Overview

Interactive Ontario (IO) is the not-for-profit trade association advocating for the long-term growth and prosperity of the video game and interactive digital media industry in Ontario. As such, IO’s Advocacy Committee and Task Forces are instrumental to its advocacy efforts.

The Advocacy Committee reports to IO’s board of directors. Its role is to establish and oversee IO’s advocacy strategies. In doing so, the committee creates member-driven  Task Forces that make policy recommendations to the committee on specific advocacy topics.

Committee Chair

  • Mary Sorrenti

    Mary Sorrenti

    She/Her

    Vice President, Game Pill • Committee Chair

    As Vice President of Game Pill, Mary oversees finance, business affairs and production, ensuring her teams stay motivated, and client care remains paramount. As a CPA, Mary spent the first half of her career providing business and tax advice to some of Canada’s most successful enterprises before finding her place in the interactive space in 2011. She has over 15 years of experience leading teams and managing projects from concept to final deliverables. Mary has a love for learning and is always looking to get involved. She has earned a producer certificate, sits on Interactive Ontario’s board of directors, and chairs its Advocacy Committee, helping ensure that the IDM industry has a strong voice.

Committee Members

  • Heather Steele

    Heather Steele

    She/Her

    Head of Studio Marketing and Communications, Haven Interactive Studios

    A strategic communications leader with extensive experience building and growing global brands, Heather Steele is Head of Studio Marketing and Communications at Haven Studios. Heather is driven by her passion for collaboration, creativity and the fast pace of innovative industries, with specialized expertise in the games and creative tech industries.

    Throughout her career, Heather has helped grow the businesses and strengthen the reputations of many of the most respected companies in the world, working with Sony Interactive Entertainment, Ubisoft, Microsoft, Google, Disney, Electronic Arts, and AMD. Heather is dedicated to helping increase representation for women and historically marginalized people in game development and technology through her volunteer efforts. Heather is a past member of the Interactive Ontario Board of Directors, the SXSW Interactive Advisory Committee and the WIFT Toronto marketing committee.
  • Jean-Sylvain Sormany

    Jean-Sylvain Sormany

    He/Him

    Studio Head, Snowed In Studios Inc.

    Jean-Sylvain Sormany is the Studio Head of Snowed In Studios Inc. and Regional Director for Keywords Studios. Graduated from the Polytechnic School of Montreal with a degree in Computer Engineering, Jean-Sylvain was team lead at Ubisoft and Director of Technology for Fuel Industries before co-founding Snowed In Studios in 2010, which is now the largest game development studio in the Ottawa region. He is a 40 under 40 recipient and sits on various advisory boards including Ontario Creates Industry Advisory Committee, the Ottawa Game Makers and Colleges and Universities advisory board. In 2022, he was awarded Best Boss In Canada by GamesIndustry.Biz because of the company culture he fostered at Snowed In.

  • Jeremy Nelson

    Jeremy Nelson

    He/Him

    Founder, Little Buffalo Studios

    Jeremy Nelson is the Founder of Little Buffalo Studios, which has two games in funded production as well as an educational interactive experience. Little Buffalo is also the Winner of the Unity for Humanity prize from Unity 3D, and Jeremy was runner-up in a national design contest for a new Metis Heritage Centre at Portage and Main in Winnipeg. Prior to founding Little Buffalo, he worked for a number of AR/VR and Mobile studios, and prior to working in Interactive, he was a Producer, Writer and Director in Commercial Doc TV (Discovery, History, VICE and others).

    He has also worked as a freelance communications writers for SSHRC and Canada Research Chairs as well as an exhibit writer at the Ontario Science Centre. Jeremy is Red River Métis, originally from Winnipeg but has resided in Toronto for over two decades and is a citizen of the MNO).

  • Julien Lavoie

    He/Him

    Director of Corporate Affairs, Ubisoft

    Julien is Director of Corporate Affairs at Ubisoft in Canada. Julien has a long association with the video game industry having worked as Vice-President, Public Affairs for the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC) where he advocated on behalf of the sector in Canada. He successfully positioned the industry with decision-makers at the federal and provincial levels and aided member companies with regulatory challenges on the intellectual property, immigration, and skills development fronts.

    Julien also honed his skills as an effective public affairs practitioner working for one of Canada's top consulting firms, helping clients in a variety of sectors to overcome challenging reputational crises. No stranger to the collaborative efforts performed by industry associations, prior to joining the video game industry, Julien worked for trade associations in Ottawa in the industrial and media sectors. A proud Franco-Ontarian from northern Ontario, Julien now lives and works in Toronto.

  • Kelsey McLaren

    She/Her

    Director, Public Policy & Government Affairs, Electronic Arts (EA)

    Kelsey is the Director, Public Policy & Government Affairs, at Electronic Arts (EA). She develops, manages, and advocates EA’s public policy positions with policymakers and within the industry across North America, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific regions.
    Kelsey has been a regulatory lawyer and public policy professional focusing on media and tech issues for nearly 15 years. She is based in Toronto, Ontario.

    Before joining EA, Kelsey worked in the video game industry for several years as the Director, Global Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs, at Ubisoft Entertainment. Prior to joining this industry, her career was focused on film & TV and music, including roles as a broadcasting lawyer with the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) and Rogers Communications. She began her legal career in private practice in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Kelsey holds an undergraduate degree from McGill University and a law degree from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University.

  • Lucie Lalumière

    She/Her

    President & CEO

    Winner of the inaugural WIFT+ Digital Trailblazer Crystal Award, Lucie Lalumière is the President & CEO of Interactive Ontario (IO), the trade association representing Ontario’s interactive entertainment sector ( video games, XR). She brings extensive executive and entrepreneurial experience in interactive digital media, having led award-winning teams and held senior roles at MediaLinx Sympatico, CBC/Radio-Canada, Corus Entertainment, supersonic MINDS, and as Founder of Lalumiere Media.

    A passionate advocate for the techno-creative sector, Lucie is dedicated to strengthening Ontario and Canada’s global competitiveness and fostering leading-edge careers. She serves on the board of the Canadian Interactive Alliance / L’Alliance Interactive Canadienne (CIAIC) and contributes to several advisory committees. Lucie holds a B.Sc. in Management Information Systems from Université de Sherbrooke, an MBA from McGill University completed at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program, and a Certificate in AI for CEOs from the Vjal Institute.