TIFF: From festival to cultural powerhouse.
I helped transform one of the world’s greatest film festivals into a year-round global media brand. One that creates original content, celebrates bold storytelling, and redefines how audiences experience film. A destination for film lovers everywhere.
The Cultural Moment
TIFF was already a cinematic giant. But to compete with Cannes, Tribeca, and Sundance year-round, it needed a bold shift:
Expand TIFF’s voice beyond the festival
Innovate how film is experienced and shared—from red carpet to real-time
Build new revenue through content, digital partnerships, and brand collaborations
Grow a global fanbase that doesn’t just watch films—they love them
This was about transforming how people engage with film.
The Creative Strategy
As Head of TIFF Digital Studio, I led the team and vision behind a multi-year transformation, launching content, partnerships, and experiences that brought film culture to audiences everywhere.
Secured board buy-in and $2M in funding to launch the strategy
Founded TIFF’s first in-house creative and content team: digital, experiential, editorial, and design
Created TIFF Originals, increasing video views by 330% and engagement by 1,800%
Produced new storytelling formats: filmmaker portraits, VR exhibitions, red carpet coverage, video essays
Built The Review—a digital publishing platform and weekly newsletter anchoring the brand's editorial voice
Designed the TIFF Official Portrait Studio—partnering with Apple and Huawei to create high-value content for press and audiences
We built a platform that’s as relevant to today’s filmmakers as it is to tomorrow’s audiences.
The Impact
The results weren’t just measurable—they were meaningful.
Year-Round Cultural Relevance
→ 116% audience growth
→ TIFF surpassed competitors in pace of engagement (Cannes, Tribeca, Sundance)
→ Shifted perception from “festival” to “cultural platform”
New Formats, New Audiences
→ TIFF x Instagram Shorts Festival: 4M+ views in 11 days, 50+ countries; Jury: Ava DuVernay, James Franco, Director X, Karan Johar
→ Sold-out VR exhibitions (POP 01–03), spotlighting emerging creators
→ TIFF Originals series with 8M+ views across platforms
Awards & Recognition
→ 3 Webby honors for digital storytelling and social campaigns
→ Increased organic press coverage (Fast Company, Indiewire, The Verge)
TIFF became a brand that championed film culture everywhere.
TIFF x Instagram Shorts Festival received 4M+ views in 11 days, 50+ countries and had a jury with the likes of: Ava DuVernay, James Franco, Director X, Karan Johar. It was recognized by The Webbys for digital storytelling innovation.
Our in-house video team created original video essays, portraits and interviews, as well as capturing all on-stage events at TIFF year-round. We saw over 330% growth of video views across platforms. One of our TIFF Originals has over 8M views.
We were recognized by the Webbys in three categories – we were honourees for our social media and nominated for both our TIFF x Instagram Shorts Festival and our live coverage of the Festival.
By the end we created a massive and deeply engaged audience across our digital channels, inviting people in Toronto and across the planet to share our love of film and give us their time and attention.
