The Board of Directors of Manitoba Film & Sound Recording Development Corporation (d.b.a. Manitoba Film & Music) is pleased to announce the appointment of Lynne Skromeda as Chief Executive Officer and Manitoba Film Commissioner effective August 8, 2023.
The appointment was made after an extensive nation-wide search conducted by Odgers Berndtson, a Toronto based executive search firm, together with the Board of Manitoba Film & Music. Odgers Berndtson, with its offices across Canada, has specific CEO recruitment experience in the film industry and the arts and culture sector.
Skromeda is currently the Executive Director of the Winnipeg Folk Festival with over a decade of leadership in the role where she oversees both the upcoming summer festival and its year-round initiatives. In addition to her extensive involvement in the music industry, Skromeda spent 13 years in film and TV, mainly at Winnipeg- and Toronto-based Frantic Films, in several roles as a senior executive, producer and ultimately, President of Production, helping to build the foundation for the company’s award-winning success.
“I am thrilled to bring together my passion for both film and music in taking on this exciting role. I look forward to working in collaboration with the community and helping to grow the industries so we can bring more Manitoban stories and songs to life and more production to our province,” said Skromeda.
Skromeda is a graduate of the Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba and has a long history of volunteerism, having served on the boards of Green Action Centre, Manitobans for the Arts, the West End Cultural Centre, On Screen Manitoba, the Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art and the inaugural TEDxWinnipeg. She currently serves on the boards of the RBC Winnipeg Convention Centre, Canadian Live Music Association, Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce and Imagine Canada.
“We congratulate Lynne on her appointment,” said board chair, Gary Senft. “We look forward to seeing her bring her special skill set, passion and leadership to the table as we continue the work to make the Manitoba film and music industries thrive and grow to reach their potentials.”
The August start date will allow Skromeda to complete her work on this year’s summer Folk Festival, helping to ensure its success. This has been made possible in part due to the continuing hard work of Manitoba Film and Music’s interim CEO and Film Commissioner Rod Bruinooge. The board wishes to thank him and the staff for their hard work in advancing the purposes of Manitoba Film & Music over this period and for the continuing support.