Our Team

FOUNDER

An alumni of the Second City Theatre in Toronto, some of Naomi’s TV/Film credits include: CBC’s comedy, Mr. D, Designated Survivor, Pretty Hard Cases, Carter, Disney Zombies, Work It on Netflix, and BBC/YTV’s Popularity Papers. Cartoons: Franklin the Turtle, Thomas the Tank Engine, Building Brothers, Open Season and Zombies. She co-created: Doing it With Brian and Darla and The Casting Room on CBC (LA WebFest and CCA winner). Winner of the CCA Award for Best Female Improviser and founding member of the five-time CCA winning The National Theatre of the World. Naomi is a producer, founder and host of our podcast and community!

HEAD OF PODCAST PRODUCTIONS/ACTIONEER

Paulina Carranza-Renteria is an emerging Mexican filmmaker with experience as a producer, director, screenwriter, and production designer. With a background in journalism, education, marketing, theatrical productions and filmmaking, Paulina has dedicated her resources to telling honest stories about the immigrant experience and the intricacies of human connection, about creative folks who “broke the mold” but remain invisible in mainstream media. Her first Canadian projects, currently in different stages of post-production, explore these issues in detail.

HEAD OF MENTORSHIP DEPARTMENT/ACTIONEER

Veronica is an Actioneer, leads the #FirecrackerMentorshipDept, and facilitates the yearly #FirecrackerArtistsWay programme.  She has been a core member since October, 2018.  Veronica has a business/personal/creativity coaching  and  human resources consulting company in the Greater Toronto area, with clients in Canada and the US.  

Veronica mentors HR practitioners through programmes at the Human Resources Professionals Association and provides career guidance and coaching through the McMaster Alumni Association.

Veronica was a volunteer literacy tutor for over 10 years and volunteers at the Festival of Threads Exhibition. 

HEAD PODCAST EDITOR

Jennifer grew up in Richmond Hill, Ontario, and studied media production at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) with a specialty in audio production. She works as a technician and associate producer at the CBC and does freelance sound recording and editing. In her spare time she plays the tuba in a community band and volunteers with an environmental conservation group.

ASSISTANT PODCAST EDITOR

Sarra Gillani is an audio artist and on-air personality based in Toronto, Ontario. If it involves a mic and a few too many hours of editing, Sarra’s into it! Most of all, they value storytelling and uplifting the voices of underrepresented communities.

ASSISTANT PODCAST PRODUCER

Still jet-lagged from the last time she time-traveled, searching for the thread to tie it all together -- on a good day, it’s a story; on a bad day, it’s a theory. Click the heels and salsa dance back to the present, with systems to keep things running in the meantime ("there's a spreadsheet for that!").

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Aislinn Paul is an actor and filmmaker. After years in front of the camera, she’s expanding into cinematography and production, bringing a thoughtful eye to life behind the lens. She’s also exploring new creative ground in graphic design and UX, driven by a curiosity about how stories take shape across different mediums.

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Angela is a dancer, choreographer, actor, improvisor, writer, entrepreneur and mom! It's a good thing she looks great in hats because she wears a lot of them.

After starting her family, she felt isolated from the local artistic community. But then along came Firecracker. Firecracker Department is the community that she was always dreaming of. And she is so proud to be a part of it.

HEAD OF COMEDY, TORONTO

Steph is a Toronto girl and now lives a couple hours north of the city with her hubby and two girls. She's active, social and fun - and loves to share a good story or five.

NEWSLETTER EDITOR

Lara Tai is a Toronto actor, writer, and producer seen in campaigns for Amazon Prime, Domino’s, TVO, and Canadian Cancer Society. She starred in VICE’s The Darkside of Reality and performs musical improv across Canada, US and UK. A George Brown alum and CMPA mentee, she worked on TIFF’s Café Daughter and CBC’s Diggstown behind the scenes.

SHORT FORM VIDEO EDITOR

Hey, I’m Mahek - filmmaker, podcast producer, and content creator. I’ve worked across film sets, editing timelines, and social platforms, usually wearing a few hats at once. I love stories that feel honest, content that actually lands, and figuring things out as I go (which is most of the time, to be honest).

CO-PRODUCER, COMEDY CAFE CALGARY

Susan Serrao is a mixed-race, Guyanese-Canadian actor, comedian and writer who produces her own work including "got milf? Sketch Comedy Special", "Completely Off Topic, With Susan Serrao" and "Love Stuck". Susan performs improv, stand up and sketch across Canada . Her YouTube channel (Susan Serrao Sketch N Stuff) has over 4.2M views and 15K subscribers. Have a laugh with Susan @iamsusanserrao.

CALGARY CHAPTER HEAD

Cory Mack is a veteran Canadian comedian known for her “Yes, let’s do that” spirit and decades of laughter across the country. She’s appeared at Just for Laughs, CBC’s The Debaters, and recorded a Comedy Now special. From theatres to virtual shows, rooftops to wedding receptions, Cory brings the laughs—most recently with her album Guv’nr of Giv’nr on Howl & Roar Records.

CO-PRODUCER, COMEDY CAFE CALGARY

Founder of Bull Skit Comedy, Jenna Goldade has been a driving force in Red Deer's improv scene for over 16 years, producing more than 450 shows and directing countless family-friendly performances. She’s performed with top improv groups including Loose Moose, Kinkonauts, Rapid Fire, and internationally at festivals in Seattle, Switzerland, and Chicago. Jenna is also part of the all-female sketch group Mouthpiece, and wears many hats as a performer, director, producer, writer, proud mom, and wife.

FIRECRACKER FILM FEST VANCOUVER COORDINATOR

Billboard charting Recording Artist and actor Jody Quine started as an improviser at Loose Moose Theatre in Calgary under Keith Johnstone & Dennis Cahill. An alum of Second City Toronto, and Vancouver Film School, Quine is repped by Trisko Talent, and currently studies acting with teachers such as Marjorie Ballentine, Larry Moss, Terry Knickerbocker, John Cassini, Andrew Mcllroy, & Jeb Beach. After a world wide record deal with BMG in the early aughts, Quine continues to make music and is now a Grammy voting member, and sits on the Governing Board for the PNW Chapter of The Recording Academy.

FIRECRACKER FILM FEST VANCOUVER CURATOR, FORMER ACTIONEER

Liesl is a Jessie award-winning director, and a nominated writer, producer and dramaturg. She facilitates Scriptwriting Workshops, Story Editing Services and a Writer’s Accountability Room. For the Firecrackers, she co-created the Comedy Film Igniter with Canadian Film Fest and The Writers Lab Canada Script Intensive with NYC founders. Liesl is a writer and producer for Bagged, a Bell Fibe Series.

FD AUCTION LEAD 2025

Leslie describes herself as a rookie Firecracker, filled with a ridiculous amount of motivation and grit as she dives into this amazing new chapter of my career. After 22 years in Education, she’s now focusing on her passion for writing, with a short film on its festival run and a published children's book on the go... And she’s just getting started.