Leslie Roman
(Touring Artist, Director)
Professor Leslie G. Roman, Educational Studies, UBC has throughout her career led inspiring transformative spaces for disability artists, cultural politics and public pedagogies that reshape institutional ideas of who belongs and whose knowledge matters. As the inspired lead of Wingspan Dis/ability Arts, Culture cluster and prior to that in 2008, the Unruly Salon, she seeks to create spaces for interdisciplinary scholars and artists whose work exceeds the narrow metrics of “excellence” to redefine humanity.
A Killam Fellow and AESA book award winner, she is the editor of Hallmarks: The Cultural Politics and Public Pedagogies of Stuart Hall, Routledge, 2016. Her work in disability arts with Geoff McMurchy and many others led to three special issues in the International Review of Disability Studies, the International Journal of Inclusive Education and the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. An acrylic painter, poet. and jewelry-maker and aspiring film-maker, editor and director. Her paintings and poetry have been published in the aforementioned journals. Most importantly, she is the mom of a beautiful pre-teen son whose energy keeps her on her toes.
Prof. Roman identifies as a Jewish artist with an invisible disability, from a working-class background, who lives in a Canadian family from the global diaspora of Nepal, Eastern Europe and Latino Texas and Chicago.
Photo credit: Felicia Byron
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Jenel Shaw
(Touring Artist, Staff)
Jenel Shaw is a self-taught visual artist. Her artistic focus is learning new ways to craft and explore artistic expression. Jenel graduated with her masters in Disability Studies from the University of Manitoba. Her dissertation, An Autoethnological Study of Art as a Tool of Empowerment, examined her own experiences with mental illness and disability art. Jenel is executive director of Arts AccessAbility Network Manitoba and the sensory and content reviewer for Prairie Theatre Exchange . Jenel serves on many arts boards including being the Co-Chair of the Manitoba Artist-Run Centre Coalition and the Liaison Director for the Manitoba Cultural Society of the Deaf. Jenel is a strong advocate for the d/Deaf and disabilty arts community and provides anti-ablesit training for the arts
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Lesley Diana
Lesley Diana established The Promotion People in 1994, after years of working in the media and entertainment industry, both in front of the camera and behind-the-scenes. After graduating with a Bachelor of Education, she taught high school before opening her first business. Her diverse career also includes producing television projects and hosting a talk show. As owner of a Western Canadian retail chain, she was a finalist in the national Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. Lesley is also the author of a nationally published book. She did all this while raising her son as a single parent.
As a Unit Publicist with I.A.S.T.E. 669, she has worked on over 100 feature film and television series, including films and series shot in Vancouver for Sony Pictures, DirecTV and eOne TV. She has also completed successful publicity campaigns for television series produced by Thunderbird Films and Great Pacific TV, and IndustryWorks Pictures. She now brings all of this to work for all of us in Wingspan.
Jo-Anne Naslund
As Wingspan Librarian and Digital Curriculum Coordinator, Jo-Anne Naslund is a newly retired and experienced Education Librarian from the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia. Jo-Anne is an advocate of inquiry, inclusion, disability art, culture and justice as part of diversity, equity, and open education, and libraries. Her teaching experience has been that of a middle school teacher and teacher-librarian in Alberta, British Columbia and Melbourne, Australia. As well, she has taught courses in teacher-librarianship at the Universities of Melbourne, Alberta and British Columbia and most recently authored/edited Problem based Learning in Teacher Education.
Thomas Buchan
(Filmography Staff)
Thomas Buchan is a respected professional in the world of film and cinematography. He excelled in his film studies at Emily Carr University, where he was named valedictorian. Thomas has played dual roles as a Director and Director of Photography (DOP) in several feature documentaries, collaborating with organizations like the National Film Board (NFB), CBC, and the Knowledge Network.
Beyond his documentary work, Thomas is in high demand as a Director of Photography, producing commercial content with well-known global brands, agencies, and local charitable foundations.
Daniel Rocque
(Filmography Staff)
Daniel Rocque has been working as a freelance cinematographer, director, and editor from Vancouver for the past 14 years. His experience ranges from commercials to television series, EPKs, corporate case studies, feature films, and music videos both on location and in studio. Dan is quick to adapt to any kind of production style and/or work-flow. His love for composition and narrative is apparent in his work as he weaves the two together to create emotional, impactful videos. Daniel has also produced, directed, and edited various short-form narrative projects that have screened at festivals in North America and Europe.
Marcus Zuhr
(Filmography Staff)
Marcus Zuhr is a multifaceted artist, encompassing the roles of composer, dedicated metal enthusiast, film director, and accomplished producer. With a career spanning since 2009, he boasts an impressive portfolio, having collaborated with renowned brands like Disney, as well as smaller-scale student film projects.
Marcus’s musical compositions have become a consistent presence on the world’s largest networks and streaming platforms, including Netflix, Amazon, and numerous major networks within the United States. His work has also resonated internationally, finding a home on networks such as NBC, CBS, ESPN, and WWE.
In the advertising arena, Marcus has left an indelible mark, with his music being licensed or commissioned by prestigious brands such as Intel, Disney, Honda, the Royal Bank of Canada, GAP, Nature’s Path, Best Buy, University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, and many others.
Brian Cheung
(Filmography Staff)
Brian Cheung is a Cinematographer based in Vancouver with over ten years of experience in commercials, corporate work, and documentaries. Recently, he has served as the Director of Photography on the independent feature film “Jonah” (2022), which has been making its festival rounds at the 2023 Austin Film Festival, 2023 Twin Cities Film Festival, and the 2023 Flickers’ Rhode Island Film Festival. He has also worked as an additional camera operator on Season 5 of “The Good Doctor.”