(ESIO, Edmonton, AB.) The Board of Directors of the Edmonton Screen Industries Office (ESIO) is delighted to announce the appointment of Josh Miller as its inaugural CEO. Josh began his tenure on December 11, 2017.

The international search, conducted by the Vogel Group, connected the ESIO to hundreds of leaders in the film, television and interactive digital media industries. Throughout the process, Josh Miller was identified by many luminaries in the sector as the person with the experience, vision and courage to lead this new Office into its future.

The ESIO is committed to becoming a national and international centre for media production excellence, which means more than being a destination to shoot movies. The scope of ambition for the ESIO includes working with the screen industries sector to: explore innovations and the future of the industries on multiple platforms; facilitate local content production; own intellectual property; seek out markets and distribution avenues for that content and attract a range of projects that Edmonton’s talent pool can support.  “It was critical to us to find a leader who understands the full breadth of integrated screen industry potential in Edmonton,” explained ESIO Chair Carman McNary. “Josh is the person who can support this ambition. He’s got the experience, credentials and enthusiasm that we need.”

Miller is an award-winning writer/producer. Following a successful TV writing career in Hollywood, he became Director of Development for Superchannel, then a partner at Minds Eye Entertainment, before finally establishing his own Canadian independent film and TV production company.

He has a BA in English and Drama from the University of Alberta, an MFA in Film Production from New York University and was a Screenwriting Fellow at the American Film Institute Center for Advanced Film Studies in Los Angeles. Miller has earned dozens of awards for his work both as a writer and a producer, but is most proud to have received the Alex Barris Mentorship Award from the Writers Guild of Canada in recognition of his commitment to mentoring emerging writers. (Full biography attached).

“In this exciting new role, I see myself applying this depth of experience to enabling others’ success. My focus will be to assist Edmonton companies and entrepreneurs involved in the development and production of screen media to attract financing, increase sales, grow their businesses, create more jobs, expand infrastructure and achieve sustainability,” said Miller. “We have extraordinary talent and creativity in this market, in both traditional film and television production and in emerging digital media and game development. We need to share it with the world and reap the economic benefits of their success.”

“Our extensive research unearthed nation-wide excitement about, and respect for, Josh — and we are glad that he has agreed to lead this new enterprise. It’s time for Edmonton’s screen media developers and producers to get the business results they deserve,” concluded McNary.

For further information, please contact:
Josh Miller, CEO, (780) 420-2990
Edmontonscreenindustries.com/
[email protected]

Carman R. McNary, Q.C., Board Chair, ESIO
(780) 423-7236/ [email protected]