Webinar: Writer-Producer Short Form Collaborations

Interested in creating a short form scripted series and thinking of applying for funding? Join us for a free webinar to learn more about the development and production funding opportunities at the Independent Production Fund, and to hear from successful writer-producer teams who have secured funding.

Get answers to some of these questions and more:

• What are the advantages and opportunities of developing a story in a short form series format?
• Why are joint writer-producer applications to the IPF more successful?
• In a writer-producer partnership, what does each person bring to the project?
• What should you look for in a good writer-producer relationship?
• How has the experience of developing a short form series helped writers and producers?

IPF Executive Director Jon Taylor will be joined by Brendan Halloran and Davin Lengyel, the team behind Dying Seconds, plus Kate Green, Adrian Neblett and Mostafa Shaker, some of the creators of One Baby, Please!, and moderator Smita Acharyya.

Details

Tuesday, November 25th, 2025
5:30pm PT
Online
Free Registration

Participants

Smita Acharyya – Moderator

With 20+ years of experience in the film and television industry, Smita is deeply committed to supporting fresh perspectives from traditionally underrepresented groups. As a Project Manager with TELUS STORYHIVE, she supported the career acceleration of creators across Western Canada. She helped design unique programs, including STORYHIVE’s first Indigenous Storyteller Edition. She managed hundreds of digital content projects spanning multiple genres. Her career includes working with the Vancouver International Film Festival, the Vancouver Queer Film Festival and Production Managing the Gemini nominated series Fish Out Of Water. As a filmmaker, Smita’s work received several accolades, including being selected as a New York Times Critics’ Pick, broadcast worldwide, and screened at festivals internationally.

Kate Green

Kate Green is an award-winning director and producer recognized for her cinematic storytelling and emotional resonance. Her feature documentary Menopause: Coming in Hot (TELUS Originals) premieres at the 2025 Whistler Film Festival. She also directed/produced the WWII short drama Breakthrough (2026) and is the creator of the award winning sci-fi series NarcoLeap, earning multiple Canadian Screen Award, WGC, and Leo Award nominations and wins. Kate is a proud Alumna of Women in the Director’s Chair, WFF Producer’s Lab, Banff SPARK, the NSI, and the Reykjavík Talent lab.

Brendan Halloran

Brendan is a writer, producer, and showrunner whose career spans both scripted comedy and sports media. He is the creator and showrunner of Dying Seconds, a sharp and irreverent scripted comedy series and is an executive producer and writer for the cult favourite, Space Janitors, for which he won the WGC Screenwriting Award for short form comedy in 2025. Throughout his career, Brendan has written and produced for major sports networks including Fox Sports, TSN, and Rogers Sportsnet, creating compelling and comedic content for both linear and digital platforms. In addition to his work behind the scenes, Brendan is also an accomplished actor, with appearances in FX’s Mrs. America, The CW’s In the Dark, CityTV’s Law and Order Toronto: Criminal Intent, and the AppleTV+ feature film Fingernails. He hates writing bios.

Davin Lengyel

Davin Lengyel is a Canadian Screen Award and Canadian Comedy Award-winning producer. Born in Saskatchewan and based in Toronto, Davin has produced over twenty-five seasons of digital series for over 30 million viewers, including Macy Murdoch and Topline for CBC Gem, The D Cut for Crave, four seasons of Space Janitors, and the 2025 series Dying Seconds with Just For Laughs. He was part of the Pure Pwnage team that brought the first web series to primetime television for Showcase. In addition to producing, he managed record-breaking crowdfunding campaigns raising over $4 million for Canadian films such as Corner Gas: The Movie and Code 8. With degrees in Education, Mathematics, Engineering Physics, and Law, Davin has also worked with the CMPA, ACTRA, and the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television on digital media initiatives. His work spans producing, games, podcasts, and panels at SXSW, Banff, TO WebFest, and more.

Adrian Neblett

Adrian has been a Vancouver-based actor in theatre and film for well over a decade, who has more recently found producing and creating. Neblett has produced a number of short films that have punched above their weight classes as he seeks to champion both stories of those with similar origins to himself, and other marginalized peoples in celebration of the humanity that binds us all. He recently accompanied one of his shorts Unfrayed a female led Western, to the Almeria Western Film festival in Spain where it was very well received. Most recently Adrian has been excited to write and create on One Baby, Please! with his frequent collaborator Mostafa Shaker.

Mostafa Shaker

Mostafa Shaker is a comedian, writer, actor and producer based out of Vancouver, BC who started his career in Cairo, Egypt as a theatre actor and on-stage performer. In 2018, Mostafa made his transition into Films and TV to pursue his dream of telling stories for global audiences. He has interned on Family Law and worked as a junior writer on the Oprah Network’s The Real Houses of… He has also written and produced a number of commercials, independent shorts, and a limited web series called Thank you for Ghosting. Mostafa has been expressing his comedic artistic voice through projects that reflect his experience as an Arab immigrant. He’s been part of the 2024 CFC Comedy Intensive, 2023 Netflix BANFF Diversity of Voices Program, the BIPOC TV & Film Showrunners Program, the NSI Series Incubator and Reel World’s E20 Program. Mostafa has been in development with Crave and Sphere on a half hour comedy inspired by his own life. He’s currently in pre-production for his webseries One Baby, Please! with OUTtv, Kate Green Productions & Dunya Media. He’s represented by the Jennifer Hollyer Agency. 

Jon Taylor

Jon Taylor is a media executive, producer and entrepreneur based in Toronto, Canada. As CEO of the Independent Production Fund, Jon helps to provide financial support for the development and production of TV series in Canada. Prior to joining the IPF, Jon was Executive Director of the Global Online Video Association, the first industry-wide association for companies building businesses on social video platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Snapchat. A former Bell executive, Jon led Bell Media’s digital business transformation, including the launch of Canada’s premier streaming service, Crave, in partnership with HBO and Showtime. Before executive leadership roles, Jon had an extensive career as a television producer, including working with Discovery, ESPN, MTV, the United Nations, the Academy Awards and the Olympic Games. Jon is frequently invited to speak at industry events regarding film and tv financing, career growth, and digital transformation.

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