Speakers / Topics: Arts | Culture
Arts & Culture Speakers
When it comes to music, literature, film, spoken-word, and culture, Speakers' Spotlight represents many of the world’s most brilliant, talented, and influential minds.
Susan Aglukark, O.C., LL.B
Award-Winning Inuk Singer/Songwriter
Award-winning Inuk singer-songwriter Susan Aglukark is one of Canada’s most unique artists, who blends the Inuktitut and English languages with contemporary pop music arrangements to tell the stories of her people, the Inuit of Arctic Canada. Aglukark’s ta...
Trey Anthony
Award-Winning Canadian Playwright | Diversity Expert
Trey Anthony is a visionary creator, comedian, television writer, and award-winning playwright of international significance. The first African Canadian woman to have her own program on a primetime Canadian network, she is the writer of the critically acclaime...
Jann Arden
Renowned Musician | Bestselling Author
Jann Arden can bring a hall full of people to tears through song, only to have them, moments later, rolling in the aisles from her off-the-cuff comedy. Whether she’s performing her music, hosting an event, or telling her deeply personal and affecting stories...
Cameron Bailey
CEO, Toronto International Film Festival
Few people understand the importance of the arts and cultural sector better than Cameron Bailey. The CEO of one of the world’s biggest and most important film festivals, he is responsible for leading the Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) vision,...
Jeanne Beker
Iconic Fashion Journalist
Jeanne Beker is one of the most influential women in the fashion industry — in Canada and around the world. A long-time celebrity, Beker speaks on how she rose to the top of arts and culture media as the iconic host of TV’s Fashion Television, along with w...
Choir! Choir! Choir!
International Singing Phenomenon
Choir! Choir! Choir! has sung with Tegan and Sara at the Junos, performed at a David Bowie tribute in New York, and have even taken to the Radio City Music Hall stage with Debbie Harry and The Flaming Lips. A collective led by creative directors Nobu Adilman ...
Alan Cross
Professional Music Geek
With almost 40 years in the broadcasting and music business, Alan Cross has interviewed some of the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, and musicolog...
Jessi Cruickshank
Television Personality
Renowned for her humour, quick wit, and authenticity, Jessi Cruickshank has been the host of some of television’s most popular programs, including MTV Canada’s The Hills After Show, CBC’s The Goods, and Canada’s Smartest Person. As a seasoned presenter...
Tyrone Edwards
Anchor, Etalk
With his extensive pop culture knowledge and an innate ability to ease his guests into intimate and candid conversation, Tyrone Edwards brings his expertise to Canada’s most-watched entertainment program as the anchor of Etalk. A versatile presenter and ...
Sarah Ferguson
The Duchess of York
Internationally recognized for her inspiring story, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, is an acclaimed author, humanitarian, broadcaster, and spokesperson who has spent much of her life in the glare of the public spotlight. Speaking candidly about her person...
Richard Florida
Renowned Economist | Bestselling Author
Richard Florida is one of the world’s leading urbanists and a sought-after speaker. Named one of Esquire’s “Best and Brightest,” alongside luminaries such as Bill Clinton and Bill Gates, Florida has fascinated audiences all over the world with his insi...
Allan Hawco
Star, Republic of Doyle, Frontier, Caught
Allan Hawco is a renaissance man. The creator, writer, executive producer and star of television’s hit shows Republic of Doyle and Caught, he is also the executive producer and star of Frontier, a Discovery Canada and Netflix original series. In addition, A...
Lawrence Hill
Bestselling Author, The Book of Negroes
The Commonwealth Writers’ Prize-winner and bestselling author of The Book of Negroes, Lawrence Hill speaks as well as he writes. With engrossing, poignant talks on diverse topics such as channeling creative energy, censorship, racial identity, Black history ...
Peter Katz
JUNO-Nominated Musician and Storyteller
Peter Katz is a Juno Award and Canadian Screen Award-nominated singer-songwriter who has spent the past 15 years touring internationally. He has been described by many of his fans and clients as “a thunderbolt for the soul”. A gifted storyteller, Katz ...
Sarah Kay
Spoken-Word Poet
Sarah Kay uses the power of spoken word to inspire creativity and self-empowerment in others. In her famous TED talk–a talk that inspired two standing ovations and has been seen by over seven million people online–she tells the story of her metamor...
Spike Lee
Revolutionary Filmmaker
Spike Lee needs no introduction. In person, the provocateur and media icon is never at a loss for words. As one of the most outspoken African American voices, he talks candidly―and with authority―about issues of race in mainstream media and Hollywood, usin...
Lainey Lui
Co-Host, The Social | Correspondent, etalk | Founder, LaineyGossip
Elaine “Lainey” Lui has been breaking entertainment news since the launch of her world-famous celebrity gossip website, LaineyGossip.com, and as a correspondent on CTV’s Canada’s #1 entertainment show, etalk. Also a co-host on CTV’s The Social, Laine...
Ben Mulroney
Celebrated Television Anchor and Host
A former co-host of CTV’s daily morning program, Your Morning, and contributor to CTV’s eTalk, Ben Mulroney is regarded as one of Canada’s premier television hosts. Despite being the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, havin...
Steven Page
Iconic Musician
Steven Page is a natural in front of a crowd. Having shot to international fame as the co-founder of The Barenaked Ladies, Page now boasts an impressive solo career, where he continues to showcase his creative genius. A witty, endearing, and searingly honest s...
Serena Ryder
Juno Award-Winning Musician | Mental Health Advocate
A vocal powerhouse, Serena Ryder is a platinum-selling artist whose raw and earnest songwriting and beautifully electric live performances have made her a favourite amongst fans, peers, and critics alike. She has received numerous accolades, including the pres...
William Shatner
Celebrated Canadian | Actor | Philanthropist
William Shatner is one of Hollywood’s most recognizable figures, having cultivated a career spanning over 60 years as an award-winning actor, director, producer, writer, and recording artist, and philanthropist. In 1966, Shatner originated the role of “Cap...
Jade Simmons
Transformative Leadership Expert | Motivational Pianist
Jade Simmons is a creator of transformational experiences designed to activate audiences into becoming the biggest, boldest version of themselves possible. The world-class concert artist has been called a “musical force of nature” with an “un...
Tara Slone
Television Broadcaster | Host
Tara Slone’s eclectic resume and unique perspective have made her one of the most recognizable faces in the Canadian entertainment industry. The former co-host of Rogers Hometown Hockey with Ron MacLean, Slone speaks about her intriguing career path, which s...
Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci
Co-Founders of Optimist | Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers
From living in a Syrian refugee camp to surviving on $1 a day in Guatemala and spending 10 years documenting the journey of an undocumented boy living in New York City, Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci are award-winning humanitarians, activists, and filmmakers. ...
Alexandre Trudeau
Documentary Filmmaker | Journalist
Documentary filmmaker and freelance journalist, Alexandre Trudeau shares his bold views on the political, social, and economic forces of our times. Having gained widespread recognition for his edgy and insightful humanism and for his brave iconoclasm and fierc...
David Usher
Juno Award-Winning Musician | Creativity and AI Expert
When innovative companies like Google, 3M, Cisco, Pepsi, Rogers, and SAP want to spark creativity in their employees and executives, they bring in David Usher. He doesn’t just talk creativity and artificial intelligence (AI) — he lives it. Usher draws from...