MEET THE TEAM

Founder & Board Chair; Creator of EXNW

With over 25 years of advocacy experience, Barbara has significantly increased opportunities for Canadian racialized artists in mainstream media. She is the founder of the Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF), Elimin8Hate.org, Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon (MAMM), and Asians in Movies, Music and Media (AIM3). Barbara is also a writer/filmmaker and previously a broadcast journalist. She received the 1998 National Radio and Television News Directors’ Association Award for Best Editorial. Her film Between the Laughter won the 2004 National Film Board’s Reel Diversity Competition.

Writer/Director

Andrew is a Writer/Director based in Toronto. His films, "Ma", "Lovebites", and "White Elephant", have been broadcast on Air Canada, CBC, Fuse, and Super Channel. His short, "Ma", won Best Short at Reel Asian. His feature, "White Elephant", won Best Feature, Director, and Writer at the Reelworld Film Festival and Best Canadian Feature at the Vancouver Asian Film Festival. Andrew is the Co-Founder of the Asian Canadian Film Alliance. His TV series "Killer and Cadet" is in development with Bell.

Filmmaker, Co-Founder, Cinevolution Media Arts Society

Ying is an independent filmmaker based in Richmond, BC. Her feature documentary, The World is Bright, tackles immigration and mental health and won the Sea to Sky Award at VIFF 2019, Emerging Canadian Filmmaker Award at Hot Docs 2020, and was nominated for Best Feature Length Documentary and Best Editing at the 2021 Canadian Screen Awards. While making the documentary, in 2007, Ying co-founded Cinevolution Media Arts Society. Under her leadership, Cinevolution grew into one of the most promising arts organizations in Metro Vancouver.

Founding Director, Muslims in Media/ Les musulmans dans les médias

Ali comes from a background in marketing, IT and nonprofit management. After having worked in various capacities in those industries, such as sports marketing in the NFL, IT for a telecommunications firm and administration for a grassroots nonprofit, he brought together his eclectic skillset to co-found Muslims in Media (MiM) shortly after immigrating to Québec in 2020. Personally and professionally, Ali is an ardent supporter of independent art as a vehicle for acceptance and appreciation between others.

Partner, WeirFoulds LLP

Megan Mah is a lawyer and Partner at WeirFoulds LLP in Toronto. Her law practice focuses on human rights, employment, administrative, and constitutional law. Megan serves on the Board of the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers, and as the Vice-Chair of the Roundtable of Legal Diversity Associations. Megan was the recipient of the 2021 Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers Young Lawyer of the Year Award, and the 2023 Lexpert Rising Stars Award, which recognizes leading lawyers under 40 across Canada.

Founding Partner, Outpost Capital

Ryan Wang is globally acknowledged as a visionary technology futurist and esteemed business executive, specializing in Artificial Intelligence, Spatial Computing, and Frontier Technology sectors. He holds a distinguished position as Co-founder and General Partner of Outpost Capital, a trailblazing cross-border early-stage venture fund established in 2015, with a primary focus on frontier technology investments across the United States and Asia.

Founder, Facing East

Devon is a creative consultant currently based in Hong Kong. From producing her first film as a UBC undergrad, her career has led to a trail of international storytelling adventures, including producing and directing an award-winning documentary series on Singaporean athletes, interviewing typhoon survivors for the UN, and cutting her teeth as a journalist under Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Maria Ressa. She is inspired by the power of working with cross-cultural teams to drive social impact.

Head of Lifestyle Brand Partnerships, The Americas, Cathay Pacific Airways 

Gallant is an award-winning passionate customer-centric Marketing professional with 15+ years of experience translating consumer insights into impactful B2C and B2B strategies for tier 1 global organizations such as Visa, RBC Royal Bank, Cathay Pacific Airways and Scotiabank. A multidisciplinary expert in 360° integrated brand & product marketing, and sponsorship management & activation. He is a solutions-oriented leader providing teams with support, autonomy and a collaborative environment to inspire success.

Executive Director

Hanna is an inveterate convener, cultural strategist, and community advocate. She is passionate about bringing people, ideas, and cultures together. A multidisciplinary cultural producer, she brings nearly two decades of experience from interactive media production, museums, and community engagement to her current role at RESO. From her policy roots as a digital humanities researcher, to her leadership in museums, or her grassroots work as a cofounder of an early community wireless network, Hanna strives to enliven and empower conversations around equity through creativity, care, and action.

Administrative Coordinator

With over 15 years of experience in the medical and legal fields and a dedication for racial equity, Caitlin brings a wealth of administrative expertise to RESO. Beyond her professional roles, Caitlin has a deep passion for the arts, and is actively engaged in Vancouver's arts scene as an actor, improviser, and writer. Caitlin also serves as treasurer for QueerProv and is a co-founder and treasurer of the yamjam Improv Society, contributing to the vibrant local arts community.