VANCOUVER, August 24, 2021 – Today, the CMPA announced that Raila Gutman has been appointed to the role of Director, Member Development, BC Producers Branch. In her role beginning this week, Gutman will oversee the CMPA’s BC Producers Branch (CMPA-BC) industry partnerships, equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives, mentorship programs, and training and professional development activities for members, including international and export initiatives.

Prior to the CMPA, Gutman served as the inaugural Program Director for the Pacific Screenwriting Program (PSP), a non-profit organization co-founded by CMPA-BC, Netflix and Creative BC in August 2018. The PSP provides support and career advancement opportunities to BC-based film and television writers. Gutman previously served as Marketing Director at Corus Entertainment.

“Over the past three years serving on the board of the PSP, I’ve had the pleasure of working directly with Raila to build this much-needed organization from the ground up,” said Liz Shorten, the CMPA’s Chief Operating Officer. “In that short time, the PSP has made meaningful strides in building and nurturing BC’s screenwriter community. These accomplishments are in large part to Raila’s unmatched skills and dedication.”

Gutman will be based out of the CMPA’s Vancouver office and will report to Tracey Friesen, Managing Vice-President of CMPA-BC. Gutman’s position was previously held by industry veteran Linda Hay. In her time at the CMPA, Linda developed key sector partnerships, sparked business affairs training initiatives and led producer delegations to markets such as Kidscreen, Realscreen West and Content LA.

“Linda is such a well-regarded professional in this production community and her contributions to our membership are so appreciated,” said Friesen. “I look forward to seeing how Raila, who has a proven track record as an energetic champion of the sector, will be able to build upon that foundation to serve BC producers.”

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ABOUT THE CMPA

The Canadian Media Producers Association is the national advocacy organization for independent producers, representing hundreds of companies engaged in the development, production, and distribution of English-language content made for television, cinema, and digital media channels. We work to promote the continued success of the Canadian production sector and to ensure a bright future for the diverse content made by our members for both domestic and international audiences.  cmpa.ca

For more information:

Kyle O’Byrne
Manager, Media Relations & Communications, CMPA
kyle.obyrne@cmpa.ca