Please give a warm welcome to our generous panel of judges!
Someone has to take on the difficult task of narrowing down the Ani_Jam film submissions to award the best film in each category! While there are only so many awards, having your work reviewed by this panel of experienced industry judges is quite an incredible opportunity! We are so grateful for the support that these judges have for the next generation of animators and film-makers!
Our panel has many decades of experience making films in so many different parts of the production process across the country and internationally. Have a look at their Bios below and see if you spot any of your childhood favourites.
Alex Matthews
Hi, I’m Alex! I'm originally from Barbados and I’ve spent the last 14 years diving deep into character design, 2D rigging, and animation. My career has come full circle, and I now serve as the Technical Software Sales Specialist and Demo Artist at Toon Boom Animation — the very company that guided me into my career!
Along the way, I’ve animated on international hits like Rick and Morty, Inside Job, and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. I’ve also had the fun challenge of serving as Rigging Supervisor for the second season of Trailer Park Boys: The Animated Series and the animated specials of Black-ish and One Day at a Time.
Carol Beecher
Having been intimately involved with the animation community in Alberta for over 30 years Carol has gathered in-depth knowledge and experience in traditional and digital 2D and 3D modes of expression, non-profit programming, and post-secondary teaching and curricular development. Her interests extend into all forms of expression in the media arts. Being a voracious consumer of books and documentaries on filmmaking, storytelling, and film and animation aesthetics she thinks of herself as a life-long learner. In 1994, with her life partner Kevin D.A. Kurytnik, they formed Fifteen Pound Pink Productions, named thus because that's how much their cat weighed.
Gene Fowler
I'm a showrunner, I finance, produce and direct animation projects. TV shows for kids mostly. However pitch packages, pilots, commercials, corporate videos and web cartoons always come across my desk. Most of these projects I get to handle the creative direction on and this is my purpose - I love developing a show with the creator/writer. I set the tone of the creative, marry it to the budget. schedule and then delegate to teams for production. I track with spreadsheets. meticulously take notes and see each project through to the end. I plan the work and work the plan. No matter if it's a million dollar series or a simple logo. I have a soft spot for logos. :) I'm in it to win it, and keep winning it.
Harley Knife
Harley Knife is a senior animator based in Kelowna and a member of the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation in Treaty 6 territory. He has over a decade of experience in television and feature animation, with professional credits at Titmouse, Atomic Cartoons, and Yeti Farm Creative.
His portfolio includes projects such as Everybody Still Hates Chris, Frog and Toad, The Harper House, Baby Shark’s Big Show!, and Baby Shark’s Big Movie!. In addition to his production work, Harley is an advocate for Indigenous representation in animation. He regularly speaks at schools and industry events to provide mentorship and share his experiences with emerging artists.
Jelena Popović
Jelena Popović is the producer at the French Animation Unit at the National Film Board of Canada, joining the team in April 2024 after more than 10 award-winning years as a producer with NFB English Animation. Her credits include Matea Radic’s Paradaïz (Golden Dove DokLeipzig, Best Animation Short Warsaw), Alex Boya’s Bread Will Walk (Cannes’ Director’s Fortnight), Arash Akhgari’s In The Shallows (Best Canadian Animation Ottawa), Ryo Orikasa’s Miserable Miracle (Grand Prix Ottawa), Terril Calder’s Meneath (Tribeca New Voices Award, TIFF Canada’s Top 10), Eva Cvijanović’s Hedgehog’s Home (Berlinale, Annecy, Zagreb) and Chintis Lundgren’s Manivald (Zagreb, Ottawa, Hiroshima). She also directed the documentary The Knights of Orlando and edited Patrick Doyon’s Oscar-nominated short Sunday. (Photo Credit: Myriam Frenette)
Johnny Castuciano
Johnny Castuciano is an Annie Nominated Storyboard artist and Director in the field of Animation. Throughout his 20 year career, he has worked in various projects for DreamWorks, Disney and currently with Marvel Animation.
Justin Marmulak
Justin is a dedicated Canadian production coordinator with a passion for animation. Currently working at Netflix Animation Studios, Justin also contributes his time and skills as the Conference Co-Chair for the Spark CG Society in Vancouver.
Ken MacLaughlin
Ken MacLaughlin is a writer/director based in Atlanta and the creator of the feature horror-comedy We’re So Dead. His work blends narrative comedy with commercial storytelling, and he has directed branded content alongside independent film.
Kevin Gillese
Kevin Gillese is an improviser, writer and producer based in Atlanta. His first feature film "How To Ruin The Holidays" won the Jury Award for Best Ensemble at the Rome International Film Festival and the Film Threat review raved: "You'll cry, you'll laugh, you'll cry laughing, it's inspired."
Leif Oleson-Cormack
Leif Oleson-Cormack is an Edmonton-based comedian, writer, and narrative designer. He was the lead writer on The Low Road, tours regularly across the North American comedy and Fringe festival circuits, and runs a weekly stand-up show at the Grindstone Theatre.
Leisl Adams
Leisl Adams is a Director, Storyboard Artist and Illustrator in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She has been worked in film and TV for over 20 years, storyboarding for clients like Warner Bros, Disney Jr., Mattel, Apple TV, and HBOMax. She directed the second season of American Girl’s WellieWishers (Mattel), and the short film The Elephant In the Waiting Room (The Empathy Project). Her debut graphic novel, Batter Royale is published by Abrams Fanfare, and she illustrated the picture book, Mermaid and Pirate, published by Little, Brown and Co.
Lindsay Knowler
Lindsay Knowler is a Vancouver-based supervising 2D animation rigging artist, production trainer, and founder of Eat Your Peas Productions Inc. The first animation production school that works like a real studio. With over a decade of experience in the industry, at companies like Atomic Cartoons and Toon Boom Animation, she's dedicated to making professional animation training accessible to all.
Tim Riedel
Tim Riedel is a Red River Métis filmmaker from Treaty 1 territory in Manitoba working across film, television, and streaming. His credits include the award winning documentary Jackstones and the upcoming psychological horror feature Ancestral Beasts, selected for the Frontières platform at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival's Marché du Film.He began his career in animation, writing on one of Canada’s first 3D series Eddy Unleashed before becoming a director and showrunner. He later shifted into documentary filmmaking and developed ethical storytelling practices to improve the representation of marginalized people in media.
Since 2020, Riedel has focused on Indigenous-led narrative work rooted in his homeland and community. He is a graduate of FILMBA at Capilano University, a 2024 Whistler Indigenous Filmmaker Fellow, part of Producers Without Borders at the 2025 European Film Market, and was named one of Playback’s 10 to Watch for 2025.