Television, which ran for 27 years and aired in 130 countries, establishing her as Canada’s face of fashion.

A seasoned newspaper and magazine columnist and features writer, Beker was editor-in-chief of FQ and SIR magazine from 2003 to 2008. She has also been a frequent guest on myriad lifestyle shows and at the creative helm of numerous fashion lines under her own eponymous label. Since 2015, Beker’s been the style editor at The Shopping Channel (TSC) where she hosts the popular series, Style Matters. She also previously hosted the podcast Beyond Style Matters. In addition, she is the co-producer of Kingdom of Dreams, a four-part documentary series examining fashion’s golden age, and the bestselling author of six books.

A breast cancer survivor, Beker’s journey has provided her with a rich, eye-opening experience. Her candour in discussing the peaks and valley of her journey has inspired people around the world. She’s now on a mission to help normalize the conversation surrounding cancer and help eradicate the fear associated with the disease.

Active with several charitable organizations, Beker has received honorary doctorates from St. Mary’s University and OCAD University. She’s also the recipient of numerous awards, including a Special Achievement Award from the Canadian Academy of Cinema and Television and a Crystal Award from Toronto Women in Film and Television. She’s also been named to the Order of Canada, inducted into the American Marketing Association’s Hall of Legends, and honoured with a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame.

The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada is a first-of-its-kind summit bringing the industry together across television, film, and music to celebrate and recognize the achievements of Canadian women who are driving the industry forward in their respective fields. As previously announced, Tantoo Cardinal will receive the Equity in Entertainment Award at this year’s event. Additional award recipients and programming for Women in Entertainment Canada 2025 details will be announced later this spring.

For more information visit www.womeninentertainment.ca.

#FIRSTLOOK: TANTOO CARDINAL TO RECEIVE EQUITY IN ENTERTAINMENT AWARD AT HOLLYWOOD REPORTER WOMEN IN ENTERTAINMENT CANADA EVENT

The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada today announced that acclaimed actress Tantoo Cardinal will receive the Equity in Entertainment Award at this year’s second annual event on Thursday, May 29, 2025 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto. The award will be presented to Cardinal in partnership with the Indigenous Screen Office.

The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada’s Equity in Entertainment Award was created to recognize women in the Canadian entertainment industry who are working to reflect and amplify the voices and stories of underrepresented communities.

2025 Equity in Entertainment Honouree

Of Cree and Métis heritage, Tantoo Cardinal is a celebrated actress who over a 50-year career has performed in many significant films and television series including Dances with Wolves, Killers of the Flower Moon, Legends of the Fall, Black Robe, Hold the Dark. Lead or recurring roles in series Longmire, Echo, Stumptown, Three Pines, Godless, Blackstone, Moccasin Flats and North of 60 to name just a few. Cardinal has received many prestigious awards for her extensive body of work, including the Earle Grey Award for lifetime achievement, she was Inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame, and received the Governor Generals Award for Artistic Achievement.

Cardinal was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2009 “for her contributions to the growth and development of Aboriginal performing arts in Canada, as a screen and stage actress, and as a founding member of the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company.”

An inspiring leader in the growth of Indigenous performing arts in Canada, she is a tireless mentor and started a Film School in Northern Alberta for Indigenous youth. Cardinal is also a passionate environmental activist.

The Equity in Entertainment Award was created in 2016 by The Hollywood Reporter as part of its Women in Entertainment annual event in Los Angeles, with past honorees including Selena Gomez, Kerry Washington, Issa Rae, and Amy Pascal. The first Equity in Entertainment Canada Award was presented to Deepa Mehta at the inaugural Women in Entertainment Canada Awards in Toronto on May 30, 2024.

The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Canada is a first-of-its-kind summit bringing the industry together across television, film, and music to celebrate and recognize the achievements of Canadian women who are driving the industry forward in their respective fields. For more information visit www.womeninentertainment.ca.

Additional award recipients and programming for Women in Entertainment Canada 2025 details will be announced this spring.