Drew Dennis, Executive Director
drew@outonscreen.com

Drew comes to Out On Screen with an extensive background in non-profit management and event planning. After studying business at the University of Western Ontario, Drew went on a date and fell in love with queer film. Sometimes life’s like that. Drew still loves queer film and is particularly energized about its ability to facilitate and celebrate queer communities. Drew is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and is a Trainer with Volunteer Vancouver’s Board Leadership Program.

Amber Dawn, Director of Programming
amber_dawn@outonscreen.com

Amber Dawn is a writer, filmmaker and performance artist. She's been featured on stages from Kentucky drag bars to Harvard campus, and her short films have played in over ten countries. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC and is the editor of two queer anthologies. Voted Xtra! West's Hero of the Year (2008), she is best known for representing shameless, no-holds-barred queer sexuality, a theme throughout much of her artwork and her community activism.  

Ross Johnstone, Director of Youth Education
ross@outonscreen.com

Ross arrived on the West Coast to attend school at SFU, where he artfully crafted many a last minute essay on film, gender, art or a combination of all three. He eventually graduated and 13 years later he is still in Vancouver, having spent the last four years working for Out On Screen. As the Director of Youth Education, he absolutely loves coordinating the Out in Schools program and getting the chance to work with incredibly talented and fun queer and allied teens throughout the province of BC.

Chris Gatchalian, Queer History Project Director
chris@outonscreen.com

Chris Gatchalian came to Out On Screen from the theatre and literary worlds, which explains why he sometimes slips into a pseudo-British accent. He has a Master's degree in Creative Writing from UBC and has worked as a journalist, editor, writing instructor and theatre producer. When not coordinating Out On Screen's Queer History Project he morphs into C. E. Gatchalian, a playwright whose work has driven the prudish and faint-hearted out of their seats.

Paul Crosby, Director of Development
paul@outonscreen.com

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Vanessa Melle, Director of Communications
vanessa_melle@outonscreen.com

Vanessa served as the Marketing Coordinator for the 2008 Festival. She studied Creative Writing and Women's Studies at the University of Victoria before veering off course and working as a hairstylist for a while. While sometimes missing the hairdye fumes and constant small talk, she is ecstatic to have a career that combines her joint passions of film, the arts, and community-building

 Kat Biondi, Director of Operations
kat@outonscreen.com

Kat graduated from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with a BA in Political Science / Theatre. She moved to Vancouver in 2006 to further her career in the non-profit sector. Kat has an extensive background in fundraising and events management, including the Scotiabank AIDS WALK for LIFE. In her spare time, Kat enjoys theatre, farmers' markets, baking pies and drinking coffee.

Jessica Somers, Bookkeeper

Jessica Somers is Out On Screen's weekend bookkeeper - always a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. During the week she's the accountant to a small manufacturing company in Vancouver. Jessica enjoys bicycling to work in fancy dresses, writing fiction and picnicking on the beach. In a recent accomplishment, Jessica won the award for Best Approach in her Monday night bowling league.