President
Lowenbe Holdings

Jan entered the entertainment industry as an actor and clown.  Her theatre company, Small Change, toured internationally for 8 years and became a Canadian cultural calling card.  Moving into film and television, Jan was instrumental in starting Canada’s first film school, the National Screen Institute and serving as its Executive Director for 6 years. During this time Jan designed and introduced the NSI’s Features First, Drama Prize, the Local Exposure amateur video contest and Movie Camp for teens.  She also founded and ran the Local Heroes International Screen Festival for 13 years. With her move to Halifax in 1997, Jan joined forces with the Atlantic Film Festival Association to research and design Strategic Partners, Canada's premier international co-production market.  With Jan as director, SP celebrated its eleventh anniversary in 2008. From 1999-01, Jan was VP, Development for imX Communications responsible for moving forward numerous features, television and animation projects including the children’s animation series for CBC, Crafty Cow.  In 2003 Jan also designed and presented Telefilm Canada’s first SPARK PLUG training program for mid-level diverse television producers of drama and comedy.

Over the past 15 years, Jan has developed and honed one of the top Pitching and Project Development Workshops in the world.  She’s presented her workshops coast to coast in Canada - at the Toronto International Film Festival, Hot Docs, the Banff Television Festival, the Atlantic Film Festival, as well as for most of Canada’s provincial agencies and major training facilities.  Internationally she’s presented from Spain’s MediMart to South Africa’s Sithengi, Australia’s AIDC to China’s GZDoc, Mexico’s Guadalajara Film Festival to Cannes to Cuba. A contributor to the Bell New Media Fund Handbook, The Producer’s Guide, Jan is interviewed and quoted in industry and national publications on a regular basis.

Jan has won numerous awards for her achievements including ITV's Woman of Vision Award and WIFT-Toronto's first Chrystal Award for Excellence in Training/Professional Development. She served 3 years on the Atlantic Film Festival Board, 9 years on the Canadian Conference of the Arts Board including 2 years as national president, served on the inaugural Cultural Human Resources Council Board, the CFCN Production Fund Board for 5 years, the Shaw Broadcast Fund Board and presently sits on the CFTPA Mentorship Committee and First Weekend Club Advisory Committee.