NORM HISCOCK is a Comedy Writer/Producer who has worked on hit television shows such as Kids in the Hall, Saturday Night Live, King of the Hill, Corner Gas, Parks and Recreation and most recently, Brooklyn Nine-Nine.  Norm has worked with the biggest broadcasters in the business including COMEDY CENTRAL, HBO, CBC, CBS, NBC, FOX and CTV/Comedy Network.  His work has been recognized in various Emmy, Gemini and Golden Globe nominations and he holds the LEO Award for his work with Corner Gas.

KYLE ARMSTRONG is a Canadian filmmaker and artist. Working with super8 and 16mm as well as lo-fi video, Armstrong frequently uses hand-altering film techniques, employing bleaches, dyes, scratches, and paint to alter both his own footage and found films. His primary focus is on creating short, non-narrative films, which have been screened at various galleries, during live performances and in traditional cinemas around the globe. His films are influenced by filmmakers as diverse as Stan Brakhage, Hollis Frampton, Bela Tarr, Alexander Sokurov, Guy Maddin and Andrei Tarkovsky.

Armstrong’s most recent film Magnetic Reconnection received its world premiere at AFI Fest 2012, and has since been selected for SxSW 2013, Ann Arbor Film Festival, Raindance (UK), Guanajuato International Film Festival, CPH:DOX, RIDM, Rooftop Films, Seattle International Film Festival, True/False Documentary Film Festival, won the 2013 Edmonton Film Prize and has been shortlisted for the Cinema Eye Honors and has screened publicly more than 130 times. The film features an original score by Grammy award winning producer/composer Jim O’Rourke, a voice-over by acclaimed singer-songwriter/actor Will Oldham and likely some of the best footage of the aurora borealis ever captured.

Armstrong the past president of the Metro Cinema Society in Edmonton and in 2012 he was a recipient of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award. He co-produced Hans Olson’s feature film Figurine, is finishing a dramatic narrative short film and recently completed a video for Bonnie “Prince” Billy available through Drag City Records.

EVA COLMERS is an independent filmmaker who has written, directed and produced a dozen award-winning short films including Granny Baby, The Weightless Traveller and End of the Rope. For the National Film Board of Canada, she has written and directed 2 long-format documentaries, The Elder Project, The Enemy Within and also one short doc (presently in post-production). Her short films have been invited to over 100 national and international festivals all around the globe and she has received several awards for her work.  With a background in theatre, Eva has also created media installations and video imagery for theatre, dance and music performances. Eva is very involved in her local arts community and enjoys meeting new people, places and challenges.

MICHAEL MAXXIS, the two-time MUCH Music Video Award (MMVA) winner, eight-time MMVA nominee and two-time Juno Nominee, has cemented himself into the music video scene with his raw visual style. Michael has directed music videos for artists such as City and Colour, K-OS, The Black Angels, Billy Talent, Our Lady Peace, Dev, Sum 41, Hollerado, Alexisonfire, Mother Mother and Hot Hot Heat. Michael has also achieved international acclaim with his short film Steak and Milk which has screened at festivals around the world, followed by 8 for Infinity, a BravoFACT short, starring Jimmy Gnecco and David Carradine.

BLAKE MCWILLIAM is an award winning independent producer based out of Edmonton, Alberta whose work has screened nationally and internationally, most recently at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

Focusing on narrative, commercial and music video forms, he emphasizes the exploration of film formats in his work. He is currently producing two television pilots.

KEVIN MARTIN is a writer, actor and owner of The Lobby DVD Shop, one of the last video stores standing in Edmonton, and has been running the shop since 2005. He is also Co-Founder of Edmonton’s genre film festival DEDFEST along with Derek Clayton which has been going since 2007.

Martin’s knowledge and love of the genre films made teaming up with filmmakers Cody Kennedy and Timothy Rutherford a natural transition. Using his background of pop culture knowledge and creative writing Martin has joined the House Of Heathens and continues to work on his acting skills for future projects. His contagious passion for genre films and his lifetime of tribute to them inspires the adoration of the next generation, whom he introduces via both his store and film festival.

 AMPIA’s 1st Annual March Madness Professional Development Day brought Alberta’s leading producers, unions, guilds and production companies together for full day of information and networking. Our keynote speaker, award-winning documentary filmmaker Velcrow Ripper (Occupy Love), flew in from NYC to speak to delegates about innovative crowd-sourcing and building authentic connections through social media.

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