Supporting every role

Christian worked in the film industry as a camera assistant until 2006 and then served as regional affairs director for IATSE Local 667 until 2020. Throughout that time, he devoted himself to improving the social and economic conditions of the Local's members.

He has represented IATSE on the general council of the Fédération des travailleurs du Québec (FTQ) for several years. He is a worthy spokesperson for workers in all sectors of the industry, as evidenced by his work on various boards of directors, including the Bureau de cinéma et de télévision du Québec and the Institut de l'image et du son (INIS). He led the IATSE 667 group in the negotiations on the merger agreement with AQTIS and poured all his energy into making the merger a reality. Christian is the first president of the new AQTIS 514 IATSE.

In a 25-year career as a professional editor, Claude Collins has worked on documentary series, magazines, reality TV, commercials, music videos, short films, and public affairs and youth programming. He also possesses solid professional expertise in motion capture.

Claude is the representative of the AQTIS 514 IATSE Editing Department and a founder of the Monteurs à l’affiche Film Festival.

Isabelle has been working in the film industry since 1998. She started out as an apprentice camera operator on Louis Bélanger's first film, Post Mortem. In the course of her wide-ranging career, she has learned about all facets of the camera department. Her experience includes commercials, feature films, Quebec and American TV series, and Imax 3D virtual reality projects. She is particularly proud to have worked on Denys Arcand's Barbarian Invasions, which won an Oscar. She loves to travel and has worked on three Imax (65 mm and digital) projects in Iceland, Argentina and Florida. Isabelle serves as Vice-President, Camera Department, in the new organization.

Francesca has been working in the industry as a continuity supervisor for 22 years. She began her career on the set as a video assistant. She has worked on such productions as Borderline, À l'origine d'un cri, Dans une galaxie près de chez vous, Nos étés, Lâcher prise and Discussions avec mes parents. She has also directed art videos and documentaries. During her career as a script supervisor, she has served as a script consultant and sat on numerous juries. She has given many training sessions, workshops and talks about the industry and her work. She is committed to social progress and has been involved with nongovernmental and political organizations on free trade and social justice issues for years, working with labour organizations throughout the Americas and later as a union adviser with the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) for two years. In all those roles, she acted according to her convictions, defended the cultural sector and those working in it, and advocated for social justice, equity and democracy. Her union involvement began with the Syndicat des techniciens et techniciennes du cinéma et de la vidéo du Québec (STCVQ), where she was a member of the board of directors. At AQTIS, she has been a member of the continuity committee for several years, has been on the board of directors for the past four years, and is currently the AQTIS 514 IATSE representative on the Québec Cinéma professional representation committee. She also has eight years of governance experience and training with PRIM, an artist-run centre.

Bernard has long experience in the business, beginning with his early experience as a technician, which gave him an opportunity to work on a dream project: travelling across America for a documentary series. He then moved on to the control room (logistics), where he worked on drama and advertising projects, and then became a grip and rigger on large-scale productions. He worked his way up through the ranks in the stagecraft department and was key grip for 10 years. He has been a member of AQTIS 514 IATSE since their inception and quickly became involved in the union. He was elected stage steward and helped develop the IATSE 514 membership criteria for grips and riggers. A strong advocate for technicians' working conditions, particularly off-set, he was hired by AQTIS in 2017 as a labour relations advisor. Between November 2019 and December 2020, he served as acting head of labour relations. Those positions gave him extensive experience in the application of collective agreements. Bernard has been involved in all stages of past and current negotiations (with AQPM, APP, negotiation of working conditions for AQTIS employees, and several specific agreements). His broad career in labour relations ranges from pre-bargaining meetings and preparing demands to sitting at the bargaining table with producers and mobilizing members on the ground. In the new organization, he holds the position of Vice-President, Post-production.

Dominic has worked for 27 years in television studios in picture control. His extensive experience embraces programs of all kinds, including Watatatow, La Voix, Star Académie, three Olympic Games, Céline à Vegas and a Stanley Cup final. He has been active in organizations since his youth, starting with school clubs and moving on to organizations such as the Caisse Desjardins and his children's school. He was a member of the Association des professionnels de la vidéo du Québec (APVQ). He then became involved in AQTIS as an election officer, sat on the pensions committee, and served as chair of the board of directors for 18 months. 

José began his career in the industry in 1998 on the show Un gars, une fille as a lighting technician. His career path includes positions as production assistant, grip, assistant camera LV[JD1] and first camera assistant. He has worked on some projects for a few days and on others for an entire series. Over the years, he has worked on dramas, documentaries, reality TV, and American films. His wide-ranging experience includes stints as cameraman and cinematographer since 2003. He now works on documentary series, magazine productions and variety shows. José has been a member of the AQTIS board of directors for 10 years and is currently treasurer of L’AQTIS 514 IATSE.

Nicolas's career in the camera department began in 1985, working as an intern on Hold-Up. Before making the jump to cameras, he was in the set design department, where he worked on the film Le Matou and other productions. Hestarted his camera career as second assistant to the great Yves Drapeau, and several years later, in 1988, became first assistant. He has some hundred projects to his credit, including Scoop 1, Dallas Buyers Club, Brooklyn and The United States vs. Billie Holiday. His career has taken him to film projects across Canada and in a dozen other countries, giving him a first-hand look at working conditions in other parts of the world. Seeing the differences in working conditions prompted him to become active in the union in order to improve conditions here. Nicolas was involved in the Syndicat des techniciens et techniciennes du cinéma et de la vidéo du Québec (STCVQ) and all its successor organizations since 1984. He has been a member of IATSE 667 since 1987 and served on its board of directors for nine years.

Colleen began her career in the makeup department on Quebec film productions such as Lance et compte, Scoop and Fortier. She has also worked on a number of American films, including The Aviator, Xmen, Lucky Number Slevin and Chaos Walking. Her many collaborative projects have earned her two Iris (formerly Jutra) Awards, a Gemini Award, a Canadian Screen Award and a number of other nominations, including one for the Primetime Emmy Awards. Her career in the film and television industry has not been confined to Quebec and the United States: the talented globetrotter has worked with film crews in over twenty countries across Europe, Asia and North Africa. In addition to being a founding member of IATSE 514, she has been a member of AQTIS for over thirty years.

Catherine began her career in the camera department in 1999, working first as an apprentice and then as second camera assistant on a number of outstanding Quebec projects. Through hard work and perseverance, she became first camera assistant in 2010. Because of her commitment to improving the working conditions of technicians, she became an AQTIS director in 2012, in addition to being union representative for the camera department. She was responsible for establishing the green sets and women's solidarity committees. She was actively involved in negotiations with the Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM). Catherine also sat at the bargaining table for the merger of AQTIS and IATSE 667 and 514. Catherine is energetic by nature and often described as an epicurean; she enjoys the finer things in life and practices her profession with passion and dedication.

Michel has had a distinguished career and is one of the most respected editors in the Canadian film industry. He began as an assistant in the mid-1970s and went on to work on numerous award-winning films with renowned directors such as Jean-Claude Lauzon, Gilles Carle, Pierre Falardeau and Léa Pool. Michel has won three Canadian Screen Awards (formerly the Genies) for Best Editing for the films Un Zoo la nuit, Léolo and Maurice Richard, and a Gemini Award for Best Editing for Lance et compte 2. He has also been nominated for several Canadian Screen Awards and Iris Awards (formerly the Jutra awards). In addition to shining on the Quebec and Canadian scenes, he has made a name for himself internationally as editor of The 6th Day and the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. He is an engaged artist and a founding member of the Comité des treize, an independent group of editors whose mission is to promote networking among its members and restore the profession to its former status. Always concerned about the conditions in which he and his peers practice their craft, Michel has served on the board of directors of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television (ACCT), and since 2008 on the board of directors of the organization.

Daniel Matthews has more than 30 years of experience in film and TV. He started out as a production driver and worked his way up to transport and logistics coordinator. He has worked on wide variety of projects, including Hollywood blockbusters, Netflix originals and various TV programs.

Daniel was elected Vice-President of IATSE local 514 in 2016 and became President in 2017. He was on the bargaining committee that worked out the merger between IATSE locals 514 and 667 and AQTIS.

He is currently a director and member of the executive of AQTIS 514 IATSE.

Daniel still works in film. His experience enables him to help the board stay abreast of realities on the ground and take the pulse of the industry on a regular basis.

With more than 20 years of experience in the film industry, Pierre-Olivier Chénard started as a base camp operator to now hold the position of transport coordinator. During his career, he has worked on more than forty film productions. He joined the AQTIS 514 IATSE executive committee with the intention to participate in the evolution of a prosperous future for film industry in Montreal.

Sandrine is a skilled and enthusiastic manager with a background in organizational development and nearly 20 years of experience in management and communications. Before joining AQTIS, IATSE local 514 as Executive Director, Sandrine served at a number of prominent organizations. She was Vice-President and Executive Director of Infopresse for more than 10 years and then led the Jeune Chambre de commerce de Montréal (JCCM) for several years, earning a reputation for her ability to communicate her vision and motivate her staff. Previously, she worked at Bombardier Inc. and Edelman. 
Sandrine is a civic-spirited executive who sits on several boards of directors, including the Space for Life Foundation.

A seasoned professional and manager, Corina has nearly twenty years of experience in management and finance. During her career, she has served as accountant and controller, and in a variety of management positions in Europe. Since joining AQTIS in 2009, she has taken on ever-greater responsibilities and challenges within the organization. Accounting and payroll, budget tracking, finance and contract operations and administration are under her direction. Always attentive to the needs of her colleagues, Corina takes the well-being of all the people on her team to heart. She is a manager with a sharp, logical mind but also a human touch. Corina has been leading the finance and administration departments for more than seven years, and with the birth of the new organization she is now responsible for standardizing accounting practices, operations, payroll systems and contracts for AQTIS 514 IATSE.

Before serving in a number of key management positions, Marie-Josée worked as a columnist, journalist, designer, host and producer for both television and the print press. Her resumé includes projects for TVA, Évasion, TV5, Musimax, La Presse, ICI, Canoë and VOIR, to name just a few. After launching a commercial publishing segment for a marketing agency, she became more deeply involved in the world of publishing. Recognized as one of the first persons in Quebec to exploit the potential of branded content, she has contributed directly to the conceptualization, design and implementation of a number of successful projects. She developed and wrote the publications REZO and XPLORE before joining Sid Lee, where she worked as director of content and development for the Jimmy Lee digital production subsidiary. Libtv, Canada's first multi-platform channel, was her brainchild. She then moved on to a leading telecom, TELUS, first serving as director of the “Generation INC.” program and then as director of development for the TELUS Venture Capital subsidiary, where she set up a health channel project and its ecosystem. Subsequently, she moved into tech as communications and marketing director for Alithya, a major private digital technology consulting firm. Prior to joining us, Marie-Josée managed communications, marketing and public relations for the Corus group’s four French-language television channels: Séries Plus, Historia, Télétoon and La chaîne Disney. 

When she joined AQTIS in March 2013 as a temporary replacement for a few weeks, Catherine did not suspect it would turn into a career. Acting executive secretary, member services officer and team leader are just a few of the positions she has held in the organization. Her career path has afforded her an understanding of the role of each person on her team, leading to her appointment as Director, Member Services and Information Technology, in 2018. Catherine has always been involved in the organization’s major projects, including the implementation of online payment on the website, production and distribution of the Association’s weekly newsletter Hebdo-AQTIS, establishment of the departmental representative structure, revision of membership criteria, and integration of the technician hiring system.

A manager at heart and now in fact, Catherine thrives on challenges in which teamwork is an essential ingredient. She will play a leading role in harmonizing member services and IT processes in the wake of the AQTIS-IATSE merger, and she will be coordinating the work of the job evaluation committee set up following the 2019 negotiations with the Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM).

Diplômé de droit à l’Université de Montréal et membre du Barreau du Québec depuis 2010, Me Lafleur a rejoint les rangs de l’AQTIS 514 IATSE après un parcours de dix ans en tant qu'avocat plaideur, tout autant en cabinet privé qu’au sein de différents contentieux.

À ce titre, il a été appelé à représenter des clientèles variées aussi bien devant les instances relatives au droit du travail que devant les tribunaux de droit commun.
Au fil de ces années, est demeurée une seule constante, celle d’avoir toujours œuvré pour et au bénéfice des travailleurs et des travailleuses.

Désormais dans un nouveau rôle, les intérêts des membres restent au cœur de ses préoccupations !