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

Toronto Animation Film Festival

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

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

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

Toronto Animation Industry Conference

<h3>Where</h3><p>Online</p><h3>When</h3><p>November 18-22, 2020<span class="ql-cursor">﻿</span></p>

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

Toronto Animation / VFX Job Fair

TAAFI News

<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">Andy Suriano is a 20+ year veteran of animation and comics, having worked on such series as </span><em>Samurai Jack</em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">, Disney's Mickey Mouse shorts and most recently was an Executive Producer of the </span><em>RISE of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> for Nickelodeon. Currently Andy co-directing the RISE movie for Netflix.&nbsp;</span></p>

<p>Andy Suriano is a 20+ year veteran of animation and comics, having worked on such series as Samurai Jack, Disney's Mickey Mouse shorts and most recently was an Executive Producer of the RISE of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for Nickelodeon. Currently Andy co-directing the RISE movie for Netflix.&nbsp;</p>

Andy Suriano

<p>Athena Georgaklis is the Head of Development for Nelvana. A highly respected animation executive, Athena leads the acquisition of rights and the development of all original content for Nelvana. Athena is committed to develop creator-driven content, working with the studio’s producers, creators, and talent around the world that will resonate with kids of all ages, and find a home in all markets. She helmed the creation of Nelvana’s The Most Magnificent Thing, DNAce, Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe Ready for Space Travel, The Hardy Boys live action series and many more to come.</p><p>Athena has worked in Canadian broadcast and production for more than 22 years. Prior to Nelvana, she oversaw all original animation production for Corus Entertainment’s kids’ networks, supervising the development and production of Canadian content in both English and French. During her time, she led the production and development of hit shows like Johnny Test, Camp Lakebottom, Mysticons, 6TEEN, Cupcake and Dinosaur, Rocket Monkeys, and the Total Drama Island franchise.</p>

Athena Georgaklis

<p>Listen as these animation powerhouses share their experience in both the joys and the challenges of what it's like being a Mom in the Animation Industry. We are joined by Shaleen Sangha (Head of Kids at Boat Rocker Media), Sonya Carey (Head of Production at Snowball Studios), Adriana Blake (Story Artist at Copernicus Studios) and Alexandra Tortosa (Surfacing Artist at Mainframe Studios). Panel is moderated by TAAFI Chair and fellow Mom of three, Karen Jackson. </p>

Karen Jackson

Working Moms: Animation Edition

Alexandra Tortosa

<p>Adriana (Vargas) Blake is a Venezuelan/American/Canadian (phew!) artist with over 10 years of experience in the animation industry as a storyboard artist and revisionist; with credits in shows such as Johnny Test, Arthur, and Magic School Bus: Rides Again among many others. She’s volunteered at TAAFI on and off throughout the years, recently becoming an official STAAFI and board member in 2021. She's a wife, mom, D&amp;D nerd, and likes mermaids and tea.</p>

Adriana (Vargas) Blake

Courtney Guthrie

<p>Shaleen Sangha has been a part of the Boat Rocker team since 2017. As a Vice President of Boat Rocker Studios, Kids and Family, Shaleen oversees the day-to-day operations of its Toronto division with a focus on creative development and production.</p><p>Shaleen has a passion for content and focuses on building meaningful heartfelt stories that resonate with today’s youth. Shaleen was Executive Producer of The Next Step, Season 7, and a CSA nominee as Supervising Producer of the The Next Step, Season 6. Shaleen has served as Creative Executive on series such as A Tale Dark and Grimm, The Strange Chores, Polly Pocket, Chip and Potato, Chuck’s Choice, Doozers, Looped and many more. Shaleen was instrumental in building online content for many of the series on her slate including the Chuck’s Choice: Choose Your Own Pet Adventure and the Addison: The Invention Detective app. </p>

Shaleen Sangha

<p>Sonya Carey has been working in the animation and visual effects industry for close to 25 years. After graduation from the University of Guelph, Sonya began working as an artist in a studio in Los Angeles on the Ren and Stimpy Show. She took the time needed to understand the technology behind animation by becoming a camera and compositing artist. As a creative, she was particularly interested in the complex tasks and pipelines which are needed to produce visual FX.  Suggesting and providing solutions lead Sonya out of the creative seat and into production. <br><br>Following the path of animation technology, Sonya was promoted from 2D Compositing Lead, to Head of Studio Operations, to Producer and is now the Head of Production at Snowball Studios. She has been fortunate enough to work on both feature and series with a roster of clients that include Disney, Warner Brothers, and now Netflix.  </p><p>Sonya is now dedicated to sharing this knowledge by way of teaching as founder and instructor of The Animation Lounge.  Her focus is on 2D software and fine art of 2D film making.  Teaching young people the skills needed to tell their own stories and how to pursue careers in animation is Sonya's latest passion project. </p><p>Next on the list is Producing and Directing her own stories.</p>