TORONTO:

Five individuals were recently presented with awards at the Innoversity Creative Summit 2012 in Toronto to recognize their work in making the media more inclusive and innovative by embracing the increasing cultural diversity of Canada.

The awards presentation was held at the Appel Salon in the Toronto Reference Library. Susan Marjetti, managing director, CBC Toronto, received Innoversity’s first Outstanding Leadership Achievement Award for helping to attract and reflect larger audiences in both private and public broadcasting in Toronto, Halifax, Winnipeg and Fredericton with inclusive strategies.

A champion of an inclusive media, Marjetti believes successful TV and Radio programmes must speak to and connect with an ever-evolving audience. Under her leadership, CBC Radio’s Metro Morning has been the number one morning radio program in Toronto.

It recently earned the top spot a record-breaking 42 times. innovative Innoversity also presented special “Angel Awards” to four individuals who have supported the organisation’s efforts to make Canada’s media more innovative by encouraging broadcasters to be more diverse and inclusive.

The awardees are: Sarah Crawford, former vice president Public Affairs for CHUM Limited and CTVglobemedia. She has played a leading role in promoting diversity, access and inclusion in the private broadcasting industry across Canada and as a board member for Integra Foundation, which is an advocate for children with mental health issues relating to learning disabilities.

Rita Shelton Deverell, former director of APTN News and Current Affairs programs is currently the holder of Nancy’s Chair in Women’s Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University. Her work has included stints as an academic, broadcaster, television producer, arts administrator, and theatre artist.

She holds an EdD from OISE/ University of Toronto, and was the first woman to lead a journalism programme in Canada at the University of Regina. She is a two-time Gemini Award winner and was recognised in 2005 with the Order of Canada.

Diversity - Karen Clout, manager Regulatory Affairs, Shaw Media. In this role she manages all diversity initiatives and relationships on the Shaw Media Broadcast side of the company.

Karen sits on the board of Progress Career Planning Institute (PCPI), The Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, the Innoversity Steering Committee, and is Advisor to the Chair for the Strategic Alliance of Broadcasters for Aboriginal Reflection (SABAR).

She is also responsible for all compliance and CRTC reporting, complaints processing, provides interpretation of the regulations and decisions, and works with the regulatory team on applications.

Tim Knight, journalism trainer and film maker, holds both Emmy and Sigma Delta Chi awards for excellence in TV journalism. Over the years he’s been writer, reporter, anchor, interviewer, war correspondent, documentary director, executive producer and communications coach.

He currently writes the controversial media column Watching the Watchdog for Huffington Post Canada. Tim’s worked with three newspapers, and in television worked for ABC, NBC, PBS and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation where he produced the CBC’s flagship news programme The National, and head TV Journalism Training.

He has coached journalists at APTN, in South Africa and across Canada and volunteers by leading workshops at the Innoversity Creative Summit. Since 2002, Innoversity has been instrumental in bringing Canada’s main broadcasters together with creators from diverse backgrounds - Aboriginal people, immigrants, visible minorities, people with disabilities and others- to make the media more innovative, creative and inclusive.