ONE ART. ONE HEART.
UNION OF BLACK ARTISTS SOCIETY
A creative trade union dedicated to uplifting Black creatives through community, employment, and collaboration.
Who We Are
UBAS is a collective that supports and uplifts Black artists across Canada. We focus on community, mentorship, and advocacy to build creative careers rooted in cultural pride.
What We Do
We offer mentorship and professional development to help Black artists build sustainable careers, foster community building through events and collaborations, and lead with advocacy and representation to amplify Black voices in the arts and culture sector.
Creative Industries Training for Black Creatives
Black Above the line
A Union of Black Artists program in partnership with Charles Taylor Theatre & Media Arts, Black Above the Line was an intiative running through summer 2024, and resulted in participants creating three short films, which went on to premiere at the Emerging Lens Film Festival 2025.
Voices
Growing Secrets
The Letter D
Tara Taylor, Festival Director of The Emerging Lens Cultural Film Festival, coordinates the Black Above the Line program, an initiative focused on increasing the presence of Black professionals in key creative and leadership roles within film and television. The program builds on her work during the successful 2022 pilot project Breaking Through the Screens, developed in collaboration with UBAS members and instructor Christopher Bautista of Matista Media while she was employed at Culture Link CIC.This technical training program introduced participants to the full filmmaking process, with hands-on learning in production, music scoring, animation, and acting. Participants gained experience with industry-standard equipment and learned to collaborate effectively to bring a director’s vision to life. Through Black Above the Line, UBAS continues this mission by providing mentorship, skills training, and networking opportunities that support emerging and mid-career Black creatives in pursuing roles such as writers, directors, and producers.Applications for the next cohort are now open!
Our board & Leadership
Meet the team
CO-FOUNDER | CHAIR
Tara Taylor
Playwright - Actor - Creative Entrepreneur
VICE CHAIR
Solitha Shortte
Soli Productions - Founder - CEO - Agent
CO-FOUNDER | Director
Christopher Bautista
Producer - Director - Writer
DIRECTOR
SHELLEY FASHAN
Co-Founder of Emerging Lens Film Festival - Community Leader
Director
Louis Anthony Bryan
Director - Actor - Playwright - Screenwriter
CO-FOUNDER | CHAIR
Tara Taylor
East Preston, NS born; CBC Information Morning Cultural Columnist (“ArtnSoul Report”); Playwright / Composer – Lyricist / Creative Producer / Director / Actor / Visual Artist; Co-founder and Festival Director - Emerging Lens Cultural Film Festival, Artistic Director of Charles Taylor Theatre & Media Arts; Playwrights Guild of Canada Member; 2021 Recipient of the African Nova Scotian Music Awards Industry Development Award for her body of work in presenting musical theatre and film; Inaugural Artist in Residence for the Halifax Public Libraries; 50 Things Artist – (“Frozen Beyond the Surface” art collaboration with Zuppa Theatre & the Ecology Action Centre); Playwrights Guild of Canada member; PERFORM NS member; Tara has been recognized as one of the top Canadian English Theatre playwrights to watch in SHIFTER Magazine in the Innovators- Icons in 2022-2023. Her original staged musicals are “Viola: The Musical (2018), “Hood Habits the (2022)” and “Love, Peace and Hairgrease (2022)”;2023 Nomination for Outstanding Production by an Emerging Company at the Robert Merritt Awards.
Vice chair
Solitha Shortte
Solitha grew up on a small Caribbean Island and moved to Halifax in 2008 to study marketing at Mount Saint Vincent University after visiting her older sister who moved to Nova Scotia a few years prior. Fascinated by consumer behaviour, Solitha was eager to study the psychology behind marketing and sales and apply it to advertising and campaigns. She came to Nova Scotia with some modeling experience and signed on with a talent agency in Halifax shortly after arriving. In 2010, Solitha started planning local runway shows, such as Fabric in our DNA, and scouting talent from underrepresented groups. By 2018, she obtained her permanent residency and launched Soli Productions. With two Downtown Halifax office locations, Soli offers a full range of coaching, management, and production services. Created her own docuseries, Fashionably Great, airing on Eastlink TV, and stay tuned for her feature film, Stomp It Out, coming soon on Eastlink TV!
Co-founder | Director
Christopher Bautista
Christopher Bautista’s dynamic personality and passion for storytelling make him a valuable collaborator in the entertainment industry. Some of his most recent credits include HBO’s Titans and the feature film Fragile Seeds. With appearances in August Wilson's Fences and Shakespeare's Othello, he has proven himself to be a force to be reckoned with on stage and screen alike. As a graduate of the University of Southern California, where he studied Theatre, Creative Writing, and Film, Christopher has honed his craft as a storyteller. In addition to his accomplishments as a versatile performer, Christopher is also a dedicated and rising Creative Producer. Featured as one of this year’s selectees by Netflix to attend Banff World Media Festival, his slate contains projects that are sure to keep audiences on the edges of their seats. CEO and Founder of Matista Media, Christopher’s body of work includes the music video "For the People" and a series of documentary shorts in support of the Canadian Black workers in the public service sector. These projects not only earned public support but also helped promote equity and inclusion within the industry. As a current member of the Independent Media Producers Association of Creative Talent and co-founder and Board member of the Union of Black Artists Society, Christopher is playing a pivotal role in creating opportunities for Black artists in Canada. He has also completed BIPOC TV and Film's racial equity consultant facilitator course, further demonstrating his commitment to advancing equity and inclusion within the industry.
Director
Shelley Fashan
Co-founder and Festival Producer of the Emerging Lens Cultural Film Fest, Shelley has a lengthy history of community involvement, activism and volunteerism. She was the first African Nova Scotian woman who served on the East Coast Music Association and the first African Nova Scotian woman on the Nova Scotia Arts Council, which was responsible for creating the Portia White Prize. Shelley is a founding member of the first Nova Scotia Arts Council, the Nova Scotia Mass Choir, and the African Nova Scotian Music Association. She ran for municipal office in the 2016 election and for MLA in 2016.
Director
Louis Anthony Bryan
Louis Anthony Bryan is a theatre artist and educator from Trinidad and Tobago. He is currently based in Fredericton, New Brunswick, working primarily as a writer, dramaturge, and stand-up comedian.
He has taught with TNB since 2019, developing The Young Playwrights: an afterschool program for younger, emerging artists dedicated to the fundamentals of scriptwriting and storytelling.An active and contributing member of his arts scene, Anthony has been affiliated with several theatre and film companies including Notable Acts, TNB Young Company, Rebel Femme Productions and Strike Pictures. As a stand-up comedian he hosts rooms and mics throughout the province, while performing at many of the annual arts festivals including Flourish and Shivering Songs.