JOSH PIRO | CO-FOUNDER / PRODUCER
A native of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Josh began his hockey journey at just six years old when he laced up his first pair of skates. This moment set him on a path to a successful nine-year professional career in the ECHL, UHL, and SPHL, taking him across North America and Europe. During his career, he played for the farm teams of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks. He spent his final two seasons in Germany with the Herford Ice Dragons, where he led the league in scoring during the 2010/2011 campaign before retiring from the sport in 2012.
Since retiring, Josh has become deeply committed to developing talent in women’s hockey. He coached for two seasons with the Elmira College Women's Hockey Team, leading them to the NCAA National Championship game. In addition to teaching private lessons, where he has mentored one of Canada’s top women’s hockey prospects, Josh has worked alongside RUSH Hockey, a leading authority in women’s hockey development.
While hockey was always his primary focus, Josh has a passion for writing and a creative side that he put on the back burner during his career. Now retired from the game, he has turned his attention to filmmaking. Throughout his hockey journey, Josh kept a journal of his personal experiences, which inspired his upcoming show The Prospect, currently in development.
In 2018, Josh founded Uprise Productions, partnering with industry-leading professionals to create compelling stories. He is also a proud alumnus of Elmira College in Elmira, NY, where he earned a BA in Sociology and an MA in Education.
GORDON WEISKE | FOUNDER OF CANWOOD ENTERTAINMENT & PRODUCING PARTNER
Gordon Weiske is a film and television producer born in Toronto, Canada. Gordon’s first job in the film industry began in 1997 while assisting Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Robin Williams on the Academy Award winning movie, ‘Good Will Hunting’.
A career that now spans two decades, Gordon has worked on some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbuster studio productions filmed in Canada, including: X-Men, X-Men-2, How Too Lose A Guy in 10 Days, Cheaper By The Dozen, Shoot ‘Em Up, Hairspray, Repo Men, and RED. He has also worked alongside such luminaries as: Steve Martin, Jude Law, Hugh Jackman, Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, John Travolta, Charlize Theron, Gene Hackman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dennis Hopper, Queen Latiffa, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, Forest Wittaker, Lauren Bacall, and Bruce Willis.
In 2011 Gordon was asked to join the DreamWorks development team and worked alongside Steven Spielberg on the Sci-Fi television series, ‘Falling Skies’. In addition to Feature Films and Television, Gordon has produced over 50 music videos and several documentaries, most notable having his environmental film, “The Last Straw” premiere at the United Nations on World Oceans Day on June 8th, 2017.
Dedicated to supporting Canadian talent, Gordon is Cofounder of ‘Hollywood North T.O.’ now in its 8th year of operation, Hollywood North T.O. takes place during the Toronto International Film Festival and supports emerging talent (Directors, Writers, Actors and Producers) by supporting them and granting them access to red carpet events that take place during TiFF.
Always in search of exceptional entertainment projects with mass audience appeal, Gordon is Founder of the JOIN TV Network - Canada’s Premiere F.A.S.T. Channel Network (launching January 1st 2023) and continues to work as a producer for feature films, documentaries and television productions for both domestic and international audiences.
RYAN LINDSAY | FOUNDER OF KONTENT HOUSE & PRODUCING PARTNER
Ryan J. Lindsay has a true passion for all things in creative development with a focus on technology and narrative design. He is the Creator, Showrunner, Executive Producer, and Writer for the scripted comedy "The Trades," currently available on Crave. Ryan is the founder of Kontent House, an ideation and digital production company.
Throughout his career, Lindsay has developed projects for Bell,CBC and Super Channel. He works with LA VFX studio Narwhal,endeavouring to push the boundaries of virtual production forcreatives. Ryan is a proud member of WGC, Future of Film, ACMSIGGRAPH, ACTRA, and the Mé tis Nation of Ontario. He is analumnus of the Diverse Voices program at Ubisoft Film & TVdesigned for BIPOC executives and is a proud descendant of theJames Bay/Swampy Cree (Omushkego).As a technologist, Ryan holds positions on various advisory boards in both the Entertainment and Education sectors. He's shared insights on panels discussing storytelling and audience retention. Additionally, he is the co-founder and director of the Indigenous not-for-profit, Culture Capture Project. For his work with Indigenous youth, he was honoured with a Social Innovation Award by the Canadian government.
Fascinated by the convergence of film, television, and interactive mediums, Ryan is at the forefront of developing tools for upcoming filmmakers. Ryan has written under Emmy Award winner Michael Frislev(Fargo, Hell on Wheels) and has been fortunate enough to sharecreative intervals with Guillermo del Toro, David Cronenbergand Gil Keenan.
projects in development
The Prospect
Killer Ballerinas
Killer Ballerinas
Worn-out pro hockey player Casey Greysen quits the game and returns to his
hometown where he struggles with personal and family challenges, until a chance to mentor his niece and become a coach inspires him with a renewed sense of purpose and a chance to shape the future of the sport he once loved.
Killer Ballerinas
Killer Ballerinas
Killer Ballerinas
On the outskirts of Medellín, a disorganized group of thugs kidnap people for ransom. When their big-city counterpart instructs them to target higher profile individuals, the thugs believe they hit the jackpot when they kidnap a young ballerina and her boyfriend. Their demands are the wages of everyone at the school, along with the savings of the student's families... but they fucked with the wrong ballet school.
Champagne
The Last Stuntman
The Last Stuntman
A bottle of champagne is recovered and could be the oldest ever -- from the days of Dom Perignon. With opening the bottle being the only way to carbon date the liquid, a modern-day conflict between corporate and preservation will decide the bottle's fate. We jump back in time to the creation of champagne by Dom Perignon and his monks, to the first shipment to King Louis XIV. En route to court, the bottles are stolen, and most are consumed or destroyed. From there, we follow the surviving bottles as they appear throughout history over the next three hundred years.
The Last Stuntman
The Last Stuntman
The Last Stuntman
Set in the not-too-distant future, a veteran stuntman is a dying breed in a changing industry that is streamlined by automation and greed.