Event Team
Craig Thompson, President and Executive Producer
Craig Thompson is an executive producer and international media consultant specializing in the factual and documentary genres. A graduate of the Ryerson School of Journalism, his career in the Canadian media industry has spanned more than 25 years. His experience as a print and broadcast journalist provided the foundation for the thriving television production and consulting enterprise that he oversees today. Thompson has written, produced, and directed dozens of television series and documentaries and is currently penning a two-hour docudrama on the Irish Famine for History Television and RTE Ireland.
A published author, Thompson’s latest book An Artist's and Photographer's Guide to Wild Ontario, a historically inspired travel guide to the great landscapes of Ontario, published by Boston Mills Press, has just been released. For three years, Thompson was executive producer of the World Congress of History Producers and a consultant with the Banff World Television Festival. Over the course of his career, Thompson has built an outstanding reputation as a foreign correspondent for CBC Radio, a national news reporter for CTV and CBC Television, and a writer for such publications as The Globe and Mail, The National Post, Ottawa Citizen and International Herald Tribune, among others. He continues to contribute regularly to Canadian newspapers and magazines.
William Smalley, Vice President of Marketing and Sales
Bill Smalley is an international consultant, trainer, and speaker, and an award winning sales and marketing professional with over 25 years experience in business strategy, marketing, and domestic and international sales. One of Canada’s leading authorities on business development and integrating marketing and sales strategy; he has taught marketing and professional selling at the college level and is an experienced seminar leader and trainer. His experience includes international business development work primarily in the Middle East.
In his role with Ballinran, he is responsible for marketing of the Company’s services to our media and business clients in Canada and worldwide. This includes the “Business without Borders” program – a series of films promoting Canadian expertise and success stories in world markets. He is also responsible for Ballinran marketing and communications services, and establishment of the company’s subsidiary, Golden Gulf Media Group, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
His corporate experience includes management positions in the telecom, media, building materials and promotion industries. He has worked with such organizations as the Canadian Olympic Committee, Earth Day Canada, Air Canada, McDonald’s, Ford, Sunquest, Outward Bound, Timberland Canada, AMJ Campbell Van Lines, TD Waterhouse, Scotia McLeod and CMHC. Bill is a member of the Canadian Professional Sales Association, the American Marketing Association, and the Strategic Leadership Forum. He holds a BA from the University of Western Ontario, an Executive MBA (with a first in class in marketing) from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, and a Certified Sales Professional Rating (with distinction) from the Canadian Professional Sales Association.
Rita Carbone Fleury, Conference Producer
Rita Carbone Fleury has been a high profile member of the television programming community for over 14 years. She was hired by Cambium Productions in 1991 and was instrumental in the launch of Cambium Releasing Inc. (now CCI Entertainment) in 1993. Under her direction, Cambium Releasing became one of the most respected programming distribution companies in Canada. In 2001, Carbone Fleury spearheaded the development and implementation of the "Global Marketing Program" for Canada's National Screen Institute. This training program for emerging and mid-level Canadian Producers saw the launch of international opportunities for 14 Canadian independent producers at MIPCOM in October 2001and NATPE 2002. As well as supporting independent Producers across Canada, Carbone Fleury was also been the Producer of the World Congress of History Producers.
Ms. Carbone Fleury is a graduate of Ryerson's School of Radio and Television and is a guest Instructor and Lecturer at her alma mater as well as at Centennial College in Toronto where she conducts a 16-hour “International Marketing Workshop” for the “Centre for Entrepreneurship”. Film New Brunswick, Nova Scotia Film and British Columbia Film and Manitoba Film Training have recently hired Carbone Fleury to conduct content marketing seminars for regional producers.
Stephanie McArthur, Production Coordinator
Before finding a home at Ballinran Stephanie was a nomad, working the festival circuit for 8 years. Her favourite festivals include the Toronto International Film Festival, Sundance, Hot Docs, the Miami International Film Festival, Toronto Fringe Festival, and the Provincetown International Film Festival.
Stephanie’s conference experience includes coordinating the Toronto Invasive Bacterial Diseases Network Education Days and working for the World Congress of Science and Factual Producers in Toronto and Manchester.
When not at work Stephanie can be found listening to live music, attending theatre and film festivals, and cuddling her cat Thompson.