THE TEAM
Ken Kabatoff
Director
Ken Kabatoff is an accomplished writer and director with over
fifteen years of experience in the film industry, delivering high quality stories to millions of viewers.
Starting in 2016, Ken wrote for the critically acclaimed sci-fi
Netflix series, Travelers, where he became co-producer. In
2020, he was nominated for the “Best Drama” Writers Guild of
Canada Award for his final episode.
After directing multiple short films that have screened for tens of thousands of viewers around the world, Ken was awarded the prestigious Directors Guild of Canada BC Emerging Greenlight award to direct a deeply personal short film titled, The Doukhobor. The film is now on the festival circuit, allowing Ken to focus on his feature directorial debut, Remnant.
Christopher Nash
Writer/Producer
Christopher Nash is a screenwriter, independent filmmaker,
film critic, and academic. He earned a Master’s degree in English from Dalhousie University with a thesis that reconsiders arguments against literary utility in Harold Bloom’s The Western Canon, and his current work builds on the same desire to find new meaning in familiar forms and genres.
He has written, produced, and directed several no-budget features, and runs a YouTube channel releasing independent films.
Mike Johnston
Producer
Mike Johnston is an award-winning producer and co-founder of Studio 104 Entertainment, an independent production company that climbed Playback’s Indie List in 2023, 2024 and 2025 respectively.
In 2023, he represented Canada at the European Film Market as a delegate for Telefilm’s Canada Producer Without Borders program. He co-produced I’m Just Here For The Riot (VIFF’23), an ESPN ’30 for 30’ documentary and served as an Associate Producer for The Grizzly Truth, a Crave Original documentary. He has produced Wild Goat Surf (VIFF ’23), Delta Dawn (Doc NYC ’24, Hot Docs ’25) and Curl Power (Hot Docs ’24, VIFF ’24), which became Telus’ top-performing theatrical release, playing on 73 screens at theatres across Canada.
Mike’s most recent projects include Send The Rain, which is due for release in 2026 and Memoria, an international co-production with Colombia, which is in development. Mike has been nominated for the Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Award at the 2024 Indie Screen Awards, named one of the Playback Magazine’s 10 To Watch, and is a standing member of the Canadian Media Producers Association.
Matthew began his professional career working in Los Angeles for notable companies like Valhalla Motion Pictures (The Walking Dead, The Terminator) and Lighthouse Productions (Mimic, The Sting) before moving back to Vancouver and producing the award-winning short Milo 55160 starring Patrick McKenna.
Building on that success, Matthew produced his first feature The Colony starring Laurence Fishburne and Bill Paxton and produced his second feature Cruel & Unusual in partnership with EOne, Corus Entertainment and Bell Media. He followed that with Juggernaut, starring Jack Kesy and Amanda Crew, in partnership with levelFILM and Telefilm Canada.
Matthew continues to develop projects for the film and television landscape, recently producing the feature The Island Between Tides (aka The Lost Daughter), inspired by the story Mary Rose from J.M. Barrie who created the iconic Peter Pan, starring Donal Logue, Adam Beach, David Mazouz and Paloma Kwiatkowski and executive producing the film Hard Home starring Andrew Howard and Simone Kessell for Paramount Pictures.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from the USC School of Cinema/Television and attended the Producer’s Lab at the Canadian Film Centre.
Matthew Cervi
Executive Producer
DEPARTMENT HEADS
LEO HARIM MIRANDA
Director of Photography
Leo Harim Miranda (Longlegs, The Monkey) was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Growing up in Rio allowed him to experience different realities between extremes within the city - this experience created his perception of the world and informs his interest in storytelling until today. After studying cinema in Brazil, Leo moved to Vancouver where he has been working in the film industry for the past 15 years. His work as cinematographer on various projects can be viewed on Netlifx, Amazon, and through theatrical release. His passion for filmmaking has led his work to be screened at festivals including Chicago International Film Festival, Foyle International Film Festival, Vancouver International Film Festival, SXSW Film Festival, and Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, among others.
Cheryl Marion is an award-winning production designer with over 20 years of experience in the design and creation of scenery for film and TV.
Her design career began in interior architecture where she learned the skills of design as well as composition and colour theory. This expertise allows her to develop a creative vision for a project and the means to execute that vision into the sets and scenery that respond to character, theme and tone.
She designs with sensitivity and pays close attention to the details and nuances that create and elevate the vision of a film.
Cheryl is Métis and is proud to promote and represent diversity in film-making. She is an ardent promoter of Indigenous culture and volunteers her time on Indigenous boards and committees.
She also sits on the IATSE Women’s Committee and enjoys being a mentor to other women in the art department.
Cheryl Marion
Production Designer
JAIDA HAY
Costume Designer
​Jaida Hay is a fashion designer, stylist, founder of The Golden Room, and rising costume designer in film and television. After earning a post-grad certificate in pattern cutting from Central Saint Martins, she launched her own line and worked with designers like Emilia Wickstead, Celine, and Nicole De Carle in London.
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Her transition to costume design began with styling Mattel commercials, eventually leading to credits on The Mother, Pachinko, The Terror, Travelers, Charmed, The Arrangement, and CW’s Supergirl, Arrow, Legends, and The Flash. She’s now focusing on indie films like Sterling, Rise & Shine, and Kompromat.
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Jaida’s global travels inspire her use of texture and color, enriching her work with cultural depth. She also gives back, volunteering with Sources BC and donating costumes to local charities.
Tina Marie McCulloch is an award-winning Casting Director and proud member of the Casting Directors Society of Canada (CDC).
Nicknamed the “Scream Queen of Casting” for her standout work in horror and thriller, Tina has a proven track record of attaching strong, marketable talent that elevates projects and drives sales.
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She has won two Leo Awards for Best Casting with the feature films Lowlifes (Tubi/Crave) and Can I Get a Witness (TIFF 2024), and recently cast R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead (Tubi), the horror feature The Dregs, and APTN’s Secret History: Lore and Legends (Season 3).
With over a decade of experience and strong industry relationships across Canada, Tina consistently brings in actors who not only serve the story but also strengthen a project’s commercial appeal.
Tina Marie McCulloch
Casting Director
POST PRODUCTION
Andrew is a Canadian/American film & television editor who grew up far from the industry on a wheat farm in rural Manitoba.
He eventually made the move to Vancouver where he attended film school and subsequently cut his teeth working on the never-ending (but always logic-
defying) sequels of the original Air Bud movie.
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Andrew now edits for productions in both Vancouver and Los Angeles and has worked across genres on a variety of feature films and TV series including The Hate U Give (20th Century Fox), Entergalactic (Netflix), The Chicken Sisters (Hallmark+) and most recently The Morning Show (AppleTV+).
Andrew Gust
Editor
Blake Matthew
Composer
Blake Matthew is an award-winning composer with over 90 credits spanning film, video games, and trailers. His notable work includes Infeccion, V/H/S 85, Lost Lake Confessions, Satanic Hispanics: Nahuales, The Doukhobor, as well as collaborations with the Vancouver Canucks. His music and sound design have also been featured in trailers for Minecraft, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Monkey Man, and more. In 2023, both V/H/S 85 and Satanic Hispanics were featured in Fangoria, a leading horror genre magazine and media company.
Blake was mentored by veteran Canadian film composers Terry Frewer and Daniel Ingram. His diverse musical background ranging from choir and bands to electronic music and DJing has helped shape his distinctive voice as a composer for screen.
Curt Miller
VFX Supervisor
Curt Miller is an accomplished visual effects supervisor whose creative vision has enhanced acclaimed horror movies including "Deliver Us From Evil" and "Sinister 2."
His extensive television work spans prestigious series such as "Falling Skies," "Mad Men," "Pachinko," "The Man In The High Castle," and "The Spiderwick Chronicles." A multiple Emmy nominee, Miller brings a filmmaker's sensibility to visual effects, ensuring technical elements enhance storytelling while pushing creative boundaries.
