Television & Film – Business is a one-year Graduate Certificate program that explores the business side of television and film production. It aims to equip students with the skills needed to succeed in various areas within the industry, such as financing, distribution and business affairs, legal, and management.
Alicia De Four graduated from the program in 2016 and has since been immersed in this industry. Prior to Centennial, Alicia completed her Undergraduate degree from Ryerson University in the Radio, Television Arts program, but found it had a very creatively focused lens. This left Alicia feeling a bit like she didn’t know which direction to go within the industry. After spending a few years in production design, she realized that this wasn’t for her and instead wanted to focus more on producing and the business side of things. “I was searching for what kinds of programs were out there that would give me more of that focus, and the Centennial TV and Film- Business program was, at the time, the only one of its kind,” she says.
This unique program gave Alicia exactly what she was looking for. “It gave me a strong foundation of the business side and we learned things like distribution, tax credits, and financing. During the latter half of the program, you get to do an internship and I was successful in getting a job out of it. I worked at IGP Productions as a Business Affairs Coordinator, and I was there for three years.” Alicia also became an Associate Producer there for CBC shows like Street Legal. After leaving in 2019, she moved on to where she is presently working, Circle Blue Entertainment, as the Business Affairs Manager. “At my current job, we primarily produce Diggstown, which is another CBC drama, and they also have various feature films. I get to work on the business affairs side and lead the business affairs team on things like bank loans and financing deliverables, contract negotiations, and so forth,” she explains.
Based on her time at Centennial, Alicia says, “It really was invaluable toward creating a foundation for being able to understand what the basics are of business affairs. At the first job outside of the program, I saw the terminology I had learned, and I came into it feeling confident because I understood what I was actually looking at.”
Alicia’s advice to anyone wanting to enter the program is, “You need to focus on the fact that it is about business and producing, and that’s the side of the industry that is more difficult to learn because there are so many avenues. So many people come into the creative industries looking for more creative roles, but this is a very necessary role to make film projects come to life and you need to know the logistics. Having that niche focus in your learning really opens up doors.”
Outside of her work at Circle Blue Entertainment, Alicia recently joined the Toronto Black Media Association executive board as the Director of Finance. “We’re an emerging collective and our focus is dedicated to connecting the city’s Black creatives in a variety of art sectors. We want to provide them with a safe space for resources like tools and job postings, and we want to have workshops, education, and support.”
The Toronto Black Media Association emerged in February of this year and the team is building the resources that they will provide their members. Alicia says, “Our main aim is to amplify Black voices and open the doors for Black artists to show their creative presence in the industry. Aside from the fact that it is a local lens (Toronto/GTA community), we also have a focus on Black media artists from various sectors. It could be film and TV, or it could be photographers, performing arts, or musicians, and so forth.”
Alicia explains that one of the main objectives in the next year is to work on providing seminars and Q&A sessions with industry professionals, but with COVID-19 and the difficulty surrounding running events, the plan is to continue virtually. “We want our members to build relationships with people who are in higher authority and who can provide mentorship. Our current demographic right now is more so emerging or mid-career level members who are looking for more resources to continue building.”
Right now, the Toronto Black Media Association is working toward creating a directory of Toronto-based Black artists that will divide into various art sectors, such as filmmakers or writers. This will act as a tangible resource that others can utilize, such as hiring managers, who are looking for specific roles to fill. “We really want to make sure that people are putting effort into having diverse talent in their crews and in their staff, and we just want to make sure that Black voices are placed at the forefront of storytelling and build on empowerment and connection,” Alicia explains.
Looking more on the production side of Alicia’s experience in this industry, she produced a short film called Queen of Hearts, which won the BravoFACT Inside Out Pitch Competition in 2017. After being selected as a top-five finalist, she and the team she worked alongside pitched the idea to a live audience of hundreds of people, and they ended up winning the $50,000 grant to produce the film! She says, “That was my first time independently producing. I worked alongside co-directors and co-writers Lindsey Addawoo and Kyisha Williams, and it was a really great experience.” Queen of Hearts screened at various festivals across North America.
Alicia also took part in the Black Women Film! mentorship program in 2017. During the program, she went to TIFF with an industry pass that got her into screenings and networking events, and she attended a two-week intensive workshop that explored different aspects of film and TV. “Through that, I met so many of my current colleagues and friends and built connections in the industry, which with Black women, can sometimes be difficult to find in an industry that can be so siloed. It can be difficult for Black women to get their foot in the door, so building connections and finding people who might have similar experiences was really great.”
Right now, there is a push for inclusion within many industries, and rightfully so. Alicia says, “There’s a call out for breaking these systemic barriers and trying to hold people and corporations accountable for their lack of diversity. As Black artists, we’ve been Black our whole lives, so it’s not new to us to be asking for people to give us a chance. I’m really hoping that this recent call-out is an opportunity for people to look into the real core of organizations and see what changes can be made.” She says that it is necessary to give Black professionals roles of authority, but what can often happen in organizations is that they only fill entry-level positions. Alicia explains, “People who are emerging need to get that foot in the door, but in addition to that, there needs to be roles for people who already have senior-level experience. Having those voices in roles of authority is what will break down those barriers.”
We congratulate Alicia for all of her work within the industry and we’re excited to follow her journey! To learn more about the Toronto Black Media Association, check out their website.
By: Alexandra Few