Announcing the 2024 YMA Andra Sheffer Scholarship Winner!

Montreal, November 14th, 2023 – Youth Media Alliance (YMA) is delighted to announce the winner of the 8th Andra Sheffer Scholarship! Awarded to an outstanding student who intends to pursue a career in the field of youth content for the screen, the winner of this year’s edition is Sheridan Riggillo, a student enrolled in Toronto Metropolitan University’s Media Production program.

Sheridan will receive accreditation to attend the Kidscreen Summit in San Diego, and the Banff World Media Festival (compliments of Brunico), plus a $4000 travel grant from the YMA. She will receive personalized mentoring, and the opportunity to meet with YMA members and industry representatives.

Sheridan Grace Riggillo comes from the musical theater space with eight years of experience working closely with kids as a performer, choreographer, and instructor. Now a scriptwriter and aspiring showrunner, she is also a dedicated volunteer at the YMA and a member of The Children's Media Lab, a research group focused on bridging the gap between academic research and content creation. Her credits also include a development internship at marblemedia where she collaborated with the Unscripted Development Department on upcoming projects providing research and support. Being the daughter of a DeafBlind father has been a driving force in her pursuit to be integral to bringing new voices to screens. Specifically in children's content, where that representation can help build a more educated future generation and encourage kids from the disabled community.

The selection committee jury members were Andra Sheffer, Mike Omelus (Aboriginal Peoples Television Network), Becki Brisson (Shaw Rocket Fund), Shabnam Rezaei (Big Bad Boo), and Jadiel Dowlin.

The YMA Andra Sheffer Scholarship is offered thanks to an endowment established by the following financial partners: 9 Story Media Group, Apartment 11 Productions, Breakthrough Entertainment, Brunico, CMPA National and CMPA – BC Producers' Section, DHX Television, Give me Chocolate, Guru Studio, marblemedia, Portfolio Entertainment, Radical Sheep – a Boat Rocker Media Company, Secret Location, Sinking Ship Entertainment and Shaftesbury

About Andra Sheffer:

Andra Sheffer is the former CEO of the Independent Production Fund, which invests in drama series created for digital platforms, and the Cogeco TV Production Program, for production of television drama series. Previously, her achievements included founding the Bell Fund, for which she served as Executive Director (1997–2014). When she retired from this position in 2015, Andra was honoured with the YMA’s Outstanding Achievement Award. This scholarship in her name was established by members of the Canadian children’s TV and digital media industry.

About the Youth Media Alliance:

The Youth Media Alliance (YMA) seeks to enrich the lives of Canadian children and teens by helping improve the quality of the content created for them on all screen-based media. The Alliance pursues its mission of encouraging high-quality content by presenting annual awards of excellence to the best productions targeting young English- and French-speaking Canadians. It offers ongoing training tailored to the special needs of youth production professionals through workshops, seminars, and special events such as the Children, Youth & Media and Média-Jeunes conferences. Since 2015, the Youth Media Alliance has developed and offererd scholarships: the YMA Andra Sheffer, the YMA Steven DeNure, the YMA-TAAFI John Rooney Creator Fund and the French-Language Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Youth Production Scholarship. YMA also conducts original research investigating the impact of screen-based media on young people. Finally, Youth Media Alliance advocates for the needs of Canada’s child and youth media consumers in matters of public policy.

 

-30-

Source:

Margaux Soumoy, Youth Media Alliance

alliance@ymamj.org

514-483-5417