Board of Directors

Jeffrey Elliott has spent more than three decades working at the intersection of media, technology and change. His career began in television production and broadcasting before moving into sales, communications and emerging digital media. He went on to hold senior leadership roles with organizations including TSN and NetStar, where he helped shape some of Canada’s early digital initiatives. Jeffrey is the Founder and Principal of TableRock Media, a strategic advisory company, and the Founder of GlassBOX Television, which became one of Canada’s leading multiplatform media companies. GlassBOX launched BiteTV, one of the world’s first interactive and multiplatform television channels. BiteTV received an International Emmy for Interactive Broadcasting, among other industry recognition. GlassBOX was acquired by Blue Ant Media in 2012.

Jamie is a CPA and a Partner with BDO Canada. Jamie is BDO’s National Technology, Media and Telecommunications Assurance Leader, and GTA Capital Markets Leader. He has 20+ years of experience in the accounting and finance world, having worked with key players in the innovation space such as Innovation Factory, Communitech, The Accelerator Centre, Haltech RIC, Shad, The Stiller Centre and others. Jamie is “all-in” when it comes to tech, media and telecom. Jamie has held senior leadership positions in these sectors and is heavily invested in the innovation ecosystem as a whole.

Max practises in the areas of entertainment, music, digital media and intellectual property law. He assists with transactional matters, intellectual property enforcement, and by providing strategic and general copyright law advice. Max works with a wide range of clients, including emerging and established artists and performers, music publishers and record labels, copyright collectives, and other entities in the creative industries. With experience both as in-house counsel and in private practice, Max brings a practical and business-oriented perspective to legal matters.

Zina Rahman is the Co-Founder and CEO of Transitional Forms, a Toronto-based emergent entertainment studio where AI and interactive storytelling converge. With a career spanning storytelling, interactive media, and emerging technology, her work includes Simia, a patented platform where audiences shape narratives in real time, recognized by TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield 200, a Webby Honoree for Experimental Innovation, and a Silver winner at the Collision Awards.

Ryan Andal has been an entrepreneur working at the intersection of entertainment and technology for over 20 years. Working at the bleeding edge of mobile gaming, virtual reality, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence, he introduced new ways of storytelling as these technologies entered the entertainment landscape. In 2008 he Co-Founded Secret Location, a production studio that has been honoured by hundreds of awards including 2 Emmys, 11 Canadian Screen awards, and a Peabody.

Denise Cooper is a lawyer and strategic advisor for media, entertainment and technology clients, with expertise in the areas of corporate/commercial, mergers and acquisitions, film and television production and distribution, employment, broadcast, telecom, e-commerce, privacy and intellectual property law. Prior to entering private practice, Denise was Vice President and General Counsel for Virgin Mobile Canada. Prior to that, she spent 14 years at CHUM Limited, where she served as Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Denise currently serves as a board director at the Bell Fund and is Chair of the Governance and HR Committee.

Rob Elsworthy is a highly accomplished professional in the games industry, with a career spanning over two decades. He has worked on a variety of acclaimed projects, including Metal Gear Solid, Max Payne, Grand Theft Auto, and Red Dead Redemption, bringing his expertise as an animator, VFX artist, director and game designer. With a mission to promote diversity and social awareness in the gaming industry, Rob founded his own video game company, Resistr Interactive. In 2025, he also co-founded Enter Games, where he serves as Game Director and Studio Head. Additionally, he currently serves as the Program Director for Game Design and Animation at Toronto Film School.

Vikas Gupta is a charismatic leader who defines himself as a seasoned executive with an entrepreneurial DNA. He has an insatiable passion for start-ups and emerging growth tech companies. Vikas is the co-founder & CEO of AVARA Media, a company focused on the creation of an immersive Augmented Reality technology platform that experientially connects people to the biggest environmental and ecological issues our planet is facing.

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.

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.

Trang Nguyen is a sustainability-focused leader who has over 15 years of experience working in the fields of legal (criminal and immigration), human resources, and operations. From working in multinational corporations to small-scale startups, Trang understands the drivers of success as well as the pain points that these organizations uniquely face. Trang’s passion is advocating for positive change that supports the workers of the tech industry. Ultimately, Trang seeks to help build a strong, diverse, and inclusive community of players and game developers in Ontario.

Jean-Sylvain Sormany is Regional Director at Keywords Studios, overseeing production operations across multiple locations in the Americas. A Computer Engineering graduate from Polytechnique Montréal, Jean-Sylvain built his industry foundation at Behaviour Interactive, Ubisoft, and Fuel Industries before co-founding Snowed In Studios in 2010. Under his strategic leadership, Snowed In expanded into the largest game development studio in the Ottawa region, navigating a successful acquisition by Keywords Studios in 2018 and growing to over 200 employees. Recognized as a Forty Under 40 recipient and named Best Boss in Canada by GamesIndustry.biz in 2022 for his workplace culture initiatives, he draws on extensive past service across industry advisory boards to bring deep expertise in co-development, studio scaling, and regional ecosystem growth to Interactive Ontario.

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.

Nathan Sellyn is the Deputy CEO at Behaviour Interactive. In this role, he oversees Behaviour’s corporate strategy and portfolio publishing. He previously served as the company’s Chief of Staff and VP Strategy.

Nathan began his career at Great Canadian Entertainment, where he led Investor Relations and Business Development. During his tenure, Great Canadian grew from a small business into the country’s largest casino company. Nathan left Great Canadian to found two financial communications firms before joining Deloitte as a Special Advisor.

Allison Francis is a senior executive with experience leading strategic growth, partnerships, and corporate operations across the technology, entertainment, and gaming sectors. A Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA), her career includes key roles at Deloitte and BDO, where she built a strong foundation in financial advisory, audit, and organizational leadership.

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).

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.

Adam Clare is a game designer, educator, and author with well over a decade in the industry. As Creative Director at Wero, he leads design on internal projects including Dr. Trolley’s Problem and BLINC, and external projects with clients such as Microsoft, Sage, and EY.

Adam is also a Professor of game design at Sheridan College and has previously taught at institutions across the GTA. At the college, he creates games exploring social justice and environmental issues. He wrote Escape the Game, a guide to designing escape rooms based on his expenses designing escape rooms around the world. Adam has a history of celebrating games as he co-founded Board Game Jam and serves as a juror for IndieCade.

Brittany Maia has over 14 years of experience in the Digital Media and Technology sector and has been focused on advancing business resources to help industry identify needs, gaps and opportunities. She’s also responsible for facilitating cross-sector partnerships, entrepreneurship initiatives, and turning emerging opportunities into industry growth. As a creator and entrepreneur herself, Brittany has firsthand experience in building a company and bringing original IP to market, such as the So-Called Living comic series published by Maia Comics, Bunny Brand, a customizable bunny plush, and Board Game Coffee, a social media channel dedicated to the love of board games. Recently, Brittany has Co-Founded Big Bad Monster Studios, a video game development studio focused on producing new IP. Her experience with Interactive entertainment, publishing, production development, and audience growth gives her a unique perspective that can be utilized to support sector growth.