Board of directors

Tara Taylor

Playwright - Actor - Creative Entrepreneur

Co-Founder - Chair

East Preston, NS born; Mgr of Light House GO streaming service; 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.

Christopher Bautista

Producer - Director - Writer

Co-Founder - Director

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. 

Solitha Shortte

Soli Productions - Founder - CEO - Agent

Vice Chair

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!

Shelley Fashan

Co-Founder (Emerging Lens Film Festival) - Community Leader

Director

Co-founder and Festival Producer of the Emerging Lens Cultural Film Fest, 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