Kelsey Chatterson is a Production Manager at Bespoke Audio Visual; a live events company specializing in technical design and management. With 6 years of experience in the corporate audio visual world, she has worked her way up from warehouse staff, to freelance technician and into her current role as a production manager. Upon graduation from the Live Sound and Event Management Program at Metalworks Institute, Kelsey explored a wide variety of positions in the audio visual industry until she found her niche in the creative corporate world. From Rogers, TIFF, CAMH and everything in between, Kelsey’s hands-on, practical yet creative approach, leads to ideas that keep her roster of clientele returning year after year.

“When I was a lot younger, about 6 years ago, my favourite thing to do every morning before school was to catch up on the latest YouTube videos from the people I was subscribed to. Inevitably, I decided that maybe I should give it a go myself. The first few years didn’t exactly work out too well for me and I really couldn’t find a voice on the platform I had given myself. I finally realized that in order for my channel to become successful I had to cover what I was truly passionate about, which for me is both comic books/superheroes, and film. The rest was history. After High School, I went on to attend a full 18 month course at Toronto Film School which taught me so much about what I do as a profession. I aspire to create beyond just the screen of someone’s phone or monitor someday, but right now, I’m very happy to be doing YouTube full time.”

Vikas Gupta is a charismatic leader who defines himself as a seasoned executive with an entrepreneurial DNA. He has an insatiable passion for start-ups and emerging growth tech companies.

Vikas is currently the Co-founder & CEO of AVARA, a company focused on the creation of an innovative technology platform that enables the most immersive AR and VR experiences that transport people to the most unique places, moments, and interactions around the world to showcase the irreversible impact humankind is having on our planet.

Formerly as the CEO of Big Blue Bubble, Vikas established the company as the largest independent mobile gaming company in Canada and ranking among the 50 fastest growing technology companies in the nation.

Prior to Big Blue Bubble, Vikas was the CEO & President of TransGaming, a multi-national public company and global player in the migration and deployment of video games across different platforms, TransGaming was acquired by NVIDIA in 2015.

In addition to his professional activities, Vikas enjoys working with entrepreneurs and does a great deal of mentorship and coaching work. He also sits on a variety of boards ranging from the University of Waterloo, University of Waterloo Stratford Campus, Interactive Ontario, and was on the former Premier’s digital advisory board.

With more than ten years of experience working behind the scenes in the music industry, Lola Plaku’s resume is both extensive and multifaceted. Formerly a music journalist for Canada’s hip-hop music scene, the Toronto native made a name for herself after launching her blog, iLuvLola. This led her to a role in promotions at Maxamus Entertainment followed by an online marketing position at CP Records. Plaku was passionate about breaking U.S. talent in the Toronto market and eventually branched out into concert production, working with The Weeknd, French Montana, Travis Scott, Kehlani, Big Sean and A$AP Rocky, among others.

Currently, Lola runs her own New York-based company, Lola Media Group, which specializes in marketing and brand development. LMG’s current clients include music artists French Montana, Belly and Nav. Plaku has a number of other projects in the works including GIRL CONNECTED, a mentorship program that will pair aspiring female professionals with Plaku’s successful industry colleagues to learn the ins and outs of the music business. Additionally, PUMA tapped her for their Select Co-creative platform to design two Nova sneakers dropping this year. Lola will also be a featured speaker at the SXSW Conference in Austin, TX this March.

In 2018, Billboard named Plaku one of the hip-hop industry’s rising stars to watch. She has also been featured in the Google Pixel 2 campaign and on Variety.com, Forbes.com, NYLON, Vice Canada and Coveteur, among others.

Chris Moncada is the Global President, Music at Entertainment One Canada. He is an experienced music industry executive with a history of working in the digital/streaming space. He is also a strong artist development professional and a skilled team leader with experience in sales, marketing, business affairs and finance/operations. His past experience includes Director of Marketing at Warner Music Canada.

20 year video game industry veteran, co-founder of Big Blue Bubble, and CEO of Board Game Coffee.

Mark’s career has seen him take on the roll of Animator, Voice Actor, Writer, Level Designer, Game Designer, Art Director, Creative Director, and now the CEO and face of Board Game Coffee.

Board Game Coffee is a new and growing YouTube channel, and Instagram account tailor made for the ever growing board game community, with focus on reviews, unboxings and how to play videos.

Mark is also set to take Board Game Coffee to Twitch, develop a stand alone community website around the board games, and produce a podcast in the upcoming months.

Lauren Toyota spent nearly a decade on network television as a host and producer (MUCH, MTV Canada, and more), and in 2014 she made the shift to YouTube, following the growth of her blog. She’s the Creator and Host of the hit show & channel “hot for food” where she’s cooking up love in the kitchen and breaking common misconceptions of what it means to be vegan. She’s the author of the best selling cookbook “Vegan Comfort Classics: 101 Recipes to Feed Your Face”. Through her online presence and with the help of the Kin team, she’s built partnerships with Hudson’s Bay Company, A&W Beyond Meat, T-Fal and many more.

Ashley Riske is the VP Marketing Strategy for Kin Community Canada and leads the company’s sales and client-marketing operations. She helped lead the launch of Kin in Canada in 2014 and she and her team have worked with dozens of Fortune 500 companies. Working with these brands the team develops plans that leverage the voices of Kin Community’s influential creators, the power of content storytelling, and strategic media amplification to drive success for brands. Ashley also works closely with Corus Entertainment – Kin Community’s media partner in Canada – to ideate and implement highly successful multi-platform brand solutions spanning both digital and broadcast. In the past four years, Kin Community and Corus have co-executed successful campaigns, receiving a Strategy Nomination for Walmart in 2018, winning the DigiAward for Best Multi-Platform Strategy for Motrin in 2016, and a MIA nomination for McCain in 2015. Media In Canada also named Motrin one of the top 10 best-branded content strategies of 2016.

Born in Iran, raised in Canada, Rouzbeh Heydari has been directing, producing, writing and editing award winning content for a decade. Starting off in the music video world, he has edited music videos for artists like Drake, Snoop, Ludacris and many more. Rouzbeh has written and directed 6 short films that have all screened at international film festivals and won various awards. Rouzbeh’s first full length film, Together Again was a project filmed in Iran and had incredible box office success inside the country, but due to its sensitive/social-political subject matter, [it] was not allowed by the Iranian government to be screened internationally. Rouzbeh just spent three months in Kenya directing documentaries for WE charity. Most recently, Rouzbeh was awarded a grant from Telus to develop a webseries about mental health and caregiving.

Corey Peck, Ryerson University Alumni (Radio and Television Arts, 2010) is Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Media One Creative. Since 2010, Corey has grown Media One Creative’s team from 2 to almost 200 and has been recognized by the Toronto Region Board of Trade with a Business Excellence Award for both Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year and Top Under 30. Corey is also an award winning Executive Producer and has led over 400 video projects for the world’s most recognizable brands such as Nike, SAP, OLG, EY, CGI, Tim Hortons, MLSE, BMO, Scotiabank, Xerox, YMCA, and many others. Corey is passionate about creating great content across multiple art forms and spends his time away from the office with his wife and two daughters. On the weekends, you can find Corey beside his Offset Smoker in his backyard on a never ending quest to become a Barbecue Pit Master.

With over 10 years of experience in the music industry, Connie is currently the Manager of Social Strategy and Marketing at Warner Music Canada. Previously, Connie served as Beatport’s Video Content Producer – an online music store specializing in electronic music and culture. Connie is a graduate of Ryerson’s own Radio & Television Arts program. A content creator at heart, Connie’s extensive body of work for Beatport featured the biggest names and festivals in electronic music. Before joining the Beatport team in 2015, she served as an editor at VICE’s THUMP channel for over two years. Connie is known throughout the Toronto music scene for bringing a unique flavour to her photography and video work, pulling back the curtain on the city’s celebrated dance music and clubbing scene. Her accomplished resume includes branded media projects for national clients such as Bud Light and Live Nation, plus NBC production credits for her work on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Defiance, and Warehouse 13.

Karl Bechmann is the co-founder and Director of Operations at CRUEL Inc., a marketing services agency based in Toronto. After finishing his B.Comm from McGill University in 2013, he started the business with the intention of developing a campus lifestyle brand through events & content. Since then, CRUEL has focused its offering on experiential & creative as a service, connecting brands with young people across the country. Karl has worked with brands such as Schweppes, Jagermeister, and Mott’s Clamato.

Roland is a senior technical specialist with more than 15 years of experience in the audio visual industry. He currently works as a freelancer, producing events for most major AV companies across the Greater Toronto Area, including PSAV, Epiqvision, Sole Power, Freeman and BB Blanc. Roland specializes in video switching, mapping and creating large format visual environments. In his spare time he designs and builds custom stages for music festivals and flies drones.

Jaclyn Yurek is an Entertainment and Content Marketer, who is proud to be a Ryerson alumni! She graduated from Ryerson’s Radio and Television Arts program in 2009, and in 2011 completed her Marketing Management certificate at George Brown College. She worked at Corus Entertainment for 8 years in the on air promotions, client marketing, brand marketing, and programming teams working on both Kids and Lifestyle brands such as YTV, Treehouse, W Network, HGTV, and Food Network to name a few. Jaclyn has recently brought her marketing expertise and passion for Canadian content to CBC where she uses traditional, digital, and social marketing strategies to market CBC’s homegrown Canadian shows to reach Canadian audiences.

Samantha has been working in the music industry throughout North America and the UK for almost two decades. Her career has focused primarily on concert promoting, working for some of the largest promoters and festivals including; Festival Republic (Reading/Leeds Festivals), AEG Live (Coachella , Stagecoach and Virgin Music Festival), and Republic Live (WayHome and Boots & Hearts) to name just a few. In addition, Sam also spent a number of years as a manager at Nettwerk Management’s UK office, working for major-label multi-platinum artists.

Graeme Mathieson is a Toronto-based filmmaker and an award-winning Creative Director and Partner at Q Media Solutions, with over 15 years of experience in the industry. From directing large scale commercials to traveling the world as a documentary filmmaker, he’s worked with clients ranging from well known brands to impactful not-for-profits, including SickKids and the YMCA. Graeme’s most recent not-for-profit project was with Journey Home Hospice, creating a series of personal profiles for Toronto’s very first hospice for the homeless. He also moonlights as DJ Gramera, hosting soul, funk and reggae parties across Toronto and was at the helm of his 15-year long radio show, “StolenSouls” on CHRY 105.5FM. His passion for music and filmmaking perfectly aligned when he recently co-directed a documentary short on reggae and ska legend Stranger Cole, “Ruff & Tuff”, which premiered and was awarded Official Selection at the 2018 Hot Docs Film Festival.

Christian Parsons is a marketing director, strategist and writer recognized for leading award winning marketing teams. He is the Marketing Director – Live and Lifestyle, leading all marketing activities for live music, performances, food and fashion at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. Christian’s 14 year career has seen him work in creative agencies in Toronto, Montreal, New York and LA. He is not keto.

Jennifer joined REC for a chance to dive deeper into the entertainment industry. She showed great interest, love and passion for the art and with her marketing background, dedication, as well as her upbeat attitude she was a huge contribution in the making of this conference.

Outside of REC, she’s also the Events Communications Manager for the Ted Rogers Students’ Society and the Marketing and Social Media Director for the Ted Rogers Outreach Program. She wishes for an amazing conference and is extremely proud and grateful for the opportunity as well as the people she got to meet and work with.

Victoria is a third year Professional Communications student, minoring in Communication Design. After taking on #REC18 as an Events Associate, she discovered her passion for Project Management. This was when she knew she wanted to take on a larger role, continuing onto the 2019 conference team as this year’s Executive Vice President.

Other than REC, Victoria can be found on the field as she is also the Ryerson Women’s Ultimate Frisbee captain. Outside of Ryerson, Victoria plays Ultimate Frisbee for a competitive women’s touring team in Toronto. She recently competed in her first national championship this past summer.

If you ever need to find her, just look for the most injured looking person on the team as she is (almost) always injured or broken.

Working in the film and entertainment industry for over 7 years, producing live theatrical shorts and leading a number of student groups throughout her educational experience, Taelor excels with and is passionate about the art of communication and storytelling.

That’s essentially her manta & why she joined REC. To help people tell their stories, whether that be through photography, film, podcast, literature, or dance. Anything.

Vice President of the Professional Communications Course Union at Ryerson University, Public Relations Liaison of REC, Communications Coordinator of Common Mag and Marketing Associate of Kaleidoscope, an FCAD publication, whiles working as a tour guide, acting, and script writing, Taelor surprises herself with how much she can do.

Maybe it’s because she has great people whom she loves very much in her orbit, or maybe its because she is a Gemini with a Virgo moon. She think it’s a little mix of both.

Many students have the notion, they must stay in the field they are currently studying. For instance, if you are studying accounting, it should not limit yourself to only pursue careers in accounting fields. Therefore, Linda joined REC to raise awareness and explore the many commerce opportunities within the entertainment industry.

REC allows opportunities to explore various positions for business students in the entertainment industry. As media and entertainment becoming a huge influence in everyone’s lives, it has become more essential for business students to accommodate to such influences. Entertainment such as music and movies require major attention as they play a huge part in everyone’s lives as they are an essential aspect of life that most people will interact with.

Given such influence, REC can provide different aspects of the industry to the students which would further their visions and widen their perspective in this industry, which could allow more roles and adaptability for business students, which is also the reason why Tommy is glad to be part of such an influential event.

Having attended REC since its first conference, Jasmine joined the team in 2017 as Marketing Lead before transitioning to her current role as one of the Speaker Coordinators. Additionally, she is a part of the Creative Industries Course Union as Fourth Year Representative.

Jasmine has a passion for all things related to the entertainment industry, especially music and film, and aspires to work within live entertainment. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, attending concerts, and admiring all dogs. Jasmine has thoroughly enjoyed being a part of such a unique and innovative conference, and looks forward to seeing what the future will bring!

Allison was really interested in joining REC because she thought it’d be a great way to involve both her academic passions and career pursuits.

Outside of REC, Allison is a research assistant and an avid book blogger. As a media student, she is constantly telling stories and one day hope to use her abilities to curate all the stories she finds.

Lani joined REC to get as close to the entertainment industry as possible. He saw REC as an opportunity to dive headfirst into the line of work he is most passionate about. The multiple facets of entertainment and its role in society has always kept Lani hooked and eager to contribute to the pleasure and delight that is delivered to an audience.

Lani’s hobbies include dancing, watching/appreciating film, and taking long walks on the beach. His favourite food is ice cream.

Lani’s end goal is to work as a creative director for artists in the music industry. As an avid fan of dance and music, he wishes to innovate the live experience that a musical artist delivers while on tour.

Emma is passionate about the entertainment industry. Every single aspect of it gets her excited and has her falling in love with it every single day. She joined REC so she could explore every part of the entertainment industries and meet some really awesome people.

Emma wants to someday work in an environment where she is completely immersed in entertainment, media and popular culture. She is in love with social media and that is why she is also a part of the Ryerson Communication and Design Society as their Social Media Director. You can 100% find Emma blasting Taylor Swift and eating cookie dough like it’s her day job.

At twenty-one years old, Chelsea Attong is an abstract expressionist artist who has won first place in both live painting battles and art installation competitions across Toronto. Most recently, she showcased her interactive art installation “Embrace” to 4000 guests who attended the annual 4 day exhibition, Come Up to My Room 2018 at the renowned Gladstone Hotel.

Among being a creative director, installation designer, entrepreneur and event curator, Chelsea is a stand out artist that has taught over 200 art classes across the GTA and has showcased her artwork in over a dozen Toronto galleries in 2017 alone. Her work is purposeful, provocative and unregrettably raw. She leaves sentimental impressions that guide viewers to open an up and get in touch with the most vulnerable parts of themselves; all while striking them visually.

As a photographer, filmmaker, and story-teller, Amanda believed joining REC could help her gain more experience and skills in the creative industry. Not just photography, but team-work, communication skills and the experience of working with others, who have different skill sets and mindsets than she does!

Some general goals of Amanda are to do things that she has never done before, go to places she has never been, and connect with more people that could bring good and positivity into her life. It is always an accomplishment for Amanda to step out of her comfort zone.

Larry is a multimedia journalist from Toronto, who is passionate about travel, videography, and home cooking. He is currently Head of Photography for Ryerson Folio Magazine, a cross-faculty, student-run publication at Ryerson University.

Larry joined REC as a graphic design associate to refresh and sharpen his creative motor, looking for new ways to add new skills to his arsenal, as well as hone the ones he already has. Larry has always been a creator, and strives to learn, share, and grow as a storyteller through different mediums.

After a year in an unsuited undergraduate program, Edwin knows how to choose what is important in life and appreciates the optimism that can be found when discovering where he belongs. He chose to believe in his skills and passion for the media industries and found excitement for producing enjoyable and educational content. Edwin currently studies Creative Industries at Ryerson University and has worked with many artists creating concepts and stories in a new perspective for all media audiences.

He is continuing his search for passion and fulfillment through student programs on campus, expanding his network and reviewing his skills to hopefully pursue the advertising and media industry. Being a part of REC helps Edwin develop his skills in creative media while also meeting new individuals who share similar passions. Through creative practise, he hope to learn and adapt to the changing industries of advertising, media and film production.

Nick joined REC because he is always searching for ways to make a creative impact during his time at Ryerson. He is really passionate about design and video, so he is happy to apply these skills to his position on the REC Creative team.

When Nick is not doing work as a film student, he is also the graphic designer for the Image Arts Course Union and the VP of Design for the Visual Artists Association, Ryerson’s first art club. Nick is constantly looking for ways to push himself and experiment with new ways of creating, and a lot of the time it comes down to making something on a small scale that he can post to Instagram before moving on to the next thing. If you want to see some of Nick’s work, feel free to check out his Instagram feed or his portfolio site!

Sam is a nineteen-year-old filmmaker and screenwriter. She is a second year undergraduate student earning her BFA in Film Studies at the Ryerson University School of Image Arts where she sits on the course union as the VP of Administration and Operations. Sam is excited to continue with the Ryerson Entertainment Conference as this year’s Creative Director, last year she held the role of videographer.

Sam is currently working on her first feature film as a writer/director. She is an innovative creator with high attention to detail, a passion for story-telling and a strong understanding of emerging trends and technologies in the film industry. She’s had her work premiere in international festivals and is continuing to evolve creatively and learn more every day.

One of Sam’s favourite things to do is make her friends think they’re posing for a photo, when it’s actually a video. It’s hilarious, and you should try it.

Tristan enjoys personal fitness and tries to maintain a healthy lifestyle while balancing school and work. He also has a passion for film and hopes to collaborate with industry experts.

Jessie joined #REC19 as she had a wonderful time as a delegate at #REC18 and wanted to help deliver the same, if not better, delegate experience she had to other Ryerson students interested in participating in the conference this year. Having been in several other student groups and community organizations in the past, Jessie has had a diverse experience in various marketing, events, and sales related roles.

Outside of school, Jessie is currently working part-time as a Website Manager for Agent-Proof Me and has taken on a Co-op work-term at Freshbooks as an Events Coordinator for the Winter 2019 semester.

Jessie has a huge passion for fashion, innovation, and content creation. She enjoys spending her free time improving and exercising her photo and video editing skills. Her personal hobbies include going on coffee and food adventures around downtown Toronto, travelling, and meeting new people.

Emma joined REC because of her passion for the entertainment industry and more specifically entertainment marketing. She hopes to learn more about the industry and share her love of entertainment with like minded individuals. Emma hopes to be a marketing manager for an entertainment company in the future.

Aside from REC, she is the Vice President of Marketing for Enactus Ryerson and a Digital Marketing Assistant at Ryerson. In her free time, Emma enjoys photography and attending concerts.

Issabella joined REC because she has a real passion for both business and the arts and believed REC was the perfect mix of the two. Her passions include travelling to new cities and reading a good book.

Outside of REC, you can find her on the eighth floor of the SLC either trying to study or hanging out with her friends!

With specializations in Visual Culture and Communication, marketing and digital media have always been areas Kirsten has been interested in. After completing an internship in the Digital Sales department as Warner Music Canada this past summer, Kirsten’s love for the music and entertainment industries deepened, and she was given the opportunity to further develop the marketing and communication skills she hopes to use in the future.

With graduation quickly approaching, Kirsten hopes to begin to work in advertising and social media, ideally in the entertainment industry. As REC works to bring together top talent in the creative industries and highlights everything Kirsten loves about the entertainment industry, joining the team was a natural choice.

In her spare time, you can find Kirsten going to way too many concerts, adding to her constantly growing travel bucket list, and perusing Spotify to discover new artists to listen to.

Joel is a fourth year Business Technology Management student, minoring in Marketing and REC’s Marketing and Digital Lead.

Prior to REC, Joel was involved in multiple student groups such as the Information Technology Management Students’ Associate (ITMSA) and the Connect I.T. Conference (CITC) both as Creative Directors. This is his first year joining REC and he is responsible for REC’s marketing campaigns and website maintenance. He joined REC to be more involved outside of his faculty, Ted Rogers School of Management, and gain the opportunity to network with those in the commerce and creative industry.

Although Joel is majoring in BTM, he is also passionate about design. He enjoys creating brand and visual identities and creating effective marketing campaigns. In his free time, he self-learns programming, design techniques and new tools and programs. He enjoys binge watching shows ranging from thrillers to comedy. Additionally, he is a completionist and likes food, adventures and food adventures.

Karen is a passionate fourth year Accounting student with a minor in French. During her time at TRSM, she has been involved in multiple student groups including the Human Resources Student Association as the Executive Vice President and the Ted Rogers Student Society as a member of the board. After attending #REC17, Karen knew she had to be a part of the team! Karen become the Finance Lead for #REC18 and is now excited to continue the journey by taking on the role as president for the 2019 Conference.

Karen loves movies, TV shows, music, podcasts and anything within the realm of entertainment. You can always count on her to give you a good recommendation for your Netflix queue. Her motivation is “I’d rather be a failure at something I love than a success at something I hate.”

Ally is a second year Business Management student with a major in Entrepreneurship. She joined REC because she really wanted to become involved at Ryerson while supporting something awesome! She loves how REC brings together students from so many different faculties and provides her with several networking opportunities.

Ally personally love to sing, write, act, and read, all of which differ from her program. This fact really motivates her to continuously contribute to REC, because it ties into her personal and professional interests. Besides school and REC, she works as a waitress on campus at Ram in the Rye and Oakham Cafe. If she’s not studying or working, you can catch her hanging out with friends, watching Netflix (probably Friends), or shopping!

Camila joined REC because she really wanted a chance to incorporate more creativity into my business world at school. She loves going to concerts, movies, sports events and with REC she has really gotten a chance to get a look at the inner workings of the entertainment industry.

Camila’s goal is to work in the music business, specifically tours and festivals. Currently, she also volunteers as a part the programming committee at the Burlington Sound of Music Festival.

Adam joined REC as it is a chance for him to highlight his love for events and the detailed process it takes to organize any event. He has a huge passion for being social! He loves meeting new people and going out with them! He recently started his own entertainment company called Fancy Entertainment, that he is consistently trying to grow and attain more business. He’s had a few clients so far but hopes to gain many more.

When Adam isn’t working, which he does a lot, he likes catching up with his friends and traveling as much as possible. He’s conquered Europe and has Asia and Africa next on his list!

Danielle Matti is REC’s current Event Director. She is also a fourth-year student in the Creative Industries program. Danielle joined REC because she wanted to be a part of a team that fostered an environment for insight, innovation and creative expression.

The entertainment industry has always played a huge role in Danielle’s life, whether she was attending broadway shows, going to the movie theatres or finding unique and unrecognized bands in the city. She recently completed an internship at Bell Media, working specifically for the Discovery Channel, CTV News and Bell Media Radio. In the near future, she hopes to work for a creative agency, preferably within the department of Communications.

With graduation in sight, Danielle has plans to backpack across Western Europe. In her spare time, you can find her singing along to her favourite Vance Joy songs, cheering on the Toronto Raptors or embarking on spontaneous road trips.