April Spotlight | Amazing TFS Alumni Accomplishments

At Toronto Film School, we’re continually astounded by the amazing accomplishments of our awesome alumni – be it landing roles on Epix new television shows, working on blockbuster video games, or being hired to work for a Major League Baseball team.

Here are some of April’s standout highlights from Toronto Film School’s talented community of graduates:

Class of  2015 Acting for Film, TV & the Theatre alumnus Adriana Vasquez booked a role in an episode of the first season Epix’s new original series, Billy the Kid.

Described as an epic romantic adventure series based on the life of the infamous American outlaw, Vasquez plays ‘Juliana’ in the show – one of two Mexican sisters the title character has a very interesting encounter with in Episode 5.

Vasquez characterized her experience working on Billy the Kid with such production companies as MGM, Amblin and Epix as “a dream come true.”

“Everyone in the cast and crew was a delight to work with, and it was a real pleasure for me to have brought to life a character written by the very same genius mind that created the series Vikings, Michel Hirst,” she added.

“I also loved to see how much Latinx representation there was on that episode. You’ll hear lots of Spanish in it and, as a Latina actress, that adds a whole different meaning.”

In addition to Billy the Kid, Vasquez has also written, produced and starred in three short films since graduating from TFS – two of which, Self-Exile and A Severe Case of Prudery, are soon to be released at various festivals around the world.

Talia Faubert, who graduated from the Film Production program in 2020, recently parlayed a part-time production coordinating contract with the McGillivray Group into a full-time gig as a Branded Content Coordinatorfor the company.

Founded by HGTV host Scott McGillivray, the McGillivray Group is a collective of expert marketers, producers, and entrepreneurs who build and elevate brands through talent development and marketing, media production services, and strategic branded partnerships and programs.

In her new role, Faubert will be working on commercials, web series and podcasts, as well as providing casting assistance, doing some post-production coordinating, assisting with podcast and social media tasks, and helping with the project development and pre-production stages of McGillivray’s slate of projects.

“Working with the McGillivray Group has been a lovely experience and having the opportunity to learn and grow as a filmmaker in such a supportive and collaborative team environment has been incredible,” Faubert said of her experience so far.

“I have immensely enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate with such a well-versed team and am looking forward to seeing and experiencing future endeavors.”

Faubert said the training she received at TFS has been helpful in allowing her to have a well-rounded point of view and understanding of the many aspects and niches of filmmaking – whether it be film, television, commercial, or lifestyle.

“Having this understanding is not only an asset. but also allows me to adapt to various situations,” she said. “Specifically for my interest in production, TFS really helped me understand the workflow of the 5 stages of production, as well as the various paperwork and planning and preparedness, which was a great asset when entering the workforce.”

In addition to her work at McGillivray Group, Faubert is also keeping busy with a number of side projects, including a documentary she’s directing and producing that’s currently in post-production.

“I enjoy continuing to explore new opportunities and continuously growing as a filmmaker,” she said. “I’m lucky to have the opportunity to do so, and to be surrounded by so many talented friends and filmmakers.”

2018 Video Game Design & Development graduates Garrett May and Tobias Bauer both worked on Far Cry 6– the sixth instalment in Ubisoft’s popular action-adventure, first-person shooter game. May worked as an Associate DevTest Team Lead on the game, while Bauer worked as an AI DevTester.

As the Associate DevTest Team Lead, May said he helped lead the content DevTest teams, getting the chance to influence the world, missions, and cinematics of the game, and helped to push for higher quality and bug-free content.

“I had an excellent experience working on Far Cry 6. I got into games to work on the biggest and most ambitious projects in the industry and I was fortunate enough to land a role at Ubisoft Toronto with the talented Far Cry 6 team,” he said of the experience.

“We definitely missed out on the in-person celebrations when the game launched, but I’m very proud of what the team was able to produce.”

May is now currently working as Assistant Producer on The Office: Somehow We Manage – a mobile game based on of the hit NBC show.

Francesco Petitti, a 2017 Film Production graduate, recently worked as a camera operator on EuroLeague Basketball’s Amazon Prime docu-series Back to Basketball.

Released earlier this year, the two-episode series follows Europe’s top teams from the cancellation of the competition in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to the crowning of the 2020-21 champion at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. Congratulations, Francesco!

Wynand vanLuttikhuizen, who graduated from the Graphic Design & Interactive Media program in 2019, was recently hired as a graphic designer for the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team. Congratulations, Wynand!

Class of 2012 Film Production alumnus Heather Young works as the Assistant Production Manager on CBS’s new medical drama, Good Sam. The show follows Dr. Sam Griffith (Sophia Bush), a gifted heart surgeon who excels in her new leadership role as chief of surgery after her renowned boss, Dr. Rob “Griff” Griffith (Jason Isaacs), falls into a coma.

Film Production graduates Cesar Karraa (2018) and Mandie Kingsbury (2017) worked as camera operators on Steadfast: The Jean Augustine Story, an upcoming documentary film telling the story of the Honourable Jean Augustine. Augustine was the first African-Canadian woman to  be elected to Canada’s House of Commons as a Member of Parliament, and brought forward the motion to officially recognize February as Black History Month in Canada.

Faculty News

Film Production professor Jeffrey St. Jules recently took home the top prize from the 21st annual Whistler Film Festival.

St. Jules’ psychological thriller, Cinema of Sleep, won the vaunted Borsos Award for Best Canadian Feature Film – along with its $15,000 cash prize and a $20,000 post-production prize.

Written and directed by St. Jules, Cinema of Sleep is a psychological thriller about a Nigerian refugee whose plans to reunite with his family in the United States is threatened when a mysterious woman in need of help shows up at the hotel room where he’s waiting for his asylum claim to be processed.

***Are you an alumnus or student who would like to share your latest accomplishment with the TFS community? If so, please reach out to our Alumni Relations Coordinator at [email protected]