RICHARD CRAVEN - PRODUCER
Richard has been involved in a production capacity on over forty feature films including Monty Python’s Meaning of Life (Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones), Honky Tonk Freeway (John Schlesinger) and Nineteen Eighty-Four (Michael Radford). He was founder of Eureka The Location Company in London England and in Toronto which managed over a hundred features, TV movies and series including Gothic (Ken Russell), Highlander (Russell Mulcahy), Brazil (Terry Gilliam), Losing Chase (Kevin Bacon), JFK – Reckless Youth (Harry Winer), The Adjuster (Atom Egoyan), and Robocop – The TV Series. He produced the award winning My Way Home (Bill Douglas) and was associate producer on the Oscar winning short film A Shocking Accident (James Scott) based on the Graham Greene story. He produced The Overcoat in 2002. From 2003 to 2011 at Principia Productions he was VP Development on When in Rome, More Than Ever, The Saltwater Decision (Christine Jeffs); and Journey’s End (Meghna Haldar) set in middle class New Delhi, due to shoot in October this year. From 2011 to the present day he has been developing projects at Casablanca which include Getting It Wrong, French Vanilla, My Story With You, and BRE-X the Motherlode of All Time. Richard was founder of the Association of Independent Producers in England 1976-78; a member of the National Film Development Advisory Panel; Chairman, AIP London Script Workshops, and Secretary to the All Industry Committee chaired by Sir Robert Bolt.
LAEL MCCALL - PRODUCER
Lael is President of Principia Productions based in Vancouver. She began her career as Creative Affairs Executive at London’s United British Artists Developments, founded by Harold Pinter, Glenda Jackson, Albert Finney, Maggie Smith, Diana Rigg and John Hurt to develop projects for the West End Theatre as well as television and feature films including The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, Castaway, and Windprints. She returned to Canada in 1988 and joined Alliance Communications. During her seven years there, eventually as Vice President of Alliance Pictures, she served as producer on Turning April (starring Tushka Bergen), a Canada/Australia co-production; as Executive Producer on The Boys Club (starring Chris Penn); and as executive producer of On My Own (starring Judy Davis), as well as overseeing development of in-house productions and independent acquisitions (Crash, Exotica, I Love a Man in Uniform). At Principia, she produced The Overcoat (2002), A Simple Curve (2005), producer on BRE-X the Motherlode of All Time, and is developing The Saltwater Decision (director: Christine Jeffs) about the twelve eco-freaks and beardies who took a fishing boat called ‘Greenpeace’ to a nuclear site off Alaska to test the resolve of Nixon and the Pentagon, and Journey’s End (director: Meghna Haldar) set in middle class New Delhi, due to shoot October this year. Lael was raised in the Yukon and educated in British Columbia. She graduated with a degree in English from the University of British Columbia in 1981.
MARGARET MARDIROSSIAN - PRODUCER
A master storyteller and trailblazer, Margaret Mardirossian is the founder and executive producer of Anaïd Productions and oversees all aspects of Anaïd’s creative affairs. Margaret’s passion for drama as a theatrical director and stage manager swept her into the film business. She honed her film expertise and business acumen and began working on her first documentary in 1993, Ronnie Burkett: A Line of Balance, which won the Canadian Conference of the Arts Rogers Award for most innovative documentary. Margaret has produced over 300 hours of television, including the Gemini award-winning series Mentors (Family Channel), Taking It Off (Life Network), and the internationally acclaimed X‑Weighted (Slice). Her Executive Producer credits include: The Liquidator (OLN) currently in its 4th season, Hail Mary (Citytv), The Rig (OLN), The Quon Dynasty (Citytv and OMNI) winner of the 2012 Alberta Film and Television Award for Best Documentary Series, and Family Restaurant (Food Network Canada), which garnered the 2009 Banff Rockie Grand Prize for Best Entertainment Program and the Rockie award for Best Lifestyle/Information Program. Was Executive Producer of XWEIGHTED.COM, a companion website for the television series, winner of the 2010 nextMEDIA Digital Hot List competition. Additionally she produced X-Weighted Connect, a one-day live event in three cities and two 26-week cycles of an exciting and inspiring national weight loss challenge. Margaret’s passion for promoting Canadian talent and stories has led her to serve on the Boards of the Alberta Motion Picture Industries Association, Alberta Economic Development Authority, and The Banff Center.
