Learn from Producers Who Actually Produce
Our core instructors are seasoned producers and executives who have led award-winning work across every corner of the industry. They bring decades of experience from top agencies and production companies, translating lessons from real productions into clear, actionable guidance. Their collective expertise covers everything from film and digital content to experiential activations and advertising campaigns—making Producer U a masterclass in modern producing.
Instructors
Erin Ruth Clare
Erin Ruth Clare
A bilingual Senior Event Director and Producer with extensive experience leading large-scale experiential marketing and global events. She’s produced high-impact activations for Nike, Ferrari, Coca-Cola, Shell, TD, and FIFA World Cup, alongside major nonprofit campaigns for the Canadian Cancer Society and MADD Canada. Her expertise spans logistics, vendor management, sponsorship activations, and complex event execution—balancing creativity with precision. Known for her ability to align teams, vendors, and clients through detailed planning and clear communication, she consistently delivers seamless experiences that elevate brands and inspire audiences.
Jen Dark
Jen Dark
A veteran Head of Integrated Production and Consultant with over 25 years of experience leading cross-disciplinary teams and delivering award-winning campaigns across every medium. She has built and scaled production departments for top agencies and in-house studios, driving creative innovation and operational efficiency. Her expertise spans traditional, digital, experiential, and branded content ecosystems, consistently balancing craft, speed, and strategy. Known for her calm, solutions-oriented leadership, she’s a trusted executive partner who guides global campaigns, optimizes workflows, and mentors future leaders. Her career reflects a commitment to excellence, collaboration, and the evolving art of integrated production.
Helen Garcia
Helen Garcia
A seasoned operations leader with over 20 years of experience guiding teams, streamlining workflows, and helping agencies deliver complex digital projects with clarity and confidence. Over her career, she’s worked across marketing, creative, and technology teams—building the systems, structure, and trust that keep great ideas moving forward.
Helen has led operational transformation at multiple agencies, where she’s known for simplifying the complicated, connecting people and process, and making teams feel empowered rather than overwhelmed. She believes that great project management isn’t about bureaucracy—it’s about communication, alignment, and understanding how to get the best out of each other.
Passionate about mentoring the next generation of producers, Helen brings a practical, no-nonsense approach to digital operations. Her goal is to help others find their rhythm—balancing creative energy with smart, sustainable systems that make the work (and the people behind it) thrive.
Cynthia Heyd
Cynthia Heyd
An innovative production leader with more than 35 years experience in the advertising industry working with TV, digital, radio, web content, and new media projects. She has driven production evolution in management roles at BBDO, Y&R, CBC, and TAXI Canada.
She launched a number of companies after leaving the agency world in response to the ever changing marketing landscape. Today, she is at the helm of The Deli Production Agency working with agencies and brands to determine how best to create content for all mediums.
Terry Kavanagh
Terry Kavanagh
A Senior Producer with over 30 years of experience producing award-winning broadcast and digital content for major brands including RBC, Visa, PepsiCo, Ford, and Molson. Currently at Omnicom Production, she supports TBWA\Canada and BBDO Canada, bringing deep expertise in creative production and collaboration. Her career has included leadership roles at Young & Rubicam, Ogilvy, and J. Walter Thompson, where she built strong teams and helped shape industry best practices. A respected mentor and former member of the ICA Production Advisory Committee, she’s known for her integrity, professionalism, and passion for excellence in every project she leads.
Jonny LP
Jonny LP
As a producer of branded content, documentary television, and feature films, Jonny has a longstanding history of creating compelling, story driven content with large, well known brands. He has produced for brands like Coke, Ubisoft, Mattel, MasterCard, Warner Bros, Sony Pictures, Budweiser, and BMW. In long form, he has worked with broadcasters like Discovery, History Channel, and more. As an Exec, his feature film “White Lie” premiered at TIFF ‘19, was nominated for 4 CSAs and chosen as TIFF’s “Best of Canada 2019”. He recently produced and co-directed the award winning short documentary “Ask an Iranian”. His content has accumulated hundreds of millions of views.
Kevin Saffer
Kevin Saffer
A Toronto-based executive producer and co-founder of The Deli - a boutique production agency known for crafting high-end commercials and cutting-edge experiences for major international brands including Amazon, Google, McDonalds and more. With a career that spans over two decades in film, television, and advertising, Kevin began his journey in film and TV production in Canada, gaining hands-on experience in everything from scripted network TV series to feature films for major studios. His creative sensibility and sharp production instincts eventually led him to the agency world, where he honed his skills as an agency producer, helping shape content and campaigns for leading brands across North America.
In 2012, Kevin pivoted from agency life to entrepreneurship, founding a series of production companies culminating in The Deli. As an executive producer, he has been behind some of the most innovative experiential and event work in Canada, including large-scale brand activations, immersive installations, and hybrid live/digital campaigns for global clients. Kevin’s work blends storytelling with technology and cultural insight, consistently pushing the boundaries of how audiences engage with brands in real life
Phil Sylver
Phil Sylver
A creative problem-solver and brand builder with over 20 years in advertising. As Head of Creative, Brand & Content at Skip (formerly SkipTheDishes), he oversees all creative output, driving standout campaigns that merge cultural relevance with long-term brand growth. A hands-on “player/coach,” he has led award-winning work for brands like GM, Coca-Cola, TD, and Reebok at agencies including TAXI, DDB, and Bensimon Byrne. From SkipTheDishes’ “Playoff Pants” to Kraft’s Bulldozer BBQ, his ideas break through clutter and connect with real audiences. Known for building enduring brand strategies and high-performing creative teams, he brings both strategic vision and craft-level detail to every project he touches.
Kim Zaninovich
Kim Zaninovich
An Executive Producer with a career spanning entertainment, marketing, and digital innovation. She began at Buena Vista Pictures and 20th Century Fox before joining E! Entertainment Television, later transitioning into online marketing for major studios and game publishers. Now VP Executive Producer at The Martin Agency, she leads interdisciplinary teams delivering award-winning campaigns across broadcast, digital, and experiential platforms. Known for uniting creative vision with strategic execution, she’s built a reputation for clarity, collaboration, and leadership that empowers teams to bring ambitious ideas to life.
Board of Advisors
The Producer U Board of Advisors is a council of accomplished producers, creatives, and industry executives who help guide the direction of the platform.
Their collective experience spans global campaigns, feature films, and emerging technologies in storytelling and media.
They ensure our curriculum, partnerships, and mission stay rooted in the realities of today’s production landscape—and focused on the future of the industry.
Tasha Dean
Tasha Dean
A Chief Revenue Officer at The Martin Agency, where she merges commercial strategy with creative ambition to drive growth. Formerly the agency’s Head of Production, she rebuilt its production model and guided global campaigns for Apple, Nike, GEICO, and JPMorgan Chase. Known for championing craft and emotional resonance, she builds systems that balance creativity and business impact. Her approach connects high-quality production with measurable outcomes, ensuring bold ideas thrive within practical frameworks. Respected for her ability to unite artistry and strategy, she continues to shape how modern agencies deliver meaningful work that resonates across culture and commerce.
Cynthia Heyd
Cynthia Heyd
An innovative production leader with more than 35 years experience in the advertising industry working with TV, digital, radio, web content, and new media projects. She has driven production evolution in management roles at BBDO, Y&R, CBC, and TAXI Canada.
She launched a number of companies after leaving the agency world in response to the ever changing marketing landscape. Today, she is at the helm of The Deli Production Agency working with agencies and brands to determine how best to create content for all mediums.
Jacinte Kirkland
Jacinte Faria Kirkland
A studio architect and operational strategist with over two decades of experience building creative infrastructure for global brands and agencies. As Managing Director at Addition, an R/GA Company, she leads teams at the intersection of creativity and AI, scaling systems that sustain ambitious work. Her leadership roles at Stink Studios, Psyop, B-Reel, and Acne have shaped campaigns for Google, PayPal, WeTransfer, and NBCUniversal. Through her consultancy, Farlanding, she advises organizations on studio design, workflow optimization, and leadership transitions. A Webby Awards Executive Member and Judge, she’s known for her calm precision, organizational acumen, and ability to turn complexity into clarity—building systems where creativity thrives.
Jonny LP
Jonny LP
As a producer of branded content, documentary television, and feature films, Jonny has a longstanding history of creating compelling, story driven content with large, well known brands. He has produced for brands like Coke, Ubisoft, Mattel, MasterCard, Warner Bros, Sony Pictures, Budweiser, and BMW. In long form, he has worked with broadcasters like Discovery, History Channel, and more.
As an Exec, his feature film “White Lie” premiered at TIFF ‘19, was nominated for 4 CSAs and chosen as TIFF’s “Best of Canada 2019”. He recently produced and co-directed the award winning short documentary “Ask an Iranian”. His content has accumulated hundreds of millions of views.
Jennifer Paul
Jennifer Paul
Jen has spent more than 25 years helping teams bring big ideas to life while learning what makes production succeed. She co-founded Bandada, a senior freelance collective that proves distributed teams can deliver exceptional results without the layers of a traditional agency.
Over time, she saw how much critical knowledge lives in people’s heads — details that rarely make it into documentation but keep everything running smoothly. She created TeamKit to make that knowledge visible and usable, capturing the real ways teams operate so momentum isn’t lost when people move on.
Jen believes great production is about creating the conditions for people to do their best work. She teaches from lived experience, sharing the systems, habits, and human insight that help teams build resilience and stay on track when things get complicated.
Kevin Saffer
Kevin Saffer
A Toronto-based executive producer and co-founder of The Deli - a boutique production agency known for crafting high-end commercials and cutting-edge experiences for major international brands including Amazon, Google, McDonalds and more. With a career that spans over two decades in film, television, and advertising, Kevin began his journey in film and TV production in Canada, gaining hands-on experience in everything from scripted network TV series to feature films for major studios. His creative sensibility and sharp production instincts eventually led him to the agency world, where he honed his skills as an agency producer, helping shape content and campaigns for leading brands across North America.
In 2012, Kevin pivoted from agency life to entrepreneurship, founding a series of production companies culminating in The Deli. As an executive producer, he has been behind some of the most innovative experiential and event work in Canada, including large-scale brand activations, immersive installations, and hybrid live/digital campaigns for global clients. Kevin’s work blends storytelling with technology and cultural insight, consistently pushing the boundaries of how audiences engage with brands in real life
Ben Sharpe
Ben Sharpe
An Executive Producer at Hornet, leading the studio’s expansion into live-action production and director representation. Previously Head of Integrated Production at adam&eveDDB London, he oversaw a 50+ person team producing global campaigns for brands like PlayStation, John Lewis, and EA Games—including Cannes Grand Prix and D&AD Black Pencil–winning work. His background spans top creative houses like Blink Productions, JWT Toronto, and Publicis London, collaborating with acclaimed directors across film and advertising. Beyond production, he’s helped shape industry standards as a founding board member of AdGreen and Chair of the IPA’s Production Policy Group. With decades of experience bridging creativity, sustainability, and operational excellence, he’s recognized as one of the industry’s leading voices in modern production.
Phil Sylver
Phil Sylver
A creative problem-solver and brand builder with over 20 years in advertising. As Head of Creative, Brand & Content at Skip (formerly SkipTheDishes), he oversees all creative output, driving standout campaigns that merge cultural relevance with long-term brand growth. A hands-on “player/coach,” he has led award-winning work for brands like GM, Coca-Cola, TD, and Reebok at agencies including TAXI, DDB, and Bensimon Byrne. From SkipTheDishes’ “Playoff Pants” to Kraft’s Bulldozer BBQ, his ideas break through clutter and connect with real audiences. Known for building enduring brand strategies and high-performing creative teams, he brings both strategic vision and craft-level detail to every project he touches.
