Faculty
Doreen M. Manuel, (Secwepemc/Kootenai) Coordinator/Instructor
Doreen is the sixth child of Grand Chief Dr. George Manuel and Marceline Manuel. Doreen is a graduate of the Aboriginal Film and Television Diploma Program at Capilano University. She is the recipient of the Governor General of Canada Bronze Metal Award for academic excellence for her studies in AFTP. She has an extensive background working in First Nations education and community development in both rural and urban centres. Doreen comes from a long line of oral historians and factual storytellers from her First Nations traditional background. She has experience directing for television and is currently the Canadian Correspondent for the Native Heartbeat a USA Native American news magazine program and she is the owner operator of Running Wolf Productions (www.runningwolf.ca).
Jordan Wheeler, (Cree) Instructor
Jordan is a story editor and writer who has worked on productions such as Renegade Press.Com, Big Bear, The Rez, North of 60, Tales from the Longhouse, Black Harbour, Inside Stories and the APTN's inaugural show.
Dwayne Beaver
Dwayne Beaver, Writer/Producer/Director. Dwayne’s dramatic experience includes The Rhino Brothers, CTV's ‘Robson Arms’, ‘Alice, I Think’ and APTN’s ‘Moccasin Flats’, CBC web series entitled ‘ComaSTATE’ and a dramatic pilot for APTN (working titled), ‘Dry Meat’. His animation experience includes Mainframe’s ‘War Planets’ the BBC's ‘The Mr. Hell Show’ along with numerous shorts including 'Thorax The Conqueror' while his lifestyle works includes ‘Conviction Kitchen’, ‘Glutton For Punishment’ and ‘Road Hockey Rumble’ for which he won the Leo as best director of a comedy, musical or variety series. Dwayne is from the Nova Scotia Micmac nation.
Greg Coyes, (Metis) Instructor
Over the last twenty years Greg has worked as an award-winning film-maker, writer, and as a teacher. Greg has consulted and written for the Smithsonian at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, and taught film and television at Capilano University and at the Native Education Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia. A graduate of Yale University, Greg is a guitar player and songwriter, a little league and minor hockey coach, and the proud father of two boys, Sam and Jackson.
Pieter Romer
Peiter is a documentary producer, director, writer and narrator for First Story a national CTV half hour current affairs series in art, culture and politics. He has extensive experience as a freelance producer, director and writer and freelance cameraman (Beta SX, SP, HD and lighting and sound) for various national TV series shows as well as corporate producer for various video productions.
Renae Morriseau
Since the Mid 80’s, Renae has been seen and has worked on numerous ‘mainstream’ and ‘indigenous’ award winning productions throughout Turtle Island. She has been a serious, humorous, and harmonious actor, singer, director and producer in theatre, film and television productions. A coach, mentor and facilitator she uses the power of the performing arts to help governments, businesses and aboriginal communities find artistic solutions to real problems. She just directed a documentary about the relationship between Dene/Cree Elders and tar sands development, and a music video for M’Girl, the Aboriginal Women’s Ensemble that she help to found (www.myspace.com/mgirlmusic or www.aptn.ca). Currently she is working with ReallyReal films on a pilot half-hour comedy television program, WOLF CANYON with APTN as an associate producer.
Danny Nowak
Danny Nowak C.S.C. Director of Photography Danny is an award winning cinematographer, and is always busy shooting various projects around the world. In recent years, he has served as Director of Photography on many tv movies and over 20 feature films, including Tristar’s "The Big Hit", Neil Simon’s "The Goodbye Girl" and Bruce McDonald’s "Hard Core Logo". He also shot the vampire series "Blood Ties" and CBC’s acclaimed "Dragon Boys". A patriot of Canadian Cinema, Danny is devoted to the development of the indigenous film art. www.spitfirefilms.net
Penny Gummerson, (Cree/Metis) Instructor
Penny is a story editor and writer who began a career in journalism, she has written for a broad range of publications including Windspeaker, Raven's Eye, BC Woman Magazine and the Best of Vancouver Magazine. Her first movie short, The Salmon Run, was one of ten scripts selected in the CBC Television/BC Film Commission's Screenwriting Competition: 2001: A-Fill-This-Space Odyssey. She has also written for television productions such as VTV's First Story and Moccasin Flats.
Loretta Todd, (Cree/Metis) Instructor
A writer and director, Loretta's credit's include Kainayssini Imanistaisiwa (The People Go On), Today Is A Good Day: Remembering Chief Dan George, Forgotten Warriors, Hands of History, The Learning Path and a number of independent productions. Loretta and Jeff Bear have optioned the book Monkey Beach and they are working on making the book into a full-length feature film.
