20+ years in the film and TV industry have taught Johanna a thing or two about this crazy business. An award-winning producer, director, and writer, she has crafted, and helped to craft, many compelling, entertaining, and profoundly thought provoking programs. Her work has received 8 Gemini (Canadian equivalent of an Emmy) nominations and taken home 3 trophies. In addition to producing over 150 hours of television series & one-offs as an in-house executive producer, she has made independent documentaries for her own companies, Wild East Productions & Centre East Media, and won best documentary at Hot Docs International Film Festival for her moving and timely film, Forgiveness: Stories for Our Time. She has worked as Director of Programming for Alliance Atlantis and played a key role in the launch of IFC – The Independent Film Channel Canada. Prior to that, Johanna was Head of Independent Production for CTV, Canada’s #1 network. She created View-finders, the first competitive international children’s film festival in English-speaking Canada, and was Artistic Director of the Atlantic Film Festival. Years of programming and producing have honed her story-telling ability
James has been working in the documentary form for over 30 years as a producer, camera operator, sound recordist, editor and technical wizard, responsible for setting a new standard for restoring outdated video formats. He has also worked extensively in archival settings. In addition to numerous educational projects, his film credits include the recently re-mastered release of The Lion’s Roar about the life of His Holiness the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa; Discovering Elegance, about an environmental “dharma” art exhibit created by meditation master Chögyam Trungpa, held at the Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art; and Living Peace, about an award given to His Holiness the Dalai Lama at The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya in Colorado featuring talks by Her Majesty Queen Noor, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and Rabbi Irwin Kula.
A 16-year career as a journalist—at the National Post, the Canadian News Desk, Flare magazine, The National (in Abu Dhabi), and Mindful magazine—prepared Tracy for her work with Centre East Media. In addition to learning the ins and outs of media financing, Tracy is a guiding force behind the WYD website. She researches, writes and edits with an eye to the stories that best inform our lives right now.