Queer Joy & Authenticity
An evening of inspiration and celebration of being our truest selves, in and out of the workplace. Welcome to all identities. We will be featuring a panel discussion with Eva Bloom (they/she), Shant Joshi (he/him), Ria Iyengar (she/her) and Sarah Thompson (she/her), and then we’ll end the night with networking.
Wednesday September 14, 2022
6:00-8:00pm - Doors open at 5:30pm
Peach Berserk- 1694 Queen St W
Panelists
Eva Bloom (they/she) is a queer sexuality educator and sex science communicator. They help folks bust sexual shame and cultivate their authentic desires. She is the co-founder of the queer community space for newly out and questioning folks - the "F*ck Comphet Support Club" and is the winner of Planned Parenthood Toronto Choice Award for excellence in sexuality education.
Shant Joshi (he/him) is a queer Indo-Canadian producer based in Los Angeles and Toronto. His credits include the films Framing Agnes (Sundance, NEXT Audience Award, NEXT Innovator Award), International Dawn Chorus Day (Berlin, TEDDY Award Winner), Porcupine Lake (Toronto), and Noor & Layla (BlackStar); the hit web series Teenagers (CSAs); and the Dekkoo original series, I’m Fine (Outfest). Shant co-founded the Future of Film Showcase as a launchpad for emerging Canadian filmmakers, and he previously worked at the United Talent Agency, Buchwald, and Lit Entertainment Group (fka Madhouse Entertainment). He is an alum of the Producers Lab at the Canadian Film Centre, holds a Certificate in Entertainment Law from Osgoode Hall Law School, and was named to York University’s inaugural Top 30 Changemakers under 30. Shant is currently Vice-Chair on the Board of Directors at BIPOC TV & Film, a sitting member of the Restructuring, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) Action Committee at the Canadian Media Producers Association, and sits on the Advisory Board at the Future of Film Showcase.
Sarah Thompson (she/her) is the president of Dentsu Media. She is focused on driving the values, media offering, and growth of Dentsu agencies in Canada. Sarah was most recently the integrated CSO of Theo, an agency created for Rogers by WPP and the CSO of Mindshare in Canada. Sarah works at the centre of media and creative and believes in integration of brand, CRM and process to help clients achieve brand and business success. She was named the Media Leader of the Year in 2020 by the CMDC. She sits on the Local Media Council for the CMDC as well as various counsels for the CMA, ICA and APG. She is a champion for ensuring all media dollars support culture and communities in Canada.
Ria Iyengar (she/her) is an advertising professional who excels at leveraging the power of CRM to deliver highly efficient data driven campaigns for her clients. With over 10 years of experience in 1:1 communication, Ria believes the future of marketing will be in personalized content driven by customer data. As a first generation immigrant to Canada, a person of colour and a member of the LGBTQ2+ community, Ria has experienced the power of diversity in the workplace as a cornerstone of success in our multicultural country. She infuses her international experience into everything she does. In 2017, Ria was recognized as a “Young Knight” of the Direct Marketing Association of India (DMAi) for her leadership in creating awareness for 1:1 communication amongst young professionals. She has led campaigns that have gone on to win DMA International Echo awards for effectiveness three years in a row – 2016, 2017 and 2018. When she is not crafting CRM campaigns or teaching students, Ria can be found biking around the city or taking in a show at the theatre.
With a special performance by…
Danny Bailey is a new face in the Toronto drag scene. Growing up loving all things performance, Danny has never shied away from the stage. Largely influenced by the style of Elton John and David Bowie, you never know what they’ll show up in.
It was over the pandemic when Danny really fell down the drag rabbit hole, watching every season of Drag Race that was available at the time. It wasn’t until they got a job working for a drag talent agency that they really realized it was an option for them.
Out of drag Danny identifies as pansexual gender queer and does not care about labels; cis-ish as they like to say. One performance may be drag king, the next queen, there’s no telling what kind of character they’ll come up with.
