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Emily Ramsay is passionate about micro-budget documentary and community storytelling. She is a graduate of Algonquin College’s Scriptwriting program and the WIFT Media Business Essentials program, and was selected for the CMPA Ontario Production Mentorship, WIFT Corus Media Management Accelerator, Ottawa Festivals Leadership Circle, and City of Ottawa Youth in Culture grant. She serves as Chair of the Board of the Digi60 Filmmakers’ Festival, Ottawa’s professional development festival for new and emerging filmmakers. As a member of the Obscura Creative artist collective, she created and produced multiple community and artist works including 2 seasons of “Vs.: Women in Combat Sports”, a docu-series profiling female martial arts and combat sports athletes in the Ottawa region. As the former Ottawa bureau producer with Accessible Media Inc (AMI-tv), she produced several documentary series, specials and featurettes, including “We Are One”, a docu-series highlighting the love, support and diversity of families in Canada’s disability community.
General Inquiries, Finance, Human Resources
Available from:
9 am to 4 pm | Monday – Friday
Jillian Kennedy is an arts administrator with more than 10 years of experience. She is an alumni of the Metcalfe Performing Arts Internship, where she trained under the mentorship of the Great Canadian Theatre Company’s Managing Director. She holds a degree in Art History (Carleton University) and a diploma in Public Relations (Algonquin College). When she’s not at DARC, she’s an enthusiastic home cook and children’s entertainer to her toddler.
Educational Programming
Available from:
10 am to 6 pm | Wednesday – Friday
Deighan Morrison is a sound artist, producer, and audio engineer who works with audio, video, and 3D environments. Deighan has a background in Sound Design and Production, Music Industry Arts, and linguistics. Their current practice is focused on exploring the relationship between ecology and technology by combining field recordings, synthesis, and multi-channel audio techniques to create immersive digital settings. As a workshop instructor, Deighan has developed and led courses in sound art, immersive world-building, audio production, and live mixing techniques. Their credits include sound design and composition for features, short films, documentaries, and 360 video.
Programming, Memberships, Grants, Facility Bookings (the Loop, DARC Microcinema)
Available from:
10 am to 5 pm | Monday – Friday
Meral Tan is a recent graduate of Carleton University’s Film Studies MA program. Her master’s research focused on the representations of depression in contemporary Scandinavian cinema. Meral is passionate about writing and filmmaking. She received the City of Ottawa’s 2023 Seed Award in Equity and Inclusion in the Arts Program to write a screenplay for her short film project. As an early-career artist, Meral takes delight in supporting Ottawa’s media arts community through her role as the Community Access and Education Coordinator.
Partnerships, Organizational Memberships, Facility Bookings (DARC SOUNDSTAGE), Community Involvement, Grants.
Available from:
10 am to 5 pm | Wednesday
10 am to 6 pm | Thursday & Friday
Olivia Onuk is a multidisciplinary artist, community organizer and arts administrator. Her work is rooted in the truth of Art as Therapy, as a tool for self-care, connection, and making sense of trauma. Olivia’s passion for community building and outreach is demonstrated by her continued involvement in various community-focused projects, including the development of arts programming in Winnipeg for underrepresented youth. As the Operations and Special Events Coordinator at the Ottawa South Community Association, she managed the planning and execution of various community events. Outside of work, Olivia enjoys talking through creative ideas, traveling, making/eating food, and spending time in nature (by any body of water).
Media Inquiries, Web Management, Promotional Support, Newsletter
Available from:
10 am to 5 pm | Monday – Friday
Salem Paige Maskell is a poet, essayist, and multidisciplinary artist who explores themes of identity and discomfort, as well as the connections between technology and nature. They have been featured by the League of Canadian Poets, and have previously been shortlisted for the Bridport Poetry Prize and ROOM Poetry Prize. Their work can be found in their debut poetry collection, The Third Self (2023), their chapbook to grow roots (2023), and various literary journals and magazines including Beyond Words magazine and flo. literary magazine, among many others. They are a graduate of the University of Ottawa and hold an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Communications Media and Culture.
Facility Bookings (Digital Edit Suite & Recording Studio), Production Assistance, Event & Exhibition Support, Equipment Donations
Available from:
10 am to 5 pm | Monday – Wednesday
10 am to 6 pm | Thursday & Friday
Laura Paolini is Originally from Tkranto/Toronto, she relocated her practice in 2019 to pursue an MFA at the University of Ottawa. Her work has been shown at various Canadian institutions including Hamilton Artists Inc, Xpace Cultural Centre, and Art Mûr during the 17th edition of Fresh Paint/New Construction (2021). During Summer 2020, she participated in the project #Microcosm with the City of Ottawa’s Public Art departments COVID-19 pivot initiatives, designed to meet the community’s needs and support local professional artists. Laura continues to exhibit since completing her MFA in 2022, most recently performing during PERF; a performance art Biennale hosted by AXENÉO7 (evening curated by Anna Khimasia and Thomas Grondin).
Equipment Rentals, Recording Studio Orientation
Available from:
10 am to 5 pm | Tuesday & Wednesday
10 am to 6 pm | Thursday & Friday
Mel Gosselin is a french-canadian artist from Ottawa. Their musical background is in classical piano as well as choral ensembles. They have a music composition practice that is very improvisational and have released songs under the artist name Greenfield Ave. They are a graduate from the Music Industry Arts program at Algonquin College and a recipient of the Harry Bloomfield Scholarship.
Available from:
10 am to 5 pm | Monday – Friday
Tyler Nykilchyk is a queer, neurodivergent, interdisciplinary artist, working with photographic processes, filmmaking, drawing, textiles, and sculpture. Nykilchyk is a recent graduate of SPAO (School of the Photographic Arts: Ottawa)’s diploma program, and has exhibited at the Ottawa Art Gallery, Glad Day in Toronto as part of Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival 2023, and has screened their short animated film “Dissociative Blue” at HUFF ’22 in Hull. He’s interested in combining traditional craft practices with alternative processes and technology, resulting in a unique visual story. Integrating the past, present and future Nykilchyk’s work exists within the intersection created by themes of identity, environment, memory, and sustainability.
Erin Flynn, B.A., B.Ed, is a community builder and arts administrator. Her passion for people and the arts have led her on a winding road of discovery. With a long history as Station Manager at CHUO 89.1 FM, Ottawa-Gatineau’s community driven, independent radio station, she has connected deeply with the arts and culture community. Most recently, she has worked with the Ottawa International Writers Festival and Being Art Studio to launch their respective podcast series.
With a background in Environmental Studies and Experiential Learning, Erin is constantly looking for new ways to deepen her knowledge and explore new ways of doing things. Her volunteering experience includes serving on the Board Of Directors of Apt613.ca, House of PainT, and currently as a music writer for earSHOT! She was a juror for both the Polaris Music Prize and FACTOR.
Born in Montreal, Deborah Margo (she/her) lives in Ottawa. She is a multi-disciplinary visual artist and has exhibited her work across Canada. She is also part of a collaborative duo, Spectral Weavers, with Annette Hegel. As an adjunct professor in the Department of Visual Arts, at the University of Ottawa, she teaches courses in the studio arts to undergraduate and graduate students. Finally, during the growing season she works as a gardener designing, planting and maintaining gardens in the Ottawa Valley.
Jack Hui Litster is a music performer, composer and producer, who, over the past two decades, has composed and recorded over 75 songs in many genres. His music has been featured in videos, podcasts, and in performance. As Composer-in-Residence for OperOttawa, Jack has composed two operas: The Day You Were Born (2021) which deals with the range of emotions that accompany pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood; and What Is Love?, which sets to music the poetry from Kahlil Gibran’s beloved book The Prophet.
Jack holds an MA in Music and Culture from Carleton University, a Bachelor of Social Science from the University of Ottawa, a Professional Certificate from Berklee College of Music (music business and film scoring), and a Diploma in Jazz Performance from St. Francis Xavier University. From 2010-2020, Jack worked in nonprofit organizations as a fundraiser and community organizer, most recently with Ottawa-based social justice organization Inter Pares.
Stefan Grambart is an award-winning creative with over twenty years of combined experience across film, television, games, and digital media. Stefan has worked on a wide range of interactive projects, and has earned multiple awards including Canadian Screen Awards, a Peabody-Facebook Award, as well as the first-ever Primetime Emmy Award for a Virtual Reality project.
Stefan holds a Master’s degree in Digital Media from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) where his research was focused on immersive storytelling for VR/AR and content production for streaming media. He has worked with many clients and partners including PBS Frontline, Ontario Creates, and the National Film Board of Canada.
Trish Sawhney, BMus, B.A, L.L.B., is a licensed lawyer in the Province of Ontario. Her interest in the legal profession stemmed from her experiences as a musician and her first-hand understanding of the importance of protecting one’s creative works. As such, Trish found herself captivated by the world of intellectual property law. Trish is well-versed in securing, protecting, enforcing, and licensing various intellectual property rights of creators and owners in a wide range of industries. Trish is excited to support the development and growth of artists throughout the local community by offering her strategic and analytical expertise to the DARC Board of Directors.
Colin Masterson is a local independent artist, screenwriter and actor who has been a frequent participant in Ottawa’s Digi60 Filmmakers’ Festival since he graduated from the Algonquin College’s Scriptwriting program in 2018. In the past 5 years has won the “Best Screenplay” award twice, and continues to be an active member of the filmmaking community. Before moving home from Vancouver in 2017, Colin had worked on a wide variety of productions from TV broadcast companies like FOX, CBS and Amazon Prime to Universal major motion pictures. Colin is incredibly passionate about our independent filmmaking community, our city, and is committed to helping build a thriving, inclusive and supportive environment for all independent artists.
Jose Palacios is a Canadian multidisciplinary artist based in Ottawa. He was born in Lima, Peru, and has been an Ottawa resident since 1987. As a visual artist, he produces visually stimulating abstract digital pieces and paintings with gouache and acrylic on canvas and paper. His work has been shown at the Galerie Annexe (Ottawa Art Gallery), and acquired by the City Of Ottawa. As a musician, he began writing and performing music in his teens and was a founding member and guitarist of My Dad vs. Yours, the critically-acclaimed band that recorded three albums from 2003 to 2012. As a DJ, he co-founded the dance party Kitchen Party in 2011 and continues to be active in the local DJ community.
Najeeba Ahmed (she/they) is an artist and a creative technologist based in so-called “Ottawa”. With a multi-disciplinary degree double majoring in Biology and Visual Arts from the University of Ottawa, they have a complementary range of experiences in laboratories, in education, NGOs, and studios across Canada and Asia. Najeeba’s artistic practice is currently centered around uncovering the tensions between technology, identity, consumerism and community through the lens of bio-art, generative art, XR, speculative design, and textile art. They are a natural tinkerer who is always curious about possibilities of design and craft technologies through experimentation and exploration. You may find their work through their pseudonym Ajeeb Sir.
Ladane Ali is a local emerging poet/writer and comedian. She has performed stand-up online (Collaborative Comedy Competition 2021), as well as yuk yuks’ amateur comedy nights. Ladane is the coordinator, Mentorship, International Development, Policy with the Canadian Media Producers Association. Ladane Holds an Honours degree in International Development and Globalization from the University of Ottawa. Her intention was to move back to her parent’s origin country (Djibouti). She had come to the realization that woman here in Canada, especially those of the diaspora suffer from feelings of isolation, imposter syndrome and many other forms of mental health issues. She was impassioned to understand beyond an academic approach, the causes for such high rates of mental health issues in marginalized communities. After spending years attending workshops geared towards young BIPOC Canadian Women, one startling realization she had is that so many women are brought up to be seen and not heard. Ladane made it her life’s goal to shed light on the institutional, societal and cultural barriers that uphold and maintain the status quo that keeps the most marginalized members of society immobile.
Hingman Leung is a self-taught independent filmmaker who uses storytelling for social good. Her background in film photography and music production combined with her intercultural research and professional expertise underpin her filmmaking approach. Her first documentary film, No Doggy Bag Please received the 2015 Public Ethnography Award from Royal Roads University and was selected to screen at the Waste in Asia Conference and Film Festival in 2015. Her 2020 narrative short, Curbside Pickup, received Best Director, Best Film, and Emerging Experimental Filmmaker awards at Digi60; and is currently in the festival circuit having been selected to the Toronto Short Film Festival and another soon-to-be-announced Canadian festivals.
Yan (Yanran Zhu) is a filmmaker and artist based in Toronto/Beijing. She was born and raised in Beijing, China, and studied and lived in Canada. She holds an MA degree in Film Studies from Carleton University, focused on post-colonial Cinema.
Ashford Sabastien Callender is an Ottawa-based experimental digital artist, as well as a community educator and organizer. Inspired by psychedelic futurism, he uses his background in audio and video post-production within creative mediums such as web, film, and video to explore and create thoughtful, immersive, cross-cultural audio/visual experiences — one of his primary goals is to encourage people to see art, primarily, as a participatory space where we all have the power to alter our capacity for connection and understanding… and also encouraging people to peer into the technology side of art, to help inspire and create new visions.
Nate Estabrooks is a graduate of the prestigious Norman Jewison Canadian Film Centre and member of the Director’s Guild of Canada. Nate Estabrooks is a workshop instructor with a wide and practical film path to draw from. As a talented feature director, VFX artist and award-winning screenwriter, he is a founding member of Space Tigers Inc, a production pipeline offering VFX and post-production services and continues to develop his toolset through 360 videos, VR storytelling and computer-generated imagery.
Aia Raafat is a trilingual Ottawa-Gatineau based communications professional and filmmaker. Aia has a Bachelor degree of Arts with honours and holds a Master of Arts from the University of Ottawa in Communications and Media Studies. During her studies, Aia worked as a teaching assistant at the UOttawa and conducted research analyzing video content on social media platforms. Driven by her passion for arts, Aia focuses her creative work on promoting the work of not-for-profit organizations in Canada via video content. Aia aspires to empower vulnerable and diverse populations including immigrant youth, racialized women and LGBTQ2+ communities with creative and artistic skills to tell their stories. Aia attended the Deutche Wille (DW) school for online blogging and video production where she trained in Germany’s national broadcasting studios. She then passed the certification exams for Adobe Premiere, Adobe After effects and Apple FinalcutX. Aia is currently exploring cost-efficient and innovative digital video techniques such as smartphone technology and VR to apply in her future video projects. Aia volunteered with UNISDR where she led the production of video content for the third world conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Sendai, Japan. She volunteered with the Daytime Ottawa crew at RogerTV cable 22 for several years. Aia has been working in communications and teaching video production for over 7 years now.
hiba ali is a producer of moving images, sounds, garments and words. they grew up in chicago and toronto and currently reside across eugene, or and austin, tx. they use 3d animation and digital art to create liminal spaces where they engage in world building, storytelling and digital poesis. in their practice, this term means a way to call forth more loving and healing into our world. they use virtual reality, 3d animation and augmented reality to slow down time and create portals of solace and care. their work has been presented in chicago, stockholm, vienna, berlin, toronto, new york, istanbul, são paulo, detroit, windsor, dubai, austin, vancouver, and portland. they have written for the following magazines: “c”, the seen, newcity chicago, art chicago, art dubai, the state, medium’s zora, rtv, and topical cream.
Penelope Walcott is an experienced sound designer, editor, and field recordist. Originally from Vancouver, BC, she now resides in Ajax, Ontario. Penelope began her career in sound as both a classical pianist and composer, having performed in Canada, UK, US and Italy; with pieces performed in Canada, Japan, and the UK. Penelope has been involved in audio post production for about 10 years, and has worked on both independent and documentary productions. Last year, she was chosen as one of 6 recipients for the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television’s Women in Post program. For Penelope, sound design is one of the most effective tools for creative story-telling, and she is always honoured to deepen both her knowledge and creative energy in the audio visual medium.
Ben Hoskyn is a cinematographer and producer across narrative features, live multi-cam shoots, viral ads and documentary series. He is a founding member of Space Tigers Inc, a production pipeline offering VFX and post-production services.
The Digital Arts Resource Centre (DARC) board of directors consists of 3-12 members, each elected for three-year terms. Elections are held annually at the members’ annual general meeting. Board members may serve consecutive terms but must stand for re-election by the membership.
67 Nicholas St, Ottawa, ON K1N 7B9