<h3>Where</h3>Online<h3>When</h3>March 24-26, 2022

Toronto Animation Film Festival

<h3>Where</h3>Online<h3>When</h3>March 24-27, 2021

<h3>Where</h3>Hot Docs Cinema | Toronto, Canada | 506 Bloor Street West<h3>When</h3>Monday April 25th

<h3>Where</h3>Online<h3>When</h3>November 11-13, 2021

Toronto Animation Industry Conference

<h3>Where</h3>Online<h3>When</h3>November 18-22, 2020﻿

<h3>Where</h3>Corus Quay, Toronto, Canada, 25 Dockside Dr.<h3>When</h3>Saturday to Sunday, November 2-3, 2019

Toronto Animation / VFX Job Fair

TAAFI News

In conversation with Vanessa Esteves &amp; Adrian Thatcher. Both talents really bring a unique perspective – Vanessa is a supervising producer and Adrian a director. They also created their own series, Super Wish, which is in production, and Vanessa’s screenplay Christopher and the Bug was a finalist for Hollyshorts. Their combined experience could be interesting for budding creators/writers’ and all you Industry folks!

Creators Conversations - Adrian and Vanessa

Adrian Thatcher is a Toronto based animated series director and has worked in animation for over 22 years at both, Walt Disney Television Animation and Nelvana. In 2010, Adrian won a Daytime Emmy Award for individual achievement in art direction in recognition of his work on the Nelvana series, Willa’s Wild Life. Adrian’s most recent directing credits include Ollie’s Pack, Bravest Warriors, Ranger Rob, and Oh No, It’s an Alien Invasion!.

Adrian Thatcher is a Toronto based animated series director and has worked in animation for over 22 years at both, Walt Disney Television Animation and Nelvana. In 2010, Adrian won a Daytime Emmy Award for individual achievement in art direction in recognition of his work on the Nelvana series, Willa’s Wild Life. Adrian’s most recent directing credits include Ollie’s Pack, Bravest Warriors, Ranger Rob, and Oh No, It’s an Alien Invasion!.

Adrian Thatcher

A recent graduate of Centennial College’s Children’s Media Program, Quinn has spent many years volunteering at TAAFI and has joined as official STAAFI in 2021. He has a great love of animation and in particular the writing and production side of the industry while also keeping his visual arts skills strong. When he isn’t assisting the social media or organizing community game nights you can find him pondering life’s great questions or watching silly internet videos, y’know one of the two.

Quinn Doherty

Vanessa Esteves is a supervising creative producer, writer, content creator and showrunner with a passion for storytelling. Having over 17 years experience in the animation industry, Vanessa has worked in multiple genres with a strong focus on bridge-preschool and comedy. Vanessa has most recently overseen Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe, Max &amp; Ruby and Ranger Rob along with Nelvana’s own series of digital music videos, Toon Bops and is currently showrunning Super Wish, a comedy series that she co-created. When she’s not helping create animated content, she is often found watching it alongside the audience, her two young kids.

Vanessa Esteves is a supervising creative producer, writer, content creator and showrunner with a passion for storytelling. Having over 17 years experience in the animation industry, Vanessa has worked in multiple genres with a strong focus on bridge-preschool and comedy. Vanessa has most recently overseen Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe, Max &amp; Ruby and Ranger Rob along with Nelvana’s own series of digital music videos, Toon Bops and is currently showrunning Super Wish, a comedy series that she co-created. When she’s not helping create animated content, she is often found watching it alongside the audience, her two young kids.

Vanessa Esteves

Nelvana 2021

Join this group of seasoned development executives for a panel discussion on what it takes to get something made these days. From how to pitch, to what to pitch, to where to pitch. What are people looking for? How long does the process take? Where better to get these answers than from some of the folks who help make the great cartoons in this frosty land.

Join this group of seasoned development executives for a panel discussion on what it takes to get something made these days.From how to pitch, to what to pitch, to where to pitch. What are people looking for? How long does the process take?Where better to get these answers than from some of the folks who help make the great cartoons in this frosty land.

Development Deep Dive

Gregory R. Little is Mainframe Studios’ SVP, Content, responsible for developing and executive producing the company’s original content slate for older kids and families. His current shows in production include an unannounced animated series at Netflix and a premium animated series at YouTube Originals called The Guava Juice Show. He also developed and executive produced Mainframe’s first theatrical animated feature film, Escape from Planet Earth, and is part of the company’s senior management team. Prior to Mainframe, Greg led the U.S. office for Brown Bag Films, the Emmy-winning Dublin-based animation studio, and was VP, Development at The Gotham Group, where he managed its ‘first-look’ deal with Sony Pictures Animation. Greg’s live-action experience includes VP Development for The Mark Gordon Company and production executive on numerous independent live-action feature films. He also produced the independent feature film, The Citizen. Greg is an avid surfer and sailor and lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their two boys. He volunteers with the non-profit organization A Walk On Water, bringing life-changing surf stoke to kids with unique needs and their families.&nbsp;

Gregory Little

Rachel Reade Marcus is the VP of creative development at Guru Studio where she leads the company’s development of new original IP. Her passion is creating innovative, quality animated content for all ages through nurturing and mentoring new talent, and fostering long-term creative partnerships. Rachel has played a pivotal role in growing the company’s roster of Originals, including co-creating the studio’s newest preschool series Pikwik Pack which airs on Disney Junior US, Hulu and Treehouse Canada, as well as serving as executive producer on the comedy adventure series Big Blue with CBC in Canada. Previous to her time at Guru Studio, Rachel worked at Nickelodeon developing new IP across their digital platforms.

Rachel Reade Marcus is the VP of creative development at Guru Studio where she leads the company’s development of new original IP. Her passion is creating innovative, quality animated content for all ages through nurturing and mentoring new talent, and fostering long-term creative partnerships. Rachel has played a pivotal role in growing the company’s roster of Originals, including co-creating the studio’s newest preschool series Pikwik Pack which airs on Disney Junior US, Hulu and Treehouse Canada, as well as serving as executive producer on the comedy adventure series Big Blue with CBC in Canada. Previous to her time at Guru Studio, Rachel worked at Nickelodeon developing new IP across their digital platforms.

Rachel Reade Marcus

Before joining the Atomic Cartoons team as a creative development executive, Rose served as coordinator of development at Nickelodeon Animation for five years. Throughout her time there, she helped develop a slate of 40+ television projects - including Star Trek, Rugrats, and SpongeBob. Prior to her time at Nickelodeon, Rose worked at NASA to develop and create video content for a variety of their social media platforms. Originally from Michigan, Rose earned her BA in Art from the University of Michigan. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her dog and partner, and she spends much of her free time painting oil portraits!

Before joining the Atomic Cartoons team as a creative development executive, Rose served as coordinator of development at Nickelodeon Animation for five years. Throughout her time there, she helped develop a slate of 40+ television projects - including Star Trek, Rugrats, and SpongeBob. Prior to her time at Nickelodeon, Rose worked at NASA to develop and create video content for a variety of their social media platforms. Originally from Michigan, Rose earned her BA in Art from the University of Michigan. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her dog and partner, and she spends much of her free time painting oil portraits!

Rose Stacey

As Chief Content Officer at WildBrain, Stephanie Betts is responsible for overseeing WildBrain’s content slate, cultivating an artist-led culture of creative excellence at WildBrain Studios. Ms. Betts’ expertise lies in building and leading strong, creatively driven teams, and in producing series that kids around the world will love. Ms. Betts fosters an integrated approach across development, production and studio operations, drawing on her considerable experience and expertise in launching such notable WildBrain series as Snoopy in Space; The Snoopy Show; Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry in the Big City; Go, Dog. Go!; Chip &amp; Potato; Degrassi and many more. Prior to joining WildBrain, Ms. Betts worked as a producer and development executive at Breakthrough Films and Television, and previously at Atomic Cartoons.&nbsp;

As Chief Content Officer at WildBrain, Stephanie Betts is responsible for overseeing WildBrain’s content slate, cultivating an artist-led culture of creative excellence at WildBrain Studios. Ms. Betts’ expertise lies in building and leading strong, creatively driven teams, and in producing series that kids around the world will love. Ms. Betts fosters an integrated approach across development, production and studio operations, drawing on her considerable experience and expertise in launching such notable WildBrain series as Snoopy in Space; The Snoopy Show; Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry in the Big City; Go, Dog. Go!; Chip &amp; Potato; Degrassi and many more. Prior to joining WildBrain, Ms. Betts worked as a producer and development executive at Breakthrough Films and Television, and previously at Atomic Cartoons.&nbsp;

Stephanie Betts

Atomic

Join writer, director, producer Phil Johnston as we delve into his writing process. How he got into writing cartoons, what are the nuts and bolts of his writing process, and what makes the movies he writes so damn good?!

Join writer, director, producer Phil Johnston as we delve into his writing process. How he got into writing cartoons, what are the nuts and bolts of his writing process, and what makes the movies he writes so damn good?!

Writing Zootopia & Wreck It Ralph with Phil Johnston

As well as being TAAFI's Chair and one of its co-founders, Wornoff helps with speaker programming, TAAFI sing-a-longs, behind the scenes tomfoolery and enjoys Hawiian pizza.Wornoff is a full-time professor at Seneca College, where he coordinates the 3rd year 2D stream and mentors his students while they make incredible cartoons. <a href="Seneca2D.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Seneca2D.com</a>Wornoff also animates and consults for studios in Toronto, and has worked on toons such as Corner Gas Animated, Numb Chucks, Nature Cat, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Total Drama Island, Jimmy Two Shoes, Peg and Corn, Esme and Roy and did storyboard cleanup on Danny Phantom. Currently he's a Creative Producer and Animation Supervisor at Smiley Guy Studios where he's managing animation revs on a new show for Netflix.Barnabas has his Masters in Creative Media and Education from Bournemouth University in England and is a new dad.

Barnabas Wornoff

Phil Johnston is a filmmaker best known for his work on three of the biggest animated films of the 21st century — as a writer of the Academy Award-winning Zootopia and the Academy Award-nominated Wreck-It Ralph and writer &amp; director of Ralph Breaks the Internet, for which he was also nominated for an Oscar. Johnston got his start in independent film, garnering an Independent Spirit Award nomination for his Cedar Rapids script. His collaboration with Sacha Baron Cohen, Grimsby, received no awards or nominations, but it did have one of the most repulsive scenes in the history of comedy. So, at least there’s that. Johnston is currently writing and directing a yet to be announced limited series at Netflix.Prior to becoming a filmmaker, Johnston worked as a broadcast journalist, earning three Emmy Awards for his work. He holds a B.A. in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.F.A. in film directing from Columbia University. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Jill Cordes, their two kids, Fia and Emmett and a dog named Izzy.

TAAFI News

Toronto Animation Film Festival

Toronto Animation Industry Conference

Toronto Animation / VFX Job Fair

Writing Zootopia & Wreck It Ralph with Phil Johnston

Barnabas Wornoff, Creative Producer, Smiley Guy Studios - Chair & co-founder, TAAFI

Phil Johnston, Writer & Director, Walt Disney Animation Studios