The Young People
Twenty four young women (between 16 and 18) with an interest in media production will be recruited through a BC and Yukon wide call for applicants. Local and regional community groups will be asked to distribute recruitment information to schools, youth groups, film schools and other organizations.

• the applicant's investment, interest and/or understanding of the issue
• the uniqueness/quality of the proposed video idea
• the need for diversity among the students (in terms of geography, ethnicity, skill level and 'smoking status')

The Productions
Established media professionals (see attached staff bios) will guide each of the production teams through every phase of the production process, from scripting and directing to shooting and editing. Other techniques such as computer animation, special effects and multi-media will be used to enhance the visual impact of the media messages.

The participants will also get training in:

• social marketing techniques (paying particular attention to strategies adopted in tobacco counter marketing and health promotion campaigns)
• current research in this area (with a particular focus on research pertaining to women and girls)
• deconstructing media messaging (paying particular attention to tobacco advertizing)
• a range of concept, film and effects-based techniques to maximize visual and conceptual impact

The Organization
AMES is a registered non-profit (est. 1996) dedicated to helping people cultivate individual, group and mass communications skills. Our programs empower groups traditionally marginalized in the mainstream media with the tools to take control of the representation of their own stories and ideas and to increae public awareness of a number of social justice issues. For more information about AMES, check out our website

Smoke Screen: Staff BIOS

Peter C. Campbell – Documentary Mentor/Broadcast Consultant
Peter attended Ryerson Polytechnical University, graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Film and Television. In 1991, he established (with Producer Penny Joy) Gumboot Productions Inc. where he works as a producer, director and cinematographer. Peter has taught acting and producing, has been active in The Academy of Canadian Film & Television and the Alberta Motion Picture Industries Association, served as a member of the jury at the Yorkton Film Festival, BC Cultural Services and the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and served on the advisory board of the Alberta Motion Picture Development Corporation and The National Film Board of Canada in Edmonton. He is currently in production on several documentary films for BRAVO, VISION and WTN, teaching documentary and drama production at the Canadian College of Film & Acting, and is active in the Vancouver Island Media Network Society and the Victoria Independent Film Producers Association.

Kate Dahlstrom – Curriculum Development/Evaluation
Kate brings 25 years of experience developing curriculum and 6 years on issues specifically related to tobacco prevention and cessation. She is one of two of the main creators behind BC Tobacco Facts which is currently being used schools throughout BC.

Kenna Fair – Video Mentor
Kenna is an independent film & video maker, who works in all facets of filmmaking world from directing to editing.
She is a founding member of GIFTS and currently works as their led mentor and Program Co-ordinator.

Deblekha Guin - Project Manager
Since completing her Master's in Communication at Simon Fraser University, Deblekha has been the driving force behind AMES and its development and implementation of a ground-breaking series of fully-subsidized intensive video programs delivered to over 300 Street-involved, HIV+, First Nations, Multicultural and Gay & Lesbian youth on Galiano Island. Her administration experience and project management skills have ensured the smooth operation of AMES for the past 7 years.

Suez Holland— Animated Visual Effects Mentor/Digital Effects Advisor
Suez got her traning at the Liege Academy of Fine Arts, Belgium & Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design. She makes her living as a freelance visuals designer and Animation Mentor. She had mentored several award winning animations while mentoring at GIFTS.

Pia Massie – Video Mentor
Pia Massie's work includes films and videos, installations and sculpture. It has been shown in museums and galleries, at festivals and on TV in North America and Europe. The work has received the American Filmmakers Institute's Independent Filmmakers Award, the Prix Saint Gervais and the Experimental Narrative Award at the Atlanta International Film and Video Festival. Artist residencies include "Telling Stories, Telling Tales" at the Banff Centre for the Arts and "Foret Frontiere" with the Boreal Multimedia Collective. Current and previous teaching positions include Massachusetts College of Art, Gulf Islands Film and Television School, Rhode Island School of Design, Bennington College, as well as five semesters at Parsons.

Kim Sanderson – Concept Development Instructor
Kim brings excellent knowledge of social marketing techniques and a comprehensive understanding of a range of anti-tobacco campaigns, and particularly those that youth have found most effective.

Marcus Youssef – Script/Story Mentor
Chalmer's award winner for "A Line in the Sand”, Marcus’s work has been produced across the country (Playwrights Theatre Centre, du Maurier World Stage, Rumble Theatre, Tarragon Theatre, Popular Theatre Alliance of Manitoba, CBC, and UBC). Marcus has led workshops in dozens of BC schools and guided literally hundreds of youth through the scriptwriting process.