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Creative Excellence Award

Awarded to a woman in recognition of the creative excellence and dynamic quality of her work in screen-based media, which has received national and/or international attention in the previous year and sets a standard for screen-based professionals.

Julie Bristow

Executive Director, Studio & Unscripted Programming, CBC Television  

Julie Bristow is responsible for CBC Television’s Factual Entertainment, Sports, Unscripted Comedy and Specials.

She launched the Factual Entertainment division in May 2006 and, under her stewardship, the network saw significant audience growth with primetime hits such as Dragons’ Den, The Week The Women Went, Battle of the Blades, Steven and Chris, Best Recipes Ever, and George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight. As well, Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister and Make the Politician Work were both hot-selling international formats.   

Julie’s work in television has garnered her three Gemini Awards and the CBC President’s Award for Leadership. Julie combines a passion for public broadcasting with an entrepreneurial spirit and understanding of entertainment programming across genres.

Mentorship Award

Awarded to a woman or man who has made an outstanding contribution to building women’s careers in screen-based media and/or assists female entrepreneurs in growing their own media companies.

Carol Whiteman

President & CEO
Creative Women Workshops Association

A two-time Governor General’s Award-nominee, Carol is a co-creator of the Women In the Director’s Chair program (WIDC), presented by the Creative Women Workshops Association (CWWA).  

Through her work with WIDC—including facilitating workshops, providing personal coaching and administering awards and fellowships—Carol has helped advance the careers of hundreds of women screen directors, actors and technicians across Canada and internationally. As a founding member, President and CEO of the CWWA, Carol has produced over 130 short films at WIDC since its inception in 1997.  

Outstanding Achievement Award

Awarded to a woman who has made a major contribution to screen-based media through the consistent quality of her work. Through personal example and leadership, she has inspired and set standards for screen-based media professionals.

Noreen Halpern

President, Dramatic Programming,
Entertainment One Television

As eOne Television’s President of Dramatic Programming, Noreen Halpern oversees the development and production of all scripted programming, including primetime series The Firm, Hell On Wheels, Rookie Blue, Hung and Haven. Noreen also manages the strategic growth of the TV division and serves as an Executive Producer on many eOne Television productions.

Previously, Noreen worked at Canada’s production/distribution powerhouse Alliance-Atlantis. In 2002, she left to co-found Blueprint Entertainment, which later merged with a number of international partners to form Entertainment One, now Canada’s largest entertainment company and a fully-integrated film and television production and distribution company with offices around the world.

International Achievement Award

Awarded to a woman working in screen-based media for her significant and well-recognized body of work in Canada and abroad. 

Samantha Bee

Comedic Actress

Born and raised in Toronto, Samantha joined the cast of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in 2003, where she “systematically eliminated all those before her” for the title of Most Senior Correspondent.

In addition to The Daily Show, she can be seen opposite husband Jason Jones in the film Cooper’s Christmas, in the films Furry Vengeance and Date Night, and in a recurring role in the new season of the HBO series Bored to Death.

Samantha is a regular on the upcoming season of HBO Canada’s Good Dog and guest-starred recently on CBC’s Michael: Tuesdays & Thursdays, as well as on the final season of Law and Order. This fall, she was honoured as Comedy Person of the Year at the Canadian Comedy Awards. Click here for Samantha Bee’s full bio.