WarnerMedia grows Access Canada team

WarnerMedia has added two executives to its Access Canada team, which was formed last year to provide opportunities for under-represented communities.

Erika Kumar

Erika Kumar has been appointed as programme manager, while Luisa Alvarez Restrepo is taking on the role of associate project manager.

Kumar will lead the team’s below-the-line efforts, aimed at addressing systemic barriers and meeting the growing demand for labour and inclusive crews.

Her portfolio includes Access to Action, a programme that will partner with community groups, unions and guilds, and government agencies to build pathways for industry-trained Canadians to positions on WarnerMedia productions.

Kumar joins from Creative BC, where she was a business analyst and managed direct funding programmes, as well as arranging sponsorships with film festivals, organising international trade missions, negotiating partnerships with broadcasters and federal funding agencies, and developing initiatives that prioritise under-represented groups.

Alvarez Restrepo will help drive the design and delivery of the programmes’ suite of initiatives, with a special focus on film festivals, games and opportunities at the intersection of creativity and technology.

Luisa Alvarez Restrepo

Alvarez Restrepo is a Colombian-Canadian arts administrator, event programmer and producer, whose last film, Forbidden Tikka Masala, won seven awards internationally and was licensed by the CBC.

She joins WarnerMedia from the Toronto International Film Festival, where she was senior coordinator of festival programming. Previously, she was part of the programming teams at HAAPIFest and CGood TV.

WarnerMedia’s Access Canada team (fka Global Access Programs-Canada) was set up in September 2020 with the focus of connecting experienced, mid- and entry-level talent from under-represented communities with global opportunities in above- and below-the-line roles.

The team has already launched its inaugural talent activation with the WarnerMedia Access X Canadian Academy Writers Program, designed to champion experienced mid-level Canadian writers, provide them with access to WarnerMedia executives and creatives, and accelerate their advancement into decision-making roles. Finalists for the programme will be announced in June.