Pitch THIS! 2026
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Presented in partnership with the Canada Media Fund (CMF) Pitch THIS! is the OIAF’s annual pitching contest; an opportunity for Canadian creators to get noticed and kickstart their animated series concept!
This year, eight Pitch THIS! semi-finalist projects have been selected and paired with established industry mentors. Leading up to the Festival, they are working together to refine their 10-minute-long pitches before presenting them live at The Animation Conference (TAC) on September 23rd. Congratulations to the semi-finalist creators, and thank you to the mentors for participating and offering their expertise!
2026 Semi-finalist projects:
- tiny BIG adventure, created by GinoImagino (Gino Baldeon)
- King Baby Snail, created by Cheyenne Curtis
- Connext, created by Desirée Green
- Billie & Beak, created by Abe Hutton
- Community Garden, created by Ali Kellner and Noam Sussman
- Mambo and Domingo, created by Henedy Macias and Dieter Magallan
- Dukiya, created by Segun Samson
- Lost Soles, created by Dez Sargeant-Blair
2026 Mentors:
- Sam Chou, Director & Co-showrunner
- Vanessa Esteves, Sr. Director of Creative Affairs – Kids & Family at Boat Rocker Studios
- Brenda Tracy Nietupski, Development / Executive Producer – Animation at Rezolution Pictures
- Dave Padbury, Development Executive at Guru Studio
- Suren Perera, Animation Series Director
Thanks to House of Cool Inc., the 2026 semi-finalists will receive a travel bursary to help them attend OIAF and TAC. Following the live presentations on September 23rd, two projects will be selected by the semi-finalist jury to go head-to-head against one another at the Pitch THIS! Finale!
On September 24th, the finalist pitches will be presented on the TAC mainstage, before a live audience of TAC attendees, studio executives, and potential project financiers. The winner will be awarded a grand prize, including:
- $5,000 cash prize, courtesy of Canada Media Fund (CMF)
- $2,500 cash prize, courtesy of Tarun Padmakumar and Joanna Fishbein: Creators of Hare of High Park
- Harmony Premium Annual license and online training, courtesy of Toon Boom Animation
- $1,000 in legal services, courtesy of Edwards Creative Law
- Two TAC AnimaPasses to OIAF 2027, to return for more professional development, pitching, and networking opportunities!
The runner up will also be awarded a free 1-hour legal consultation, courtesy of Edwards Creative Law.
Thank you to all the 2026 participants, mentors, partners, and supporters!
Previous Pitch THIS Winners
2025 Pitch THIS! Participants & Jury
THANK YOU TO THE 2025 PARTICIPANTS & SPONSORS!
Semi-Finalists & Projects:
Rajan Kapila, Brown Kid Adventures
Mya Roy-Royer and Eloïse Rompré, Candlecoop
Ruby Saysanasy, Cryptid
Bouchera Tahraoui and Jihad Jibaida, Dolly Baby
David Du, DUNG FU! Beetle Royale
Miranda Li and Joy Zhou, On The Haunt (2025 Winner!)
Stephanie Ramón, The Sisters Sangre
Ri Webb, The Story Tree (2025 Runner-Up!)
Selection Committee:
Archita Ghosh, President, Rezolution Pictures International
José Pou, Director / Story Artist / Animator
Bradley Cayford, Storyboard Director, Mainframe Studios
Mentors:
Emerald Wright-Collie, Creative Producer & Development Executive
Sam Chou, Director / Showrunner, Lakeside Animation Studios / Cutting Class Media
Adrian Thatcher, Series Director
Brenda Tracy Nietupski, Producer / Development Exec / Collaborator, Rezolution Pictures International
Host:
Vladimir Jean Gilles, Film Critic, CBC
Semi-Finals Jury:
Carolyn Hay, Content Creator / Executive Story Editor / Writer
Damien Dornford, Creative Director, AirStride Entertainment
Maral Mohammadian, Producer, National Film Board of Canada
Finale Jury:
Andrea Griffith, VP Content and Development, Sphere Media
Jordan Askins, Manager of Development, Adult Swim
Kirsten Hurd, Commissioning Editor, TVOkids
Lisa Cinelli, Executive in Charge of Production, Children & Youth, CBC Kids
Sierra Martin-Persi, Supervising Producer – Digital Content, A Studio Digital / BentoBox Entertainment
2025 Grand Prize:
The 2025 winners were awarded a grand prize, including:
- One-year subscription to Harmony 24 Premium and online training courtesy of Toon Boom
- $1,000 in legal services courtesy of Edwards Creative Law
- Two TAC AnimaPasses to OIAF 2026
The 2025 runner-up received:
- A free 1-hour legal consultation courtesy of Edwards Creative Law
2024 Pitch THIS! Participants & Jury
2024 Participants
Projects:
Agnes & Cookie, Helena Love
Duchess & Drooler, Robert Pincombe
Gubbles Save The Day, Jeffrey Stewart Timmins
Moon Saloon, Mike Gilbert and Klara Woldenga
Neighbourhood Watch, Matthew McPhee
Phil Joins a Cult, Nick MacDonald (Pitch This! 2024 Runner-up)
Reunion, Harrison Seeley
Sully and Beet, Sima Naseem and Ridaa Khan
The Hare of High Park, Tarun Padmakumar and Joanna Fishbein (Grand Prize Winner for Pitch THIS! 2024)
Vampire Melodies, Talia Chase and Nathan Slowly
Semi-Finals Jury:
Sierra Martin-Persi, Supervising Producer, A Studio Digital / Bento Box
Travis Williams, Development Executive / Production Manager, GAPC Entertainment Inc.
Tammy Semen, COO, Industrial Brothers
Semi-finals Host:
Bradley Cayford, Storyboard Director, Mainframe Studios
Finale Jury:
Andrea Griffith, VP of Content and Development, Sphere Media
Cameron Tang, VP of Development, Adult Swim
Kirsten Hurd, Commissioning Editor, TVO Kids
Swin Chang, Development and Production Executive, CBC Kids
Tommy Gillespie, Senior Director, Content Production, PBS Kids
Finale Hosts:
Chantal Ling, VP Original Series and Co-Productions, Mercury Filmworks
Emmanuelle Gignac, Supervising Director, Mercury Filmworks
The 2025 winners were awarded a grand prize, including:
- $5,000 cash prize from Mercury Filmworks
- Toon Boom Harmony annual license and Harmony Fundamentals on-demand videos from The Animation Study valued at $400
- $1,000 in legal services courtesy of Edwards Creative Law
- Two TAC AnimaPasses to OIAF 2025
The 2025 Runner-up received:
- A free 1-hour legal consultation courtesy of Edwards Creative Law
2023 Pitch THIS! Participants & Jury
2023 PARTICIPANTS
Projects:
Beccs Champagne, Ghost Stories (2023 Winner)
Paula Peroff, The Breakfast Guild (2023 Runner Up)
Allison Lownie and Onyka Gairey, Best Witches
Daniela Smith-Fischer, Claudia Heights
Elton Su, Crimson Mandate
Emma Fiorante, Earth to Schneider
Hugo van Essen, Ferdinand The Self-Aware NPC
Justin Smith-Fischer, Marley and the Underdogs
Sadaf Amini, Maple Treehouse School
Shannon Fewster, Monster Problems
Mentors:
Casey Gonzalez, VP of Development, FredFilms
Emerald Wright-Collie, Director of Development, Sony Pictures Television Kids
Kris Pearn, Director, Sony Pictures Animation
Niki López, Creator/EP/Showrunner/Writer/Designer, Nickelodeon Animation Studios
Rikke Asbjoern, Writer/Director/Executive Producer
Semi-final Jury:
Grégory Magné-Grand, Original Content Director, Tonic DNA
Hoda Elatewi, Executive Producer, President / CEO, GAPC Entertainment
Sam Chou, Director/Creative Director, Look Mom! Productions
Semi-final Host:
Spencer Moreland, Animator/Filmmaker
Finale Jury:
Kirsten Hurd, Commissioning Editor, Kids TV, TVO Kids
Lauren Martinez, Vice President, Original Series and Movie Development, Cartoon Network
Lisa Cinelli, Executive in Charge of Production, CBC
Niki Williams, Sr Manager, Production and Development for Pre-K, Nickelodeon
Tommy Gillespie, Senior Director, Content Production, PBS Kids
Finale Host:
Heath Kenny, Chief Content Officer, Mercury Filmworks
2022 Pitch THIS! Participants & Jury
2022 PARTICIPANTS
Semi-finalists:
Mansa Chintoh and Malachi Ellis, Project Blackout (2022 Winner)
Peter Ricq, Mini Police Chief (2022 Finalist)
Mike Regis, Taxi Underground (2022 2nd Runner-up)
Alex Lemay, Misery Loves Company
Anne Douris and Joel Buxton, Knights of the Folding Table
Joy Zhou and Miranda Li, Ivy & The Sunset Hearts
Michael Melanson and Stuart Buckley, Big City Mech
Rajan Kapila, Brown Kid Adventures
Zi Chen, Pine Point
Mentors:
Adrian Thatcher, Showrunner, Super Wish, Nelvana
Casey Gonzalez, VP of Development, FredFilms
Dave Padbury, Development Executive, Guru Studio
Melvin Benson, Development Coordinator, Atomic Cartoons
Phil Rynda, Producer, Artist (Independent)
Vanessa Esteves, Showrunner, Super Wish, Nelvana
Hosts:
Heath Kenny, Chief Content Officer, Mercury Filmworks – Finals
Sarah Lamoureux, Development Manager, OIAF – Semi-finals
Semi-finals Jury:
Chantal Ling, VP, Production & Co-Productions, Mercury Filmworks
Grégory Magné-Grand, Director, Original Content, Tonic DNA
Marney Malabar, Consultant
Finals Jury:
Alfredo Marun, Director of Development, Disney Television Animation
Kirsten Hurd, Executive Producer, TVOkids
Leslie Wishnevski, Manager of Development, Nickelodeon
Lisa Cinelli, Executive in Charge of Production, CBC Kids
Sam Chou, Director, Creative Director of Development, Look Mom! Productions