Our Team

We have been fortunate to work with many wonderful and creative individuals over the years, both in-house and from the community – including producers, directors, technologists, videographers, writers, photographers, educators and actors. Amongst this prestigious crowd, we have the following team currently working in-house:

 

Erica Hargreave - President / Head of Creative and Interactive

Erica, Founder and Creative Head of Ahimsa Media, is a forward thinker. Her early integration into the digital space and ability to develop stories interactively, led to the creation of one of the first transmedia storytelling companies and one of the world’s few truly transmedia characters.

Over the years, Erica has written for TV, magazines, books, the web and the education sector. She has worked as a creative producer for both TV and theater, directed, and even starred in her own TV Show. Erica has also taught – both in the Community, and at Post Secondary and Grade School Institutions.  Thriving on challenges and the desire to solve problems, Erica has been focusing her storytelling on emerging, digital and social media for the past few years and has been loving it.

During this time, she’s been part of the CBC’s Digital Development Labs and a recipient of a Telefilm New Media Fellowship to nextMEDIA and the Banff Television Festival. She co-founded Bridging Media with Megan Cole.  Together they sold out their inaugural event, and went on to help nextMedia, the Banff Television Festival and the Yorkton Film Festival integrate social media storytelling into their festivals.  In addition, Erica co-organized the Women In Film Festival New Media Day, acted as an advisor to the Merging+Media Conference hosted by the CMPA and sat on the Ad Hoc Curriculum Advisory Board for a new Digital Media Program at BCIT.

Feeling very passionate about interactive and transmedia storytelling, Erica loves sharing her story with others and what she has learned along the way. You can join her for one of her classes in Digital Brand Storytelling at both BCIT (BCIT 1073) and Capilano University (CRN 10014).

 

Lori Yearwood – Head of Education / Character Writer

Hailing from Toronto, LA and Vancouver, Lori is an exemplary teacher, dancer and character writer. Lori is as comfortable in the classroom as within the busy rustle of the broadcast world. A diversely talented lady, who has danced professionally, helped build concepts for TV and transmedia, been involved in published children’s books, holds a teaching degree in two States and two Provinces (including a California Studio Teaching Certificate and a Montessori Specialization) and has her first children’s book in production.

On the Education Side of things, both parents of past students and the students themselves rave about Lori as a teacher. She is the kind of teacher that students think fondly back on later in life, as one of those teachers that has had a positive impact on who they’ve become. Having created Ministry Approved Curriculum, Lori aids Ahimsa Media in creating Educational Packages for films and TV Shows that are creative, fun, and classroom friendly.

On the Storytelling side of things, Lori grew up in a creative world, and has long acted as a creative consultant and pitch writer for various theatrical arts productions, both live and media related. She brings that creativity and understanding of story to her role as one of Ahimsa Media’s character writers, and can’t help but make her co-workers smirk at her uncanny ability to be a chameleon in her writing of voice.

Susan Brinton - Business Affairs Consultant

Susan is a highly experienced and talented professional with more than twenty years in the broadcast industry.  She has been a senior broadcasting executive, policy advisor, television producer, university lecturer and media consultant.  Her titles have included: Executive-Financial Control & Legal Services for BC Film, Program Manager at CKVU-TV, Western Director – Canadian Productions CanWest/Global Television Network, Senior Policy Advisor for Telefilm Canada, and Director of Policy for the Canadian Television Fund (now the Canada Media Fund).

As well, Susan has served on numerous boards and committees, and taught broadcasting and production classes at Simon Fraser University (SFU), the National Screen Institute, and soon as a guest lecturer at the University of British Columbia.  Her educational background includes a Masters Degree in Communications (SFU), Bachlor of Commerce – Honours Degree (University of Manitoba), and a Diploma in Documentary and Small Unit Production (Capilano University).

Expanding into the digital world, she’s taken Erica’s Interactive Storytelling Course and is immersed in BCIT’s Web Development and Design Program.  Susan brings a unique blend of skills to the online world of mixed media content production and delivery across multiple platforms.

Alyzee Lakhani – Internship Coordinator / Writer

Alyzee recently completed an English Literature Honours degree at the University of British Columbia. She is an emerging writer and particularly enjoys writing poetry and short stories. She loves to try her hand at new genres of writing and storytelling, and wants to explore writing for television and animation. This is her second year with Ahimsa Media.  She’s excited to be back and to further hone her skills using social media as a storytelling devise.  She looks forward to continue growing as a Digital, Interactive, Transmedia Storyteller with Ahimsa Media.