Updates
News about our organization and information related to our programs.
Event: "I got the grant! What now?" Lobby Chat with The AFC and TAPA
Generator is partnering with The AFC and TAPA for the first virtual chat in The AFC’s new Lobby Chats series! Join us on Zoom on October 14 from 1-2pm ET for “I got the grant! What now?” with moderator Mimi Mok and panelists Kristina Lemieux, Rachel Krehm, Saman Shahi, and Alyssa Martin.
Generator is partnering with The AFC and TAPA for the first virtual chat in The AFC’s new Lobby Chats series!
Thursday, October 14, 2021, 1-2pm ET
Virtual Chat on Zoom
ASL interpreted
This event is now past - watch the recording here
More artists and collectives than ever have been applying for and receiving grants to create work during the pandemic. As a result, many of us have to learn what it means to produce without the support of a larger organization – from project management to contracts to protecting our personal finances and much more. Becoming a DIY producer comes with a lot of excitement and validation but also financial stress and uncertainty. This panel discussion will be helpful for anyone new to producing and managing project grants, as well as to those who have been doing it for a while but still feel like they have questions.
Panelists
Kristina Lemieux (Lead Producer at Generator)
Rachel Krehm (Founder & General Director of indie opera company Opera 5, singer)
Saman Shahi (Executive Director of Iranian-Canadian Composers of Toronto, composer, pianist)
Alyssa Martin (Founder & Artistic Director of Rock Bottom Movement, choreographer)
Moderated by Mimi Mok (Business & Development Director at The Theatre Centre)
Accessibility
ASL interpretation and closed captioning provided.
About The AFC’s Lobby Chats
The AFC’s Lobby Chats bring people together who have experience, passion, and knowledge of critical topics that directly impact the members of Canada’s entertainment industry. Whether we’re talking to freelancers, leaders, administrators, or service providers, these conversations offer a compassionate knowledge-sharing platform where our community can come together to help each other grow and flourish in the industry on both personal and professional levels.
Lobby Chats focus on the individual’s experience, the person who is navigating what is known to be a precarious career path in arts and entertainment. These conversations will hone in on the areas of financial wellness, mental health, and career sustainability. At the end of each chat, audiences will have a chance to ask questions and join the conversation in the spirit of community support and learning.
The October 14 chat is presented by The AFC in partnership with the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts and Generator.
Announcement: Michael Caldwell is Incoming Leadership for Generator
We are delighted to announce Michael Caldwell as incoming leadership for Generator! “I am thrilled to join Generator in this pivotal moment, as we collectively vision a future of shared action and responsibility.”
We are delighted to announce Michael Caldwell as incoming leadership for Generator.
Photo of Michael Caldwell by Ömer Yüseker
"I am thrilled to join Generator in this pivotal moment, as we collectively vision a future of shared action and responsibility. My appointment is simply the next step along a journey towards expanding the ways-of-working for the organization and I am excited to dig in, learn more and uncover all of the possibilities.
“I look forward to engaging with the Generator Staff, Board of Directors, and Strategic Advisors in the next few months, to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and arrive at a future-forward organization structure that is responsive to the field and the creative communities in which we serve." —Michael Caldwell
“This hiring process was a months-long series of inspiring conversations about Generator’s future, its role in the ecology, and how Generator can continue to support independent artist producers. After meeting with several exciting candidates, the committee was unanimous in our support of Michael’s vision, experience, and values. We’re so pleased to have him joining Generator to help us move into the next phase of building a collaborative leadership model for the organization.
“I’m grateful to the whole team of Staff, Strategic Advisors, Board, and consulting artists who helped build this process and respond adaptively to the proposals we received, to Michael, for offering a compelling vision of how Generator can continue to evolve, and to our outgoing leader, Kristina, for planning and leading a generous and caring transition for all involved.” —ted witzel, Generator Board Chair
Michael will be officially starting with Generator on Monday, October 4 and working part-time hours. He will be working closely with outgoing Lead Producer Kristina Lemieux during a period of training and transition this fall.
About Michael
Michael Caldwell is a Toronto-based choreographer, performer, curator, director, producer, and arts advocate. His prolific career includes engagements with over 50 of Canada's esteemed performance creators and companies, with performances across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, and earning two (2) Dora Mavor Moore Awards for outstanding performance. His choreography has been commissioned and presented throughout Canada at major festivals, in traditional venues and in site-responsive and community-engaged contexts and he is a two-time finalist for the K.M. Hunter Charitable Foundation Artist Award, as well as a nominee for the 2021 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize. As a producer/director, Michael has contributed to the growth and development of Fall for Dance North in Toronto and the Festival of Dance Annapolis Royal in Nova Scotia, among others, and he currently serves on the board of directors at The CanDance Network. Read more on our website here.
Paid Focus Group Opportunity: ArtistProducerResource.com
[Past] Generator is looking for artists, producers, and arts workers from the live performance industry in Canada to provide feedback on ArtistProducerResource.com. Focus group sessions are July 20 (4-6pm), July 23 (1-3pm) and July 25 (1:30-3:30pm - Indigenous Artists). Participants will be paid $50.
Generator is looking for artists, producers, and arts workers from the live performance industry in Canada to provide feedback on ArtistProducerResource.com.
Launched in November 2017, ArtistProducerResource.com is an open-source encyclopedia of knowledge, resources, tools, and practices for producing independent performance work in Canada.
Participants will be paid $50 for a two-hour focus group session to review, respond to, and re-envision our online producing wiki ArtistProducerResource.com.
These conversational focus groups will be conducted over Zoom and will be facilitated by Alicia Payne and Lorrie Gallant. Lorrie Gallant is Haudenosaunee, Cayuga Nation, Six Nations of the Grand River Territory Ontario. She's a writer, illustrator, storyteller, singer, visual artist, educator and Expressive Arts Practitioner. Alicia Payne is a multi-disciplinary artist, writer, producer, artist educator, and facilitator who works in school, community and corporate settings. Alicia is also a co-founder of Arbez Drama Projects.
Register
We are asking folks to join us for one of three sessions, with the third session specific to Indigenous artists. Please note space is limited for each session. Focus group sessions will take place on:
JULY 20, 4pm-6pm ET - past
JULY 23, 1-3pm ET - past
JULY 25, 1:30-3:30pm ET (Indigenous Artists) - past
Accessibility
If you have accessibility requests, please let us know when you complete your registration and we will do what we can to assist you. ASL Interpretation is available upon request at least seven days in advance of the focus group date. Please email annie@generatorto.com to reach Annie Clarke, Communications & Operations Producer at Generator to make your request.
Your feedback will help us shape the future of this important national resource—we hope you will consider participating!
Webinar & Discussion: Intellectual Property for Artists + Producers
Generator is teaming up with Artists’ Legal Advice Services (ALAS) for a workshop on intellectual property for artists and producers.
Learn how to clear and protect your trademarks and copyrights, including in an online world. Join us to hear practical tips to identify and build valuable IP assets, avoid costly mistakes, and better navigate IP ownership and licensing.
Wednesday, June 23, 2021, 2-3:30pm ET (past)
This is Generator’s second webinar with Artists’ Legal Advice Services (ALAS) this spring! The session will be held via Zoom Webinar, beginning with a presentation from Cat Lovrics and ending with a question and answer period.
This webinar will be recorded. If you are not available to participate live, we invite you to email your questions about Intellectual Property and Copyright to info@generatorto.com so that we can make sure they're addressed!
Live captioning will be provided. You may use the Zoom webinar registration to communicate any access needs, or feel free to reach out to info@generatorto.com.
About Cat Lovrics
Catherine (Cat) Lovrics is a Partner at Marks & Clerk Canada. Cat’s practice focuses on copyright law, as well as trademark, personality and publicity rights, as well as marketing and advertising, consumer protection and data and privacy laws. She specializes in emergent legal issues related to the Internet and digital media, in addition to traditional entertainment and media. Cat helps her clients protect, exploit and enforce their IP, and advises on clearance, rights acquisition and licensing. Her clients range from multinational and Canadian media companies to individual artists. Her experience spans a wide range of sectors, from creative industries to AI & emergent tech to consumables.
Artists’ Legal Advice Services
ALAS’s mission is to empower Ontario’s creative community by providing access to summary legal advice, information and education. Learn more about their work here.
Announcement: Means of Production Partnership
Generator and Means of Production announce a year of partnership, focusing on the development and innovation of values-based live performance production practices.
Generator and Means of Production announce a year of partnership focusing on the development and innovation of values-based live performance production practices.
MoP is a collective of live performance Production Managers and Technical Directors in Canada with the aim to empower leadership, develop sustainable practice, and prioritize equity for workers in live performance production. Through education, research, and professional development, MoP is advocating for better working conditions, better pay structures, and generating more interest in the field of production leadership. Means of Production, with support from Generator, is planning a year of peer-led industry workshops, long tables, and community-engaged qualitative research, funded by Canada Council for the Arts.
Mission Statement
Means of Production is building a support network with shared resources for freelance Production Managers, Technical Directors, and related Arts Workers. We advocate for a safe, equitable, and supportive work culture rooted in creating the conditions for workers to thrive in the gig economy. We engage in research, dialogue, outreach, and education to:
Promote a values-based approach to production
Address barriers to working in the field
Provide professional development and mentorship opportunities
Develop standards and guidelines for our work
Advocate for individual well-being and equitable pay
Upcoming Events
May 13 (1pm ET): PACT Town Hall
May 13 (6pm ET): MoP Accountability Roundtable
May 19 (2:30pm ET): PACT Peer2Peer
Learn More
Generator and Means of Production gratefully acknowledge the support of Canada Council for the Arts, without whom this partnership would not be possible.
