A celebration of the talent and legacy of important animated projects with the creators who made them happen.
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of your favourite TV show - how the concept came to be, why it airs on specific channels or how a show becomes a franchise with toys, apparel and more?
Join Nelvana in an interesting panel to learn what goes on behind the scenes. The panel will include Nelvana’s Head of Development Athena Georgaklis, Head of Studio Production Jane Crawford, Head of Nelvana Enterprises Mellany Masterson, President Pam Westman, and Supervising Creative Producer Vanessa Esteves.
SPEAKERS
Athena Georgaklis
Head of Development // Nelvana
Athena Georgaklis is the Head of Development for Nelvana. A highly respected animation executive, Athena leads the acquisition of rights and the development of all original content for Nelvana. Athena is committed to develop creator-driven content, working with the studio’s producers, creators, and talent around the world that will resonate with kids of all ages, and find a home in all markets. She helmed the creation of Nelvana’s The Most Magnificent Thing, DNAce, Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe Ready for Space Travel, The Hardy Boys live-action series and many more to come.
Athena has worked in Canadian broadcast and production for more than 22 years. Prior to Nelvana, she oversaw all original animation production for Corus Entertainment’s kids’ networks, supervising the development and production of Canadian content in both English and French. During her time, she led the production and development of hit shows like Johnny Test, Camp Lakebottom, Mysticons, 6TEEN, Cupcake and Dinosaur, Rocket Monkeys, and the Total Drama Island franchise.
Jane Crawford
Head of Studio // Nelvana
Jane is a seasoned vet with over 25 years’ experience in the industry. To date she has managed and produced over 400 half-hour episodes of animation. As Head of Studio at Nelvana her scope is broad. She not only oversees all productions on the floor but also works closely with the Content Strategy and Development teams as well as collaborating with Operations, Finance & Business Development, Legal, Enterprises and Programming. All with the goal of bringing great ideas, top talent and DEI initiatives together to foster, provide opportunity, execute and balance “art, technology and commerce” through innovation.
Mellany Masterson
Head // Nelvana Enterprises
As Head of Nelvana Enterprises, Mellany Masterson brings over 15 years of knowledge and a specialized focus within the kids entertainment and consumer products space. Mellany oversees the global brand strategy, content distribution, digital, licensing, and retail development for Nelvana’s extensive brand portfolio.
Mellany previously served as Director of Global Business Development for ID Toys (Imports Dragon), where she successfully managed their licensing and new business development division, acquiring top-tier licenses while expanding business into new categories. Prior to working for ID Toys, Mellany held the role of Director of Global Licensing at Broadband TV, where she developed an advanced licensing and consumer products division, spearheading strategic planning and execution.
Pam Westman
President // Nelvana
As President of Nelvana, Pam oversees both the animation studio at Nelvana as well as Nelvana Enterprises, an integrated brand management company focused on merchandising and licensing. Prior to this position, Pam was Head of Nelvana Enterprises where she was instrumental in expanding Nelvana’s content slate and played a leading role in establishing the company as the premier licensing agent in Canada focused on character licensing. With over 20 years of experience within the kid’s entertainment industry, Pam has led businesses and key children’s brands to strong growth across various markets.
Before joining Nelvana, Pam was the Managing Director of Staples Canada’s brand marketing division, SPP and was also a lead executive within their Canadian M&A team.
Prior to that she was the Executive Vice President of HIT Entertainment, a global entertainment company responsible for landmark children’s content, including Bob the Builder, Barney and Friends and Thomas the Tank Engine. At Hit, she led the Canadian, U.S., and Latin American divisions through a period of strong growth and was part of the senior executive team that completed the sale of HIT to Mattel.
Vanessa Esteves
Supervising Creative Producer // Nelvana
Vanessa Esteves is a Supervising Creative Producer, Writer, Content Creator and Showrunner with a passion for story-telling. Having over 17 years of experience in the animation industry, Vanessa has worked in multiple genres with a strong focus on bridge-preschool and comedy.
Vanessa has most recently overseen Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe, Max & Ruby and Ranger Rob along with Nelvana’s own series of digital music videos, Toon Bops and is currently Showrunning Super Wish, a comedy series that she co-created. When she’s not helping create animated content, she is often found watching it alongside the audience, her two young kids.
MODERATOR
Marina Antunes
Festival Director, Film Critic, Podcaster // Spark CG Society
Marina joined the Spark Computer Graphics Society as Festival Director in 2014. Throughout her tenure, the festival has grown into Western Canada’s premiere animation festival, featuring a number of specialty programming including the “Made in Canada” program celebrating Canadian creators, “Mother of a Medium” featuring works from female filmmakers, and “Spotlight on France” which celebrates the best of French animation. In 2019, the SPARK ANIMATION FESTIVAL became Academy Award ® accredited, the only festival in British Columbia to hold that distinction.
Marina is also a writer and podcaster with over 15 years of experience, first on a personal blog followed by a decade-long tenure on the now-retired Row Three. In 2008 she joined the writing staff at Quiet Earth, becoming Editor-In-Chief in 2014, a role she still holds. Over the years, she has also produced and hosted a number of podcasts including Before the Dawn, a long-running podcast on the Twilight franchise, Girls on Pop, a podcast on film and popular entertainment from women’s perspective and After the Credits, bi-monthly film podcast with nearly 300 episodes.
Marina is a member of the Online Film Critics Society, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and the Visual Effects Society is the President of the Vancouver SIGGRAPH chapter, and has served on juries for several film festivals including the DOXA, St. Louis International Film Festival, and the Whistler Film Festival.
A celebration of the talent and legacy of important animated projects with the creators who made them happen.
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of your favourite TV show - how the concept came to be, why it airs on specific channels or how a show becomes a franchise with toys, apparel and more?
Join Nelvana in an interesting panel to learn what goes on behind the scenes. The panel will include Nelvana’s Head of Development Athena Georgaklis, Head of Studio Production Jane Crawford, Head of Nelvana Enterprises Mellany Masterson, President Pam Westman, and Supervising Creative Producer Vanessa Esteves.
SPEAKERS
Athena Georgaklis
Head of Development // Nelvana
Athena Georgaklis is the Head of Development for Nelvana. A highly respected animation executive, Athena leads the acquisition of rights and the development of all original content for Nelvana. Athena is committed to develop creator-driven content, working with the studio’s producers, creators, and talent around the world that will resonate with kids of all ages, and find a home in all markets. She helmed the creation of Nelvana’s The Most Magnificent Thing, DNAce, Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe Ready for Space Travel, The Hardy Boys live-action series and many more to come.
Athena has worked in Canadian broadcast and production for more than 22 years. Prior to Nelvana, she oversaw all original animation production for Corus Entertainment’s kids’ networks, supervising the development and production of Canadian content in both English and French. During her time, she led the production and development of hit shows like Johnny Test, Camp Lakebottom, Mysticons, 6TEEN, Cupcake and Dinosaur, Rocket Monkeys, and the Total Drama Island franchise.
Jane Crawford
Head of Studio // Nelvana
Jane is a seasoned vet with over 25 years’ experience in the industry. To date she has managed and produced over 400 half-hour episodes of animation. As Head of Studio at Nelvana her scope is broad. She not only oversees all productions on the floor but also works closely with the Content Strategy and Development teams as well as collaborating with Operations, Finance & Business Development, Legal, Enterprises and Programming. All with the goal of bringing great ideas, top talent and DEI initiatives together to foster, provide opportunity, execute and balance “art, technology and commerce” through innovation.
Mellany Masterson
Head // Nelvana Enterprises
As Head of Nelvana Enterprises, Mellany Masterson brings over 15 years of knowledge and a specialized focus within the kids entertainment and consumer products space. Mellany oversees the global brand strategy, content distribution, digital, licensing, and retail development for Nelvana’s extensive brand portfolio.
Mellany previously served as Director of Global Business Development for ID Toys (Imports Dragon), where she successfully managed their licensing and new business development division, acquiring top-tier licenses while expanding business into new categories. Prior to working for ID Toys, Mellany held the role of Director of Global Licensing at Broadband TV, where she developed an advanced licensing and consumer products division, spearheading strategic planning and execution.
Pam Westman
President // Nelvana
As President of Nelvana, Pam oversees both the animation studio at Nelvana as well as Nelvana Enterprises, an integrated brand management company focused on merchandising and licensing. Prior to this position, Pam was Head of Nelvana Enterprises where she was instrumental in expanding Nelvana’s content slate and played a leading role in establishing the company as the premier licensing agent in Canada focused on character licensing. With over 20 years of experience within the kid’s entertainment industry, Pam has led businesses and key children’s brands to strong growth across various markets.
Before joining Nelvana, Pam was the Managing Director of Staples Canada’s brand marketing division, SPP and was also a lead executive within their Canadian M&A team.
Prior to that she was the Executive Vice President of HIT Entertainment, a global entertainment company responsible for landmark children’s content, including Bob the Builder, Barney and Friends and Thomas the Tank Engine. At Hit, she led the Canadian, U.S., and Latin American divisions through a period of strong growth and was part of the senior executive team that completed the sale of HIT to Mattel.
Vanessa Esteves
Supervising Creative Producer // Nelvana
Vanessa Esteves is a Supervising Creative Producer, Writer, Content Creator and Showrunner with a passion for story-telling. Having over 17 years of experience in the animation industry, Vanessa has worked in multiple genres with a strong focus on bridge-preschool and comedy.
Vanessa has most recently overseen Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe, Max & Ruby and Ranger Rob along with Nelvana’s own series of digital music videos, Toon Bops and is currently Showrunning Super Wish, a comedy series that she co-created. When she’s not helping create animated content, she is often found watching it alongside the audience, her two young kids.
MODERATOR
Marina Antunes
Festival Director, Film Critic, Podcaster // Spark CG Society
Marina joined the Spark Computer Graphics Society as Festival Director in 2014. Throughout her tenure, the festival has grown into Western Canada’s premiere animation festival, featuring a number of specialty programming including the “Made in Canada” program celebrating Canadian creators, “Mother of a Medium” featuring works from female filmmakers, and “Spotlight on France” which celebrates the best of French animation. In 2019, the SPARK ANIMATION FESTIVAL became Academy Award ® accredited, the only festival in British Columbia to hold that distinction.
Marina is also a writer and podcaster with over 15 years of experience, first on a personal blog followed by a decade-long tenure on the now-retired Row Three. In 2008 she joined the writing staff at Quiet Earth, becoming Editor-In-Chief in 2014, a role she still holds. Over the years, she has also produced and hosted a number of podcasts including Before the Dawn, a long-running podcast on the Twilight franchise, Girls on Pop, a podcast on film and popular entertainment from women’s perspective and After the Credits, bi-monthly film podcast with nearly 300 episodes.
Marina is a member of the Online Film Critics Society, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and the Visual Effects Society is the President of the Vancouver SIGGRAPH chapter, and has served on juries for several film festivals including the DOXA, St. Louis International Film Festival, and the Whistler Film Festival.
