Brad
Martin
Board Chair
Phyllis
Yaffe
Chair, HR and Corporate Governance Committee
Michael MacMillan
Director
Robb
Chase
Director
Richard
Wernham
Chair, Audit Committee
Lisa
Hsia
Director
Kevin
Johnson
Director
Kathryn
Houlden
Director
Lisa
Knutson
Director
Kent
Sobey
Director
Brad Martin
Board Chair
Brad Martin previously served as a Vice President at Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited from 1998 to 2024. He had been its Vice President, Strategic Investments from 2012 to 2024 and its Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from 2006-2012. Before joining Fairfax in 1998, he was a partner with Torys LLP, a leading Canadian business law firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions and securities law.
Mr Martin currently serves as a member of the boards of Eurobank Ergasias Services and Holdings SA(Athens Stock Exchange) and AGT Food and Ingredients Inc. (private). He has served on the boards of 10 publicly listed companies.
Phyllis Yaffe
Chair, HR and Corporate Governance Committee
Phyllis Yaffe has held a number of strategic positions in film and television in Canada since the 1980s including Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. and Chief Executive Officer of Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting Inc.
Most recently, Yaffe served as Consul General to New York for the Government of Canada from July 2016 through December 2019.
Yaffe is the Chair of the Board of both Cineplex Entertainment Inc. and Baycrest Seniors Care. She has previously served on the boards of Lionsgate Entertainment Corporation, Torstar Corporation and Astral Media Inc.
In 1999, Yaffe was selected as the Canadian Women in Communications Woman of the Year and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Women in Film and Television in 2000. In 2006, she was included in the Women’s Executive Network’s list of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women; in 2007, she was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Broadcast Hall of Fame; in 2015, she was honoured as a recipient of the Order of Canada.
In her volunteer time, Yaffe has previously served on the Boards of Directors for Women Against Multiple Sclerosis, as well as the Chair of the Board of Governors for Ryerson University.
Michael MacMillan
Director
Michael co-founded and is CEO of Blue Ant Media. Under his leadership, the company has become a global leader with an international studio and rights operation, a worldwide channels business and six international offices, anchored by its headquarters in Canada.
Previously, Michael co-founded Atlantis Films Limited in 1978, which won an Oscar in 1984 for its short film Boys and Girls. In 1998, Atlantis acquired Alliance Communications, becoming Alliance Atlantis Communications. As Chairman and CEO, Michael led the company in operating 13 Canadian TV networks and producing hit shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He stepped away from this role in 2007, after the company was sold to Canwest Communications and Goldman Sachs.
Michael is also the co-founder and Chair of the Samara Centre for Democracy, a non-partisan charity launched in 2008 that works to reconnect citizens to politics and promote greater political participation in Canada. Additionally, he is a co-founder and co-owner of Closson Chase Vineyards and Winery in Prince Edward County, Ontario.
A member of the Order of Canada, Michael has volunteered with numerous community and industry organizations over many years. He is a Senior Fellow at Massey College and co-author of the best-selling book Tragedy in the Commons.
Robb Chase
Director
Robb Chase serves as Blue Ant Media’s Chief Financial Officer and is responsible for all financial management and oversight including budgeting; reporting results to the Audit Committee, Board and shareholders; as well as the balance sheet and capital structure. In addition to this work, Robb oversees the company’s Human Resources function and team. Previously, Robb was the Chief Operating Officer in charge of Media and Production Services, business operations, IT, Communications and Human Resources at the Television and Digital operating company, and head of Corporate Development at the parent entity. He has worked with Blue Ant since its inception in January 2011.
Robb has previously served as the President and CEO in franchised retail businesses that included Quiznos Canada Restaurant Corporation (1/2010 – 1/2011), Herbal Magic ULC (6/2007 – 3/2009), and as President of Papa John’s International based in Louisville, KY (2006 – 6/2007). Robb was also the President of Famous Players Inc., a division of Paramount/Viacom Inc. from July 2000 until 2005, and served as CEO from early 2003 until the company’s sale in mid 2005.
Prior to that, Robb spent ten years with PepsiCo Restaurants International and its spinoff company Tricon Global restaurants (1990 to 2000) in a variety of executive roles. Robb began his career in consumer packaged goods marketing with Warner-Lambert Canada, Johnson and Johnson and Seven Up Canada. He also served as Director of Marketing at Cara Operations.
Robb was a board member of Enthusiast Gaming Holdings in 2020-2021 which is a publicly listed company on the TSX and Nasdaq. He is the past Chairman of the World President’s Organization (WPO) Ontario chapter (2013), and past director and Board Chairman of publicly traded Imvescor Restaurants Inc (2010-2013). He is a past director of publicly traded Sleeman’s Breweries from 2003 until the sale of the company in 2006. Robb was a recipient of the Top 40 Under 40 national business award in 1996, and he holds an Honors Business Administration degree from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario.
Richard Wernham
Chair, Audit Committee
As President, Global Channels and Streaming, and operating from Blue Ant Media&s Washington, D.C. office, Carlyn Staudt oversees the company&s international channels, including Love Nature, Declassified, HauntTV, Total Crime, Homeful and Love Pets. In this role, she oversees the continued growth of Blue Ant Media&s worldwide channel footprint across all platforms including FAST, SVOD, AVOD and Pay-TV.
Carlyn&s previous work at Blue Ant Media includes leading the growth of global wildlife and nature brand, Love Nature, where she first served as EVP, Programming and Development, followed by her General Manager role, where she oversaw the strategic direction and operations of the brand globally, which included affiliate sales, content partnerships, digital content, programming, marketing and communications. During this time, Love Nature grew into a free streaming and pay TV offering in over 100 countries and 25 languages, in over 388 million platforms around the world.
Her former role of Head of Commissioning for the company&s free streaming and pay TV channels in North America and internationally, saw her leading the commissioning and development of each content slate, in partnership with established and up-and-coming producers, and as well as international co-production partners.
Prior to joining Blue Ant Media, Carlyn held numerous leadership roles at National Geographic. As SVP, Global Programming and Managing Director for National Geographic Channels International&s operations in Washington DC, Carlyn was responsible for spearheading co-production partnerships and global acquisitions across NGCI&s suite of channels. Carlyn also served as Channel Manager for Nat Geo Wild internationally, charged with increasing the network&s footprint and managing all content, both commissioned and acquired.
A respected leader in the industry, Carlyn is a well-known thought leader in the television space, and regularly participates in industry panels, conferences and media discussions, sharing her expertise on FAST, distribution trends, commissioning and the future of television. She is also a former advisory board member of Jackson Wild and Wildscreen.
Lisa Hsia
Director
Lisa Hsia is a media executive and board member who has been at the forefront of television, film and digital media for the past 40 years. In her most recent role as Executive Vice President, Audience Acquisition and Growth, NBCUniversal Entertainment, Lisa oversaw the monetization of audiences and growth on digital platforms for NBCU’s broadcast and cable networks: NBC, USA, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, SYFY and Universal Kids.
In her previous role at NBC, where she has worked since 1994, she served as Vice President of NBC News with executive oversight for the “Today” show, “Dateline” and the long-form programming unit Peacock Productions. Earlier in her career in broadcast news, she worked as producer and senior producer to Diane Sawyer and Katie Couric. Lisa has also made documentaries including “Made in China” and “The Emperor’s Eye: Art and Power in Imperial China” and two independent feature films for Orion Classics. She has a BA from Harvard University and an MBA from Columbia University Business School.
Kevin Johnson
Director
Kevin Johnson is a seasoned media professional with over 30 years of experience across various agencies and industries. He joined GroupM Canada as Chief Executive Officer at the end of 2021, bringing a wealth of knowledge and leadership to the company. In his role, he oversees GroupM’s operations in Canada and is also an integral member of the North American leadership team at GroupM.
Before stepping into this position, Kevin served as the CEO of MediaCom Canada, where he played a key role in securing new business and raising the agency’s profile.
In January 2025, Kevin expanded his leadership role, taking on the additional responsibility of President of WPP in Canada, while continuing to serve as CEO of GroupM Canada.
Beyond his professional achievements, Kevin is recognized as a leader who actively contributes to the media industry and beyond. He is passionate about making a meaningful impact in the community and encourages both his teams and clients to do the same. Kevin is a committed mentor and an engaged community member, holding positions on several boards, including Ad Standards, Numeris, and Trillium Health Partners. He is also an active mentor in Rexdale, the community where he grew up, and is a strong supporter of Trust 15, a group that provides mentorship, social, and educational resources.
Kathryn Houlden
Director
Kathryn Houlden is a Managing Director at Tevir Capital, a long-term focused innovative funding firm. At Tevir Capital, Houlden takes on interim management leadership roles in investments and leads them through key strategic initiatives. She is also actively involved in M&A.
Prior to joining Tevir Capital, Kathryn was the SVP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of Torstar Corporation and before that the SVP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of Dealnet. In each of these roles, she was responsible for the overall legal affairs of the organization but also had significant operational responsibility.
Kathryn began her career as a corporate lawyer at a leading Canadian law firm. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Juris Doctor from Queen’s University, and has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. Houlden also holds the ICD.D designation, having completed the Director’s Education Program at the University of Toronto.
Lisa Knutson
Director
Lisa Knutson, a certified public accountant, State of Ohio (inactive), was formerly the Chief Operating Officer of the E.W. Scripps Company, now retired where she used to oversee the operating divisions of Local Media, and Scripps Networks. This portfolio of businesses included nine national media brands focused on entertainment and news and 61 local TV stations. She formerly served as President of Scripps Networks from January 2021 until January 2023 and Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy Officer of the E.W. Scripps Company from September 2017 until January of 2021. As Chief Financial Officer, Lisa led the company’s financial operations, corporate development, enterprise-wide strategic planning and managed company-wide functions including IT and risk management. She previously served as Chief Administrative Officer from 2011 to 2017, and Senior Vice President, Human Resources with that company from 2005 to 2011. She previously served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Human Resources Operations, at Fifth Third Bank from 2002 to 2005. She also previously worked at Arthur Anderson, LLP as Director of Audit Operations, Great Lakes Market Circle and with PSARA Technologies, Inc., a regional environmental consulting firm. She is a graduate of Miami University. Her experience in human resources and compensation policies and practices in a public company setting, as well as her financial and accounting skills and knowledge, make her uniquely qualified to serve and will provide valuable insight to the Board.
A graduate of Miami University, Knutson serves as a corporate director for WesBanco, Inc. in Wheeling, West Virginia, and is the Chair of the audit committee, and as a member of the executive, compensation and nominating committee. She is a corporate director and on the audit committee of BlueAnt Media, a privately held company based in Toronto, Canada.
Knutson was honored in 2023 & 2024 by Women We Admire as a Top Women in Media and in 2022 by MultiChannel News as a Wonder Woman for high-performing women executives in TV, streaming, advertising and more. News industry publisher Cynopsis Media named her as one of the 2021 Top Women in Media. She was also recognized in 2020 as a Broadcast Best Finance Leader by Radio + Television Business Report.
Kent Sobey
Director
Kent Sobey is Founder and President of Farmhouse Productions. He is a corporate director of Hollywood Suite. He served as a trustee on the board of Crombie REIT for 11 years and previously served on the advisory board of Empire Theatres. He is a trustee of the Frank H. Sobey Awards for Excellence in Business Studies as well as a trustee of The Sobey Foundation. He previously served on the board of directors of The North York Harvest Food Bank.