Guest Industry Expert — All Access 2020:
PRIYA RAO
Eastern Director at First Weekend Club
Priya has over 15 years experience in various areas of the Canadian film & tv industry. As Eastern Director for FWC she is the host of their new monthly podcast. Most recently she served as Chair for the Craft Committee at the 2018 CSAs.
She produced and starred in the comedic short, Raju’s Blind Date, which was adapted as a series of radio plays for CBC Radio. In 2004 Priya was awarded the prestigious OMDC Al Waxman Calling Card grant. Priya was awarded the Trailblazer Award at the 2006 Reel World Film Festival for her work promoting diversity onscreen, was a councillor for ACTRA Toronto and is past Chair of the Diversity Committee at both ACTRA Toronto and ACTRA National.
As Head of Content for the Banff World Television Festival she conceptualized and programmed a schedule of panels and workshops focusing on television and digital media. In addition to her role overseeing the logistics and execution of the festival overall, Priya was integral in the creation and launch of the Canwest Showrunner Training Program and the Telefilm TV360 Program, and brought top-tier US agents out to Banff for the first time in 2009. She has also programmed and produced Prime Time In Ottawa, Realscreen Conference and Playback Summit.
These days Priya is most often found with a glass of wine in hand as the co-founder of The Social Herbivore with Canada’s first, female Master Sommelier, Jennifer Huether.