FactualWEST 2026: Full Schedule

1:45pm PDT

Registration Open

Tuesday September 29, 2026 1:45pm - 5:00pm PDT

Belzberg Atrium (Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue)

Tuesday September 29, 2026 1:45pm - 5:00pm PDT
Belzberg Atrium (Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue) 580 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1L6

2:25pm PDT

FactualWEST 2025 Welcome

Tuesday September 29, 2026 2:25pm - 2:40pm PDT

Asia Pacific Hall (Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue)

Welcome to FactualWEST 2025! As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we're delighted to dive into this year’s theme, “Global Shows with Canadian Roots." Canada is world-class hub for reality and factual TV and we're ready to lead the charge on large-scale, multi-cam shows!

Tuesday September 29, 2026 2:25pm - 2:40pm PDT
Asia Pacific Hall (Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue) 580 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1L6

3:00pm PDT

Impact Award: Tracey Friesen

Tuesday September 29, 2026 3:00pm - 3:15pm PDT

Asia Pacific Hall (Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue)

The Impact Award is presented to an individual in the television industry who has made a profound and lasting contribution to our community. It celebrates someone whose passion and vision have shone so brightly, they’ve helped shape the landscape of Canadian television — inspiring peers, championing new voices, and leaving a meaningful impact on the industry and everyone in it.For 2025,...
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Tuesday September 29, 2026 3:00pm - 3:15pm PDT
Asia Pacific Hall (Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue) 580 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1L6

3:15pm PDT

Keynote Conversation with Kevin Lee, hosted by Toby Dormer

Tuesday September 29, 2026 3:15pm - 3:45pm PDT

Asia Pacific Hall (Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue)

Get ready for a powerhouse session as Kevin Lee, Executive Producer behind global hits like The Real Housewives of Orange County, The Simple Life, The Summit, The Challenge, Road Rules, and The Real World, and creator of hit unscripted shows including Fight to Survive, Stranded with a Million Dollars, and Murder, sits down with Toby Dormer, President, Canada, Unscripted Division at Blink49...
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Speakers

Toby Dormer

President, Canada, Unscripted Television, Blink49 Studios

Toby Dormer is President, Canada, Unscripted Television at Blink49 Studios, where he
leads all Canadian unscripted operations and collaborates closely with the U.S. team
delivering an integrated, cross-border strategy leveraging Canadian scale, crews, and
expertise serving both dome... Read More →

Kevin Lee

Executive Producer, Showrunner

Kevin Lee is an unscripted television creator responsible for several series both in the US and internationally. Formats that Lee personally created include Fight to Survive (The CW), Stranded with a Million Dollars (MTV) and Murder (Spike TV). After Lee created Stranded with a... Read More →

Tuesday September 29, 2026 3:15pm - 3:45pm PDT
Asia Pacific Hall (Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue) 580 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1L6

3:45pm PDT

Break

Tuesday September 29, 2026 3:45pm - 4:00pm PDT

Belzberg Atrium (Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue)

Tuesday September 29, 2026 3:45pm - 4:00pm PDT
Belzberg Atrium (Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue) 580 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1L6

4:00pm PDT

Case Study: Million Dollar Secret

Tuesday September 29, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm PDT

Asia Pacific Hall (Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue)

Go behind the scenes with Million Dollar Secret, Netflix’s latest smash-hit reality series, in this exclusive case study. This session pulls back the curtain on the making of this cunning and addictive format — filmed right here in beautiful British Columbia. Hear directly from the producers as they share how they brought this high-stakes concept to life, the creative choices that keep...
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Speakers

Russ Friedman

Executive Producer, Wheelhouse Entertainment

Russ Friedman has been a television producer for more than two decades, specializing in unscriptedprogramming across broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms. His recent work for Netflix — including serving as Executive Producer on the global hit game-format series Million Dollar... Read More →

Gaby Jones

Supervising Producer

Gaby Jones is a Los Angeles based Supervising Producer known for crafting elevated,
character driven unscripted storytelling. Her work spans major networks and platforms
including Million Dollar Secret and Age of Attraction (Netflix), Deal or No Deal Island (NBC), The
Parent Test an... Read More →

Ashley Olpherts

Vice President, Production, Network Entertainment

Ashley Olpherts is a Vancouver based producer with over fifteen years of experience across scripted, factual, and documentary series. Half English and half American, he’s worked with some of Canada’s leading production companies, including Lark Productions, Great Pacific Media... Read More →

Tuesday September 29, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm PDT
Asia Pacific Hall (Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue) 580 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1L6

4:45pm PDT

Break

Tuesday September 29, 2026 4:45pm - 5:00pm PDT

Belzberg Atrium (Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue)

Tuesday September 29, 2026 4:45pm - 5:00pm PDT
Belzberg Atrium (Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue) 580 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1L6

5:00pm PDT

Pitch Thunderdome

Tuesday September 29, 2026 5:00pm - 5:45pm PDT

Asia Pacific Hall (Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue)

Attendee favorite Pitch Thunderdome is back! Hosted by reigning champion and Omnifilm's Head of Non Scripted, Daniel Wan, three producers will face off in a live pitch competition. Each will have 8 minutes to pitch, followed by 7 minutes of Q&A.The twist? The shows aren’t real, the characters aren’t real, and no one’s buying. This session gives you a unique look at what works in a pitch and...
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Speakers

Dora Fong

Production Executive, Original Programming, Unscripted, Corus Entertainment

Dora Fong is an award-winning production executive, showrunner, and director, with hundreds of hours
of programming credits. With over 20 years in the industry, her experience spans true crime to
makeovers, real estate to renos, and competition to travelogue. Having produced some o... Read More →

Therese 'Tag' Goulet

Producer and Series Creator, IndigeKin Productions

Therese 'Tag' Goulet co-leads IndigeKin alongside Dr. Lolly de Jonge and John M. McDougall-Goulet. Named a female producer to watch by IMDbPro, Therese's producer credits include notable films at Berlinale, BAFTA and the American Pavilion at Cannes.
IndigeKin.com has productions... Read More →

Dr. Lolly de Jonge

Chief Executive Officer, IndigeKin Productions

Dr. Lolly de Jonge co-leads IndigeKin alongside siblings, John M. McDougall-Goulet and Therese 'Tag' Goulet. She is an award-winning producer and was recently chosen for the 2025 Banff World Media Festival's Indigenous Screen Summit.
IndigeKin.com has productions in various stag... Read More →

Sam Linton

VP, Production and Development, Global Media, Blue Ant Media

Sam Linton, VP, Production and Development, Global Media, Blue Ant Media brings over 35 years of production expertise to the media company’s channel brands. Based in Canada, Sam leads commissioning for Blue Ant Media’s suite of specialty television channels and global FAST (free... Read More →

John M. McDougall-Goulet

EVP, IndigeKin Productions

John M. McDougall-Goulet co-leads IndigeKin alongside Dr. Lolly de Jonge and Therese 'Tag' Goulet. John is also recognized as an experienced producer and executive in the private and third sectors.
IndigeKin.com has productions in various stages including the finished first seas... Read More →

Jessica Schmiedchen

Director of Development, Unscripted Content, CBC Television & CBC Gem

Jessica oversees development of original content and formats in the genres of factual, entertainment and documentary series at CBC and CBC Gem. She is responsible for sourcing the best new formats from around the world, and working with the independent production community in Canada... Read More →

Adhar Sharma

Field, Story, Development Producer, --

Adhar is a versatile unscripted TV producer with nearly a decade of experience turning creative ideas into impactful visuals for global brands and leading networks. He has worked on 13 TV series productions, spanning from story and challenge to delivery, for networks such as Netflix... Read More →

Steve Sxwithul’txw

Senior Producer, Kwassen Productions & OCM Productions Inc.

Steve Sxwithul’txw is a multi-Leo award-winning Producer & Director from the Penelakut Tribe located just off Vancouver Island, Canada. Steve is the senior producer of Kwassen Productions & OCM Productions Inc. franchise.

Sxwithul’txw is currently in post-production of his successful series on APTN and Chek Media Vancouver Island called“Ocean Warriors ~ Mission Ready”. This exciting series focuses on a team of volunteer First Nations mariners who react to calls for boaters in distress along BC’s... Read More →

Trina Sxwithul’txw

From the Penelakut Tribe and based in the Cowichan Valley, Trina Sxwithul’txw is a hybrid creator-leader and marine-management professional whose rooted connection to place and community is reflected throughout her work.
With over fifteen years of experience in ocean management, marine monitoring, and coastal-safety leadership, Trina brings a tide-tested operational discipline and systems thinking to her projects. Her experience in ocean protection and community-based monitoring continues to influence... Read More →

Anuj Tyagi

Creative Producer

Anuj launched his career in India, where he spent eight impactful years contributing to various TV and film projects, honing a robust understanding of the entertainment industry. Upon moving to Canada, he continued to shape the media landscape over the next 16 years, playing key roles... Read More →

Daniel Wan

Head of Non-Scripted Content, Omnifilm Entertainment

Daniel Wan is Head of Non-Scripted Content at Omnifilm Entertainment, based in Vancouver. Originally from London, UK, he has worked across various genres including follow-docs in the sports and music space, true crime, science and history for networks and streamers such as Netflix... Read More →

Heather Williamson

Senior Development and Productive Executive, Original Programming, Factual & Reality, Bell Media

As Senior Development and Production Executive for Bell Media’s Original Programming, Factual and Reality, Heather Williamson finds high stakes factual series across all Bell Media services and oversees a development and production slate that includes, MARK MCKINNEY NEEDS A HOBBY... Read More →

Tuesday September 29, 2026 5:00pm - 5:45pm PDT
Asia Pacific Hall (Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue) 580 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1L6

5:45pm PDT

FactualWEST 10th Anniversary Opening Mixer

Tuesday September 29, 2026 5:45pm - 6:45pm PDT

Belzberg Atrium (Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue)

Raise your glasses with us as we toast our 10th anniversary and celebrate our incredible community in film and television!

Sessions and schedule subject to change.

Sponsors

Tyson Media Productions

Tuesday September 29, 2026 5:45pm - 6:45pm PDT
Belzberg Atrium (Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue) 580 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1L6

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