Crew Bios

Simran Kaur

The fascinating world of television and films made Simran Kaur passionate for learning more about this industry. She always wanted to know what it takes to be a part of the TV and film world and this curiosity prompted her enrol in the Television and Independent Production Program at Conestoga College. She has enjoyed various roles in this program, such as being on camera as a host and working as a camera operator.

Gradually, her interest has built up in other aspects too. She has now become more creative by producing and writing scripts for her upcoming segment, Sensei’tional. In her leisure time, she likes making short tutorial videos regarding skincare and makeup, to post on YouTube or other social media platforms. She also tries using distinctive editing techniques. 

After the completion of her studies, Simran hopes to work as a reporter for a news channel or as a camera operator for a production company. 

Phil Vandeyck

Mickey Lopez

When Mickey Lopez touched his first phone he began filming. Mostly just random vlogs and dance videos. However, it wasn’t until high school when he joined a media technology course where he worked with a real camera. Suddenly the passion he had ignited, and he knew what to do next, head to Conestoga College to pursue a career in video producing.

Mickey is great behind camera and editing footage, but he had to learn someday that video producing isn’t only that. For Culinary Conestoga, he stepped up and did pre-production as well as chase producing.

This isn’t all he has to offer…in his spare time Mickey likes to dabble in After Effects to be creative. Mickey hopes to improve his skills in all areas of the field, so he can land his foot on the door in video producing of any kind. His two dogs aren’t going to feed themselves you know?

Paulo Munoz

Paulo Munoz was afraid to give dissertations in front of his classmates in high school, so he decided to make a video to avoid the presentation. He liked making videos so much that he dedicated his life to working in the television industry in his country of Chile. Thirty years later, he decided to study again in another country. Being a student close to the age of 50 has been one of the biggest challenges of his life. He found himself with the opportunity to pursue his passions again with Canadian audiences through Conestoga Connected – much sooner than he expected! Although his specialty is editing, he likes all aspects of production and hopes to be able to dedicate himself to it here, in this beautiful country of Canada.

faith graham

Faith Graham’s interest in media began in high school, when she had an introduction to media arts and film. It began growing when she went to Lakehead University where she took a couple of film-related courses to her English program. It wasn’t until she had joined the Television and Independent Production program at Conestoga College that her passion really started to take off.

She is excited to work on the segment Culinary Conestoga for Conestoga Connected because it showcases Conestoga’s best up and coming chefs in the culinary programs at the Waterloo Campus. Faith is comfortable in front and behind the camera but for the first episode of CulinaryConestoga, she is getting into the nitty gritty of pre-production of the producer’s role. After school, Faith is hoping to land a job within a news company, chasing guests and producing content

james kennedy

James Kennedy has always loved film and television, but it wouldn’t be until high school when he realized he wanted to be in the industry. Once he joined the Television- Broadcasting and Independent Production program at Conestoga College, his mind was made up. James is hosting Culinary Conestoga on Conestoga Connected (instead of his usual behind the camera or edit suite positions). He’s excited to learn some new skills and taste great food.

On his time off, James enjoys making movies and playing video games with his friends. He also loves hanging out with his two chunky cats. Once graduated, James will be looking for working in the film and television industry and hopefully one day write his very own full feature film.

BroAdy Morden

Broady Morden has always been fascinated with how both film and television is made. At a young age he acted in plays quite frequently giving him extra confidence in social situations and being in front of the camera. He would dream of working in the film industry and creating new content of his own one day. Going to Conestoga has given him the tools he needs to learn about and prosper in this field.

Broady is very comfortable both in front and behind the camera and will be hosting as well as editing, producing and filming Jobbing Around, along with his other two co-hosts. When not doing school work Broady has a podcast that he does for fun with two of his friends, giving him extra experience in the producing world. After graduation, Broady is aiming to get into the creative side of either the film or television industry.

racEer cruz

Raceer has always liked cameras but more importantly, loved capturing moments or creating new ones through his imagination. From home videos and recording short YouTube videos of his friends, Raceer took his talent seriously after landing a position in a local production company, which kick-started his passion and career in film.

Although Raceer has most of the experience through editing and controlling the camera, he has taken the role of producer and director, for the series, The Green Choice.

Raceer is currently working as a production assistant and a post-production associate with Ward 1 Studios and hopes to work on commercials and documentaries in the future with Ward 1, to further expand his film experience.

peter holmes

Peter Holmes has always had a passion for film and storytelling, but it wasn’t set in motion until he joined the Broadcasting Television and Independent Production program at Conestoga College where he was able to bring his passion for storytelling and film production to life.

Peter finds script writing and visual story telling very satisfying, but for the series he’s working on for Conestoga Connected called Blast from The Past, he is hosting, producing and taking part in all pre- and post-production work and is very excited to be learning about all types of history.

When Peter isn’t working on assignments or other school work, he is streaming live video games and keeping up with sports entertainment and pop culture, as well as watching and observing newly released movies and TV shows. After graduation, Peter hopes to write movies and TV shows that he can one day publish to the big screen. 

kristina shakirova

Kristina became interested and began to love taking pictures when she was little. As a child, she constantly arranged photo shoots and created small films with her toys. She was completely imbued with the idea of associating herself with working with a camera when she got her first professional camera at the age of 13. Since then, she has constantly been looking for opportunities to translate her ideas into videos and photos.

Working on projects at Conestoga College in the Broadcasting Television and Independent Production program helps Kristina develop her skills in camerawork. When creating episodes of Blast from the Past for Conestoga Connected, she focuses on working with video technology.

In the future, Kristina wants to be part of a film and TV series production company as a cinematographer or editor.In addition to studying, she is engaged in personal filming of various content, studying computer work, sports, and playing the violin.

Seung Hwan Choi

SEUNG-HWAN Choi, who loves challenges, is in charge of filming and editing the segment The Green Choice on Conestoga Connected. He has worked as a camera operator in Korea for many years and has worked with many staff and actors. He loves art and music, and is fascinated by a new genre of art called video.

As for future plans, he will go anywhere in the mountains and the sea where he can shoot good videos. He is looking forward to having new experiences with new people this season.

navdeep singh

Navdeep Singh really became fascinated with photography as a kid since his father had a camera and used it to capture his children’s early years. He was lured to the lenses of the cameras. The only way to preserve memories back then was to utilize reel cameras, which had the downside of having the use of an entire reel to achieve the perfect image.

In The Green Choice, Navdeep will be the camera operator. Moreover, he is excited to use the new gear- the Nikon Z6 camera, as in the past he only used Red, Canon and Sony cameras. For improved output, Navdeep will also be using the Moza Air gimble to get smooth, balanced and unique shots. 

Since he has a strong interest in cameras and new technology, Navdeep intends to work independently as a cinematographer after graduation. He has also worked on some music videos back in India, therefore he wants to test his knowledge and pursue a career in this field.

Jayden Dunnink

Jayden Dunnink’s love for video production started at a young age while watching movies with his papa. Finding inspiration and comfort in films at a young age led to the discovery of Conestoga’s Broadcast Television and Independent Production program. Joining the program gave him the opportunity to further study this passion in hopes to create the same inspirational feeling he had at a young age for others within his creations.

Jayden is comfortable behind the scenes helping any way possible with an admiration for lights, camera and editing. Being one to also step away from his comfort zone, Jayden will be on camera in the host position on Mic Check.

Away from school activities, Jayden manages a personal media account for his art and writes short scripts in hopes to one day create short films and music videos

SiddhanT joshi

Siddhant Joshi has had a fascination with movies since he was a kid, but it wasn’t until completing his program in Journalism and Mass Communication that he realized he wanted to be a Cinematographer. He had the opportunity of making short films and working on a web series where he learned a bit more about cameras and production.

Sid likes to stay behind the camera to decide how he wants to compose the shot. Sid is exited for the creating the series Blast from the Past, as it will be a new experience for him to work on different stages of production.

Sid hopes to find work within the film or television industry, after he graduates from the program. When not working on school assignments, Sid works with CTV Kitchener as a part-time technical operator and works on his own independent short films and freelance photo shoots. 

sreehari ravindRan nair

It all started when Sreehari and his friends decided to participate in a drama competition during his senior year in high school. He wrote his first script and directed it. They won first prize in the intra school competition. During his bachelor’s in computer science, Sreehari joined the digital media club at college, and he became interested in digital content creation. Designing and editing require a lot of time and effort to produce an impressive output, while it was a dreadful task to many, it came easily for Sreehari. This is where he fell in love with visual storytelling.

His passion and skills led Sreehari to get hired as a graphic designer and video editor in a private company in Kochi, India. This job provided him with a great learning experience as he got to be part of a significant content creation team. He got trained in graphic design and video editing as well as working on demanding tasks on tough deadlines, which helped to improve time management skills. After completing his diploma from Conestoga College, Sreehari hopes to find work with a film or television production company.

jesbin sathiapalan dev

Jesbin Sathiapalan Dev developed a film obsession while he was an engineering student. After finishing his engineering degree, he made the decision to pursue a career in movies. He enrolled in a film program to learn more about the medium, and upon successful completion of the program, he was certified as a cinematographer. Jesbin has worked as a cinematographer for commercials, features, documentaries, and several short films. Although Jesbin is at ease in front of the camera, particularly in the photography department, for Taste Of… he is donning his producer hat.

When Jesbin is free and not working on any projects for his broadcasting program at Conestoga College, he enjoys travelling extensively and taking photographs. Jesbin wants to launch a successful production company and work in the film industry after graduation.

jose ramirez

Jose Villarruel started his work in TV since the early age of 12 when he was part of a documentary for a local TV channel in Mexico which ignited his passion for TV and film. After years away from the industry, he found his way back by entering scriptwriting contests and ultimately entering the Broadcasting TV and Independent Production program at Conestoga College where he works on his passion for film and TV.

Jose has been both in front and behind cameras before but for MIC CHECK he steps out of his comfort zone to become the producer and booking some amazing local music artists. Music has always been a passion for Jose and in MIC CHECK he has found the perfect way to mix it with his passion for video. Jose pictures his future making music videos with some great artists or documentaries on social causes.

shivangi sharma

Shivangi Sharma began her career on camera in the Indian TV Industry in 2020. Later she moved to Canada and joined the Broadcast TV & Independent Production Program at Conestoga College to explore behind the camera opportunities. That’s when she fell in love with the pre-production side of the industry.

Shivangi likes to travel, explore and try new things. Through Small Town Vibes, she will continue her passion for being on camera as a host as well as put her pre-production skills in action as a segment producer.

Being an opportunist and career oriented, Shivangi works as a TV production Assistant for the School of Creative Industries at Conestoga College, as well as a part-time News Media Librarian at Global News and volunteers at Rogers TV. Shivangi hopes to keep learning, exploring and travelling after school and enjoy everything that life has to offer.

calista allison

Calista Allison has always had a love of television, especially reality TV. It wasn’t until she saw the brilliant work of Shonda Rhimes that she realized she too wanted to create shows for people to escape to.

Calista is always trying to make changes to live more sustainably. As host of The Green Choice, she hopes to inspire viewers to be more mindful about their impact on the environment. When she’s not hosting The Green Choice or working on school projects, Calista is producing the annual Christmas Carol play at the Guelph Little Theatre.

In the future, Calista hopes her work as a producer, director, screenwriter, or actor inspires audiences and makes a positive impact on their lives.

maria skrypal

Maria Skrypal has been fascinated by the film industry since childhood. During college, after her first days working with a camera, her desire to work in this field only grew. Moreover, she developed a strong passion for audio and video production. Out of all her assignments and shows, she enjoyed the audio and video editing, balancing, and adjusting process the most. After college, Maria plans to continue working in this field at a professional level. She would like to try sound engineering.

ian coNiza

Ian Coniza started his love for cinematography and video production way back in his high school years. He photographed and filmed anything beautiful on his small camera and mobile phone. From then on, he got into the world of events and corporate production. He traveled all over the Philippines doing what he loved most: capturing beautiful scenery, people, diverse cultures, and vibrant events. After a decade of a fast-paced lifestyle back in his home country, he decided to have a formal education and credential in Television and Independent Production here in Canada.

For Conestoga Connected, he will be behind the camera, piloting the drone and doing post-production to showcase the beauty of Small Town Vibes in Southern Ontario.

Besides school, he also works with Conestoga College’s Media Services and does side gigs like weddings and corporate events for several studios in the GTA.

Nik Lima

Nik Lima fell in love with the magic of film early on, knowing from that point that they had to get involved. Conestoga’s Broadcasting – Television and Independent Production program was the perfect opportunity to explore that passion, and hone their craft.

Nik enjoys all aspects of production, from writing to filming, and editing. Thanks to Jobbing Around, Nik has had the chance to spend as much time in front of the camera, as they do behind it; acting as a part-time host and producer. For Conestoga Connected, Nik will has the opportunity to act as a Supervising Producer, diving head-first into pre-production.

When not hard at work, Nik spends their free time with family, friends, and pets. They enjoy eating healthy, playing video games, and of course, watching movies. After graduation, Nik hopes to get involved in the bustling world of film, finding work on set.

nathan Schildroth

Nathan Shildroth has always had an interest in the world of film and television stemming, all the way back to watching movies when he was a kid. During his communication technology classes while in high school he realized this might be something he would like to do as a career. Once he joined the Television and Independent Production program at Conestoga, he knew right away that this was something he loved and wanted to pursue.

Nathan loves to be behind the camera on Small Town Vibes and is also dusting off his keyboard in order to write the segments. He is also stepping up to the plate to be the supervising producer for Conestoga Connected. Nathan hopes to one day be able to work as a TV writer or editor.

Brendan Nixon

Brendan Nixon found his passion for film at a very early age through movies and television. As he grew older, he found himself watching them more and more and digging into what they were about and making his own versions of them. As a student at Conestoga College, he finally had the chance to use his passion to build stories and films.

Brendan has found his comfort writing and helping to direct the team in the shoot, he also loves to be in front of the camera on any given opportunity.

Brendan hopes to continue to learn and expand his career to one day write his own unique series. His goal is to work for a large streaming service to write and direct his very own series. In his free time Brendan likes to write and develop ideas on the series he has found his passion in and hopes to continue expanding his story.

brendan Agnew

Brendan Agnew began his love for filmmaking at an early age. He began making movies and videos with his friends at eight years old. Some of the early films that sparked his interest in the career path were Star Wars, Terminator 2, and Dumb & Dumber. In high school Brendan continued his love for making videos when he joined the school’s news program which would film & interview local community events. He also helped his friends film music videos.

In 2021, Brendan began higher education in the creative industries when he joined the TV & Independent Production program at Conestoga College. He enjoys learning about the technical behind-the-scenes process that goes into filming a production. In his free time Brendan enjoys playing soccer, video games, & watching movies.

Rahul Sawant

Rahul Sawant grew up in a stereotypical Indian family where movies are not just considered as stills moving rapidly on screen, but a part of our lives. He then became curious about what goes into making a movie/show. Every decision from there on was in service of making that curiosity become a profession which ultimately brought him here, in a country miles away from home, to learn what it’s like to make actual stories come true on screen.

Rahul being tech-savvy, started with editing videos, but always wanted to get behind the camera, which is why he will be working as a cinematographer as well as being in front of the camera for change for Sensei’tional. One of the main reasons he is excited about this is because he was always fond of martial arts. Besides school, he works with Conestoga Media Services as an assistant videographer and editor and enjoys every on-location shoot he participates in.

After graduation, Rahul hopes to work in an independent film or television company where he can put his skills to good use and also grow his skillset.

Justin Lee

Justin Lee began with a passion for video production ever since he watched his first live eSports event League of Legends worlds 2018. Learning and seeing what goes on behind a live eSports event inspired him to find a way into the eSports world. After joining TV & Independent Production at Conestoga College, he found that his passion to create and be involved in live events was real. 

Justin thrives behind the camera from camera operating to any post-production. For Defend the Trend, he thrives behind the camera. He is excited to bring the segment to the audience because he wants to bring the online culture to the people who are not on social media as much. When not working on class projects, Justin has just started to stream gaming content on Twitch.tv. As well as streaming, he loves to create content – from weekly esports news to gameplay and walkthroughs – he is always doing something involving gaming.

angelica sampaio

Angelica Barbosa Sampaio has always had a passion for storytelling. Since a very young age, she enjoyed reading, watching movies, listening to music, watching and reading news. All of that made her want to tell her own stories, either by writing, acting, singing or photographing. After high school, she went on to major in languages and literature, and continued to use her storytelling abilities to teach and write.

However, telling stories through audiovisual media had been left out of her life for a long time until, by a twist of fate, she started the Broadcasting – Television and Independent Production program at Conestoga College. After that, doors to a new world of possibilities of storytelling were opened for Angelica. So, in Season 15 of Conestoga Connected, Angelica is going to tell stories both behind and in front of the camera for Sensei’tional. And after graduation, she intends to work with news and content creation.

Akshai Sudhakaran

Since childhood, Akshai Sudhakaran has been passionate about being a cinematographer. However, there weren’t many opportunities for him to pursue his desire in India, so he travelled to achieve his dream by enrolling in Broadcasting Television and Independent Production at one of Canada’s top colleges, Conestoga College. The numerous performances and assessments he completed during the program has had a profound effect on him and further strengthened his commitment to this field. He is interested in joining the best crews so that he can learn and develop his skills; specifically, he wants to work as a cameraman or an audio operator.

He enjoys taking pictures in his spare time, and with the knowledge and skills he now possesses, he and his friends have begun to make music videos to discover more about this industry.

abigale johnson

Abigale Johnson has been passionate and crazy about watching television and movies from a very young age. Her passion for films and reading led her to realize her creative side, which drew her to choose to pursue her education in the media and television world. In the beginning, Abigale needed a path to help encourage her into the creative industries and graduating from Media Foundations solved half of her mission. After joining the Broadcast Television & Independent Production program at Conestoga College, she gained experience operating cameras and lighting. She has improved in her program, learning to shoot and edit videos.

Now with some knowledge in the media field, Abigale is passionate about video editing, motion graphics and production. She is also considering a career as a technical director in the broadcasting industry.

When Abigale is not busy with college assignments, she is a mom raising and caring for her two kids at home. After graduating, Abigale plans to secure a job within the Broadcasting or media companies as an Assistant producer, technical director, or Video Editor/Motion Graphics.

Arjun Ramachandran

Arjun Ramachandran fell in love with photography when his father bought him a Yashica camera when he was 11 years old. That love has resulted in some skill in him handling the camera and slowly turning that passion into a career. This passion was always present, but he chose to pursue a Bachelor of Business degree, despite his mind telling him to pursue his dream. After business graduation, he chose to follow his dream and his family always supported his decision to attend Conestoga College for television and independent production.

Arjun is the one who handles the camera for the Sensei’tional, and he also does hosting, editing, and script writing on other episodes.

After graduating from Conestoga, Arjun is hoping to work in the television broadcasting field or the film industry, and he is also planning to take a postgraduate in visual journalism at Concordia University in Montreal. In his free time from college, Arjun is doing a freelance content creation job and making a strong portfolio for the future job.

Simrandeep KAUR Boparai

Simrandeep Kaur Boparai is studying Broadcasting Television and Independent Production at Conestoga College, Kitchener. Since her childhood, Simrandeep has been interested in watching television and dramas, which led her to become interested in knowing what is going on behind the scenes. Then she decided to explore more about this industry and because of that, she enrolled at Conestoga.

In the segment Thrifty DreamZ, she gets to practice her skills in front of the camera as host. Simrandeep is a confident, hard-working international student, who is thrilled to get the chance to explore more places and communicate with more people because of Conestoga Connected. Off-screen, she loves to shoot, and she is good with the camera. After completing her studies, Simrandeep hopes to find work in the television industry.

Chris Zapata

Since a very young age, Chris Zapata has been drawn into storytelling through cameras. His love for filmmaking brought him into the Broadcasting – Television and Independent Production program at Conestoga College. Chris is comfortable producing, directing people, handling cameras and editing video. He would take up any role if necessary, he is always looking up for chances to learn and apply new things into his projects.

For Record Scratch, he will take the host and editor roles with some input on the production phases. When not working on his Conestoga projects, he is working as a videographer at Ed Video in Guelph, listening to music, mostly rock, reading books, watching films, or engaging in art. After school, Chris hopes to find a job at a film production company

Emily Moore

Emily sparked a passion for the film industry while on vacation in California in 2016. She was in awe to see movie sets and premieres and felt a strong pull to be part of that environment. This trip is what led her to pursue her studies at Conestoga College.

In Broadcasting Television and Independent Production, Emily has and continues to get a taste of the industry, and she is loving it! From using cameras, to editing, to challenging her creativity, she is certain that she has found her calling. Although she is not sure what position interests her most in the industry, Emily dreams of working on a set for the rest of her life!

Emily is excited to have the opportunity to work for Rogers TV with Jobbing Around where she will have the chance to shine as a host, producer, and camera operator.