the ask


THE ASK
"Be professional for a change... book a time during business hours, use proper channels, delegate it to someone who isn't harassing me with suitable authority and training to deal with me #ALOTTOASK"
(4.18.23)



A stalled harassment settlement has been in negotiation, however, I need assistance compiling evidence and devising a legal case. I am willing to offer a percentage of the settlement amount for a human rights lawyer, investigative journalist and tech team willing to invest the time to research the issue upfront. Additional bonusing is on offer if systemic change is garnered (throughout the university system, the media industry value chains, government organizations and funding bodies).

The settlement amount is, in my view, fairly substantial and has grown steadily in discussion each year the harassment has not ceased. As Sussman has always been a Canadian government-financed TV media industry exec (and subsequent billionaire), I see this case offering a bottomless pit of legal fees and cutting-edge legal case studies – in areas of Canadian (state-sponsored) media, spyware, privacy, harassment, stalking and cyberstalking, intertwined with racial and gender discrimination.

Here is how I view approaching this:

1. A legal assessment of Sussman’s conduct as a prominent Canadian media industry executive, board chair of a Canadian public holding company (recently defunct), and an advisor for The Creative School programs and faculty at the Toronto Metropolitan University.

2. A legal assessment of Sussman’s current and former board, their conduct vs. obligations on this issue, history of financial (and other) scandals and failed companies. This holds relevance due to how heavily government subsidized Canadian media industries are (across every level of the media industry value chain). It may also be worthwhile to dig into individual board member’s personal financial dealings, to add more granularity to their profiles and culture.

3. An assessment of personal liability each board member should incur (across Sussman’s companies) and any broader legal repercussions/ penalties for perpetuating misconduct for such a duration, including the possibility of criminal charges.

4. A legal assessment of Charles Falzon’s role (Dean, The Creative School), his conduct vs. ethical obligations to theToronto Metropolitan University students amid harassment concerns, his dismissal of the issues, and how this influences the broader community as a feeder institution to multiple media verticals, and its ecosystem of creative startups.

5. An assessment of Steve Levitan’s role (contract lecturer, The Creative School) relative to unethical conduct -- exploiting student-professor trust for personal profit, being the institutional conduit between the Toronto Metropolitan University and illegal Canadian television industry practices (abusive, exploitative behaviour, intellectual property theft, posing as an unauthorized broker of work not for sale, etc).

6. An investigation into the financial transactional history between Sussman (including his companies and their affiliates), and Charles Falzon, Steve Levitan and Ian Mirlin over the last six years, to determine where priorities align and allegiances prevail.

7. A cultural assessment of Sussman’s organizations, individual staff and board members. There is evidence to suggest the group is predominantly Jewish, a significant proportion are apartheid-era raised white South Africans, with staff derived from local communities in Canada analogous to these, who are more inclined to adopt apartheid-type views, Asian-hate behaviours and control tactics (ie. rural Nova Scotia and Alberta, relatively low income white suburbs like Oshawa, etc), which historically aligns with the television industry’s point-system, and in-part explains the racist, misogynistic, predatory nature and the maliciousness of their conduct. It would also explain why someone with my cultural and professional background and profile would want nothing to do with these people or the industry in this country.

8. A professional correlation between the harassment logs and existing cyberstalking profiles, to construct an accurate picture of: a) Sussman’s sons (Scott Oliver Sussman, Jack Elliot Sussman) as criminal harassers in isolation of b) the organization’s culture and c) the leadership (Steven Silver) and other members instigating the harassment and death threats -- to ensure a clear picture for a legal case against all three groups. In my view cyberstalking is foundational to their daily operations, and misconduct in a range of forms is the accepted norm, actively perpetuated by all levels of its leadership (and presumably their industry culture).

9. Investigative research into the technology component, how they control my computers, devices and printer (ie.illegal installation of spyware, IP address targeting, apple device vulnerabilities exploited by surveillance tech?)and how does one stop or prevent this? As I have never been an employee of Sussman’s nor received any benefit, financial or otherwise from them, the use of surveillance tech on my computers has always been an unconsented, illegal invasion of privacy, and uncontrolled, expansive harassment in the hands of Sussman’s staff and family.

10. Investigative research into their real estate holdings and/or rentals in my building complex, their occupants and/or uses. There are at least 7-9 condo units Sussman’s family and staff occupy at 208 Queens Quay West, Toronto ON M5J 2Y5 that face my unit from different directions, enabling visual surveillance. They appear to occupy most units on the top four north facing floors of the building, just below the penthouse floors. I would like to know when they were acquired and occupied, alongside a comparative analysis of demographic profiles of theirs and the majority of the residents here. I expect a significant ethnic and income divergence exists in these profiles, begging the question why would Sussman specifically choose this building and those units?

11. An assessment of whether a court application for a peace bond is an adequate mechanism (amongst others) to legally limit Sussman’s access to my computers, devices and printers, to legally prevent the ongoing harassment, and to potentially legally limit Sussman’s family and staff’s access to the building complex (given the duration of the issue, damage to my electronics equipment, and a demonstrated ability to breach building security and access my floor). It is questionable whether their use of those units is appropriate for a residential building complex, and public scrutiny of their activities and removal of the occupants are more than warranted.

12. An analysis of appropriate and effective mechanisms for addressing these issues in multinational private and public companies in regulated industries, and their absence within the Canadian media industry value chain. Sussman, his board and community affiliates in this case reveal the layered corruption Canadian government funding enables -- where mechanisms like NDA’s shield them from accountability in absence of any real mechanisms for redress (a media landscape looking to government funding bodies as their true north, not markets, conspires to unhealthy corporate practices in this country). This carries through to educational institutions who funnel talent to these companies and are practiced at deflecting issues not aligned with their cultural interests.

13. A mapping of current and former employees (where they came from and have gone), to demonstrate how far reaching these issues are, for industry illustrative purposes and as a basis for compiling evidence for criminal charges against several of Sussman’s employees. Given the change in board and staff due to Sussman’s failed companies amid the ongoing harassment, a mapping of individuals’ movements will likely illustrate this is both a cultural and industry issue, not a question of a few bad apples.


THE CAST
“I am aware the inappropriate conduct has been
and continues to be discussed, debated and dismissed
at the board level" (#coercion 8.7.20).


HARASSERS

Peter A. Sussman - former CEO of Alliance Atlantis, former Board Chair / Co-founder of now defunct Kew Media, Program Advisor of The Creative School, Toronto Metropolitan University
See also: X, Mad Rabbit
Steven Silver  - former CEO of now defunct Kew Media
• Scott Oliver Sussman - Sussman’s son
Jack Elliot Sussman -  Sussman’s son
• Several current and former unidentified staff (5-8), several carried over from Kew Media


ACCOUNTABLE INTERMEDIARIES

Charles Falzon  - Dean, The Creative School, Toronto Metropolitan University
Steven S. Levitan - Contract lecturer, The Creative School, Toronto Metropolitan University
See also: Protocol Entertainment
Ian Mirlin - former co-founder of Harrod & Mirlin, now FCB Toronto


SUSSMAN'S BOARD (from now defunct Kew Media)

Peter A. Sussman
Steven Silver
Julie Bristow / X
Sara Curran / X
Madeleine Cohen
Patrice E. Merrin
Maurice Kagan
Nancy Reiss Tellem
David Fleck
Stephen N. Pincus
Wayne Purboo
Mark L. Segal
John Schmidt

NOTE: Current board members, and staff are unknown,
however common Canadian media industry practice
in failed companies is to rebrand and start anew
with the same people, so there is assumed crossover
at the board and staff levels.

All named above share some complicity
in the harassment since 2018, including several
unidentified staff.

TIMELINE

“Your board suffers from a destructive cult disorder... where my willing participation on any level relies
on a perpetually, self-induced stockholm syndrome
or whatever the similar parallel is to this situation.”
(message to Sussman in response to pressure
to commit to an employment contract
after I took my project off the table – Apr 2021)



2017

Peter Sussman attended Steven Levitan’s class (2.2017) as a guest lecturer and it was only through an assigned project on Sussman’s former company (Alliance Atlantis) in a 2nd course Levitan was teaching (9.2017), when I realized I had been introduced to Sussman in 2000 by former employer (Ian Mirlin, co-founder of former creative industries agency, Harrod & Mirlin). While an interesting revelation, I attached little importance to this. Steven Silver (CEO of now defunct Kew Media) attended a class as a guest, as did John Young (CEO of Boat Rocker Media) to evaluate business pitch presentations(12.2017). Levitan began fostering an online dialogue through several others’ social media profiles (people previously unknown to me), and later transferred these connections to Sussman and his staff with some overlap. Sussman has since mentioned this came at a cost.

2018
When I was unresponsive to negotiation attempts by Sussman, Silver and his team, they approached Mirlin (1.2018) for guidance, with their discussion repeated back as something recognizable that only Mirlin would say: “When creative people don’t participate in a negotiation, it ends the negotiation.” Since then, Sussman’s team used this to increasingly harass me, in retaliation for my unwillingness to negotiate with them. When I later contacted Mirlin to intervene (6.2022), explaining the difficulty extricating myself from the situation, he claimed not to know Sussman, which I knew was not the case.

2019
Ongoing harassment and cyberstalking was raised as an issue to Sussman in early 2019, documentation of the issue began being compiled in mid-2019. Throughout 2019 and into 2020, pitch decks, business plans, financials and a communication strategy deck (to help Sussman’s now defunct company), were developed, reviewed and never coherently discussed, although different iterations were demanded with urgency, through bullying and cyberstalking. Sussman said he was addressing these issues but never did. In 2020, the harassment expanded to Sussman’s son(s) and staff (managed bySteven Silver).

"To prepare for financial discussions, a book
outlining the negotiation tactics of high-end prostitutes was recommended to me.

When I highlighted how clearly inappropriate
this is, i am sent articles on how to develop
a sense of humour, how bitchy-looking women
are better communicators, and sent material
by relationship counsellors on how women
need to make men feel for men to fall in love - both personally and in business" (
#coercion, 8.7.2020)



Summer 2020
If not the year prior, Steven Levitan became aware of the harassment at this time, when I published an article on Medium (#COERCION, 8.7.2020), summarizing the prior two years of harassment. I was still a Toronto Metropolitan University (then Ryerson) student. By this point, I was having regular meltdowns and later, hand tremors from the volume of harassment, which were documented through daily tracking and various mental health apps. On numerous occasions, it was communicated to Sussman and his board that due to deteriorating health concerns, any potential collaboration or work commitment was no longer feasible.

Fall 2020
The harassment intensified throughout the Fall of 2020 further escalating to regular sexual harassment, death threats and his team falsely personifying Sussman so I would engage in dialogue with them -- this spanned creepy romantic overtures, weird breakups (even though to this day, I have never met Sussman in any substantial way), racist and sexist comments, gaslighting, mocking my mental health, menopausal comments, content about sex with old men, etc. It became clear they had control of all my devices (computers, mobile phones, tablets, printers and alexa devices), often controlling devices in front of me, or mirroring back to me what I was doing, saying, listening to. They would mock my finances, medical history, school assignments, tell me I’m a failure, gold-digger, slut, make ape jokes and leave threatening songs on my devices or via notifications. This would continue for the another three years, intensifying over most weekends, public holidays and long weekends. Each subsequent year, the harassment became worse. The only times this abated were on Jewish holidays.

Social media profiles were increasingly shut-down from mid-2020 to the current time, ceasing most connections with friends, family and communities during lockdowns, throughout the entirety of the pandemic. Sussman conveyed to me that this board and staff decided the harassment and cyberstalking issues need to be ignored for the benefit of his family and organization, saying it was for the “sake of the show” (1.2022). In Dec 2022, I found out two of my uncles had died over a year prior and my family assumed I already knew. Sussman’s staff have since continued to interfere with my newsfeeds, newsletters, used ads with daily IP targeting, in addition to platforms I use (amazon, amazon music, spotify, audible, etc), designed to serve up content based on browsing and search history to deliver harassing content.

Early 2021
Sent Steven Levitan a harassment summary (12.31.2020), indicating The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University (then Ryerson) would need to be added to the equation should this situation not be immediately resolved. Sussman conveyed (2.2021) that his friends (Charles Falzon & Steven Levitan) at the university understood the constraints he was under without elaborating (I was unsure what was meant by this). Sussman conveyed they would fund my project, however my proposed legal clauses (2.23.2021), including contract cancellation penalties for continued cyberstalking and harassment, were met with animosity and death threats, resulting in the project being taken off the table indefinitely (3.2021). The harassment and cyberstalking would continue nonetheless intensifying well into 2023, with all discussion of a settlement contingent on entering an employment contract with them, which I have since continuously refused (4.28.21 onwards).

I appreciate my request is likely intruding on your summer vacations and may even be a conflict of interest ... How everyone involved wants an untoasted
Wonder Bread aspiring life and knows
which side of the bread needs butter.

While I realize this situation is an inconvenience
to everyone, I can no longer live under these constraints (especially with the uptick
in death threats over the last year ... and week).
so, I humbly request your assistance in this matter.
(Email to all - M. Lachemi, C. Falzon, S. Levitan, etc. - at The Toronto Metropolitan University, 8.2021)



May-Jun 2021

I became aware (5.29.2021) the harassment was being entirely blamed on Sussman’s son since summer 2020. Was told I should not expect anything to change. I elevated the issue to Charles Falzon (5.31.2021), demanding The Creative School intervene, accompanied by the 2020 and 2021 harassment logs compiled to-date. Was told an investigation by the school was required, but my participation was unnecessary. If any investigation ensued, it was swiftly closed without any discussion with me. My subsequent reopening of the issue, elevating it to Mohammed Lachemi (7.2021), the university’s chancellor, resulted in a flurry of defensive emails by Falzon and his staff, a brief meeting and dismissal by their HumanRights division. Before again closing the file, the last thing they asked me was “who are these people listed?” indicating nothing had even been looked at. Despite multiple efforts, it is questionable whether any complaint was even documented by the university.

2021
Sent the most recent harassment log (8.23.21) to Sussman analyzed against cyberstalking profiles in the Handbook for Police & Crown Prosecutors on Criminal Harassment, to illustrate it wasn’t just his son(s); there were several voices involved, likely 5-6 at any given time, over the course of several years; which cyberstalking profiles his staff emulated and the degree of emotional damage they inflict on their victims. This led to an escalation of insults, death and rape threats in many forms, one of which were disturbing songs distributed via playlists (9.1.2021) -- A Beautiful Mess (Jason Mraz), Naked as We Came (Iron & Wine), The Blower’s Daughter (Damien Rice), Slow Dancing in a Burning Room (John Mayer), Liability (Lorde). The playlist indicates: 1) this was a senior staff member(presumably Steven Silver), not Sussman’s son 2) who was disgruntled about the board realizing he was becoming a liability 3) the severity of his response indicate, the board understood the seriousness of cyberstalking profiles, but eventually chose to do nothing. The disturbing nature of the playlist was similarly ignored. Angels of The Silences (Counting Crows) was later left on my computer desktop (9.26.2021). The harassment and cyberstalking continued, and shortly after I felt I was being followed when out for walks in my neighbourhood. For the next few months, I was met with weird or angry interactions and animosity never before experienced by white strangers on more than seven separate occasions (mirroring the cyberstalking interactions), until I stopped carrying my iPhone, fitbit or mp3 player with me (12.1.2021).

RESIDENCE (2020 onwards)
In Nov 2021, I became aware that sometime during the pandemic, Sussman, his sons and several of his employees occupied several condo units directly across from mine in the same condo complex. Lights, devices and a printer in my unit were increasingly controlled in response to my personal activities only decipherable if someone could see into my unit. On several occasions, damage was done to equipment simply to demonstrate they could. When this intensified, I emailed SaraCurran (11.20.21), Sussman’s business partner at the time (currently his spouse), demanding Sussman remove the people occupying the units, and threatened to file a peace bond requesting the courts prevent their access to the building complex. Sussman offered further compensation (12.5.21) to not destabilize his kids in a divorce and pandemic, in a harassment settlement negotiation which has yet to materialize (and has been delegated to members of his staff perpetuating the harassment). Peace bonds were not being issued due to unenforceablility during lockdowns and the subsequent slowdown in the court system.

I initiated a dialogue with the building’s management office (11.14.21) about security protocols, making them aware of the severity of the issue. Over the course of several months, Sussman’s team began ingratiating themselves with the security staff and on one occasion left something outside my door -- in a building where floor access is strictly limited to residents of the floor and building security. The security personnel involved were let go and the antics of Sussman’s team have since been addressed, due in large part to the building being well-managed by visible minorities (8.20.22). Sussman’s staff and family appear to occupy at least 6-9 condo units on the north-facing top four floors, below he penthouse levels of 208 Queens Quay W, Toronto ON M5J 2Y5, all of which look into my unit from various directions.

INAPPROPRIATE BUSINESS NORMS (2020 onwards)

“Including costs for my own time at market value
was met with animosity and incredulousness.
Not only was I expected to lead the project
for free, but it became apparent they intended
to distribute my project’s budget to their own
white creative suppliers, which made
no sense culturally for a sci-fi girl-power
South Asian story based on a little known history.

What was revealed in the process
however, was how Sussman, his board
and his STAFF were significantly below the business calibre I was used to and it would be futile
to progress any discussions further.”
(legal clauses – proposed, describes the situation
to Apr 2021; posted to
Medium 08.27.22)



Beginning in early 2020, discussions revealed an (embarrassing) lack of sophistication within Sussman’s staff and board, around int’l norms in a business field predicated on cultural knowledge -- an incapacity revealed as a North American media industry norm as the pandemic unfolded. This was key to the decision (in addition to the harassment) to remove all projects under consideration for investment off the table (5.2020), with these (and other) reasons described in a business plan (4.23.2021) created as part of my coursework at the Toronto Metropolitan University.

In the summer of 2022, I became aware that Sussman’s staff were attempting to broker deals with investors for several pieces of my own intellectual property (audio plays, hybrid/ VR theatre plays, interaction designs, installation plans, early business plans, pitch decks, etc), without my authorization. They demanded updates to documents taken from my computers without my consent, for discussions with potential investors, and it became clear this was intended to be in lieu of resolving the harassment settlement. When I took my website offline to prevent this, I was confronted with angry animosity, saying that I need to return to the negotiating table. The involvement of Ian Mirlin (6.2022) further exacerbated this, with increasing demands that I commit to consulting contracts with Sussman’s staff (presumably at Mirlin’s suggestion), which I continue to vehemently decline.

This also appeared to be the case when I had last taken my projects off the table (in early 2021), and conveyed this to S. Levitan. The animosity and death threats in retaliation from Sussman’s staff seem to result from an expectation on S. Levitan’s part of financial remuneration from a VC deal coming to fruition despite the ongoing misconduct, to which he had turned a blind eye. It is assumed Mirlin has a similar expectation or is similarly incentivized by Sussman.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT


“Why is your staff sending me sexual harassing messages, demanding I meet them at the Power Plant Gallery
to discuss the settlement advance I was told
was forthcoming, only to be confronted
by an exhibit that tells me I have intimacy issues? #whatthefuckiswrongwithyou (4.30.2023)



Ongoing sexual harassment has been brought to Sussman and his board’s attention since 2019: a) as issues came up daily,
b) documented in annual logs (several times), c) analyzed against criminal harassment psychographic profiles,
d) logging my responses to the harassment, and e) involving others (I. Mirlin, M. Lachemi, C. Falzon, S. Levitan). These have all fallen on deaf ears. Not only has Sussman’s staff continually embarked on a fairly consistent cyberstalking campaign (see SEXUAL HARASSMENT + THREATS (9.1.23), but they have also crossed over into stalking, on numerous occasions manipulated me into meeting them in public places, and have circumvented security in my building. Sussman continues to ignore the seriousness of this situation.

A small cross-section of the above-mentioned documentation can be viewed here:
1. SEXUAL HARASSMENT + THREATS (9.1.23)
2. 2019-20 RESPONSE LOGS
3. #COERCION (8.7.20)

REFUSALS (2019 onwards)

"I haven't Self-funded over a decade's research
and creative experimentation to have them
exploited, bastardized and white-washed
by the lazy incompetency that is
the Canadian media industry...
Your Choices are not mine."

"How Many Times do you need to hear it?
You have wasted your time.
My Time, projects and future will
never be available to you."
(4.7.22)



Early in 2022, when archiving historical family documents from my late mother’s estate, and with further university-related research, I realized that my father’s work during the founding years of the Heritage Languages Program (HLP) within theToronto primary education system (c. 1980s), might hold some historical significance and began having conversations with my brother about reconstructing the history (for ourselves). With Sussman’s staff surveilling my devices, this led to an intensifying of the harassment to construct this history for their benefit, as if this was something they could exploit. This led to more angry escalations as it was unlikely to be beneficial to them, given it’s not a Canadian success story. If anything, it highlights the failures of white societies and institutions, the stagnation of white Canadian culture, both then and now. Public anger at the social support of this program was well-documented (a stark contrast to public support for subsidizing Canadian media industries). White Canadians would vent their (near violent) anger at minority children back then, and today it would make me a target of more white violence than I currently endure from Sussman’s staff and family. Similar to many of my projects they’ve tried to control and exploit, the HLP is largely incomprehensible (at the policy and academic levels, its origins and benefits seem misunderstood), as it was designed to circumvent white institutional and public culture. Discussions of similar subject matter in white circles was deemed a faux-pas by minorities, and I remain unwilling to deviate from this (with any of my projects, interests or otherwise).

For several years (dating back to 2019), I wrote rants to provoke Sussman’s board, staff and family to leave me alone.Early in 2022 this intensified with their awareness of my father’s work and the resulting bullying. The escalations led to insulting members of his board, his staff, his wives, his business prowess, illustrating the limits of a systemically racist media industry that’s too small, white and talentless to waste my time on in any former capacity as an int’l strategist, and that the women from his board, staff and industry were only there due to their wilful promiscuity. This all fell on deaf ears and the harassment continued.

SUSSMAN’S FAMILY DYSFUNCTION (2021 onwards)
Harassing content delivered over social media can be connected back to Sussman’s sons (Scott Oliver Sussman, Jack Elliot Sussman) whose viewing and purchasing habits seem to algorithmically populate my online profiles (amazon, audible, spotify, etc) -- new born, baby, men’s and dog products, kids toys, unintellectual reading material white men are more likely to read, and similar music content – and presumably the habits of those sending harassing messages and death threats via book titles. Several ads captured are of businesses targeting people in Oshawa (where I have never been and likely will never go). As Sussman has grandchildren unlikely to reside in a condo, the geographic spread of those involved seems togo well beyond the residents/ occupants of their 208 Queens Quay West, Toronto ON M5J 2Y5 properties.

From Fall 2021 to the present, I have been increasingly inundated with an additional layer of harassment from Sussman’s sons (Scott Oliver Sussman, Jack Elliot Sussman) about stealing their inheritance, their mother’s emotional state, my school work and random things I watched or listened to, as if they were messages specifically intended for them. Somehow Wong Karwai films about Hong Kong’s transition to China, Steve McQueen films about the Windrush generation, and theatre plays (King Lear, The Death of a Salesman, Uncle Vanya, etc) inflamed them as if a commentary on their own family relationships, despite these being part of my coursework for a masters degree. The level of animosity directed at me was completely irrational. This was further amplified by Sussman’s staff (in reaction to his sons), who also inundated me with angry animosity and sometimes racist reactions to my viewing content. Over time, it became clear Sussman perpetuated the idea amongst his family, board and staff, that Sussman and I were romantically involved (despite having never met),presumably to deflect attention away from an affair with his business partner (Sara Curran) while going through a divorce.

CANCER DIAGNOSIS (2023)
From Dec 2022 onwards, I received almost daily mocking responses to breast cancer-related diagnostic imaging and pathology reports (ultrasounds, biopsies, MRIs and CT scans), which Sussman’s staff also used for further gaslighting, citing my unwillingness to work for them resulted from a clinical cancer diagnosis (4.27.23). Medical reports were taken from my computers, devices or printer, which they continue to control, and indiscriminately share my medical files (illegally obtained) with his family, staff and board, and inundate me with inappropriate comments. This has made a distressing situation even more unnecessarily uncomfortable.


PERSPECTIVE
“Elsewhere, the situation outlined here would equate to one of the many definitions of what is commonly referred to as “state-sponsored corruption.”


• In 2018/19, film and tv production spending in Canada (incl. foreign spending in the sector) was valued at $9.4billion – well above the future forecasted revenue of Bombardier in 2025 according to this article.
• In 2018/19, the $3.02 billion spent on TV production (excl. distribution, exhibition and television broadcast costs)was likely subsidized by the Canadian government.

Albeit apples-to-oranges, the comparison draws attention to the scale of government spending within an industry of roughly similar size to a multinational in a regulated field (where the behaviours outlined could not go unchecked),illuminating the absence of functional governance and mechanisms to address sexual/ harassment, cyberstalking and other inappropriate behaviours foundational to media industry culture in Canada (aka. white Canadian culture). It appears to be a norm for these inappropriate behaviours to be systemically perpetuated at all levels, including at the senior and advisory/board levels of industry and tertiary educational institutions, whose interests lie in maintaining high-profile connections to keep the historical flow of money and profile within their circles. Elsewhere, the situation outlined here would equate to one of the many definitions of what is commonly referred to as “state-sponsored corruption.”

According to the same study, the majority of Canada’s international treaty coproductions in the last decade were with theUK, France, and a small number of other European and Anglo-markets, denoting the sector’s ingrained cultural limitation and handicaps. When viewed through a global media industry lens, it is difficult to ignore the intangible cultural assets minority creators draw on and the growing markets they can access, which white Canadian creators and funders cannot.This can no longer be disputed.

While the legal implications here to Sussman, his board, staff, industry and affiliated institutions are the low hanging fruit, the intended audience for the overall outcomes are the rising minority creators/ media practitioners – to factually illuminate the need for a media industry cultural partition in Canada moving forward, as there seem to be few protections due to perpetuation of white (illegal) ingrained behaviours commonly dismissed as the norm or as insignificant. Minority creators already outperform their white counterparts (pretty much everywhere, without the same level of subsidy), due to deeper wells of history and culture they draw on (which white Canadians severely lack), and the established media institutions here have demonstrated they cannot serve.

Let's be clear.

I have never been part of the Canadian television and film industry, nor have I wanted to be. I am a new media/ multimedia artist + researcher, focused on cultures and narratives of the global south, designing interactive media. Prior to this, however, I spent over a decade in dozens of countries around the world as an international strategist + researcher in ad media -- where I can say with absolute conviction, placing a multinational’s ad dollars in white Canadian film and television programming amounts to a professional fraud. Mostly due to its irrelevance, but also its consistent underperformance with audiences. The same is true in Canada, except ad spending in such programming is government mandated.I remain unconcerned, as algorithmically determined performance indices adopted by broadcasters around the world, will likely go far in eradicating white Canadian broadcast content in geographies it doesn’t belong in. However, the current industry-cultural dysfunction is unlikely to change due to the depth of Canadian government financing across the media value chain. If this were a more market-oriented environment, these situations could not go unchecked nor could the industry remain so white for so long. It’s very clear, the only reason this situation has been perpetuated by all parties concerned for years, is that I am not white nor male. All involved assume they are immune from repercussion because the government-financed system has always enabled this for them, and there is no reason to believe this will not continue.

Sussman has maintained (and housed) numerous staff + board members in the last five years, despite his failed holding company and a handful of industry slowdowns, who without much to do, have spent a not insignificant proportion of their time harassing, stalking and cyberstalking me (and presumably others). This staffing continuity and housing, to some degree, can only be enabled by government financing in some form, as the economic environment during this period hardly justifies it. Meanwhile, in the past couple of years, Sussman has spent much of his time yacht racing in Ireland, where he entertains European film and television execs in his newly acquired hotel, with his wife who sits on the BAFTA's council.


LINKS
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