MORE about the hosts:
JONO HUNTER
Jono Hunter is a director, writer, and performer. He is particularly known for his versatile, comedic storytelling. Building on his training at Second City, The Upright Citizens Brigade, and Humber College, he launched into his career of directing commercials and films, earning him approving nods from festivals like Cannes (where he won a Bronze Lion and a Young Director Award), Just for Laughs: Eat My Shorts, The Buffalo International Film Festival, Dances with Films, ImagineNATIVE, and the Academy Award-qualifying ANIMATOR festival in Poznań. His film, Modern Classic, even won Best First Feature at the 2017 Canadian Film Festival!
Jono has worked with Canadian Sweethearts Vance Banzo and Tim Blair on a web series pilot “Late Time with Banzo and Blair” that premiered as a live script read at the 2023 Toronto Sketch Fest. Currently, he is directing and producing Hot Globe, a climate-focused web series starring Miguel Rivas, and Season 2 of his award-winning animated series, Night Drives, has been making waves in festivals worldwide.
ADEEL SHAMSI
Adeel Shamsi is an award winning Writer/Director based out of Toronto, Canada. He started his career by making music videos for artists in his family and close friends as a way to maintain his love for cinema on the side while still working a full time job. Over time however, he realized he couldn’t ignore his passion and decided to quit his job and take up directing full time. Since then, he’s gone on to make various ads for major brands as well as short films that have received some positive recognition. His range of style has allowed him to work on various TV spots (including a 2023 Super Bowl Ad) and has also taken him to countries such as Turkey and Kenya to shoot important, cinematic documentaries.