Q&A WITH PRODUCER & DIRECTOR DUO JENNIFER HOLNESS & SUDZ SUTHERLAND - e411 - EP 10

JENNIFER HOLNESS - PRODUCER AND WRITER
Jen is a happy workaholic. She writes, produces, and directs. She is a 2021 Indiescreen Producer of the Year award-winner, has received the 2022 WIFT Award of Creative Excellence and was selected by THR as one of the 40 Most Influential Women in International Film in 2023 and in 2024 was voted by THR as one of the Most Powerful Women in Canadian Entertainment.
Jen is currently in post production on Director RT Thorne’s (The Porter) feature film, 40 Acres. Other features include, Home Again that she co-wrote, and Love, Sex and Eating the Bones. Both movies sold globally and won numerous festival awards, including the Best First Feature Film Award at TIFF for Bones.
She directed the feature documentary, Subjects of Desire that premiered at SXSW, followed by Hot Docs where it was a Top Ten Audience favourite and was a TIFF Top Ten Film in 2022.
Jen co-created and produced the doc series BLK: An Origin Story for History and Global TV about Black Canadian history. The series won 5 Canadian Screen Awards in 2023, including a Best Series Direction for Jen.
She co-produced Michele Stephenson’s Stateless, a festival favourite that won the 2020 Hot Doc’s Special Jury Prize. Her TV documentaries include Speakers For The Dead (CBC), Badge of Pride (CBC & PBS), Brick By Brick (Omni) and Yin Yin Jade Love (TVO).
Jen created the TV series, Shoot The Messenger and the multiple award winning mini-series, Guns for CBC where she shares Canadian Screen Award for Best Writing. She is a Founder and Inaugural Chair of the Black Screen Office and Co-Chair of CISF. She’s also a CMPA board member.
Jen has three daughters, two dogs, and one husband. All of them keepers.
FOLLOW JEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA
FACEBOOK: / jenniferjholness
INSTAGRAM: jenniferjho...
TWITTER: justjenholness?la...
LINKEDIN: / jenniferholness
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SUDZ SUTHERLAND - DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, WRITER
Sudz started writing stories that matter on his mother’s Smith-Corona in grade one, it was a western about a Black cowboy. He continues to fill blank pages on his iPad every day. Starting with music videos and award-winning short films, Sudz and his partner Jen Holness started Hungry Eyes Media, a production company that makes features, docs, drama and comedy series and the occasional mobile game.
We make stories for eyes that are hungry for representation. Growing up when he didn’t see much people who looked like him on television put a fire in his belly that he still hasn’t quenched.
Sudz has directed two award-winning features as well as over 75 hours of television on shows as diverse as Batwoman, The Flash, Blindspot, Netflix’s Designated Survivor, CW’s Reign, Murdoch Mysteries, and many others. He’s won an International Emmy (The Phantoms) and 4 CSAs for Best Director, including one for BLK: An Origin Story (2023). He also co-created the series She’s the Mayor (VisionTV) and Shoot the Messenger and Guns (CBC) He lives with his wife, three daughters, and two fluffy dogs named Shiloh and Otis.
FOLLOW SUDZ ON SOCIAL MEDIA
FACEBOOK: / sudzsutherland
INSTAGRAM: / officialsudzsutherland
TWITTER: / sudz34
LINKEDIN: /
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YOUR HOST - FARID YAZDANI
Farid Yazdani is a Canadian actor best known for his role as Oscar Wallace in the upcoming series Moonshine (2021). Farid has also appeared in Suits (2011), Titans (2018), The Boys (2019) and more. He won Best Short at the Canadian Comedy Award in 2018 for his original pilot, Day Players (2024), of which he is the creator and series lead. Day Players (2024) is being developed into a series set to release in late 2024. Farid is a recipient of the 2023 Reelworld Trailblazer award.
Farid is represented by Bryan Misener of The Characters
FACEBOOK: faridyazdani
INSTAGRAM: / faridyazdani
TWITTER: / farid_yazdani
IMDB: www.imdb.me/faridyazdani
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OUR AMAZING TECH GUY - JOEY FREDDY LARSEN
Joey Freddy Larsen is an actor, comedian, host and producer who has starred in dozens of tv, film, theatre and commercial projects while working as a headlining standup comic. Joey is represented by The Bella Grundy Agency
IMDB: www.imdb.com/name/nm5046393/
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OUR SPONSORS
ACTORS AUDITION CLUB
Website: www.actorsauditionclub.com/
MiTRIBE MEDIA
Website: www.mitribemedia.com/
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