Executive Team

SAMANTHA KAINE (QUÉBEC)

FOUNDER & CEO

  • Samantha Kaine is a Jamaican-Canadian, award-winning producer, mentor, and internationally recognized leader in Anti-Racism, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (AREDIA). With over 20 years of experience in film, television, and digital media, she has become a transformative force in reshaping the screen industries by championing equity, ownership, and systemic accountability.

    In 2020, Samantha founded I.M.P.A.C.T (Independent Media Producers Association of Creative Talent), a national non-profit dedicated to equipping Black producers and storytellers with the tools, access to capital, and creative sovereignty to own their narratives, build thriving careers, and shape the future of media on their own terms. She curated and designed the flagship Producer Career Catalyst Accelerator Program (PCCAP), a multi-year accelerator that supports mid-career Black producers through training, mentorship, and international market access.

    Guided by a bold vision, Samantha advocates for a creative economy where Black producers not only participate but lead, own, and innovate. Her work dismantles exclusionary systems, builds industry-wide accountability, and reconstructs media from the inside out.

    Samantha also serves on the boards of ELAN (English Language Arts Network) and the CDCE (Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions), advancing cultural diversity, story sovereignty, and systemic transformation across Canada and beyond.

KHADIJAH SALAWU

PROGRAM MANAGER

  • Khadijah Salawu is an Actress, Producer and Facilitator. She is a graduate of the Arts York Drama Program at Unionville High School, the University of Toronto's Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies Program and Factory Theatre’s Training Enhancement Program.

    Khadijah has served as the Artistic Director, Co-Founder and a Producer of FreeUp! – an annual nation-wide youth-led Emancipation Day celebration, wherein the CBC Gem Emancipation Day 2020 Special received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Performing Arts Program at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards.

    She played the role of Jesse in the Independent Feature film Learn to Swim which was an Official Selection for the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival and was nominated for a NAACP Image Award in 2023.

    Khadijah brings her love for imagination and storytelling to young people as an arts educator at Soulpepper Theatre, Young People’s Theatre, tdsbCREATES and St. James Town Community Arts.

     

    Select artistic credits include: Griots To Emcees: Speak OurStory,  Learn To Swim (2021 TIFF Selection), Pretty Hard Cases (CBC), FreeUp! Emancipation Day Special 2020/2021 (CBC GEM, 2021 Canadian Screen Award Nominee for Best Performing Arts Program), Ordinary Girl In A Tiara, and Cocoa Butter Wishes.

CHARMAINE MAURICIO

GRANTS & STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS CONSULTANT

  • Charmaine is a Managing Partner at DMC Grants & Administration, a full-service boutique firm dedicated to supporting innovative creatives, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits of Canada’s arts and culture sector since 2009. With a background in business management, marketing, and a specialization in urban, economic, and social geography from the University of Toronto, Charmaine excels at presenting strategic connections between clients, such as IMPACT, and stakeholders. Over the past three years, Charmaine and DMC have partnered with IMPACT to amplify its mission of empowering Black producers, advancing Canadian culture, and driving meaningful change.

IMPACT is guided by a committed team of industry leaders and professionals who bring diverse expertise in media, finance, education, and organizational development. Their stewardship ensures accountability, strategic growth, and alignment with our mission to advance Black producers globally.

Governance & Leadership