TEAM

 
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executive Director

Sue Biely is a trailblazer in Canadian independent media, designing and facilitating innovative initiatives to enable the sector to adapt to and utilize ever changing forces. With a history in content, policy, business models, conference design, workshop delivery, partnerships and campaigns -- Sue continually works to bring a diversity of voices and mediums to story telling for the common good. 

Sue has had the fortune to collaborate with many partners and clients which include: Telefilm Canada, REEL Canada, Canadian Media Producers Association, Creative BC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, National Film Board of Canada, City of Vancouver, BC Alliance for Arts & Culture, Canada Council, and many provincial agencies in the media-sphere.

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Impact DIRECTOR

As the Impact Director of Story Money Impact, Anthony Truong Swan works with social justice and environmental documentaries to develop partnerships across all sectors of civil society, helping to put relevant issues-based films on the front lines of creating social impact.

With a decade of experience organizing, executing, moderating and evaluating film screening events and panel discussions across Canada both virtually and in-person, Anthony brings agility and care developed in his time as Festival Director of REEL CANADA’s RCtv, Our Films in Our Schools and Welcome to Canada programmes.

 
 
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TECHNICAL DIRECTOR + IMPACT COORDINATOR

Brianna Girdler is an experienced non-profit administrator skilled in event management, communications and grant writing. She is the Technical Director at Story Money Impact, Program Manager at Reel Causes, and Associate Impact Producer on documentary Food For the Rest of Us.

finance director

With a deep history in both the charitable and private sectors including many years as the Finance Director for HOPE International Development Agency, Nancy Strong attempted to retire at the end of 2021 before stumbling upon SMI’s part-time posting describing a need for all of her skills! Curious and feeling the call to still be in service, she is now supporting the SMI vision with her sound experience in accounting, payroll, compliance, and auditing. Stepping into new ground with justice documentaries, Nancy is excited to be learning a lot of new things while sharing her own knowledge with the SMI team and all of the individuals that we mentor.

 

DEVELOPMENT LEAD

Caroline Manuel grew up on the East Coast of Canada where she spent her formative years listening to and spinning yarns on the traditional lands of the Mi’kmaq People in Halifax (K’jipuktuk), Nova Scotia. After living and working abroad in Asia and Europe Caroline finally put down roots in Vancouver where in recent years applied her development and communications skills with the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society and on the board of PeerNet BC. She is thrilled to be working with Story Money Impact to support courageous documentary filmmakers. A working parent, Caroline is mother to a school aged daughter who enjoys watching documentary films (willingly but not always to the end) with her mum.

Impact Coordinator

Clare Clovechok is an emerging filmmaker and writer with a background in narrative and documentary short films. She grew up in Edmonton before moving to Toronto in 2016, where she completed a Bachelor of Film Production at Humber College. Upon returning home, she participated in Story Money Impact’s 2022 Pod Program. This experience broadened her understanding of the many roles film can play in community. She is inspired by the possibilities of building solidarity within and across communities in creating social change. She is honoured to now be supporting Story Money Impact’s impact campaign for No Visible Trauma and is looking forward to helping more Albertan films and communities achieve their impact goals.

 
 

Campaigns and mentoring lead

Tamo Campos is a filmmaker, community organizer, and extreme sports athlete. His films include The Klabona Keepers (2021), The Radicals (2018), A Last Stand For Lelu (2016), Northern Grease (2013) and over fifty shorts. Tamo embeds himself in the community wherever he goes, and is dedicated to combining social impact with his adventures in sport, activism, and filmmaking. His previous projects have had a strong outreach focus, collaborating with the land defenders within the films. He is also the cofounder of the nonprofit collective Beyond Boarding, a board member of Rediscovery International, and is currently working on a Master of Environmental Studies.

Impact Coordinator

Josli Rockafella has translated her film production, event coordination, and marketing design skills into impact producing. She has worked with Story Money Impact on various Canadian documentaries, facilitating screenings and producing impact campaigns, since 2020. She thrives on bringing films into communities and partnering with organizations to use the film as a tool to create meaningful change. Relationship building leads to unique events; thinking outside the box is not uncommon – for Josli, impact producing is a natural component of any documentary film that aims to affect not just individuals' lives, but systemic issues and social injustices. Josli has been working with Kalinga (Care), by Kent Donguines, since 2020 and has produced screenings, special events, and discussions, both in person and virtual, bringing together community members, large organizations, and diverse audiences to better understand the effects of migration on families in a Canadian context.

 
 

Pod Fellow

David Youn is a photographer and community builder based out of Calgary, Alberta. His passion for connecting with local artists has produced a magazine, podcast, art shows, and panel discussions to help promote creativity and public discourse. His goal is to get more people with diverse interests and beliefs to share their experiences, strengths, and hope!

Pod Fellow

Ian MacKichan combines his love for film with extensive business experience spanning startups to major organizations. Excited to contribute his marketing, fundraising, business analysis, and development skills to the POD as an impact producer, Ian values community-driven efforts for lasting change. He champions public-private partnerships, social enterprises, and conscious consumerism for social progress. Ian believes in the power of documentary films to initiate meaningful conversations among diverse groups, fostering collective action for social and environmental improvement.

 
 
 

PROGRAM COORDINATOR & COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT

With nearly a decade of experience, Smiely Khurana is an expert in marketing, content creation, and media production. Collaborating with industry luminaries including top-tier film producers, directors, and publicists, Smiely has curated a portfolio of captivating content that resonates globally. With a deep passion for sustainability and social impact, Smiely founded the collective and podcast “The Sustainable Act” where she has collaborated with and reached audiences globally in diverse sectors, and has also previously led the provincial Reel Green initiative at Creative BC. Smiely aims to influence positive change through storytelling in her everyday work.