Samantha Kaine is a Jamaican-Canadian, award-winning independent film and television creative producer, mentor, and DE&I
leader committed to the advancement of emerging under-represented voices and talent. Throughout her production career of
20+ years, Samantha has successfully advocated for fair, safe, and equitable access to funding and work environments.
In 2020, she founded I.M.P.A.C.T, a national, Federally incorporated non-profit
organization to combat systemic and anti-Black racism, that serves a growing group of 100+
members across Canada.
As a board member, Samantha brings extensive expertise in championing talent,
innovation, and excellence, while advocating for proper and truthful representation on
screen. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Independent Screen
Fund (CISF) for BIPOC Creators and is actively involved in four of Telefilm’s committees:
Diversity & Inclusion Working Group, Diverse Languages Subcommittee, Authentic
Storytelling, and Industry Advisory.
Most recently, Samantha partnered with I.M.P.A.C.T members to write The Producer Pledge
that was signed by 175 production companies and raised $300,000+ that allowed BIPOC producers and creators to survive
and thrive during the COVID-19 lockdown. She has created several successful programs, including a foundational building
program in French “Empowering Black and Racialized Women” in partnership with the University of Montréal and
CBC/Radio-Canada, to help Black female-identifying university students establish themselves in Quebec’s television industry.
In 2020, Samantha started a virtual Magnify CommUNITY SUMMIT and organized a two-day, bilingual, in-person summit in
Montreal in 2022 to combat systemic racism in the Canadian audiovisual industry. She provided written recommendations
for an anti-racism action plan for the Canadian Human Rights Commission and contributed to the creation of the Canadian
Media Fund pilot program for racialized producers.
As a producer, Samantha worked on Subjects of Desire, a documentary that explores the cultural shift in North American
beauty standards toward embracing Black female aesthetics and features, while exposing the deliberate and often
dangerous portrayals of Black women in the media.
With her articulate leadership, Samantha steers complex conversations and transforms organizations by integrating inclusion
into mindsets and behaviours. She currently lives in Los Angeles where she continues building bridges for diverse talent in the
US and Canada.
