
ABOUT
The Media Leadership Program offers a unique immersive learning experience that combines business school teaching from Schulich MBA faculty with best practices from high-level industry executives. Schulich School of Business is consistently ranked as one of the top business schools in the world.
Program activities include individual assessments and team exercises. Past industry professionals who have contributed to the MLP curriculum have included CEO's and top executives from CBC, Bell Media, Shaw Media, Corus, Blue Ant, National Film Board, and major production companies.
The MLP is a biennial program. Participants from all sectors of the screen-based industry are encouraged to apply. Successful participants will receive a Certificate of Completion from the Schulich School of Business. Receipt of the certificate is determined by attendance and participation.
“It was a fantastic experience. The Media Leadership Program provided a comprehensive framework to better understand and navigate the challenges of our rapidly changing industry on both a micro and macro level. More importantly, I met an incredible group of inspiring woman from across our sector who I can draw upon for support and advice. ”
— KATHLEEN MEEK, MANAGER, ORIGINAL CONTENT, DRAMA & FACTUAL, CORUS ENTERTAINMENT; MLP 2016
DATES
Deadline for Applications: EXTENDED!! February 20, 2023 @ 11:59pm (EST)
Deadline for Bursary Applications: January 27, 2023 @ 11:59pm (EST)
2023 PROGRAM DATES
This program runs March 2023 - June 2023. Dates are as noted below:
Friday March 10 & Saturday March 11
Monday March 27
Friday April 14 & Saturday April 15
Friday April 21
Saturday April 29
Friday May 5
Friday May 26 & Saturday May 27
*Wrap Day June 2023
All sessions will take place on Fridays and Saturdays (with the exception of one Monday) from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
This program will be delivered partially in person (at the Schulich Executive Education Centre, York University (4700 Keele St., North York, ON), with one session being held in Downtown Toronto at the Nadal Centre. Some sessions will be delivered entirely online.
*dates are subject to change based on instructor availability
FEES
2023 PROGRAM FEES & BURSARY DETAILS
WIFT Toronto Members: $3995 (+ hst)
Non-Members: $4995 (+hst)
Deadline to apply: EXTENDED!! February 20, 2023 @ 11:59pm (EST)
Deadline to apply for bursary: January 27, 2023 @ 11:59pm (EST)
*Payment Plans are available
Bursary deadline has now passed.
ELIGIBILITY
Candidates must meet the following criteria in order to be eligible for consideration:
- Canadian Citizen, Permanent Resident or Landed Immigrant
- Screen-based professional with a minimum of ten years management/entrepreneurial experience
- Successful candidates must be prepared to participate in ongoing evaluations and will be requested to provide a testimonial on completion of the program
This program is open to WIFT Toronto members and non-members; all are welcome to apply—regardless of gender—providing they meet overall eligibility.
SESSIONS & INSTRUCTORS
This program is led by Trina McQueen, O.C. (Co-Director of the Arts, Media & Entertainment Management Program, Schulich School of Business) and Lisa De Wilde, O.C. (Bell Media Professor of Media Management, at Schulich School of Business). Trina and Lisa are both Order of Canada honorees for their achievements in media.
Sessions, faculty and guest speakers to be confirmed.
SESSIONS INCLUDE:
Intro & Breaking The Ice To Become Leaders, Collaboration and Industry Challenges, Essentials of Leadership
Trina McQueen will lead the first session of the Media Leadership Program with an introduction to the program as a whole, and the lecture “Disrupting the Disrupters”, a look at our continually shape-shifting media industry. Participants will also engage in an interviewing exercise with each other (in pairs), culminating in informed introductions of each other. This will provide a dynamic overture for all participants and lay the groundwork for a class that works together. The following two sessions will discuss the essentials of leadership, and using your strengths in facing industry challenges.
Critical Communication Skills
Create more positive and beneficial work relationships by applying conscious communication skills. Build trust and rapport through interactions which are clear, effective and impactful. Your management career succeeds as your business relationships succeed. The ability to influence, persuade and communicate with people in a positive way in order to achieve your organizational goals is one of the keys to success in any business or professional environment.
This highly interactive course provides you with the opportunity to learn, practice and master the critical skills and competencies required for building and maintaining productive and profitable work relationships.
Organizational Behaviour
Organizational Behaviour examines how people react to, and interact with, the values, structures, systems, policies, incentives, and demands that create and enact their workplace environment, both in groups and individually. Although Organizational Behaviour is often framed in terms of how individuals and groups influence productivity and efficiency in accomplishing the organization’s mission, the focus of this session will be somewhat different—how workplace environments and interactions contribute to an organization effectively realizing its intentions amidst the complexity of the contemporary world.
Strategic Mindset
The screen-based media industry continues to go through tremendous change, driving the need to know how to develop and manage winning strategies. The course will change the way attendees think and talk about strategy. Every attendee will leave knowing how to think strategically.
Leadership and Innovation
Ask ten people to define the word “innovation” and watch for ten different definitions. In this highly interactive session, we will explore the definitions, models and frameworks that contribute to business innovation success. Building on current research and many cases, we will work with the key principles of innovation management, the stages and steps of an effective innovation process and the critical characteristics of innovation leadership.
Managerial Finance
This session will enhance participants’ financial literacy and provide analytical tools they can use to support their key strategic business functions, management and resource allocation decisions.
Finance for Media Companies
This session will utilize several every day scenarios where participants may encounter that require financial analysis and management skills. Having completed the financial literacy portion of the program, participants will learn how to use these basic tools to put together “pitches” to put forward short term and long term media projects, capital investment and other resource allocation decisions.
Marketing Concepts & Practice
The media industry is facing interesting challenges as it adjusts to the ever-changing needs of digitally-sophisticated and marketing savvy consumers of all ages and backgrounds. Consumer expectations (B2B and B2C) are evolving as rapidly as technology. In this period of flux, it is essential that business leaders understand the basic principles of marketing in order to stay abreast of current trends, identify the ones most likely to impact their industries and so develop solid, effective business strategies.
Industry Days
In these sessions, we bring together media and industry leaders to discuss new trends, technologies and various topics of discussion, offering an opportunity for questions and answers.
Other topics addressed include:
- Career Mapping
- Collaboration & Industry Challenges
- Futureproofing Film & Television
- Business Negotiations
- Data & Analytics