The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, which organizes the annual Canadian Screen Awards, the country’s premier film and TV awards ceremony, has named Tommy Frick as its new CEO.
Frick joins the academy after 27 years as executive director of the Cinéfest Sudbury film festival in northern Ontario. She replaces Beth Johnson, who left the Academy in April 2022 to lead day-to-day operations as COO at the Toronto Film Festival.
Frick will lead the Canadian Academy from October 31. “Tammy’s experience and knowledge of the industry will be extremely beneficial to further our efforts to develop, recognize, celebrate and advocate for Canadian talent in the Canadian screen-based industry,” said John Young. , the academy chairman said in a statement.
The Academy, started as a non-profit in 1979, promotes Canadian film and TV with annual awards shows. A decade later, the organization moved away from holding separate Gemini and Genie Award shows and combined its awards into the annual Canadian Screen Awards.
In a recent move, the Canadian Screen Awards became the latest awards show to transition to a gender-neutral acting category, starting with 2023’s national entertainment industry Kiddofest.
“While I will certainly miss my family at Cinéfest Sudbury and am incredibly proud of what we have achieved, I am grateful for my country’s ability to help further develop the world. With years of knowledge and experience, along with a fresh perspective, I am excited to bring to this organization a class industry,” Furke said in his statement.