We don’t mean to brag, but…
AMI is a member in good standing of the “Talent Agents and Managers Association of Canada” (TAMAC) the governing body of Canada’s professional Talent Agents and Managers.
AMI focuses on principal talent for film, television, live theatre, voice-over and animation. Today AMI is one of Canada’s most respected and sought after agencies with partners in Vancouver, New York, London and Los Angeles. AMI’s clients are working in front of the Camera, behind the Microphone or on the Stage throughout the world. Allow us to introduce: our talent agents!
Shari has had a successful career in the entertainment industry for over 25 years. Originally from Montreal, Shari moved to Toronto to attend University and graduated with an Honours BFA in Inter-related arts where she studied Theatre, Film & Television. While in University, Shari established a theatre troupe for young people. Following the success of her programs, Shari became the choir director for “Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” starring Donny Osmond. Her ability to pick out the stars in her program led her to running the youth department at “The Talent Group”. After her Talent Group days, Shari opened her own agency in 1999. Wanting a more diverse agency, Shari collaborated with Noelle Jenkinson to rebrand the agency as AMI Artist Management Inc.
Shari has distinguished herself as one of Canada’s most respected agents representing talent in Film, Television and Live Theatre. Her clients work regularly in Toronto, Vancouver, Los Angeles & New York and everywhere in between. She is a regular contributor to the media as well as serving as a panelist and on committees for both ACTRA & EQUITY. Shari also adjudicates emerging talent at conferences, showcases, schools and independent programs across North America.
Shari is a mother to 3 children & 2 dogs. She loves Broadway Musicals, Bewitched, Snoopy, Shopping and all things chocolate.
1936 Lana Turner is discovered by “Hollywood Reporter” publisher William R. Wilkerson sipping a soda at the Top Hat café. The way sweaters are worn is changed for a generation …
What did Noëlle Jenkinson have to do with this landmark discovery? Well, nothing really. But when it comes to recognizing and breaking new talent, Noëlle is without peer. She can detect potential talent through the squawk box at the drive through and coax a performance from a coma victim.
Noëlle knows all the important things about the production community. She’s a graduate of the Ryerson University’s Radio & Television Arts program and holds a Certificate in Entertainment Law from Osgoode Hall Law School, but most importantly she can mix a manhattan faster than the cast of Mad Men. Having spent time on the talent payment side of things, she knows her agreements and her twenty-five plus years as a voice agent have given her the ears of an engineer, the savvy of a Apple Exec and the patience of a saint … Except when you talk during the commercials. Then it gets ugly.
Phil has been an Agent / Manager in Toronto for over 25 Years and with AMI since 2004. A B.F.A. Drama major graduate of Montreal’s Concordia University’s theatre department he has had the privilege of representing some of Canada’s finest performers.
An avid sports enthusiast Phil was an early member of the Toronto Film and Video Softball League and is still a competitive racquetball player and recreational golfer.
Phil along with Gemini award winning actor Judah Katz are cofounders of the “Big Swing” charity golf tournament in support of the Actors Fund of Canada, a charity that AMI proudly supports.
Stephanie has always had a love for the arts. Performing for years as a dancer and Rhythmic Gymnast, she eventually found her way behind the scenes. Stephanie has had a successful career in the entertainment industry for the past 15 years. While still studying at University, she began her career as a Stage Manager for Theatre and Dance. After graduating Ryerson University with a BFA in Theatre Production, she continued to thrive as a sought after Stage Manager in the city.
After international tours and many award winning productions later, she started looking for opportunities to continue to hone her management skills within the industry.
Stephanie dabbled in Producing and Production Coordinating for a couple of short films before joining AMI in 2010. Her performing, production and agency experience makes her a well-rounded agent who understands the business from all angles.
Tim is a man of few words. This made getting him to write his bio rather challenging. His first offering was this: “Tim is a man of few words”. See what we mean? After much arm twisting, sweet talking, bribing, and eventually just plain shouting we managed this:
Tim joined AMI in 2010 and is the in-house sound engineer slash voice director slash video dude slash general tech lover slash fixer-of-things slash … that is probably more than enough slashes.
He is also Noelle’s right hand person and doting assistant.
Tim moved to Canada in 2009 and is sorta French, sorta Belgian and sorta (mostly) a Brit. Basically, a socialist wine and beer drinking, chip eating, bloody nice chap. And he does it all with not so much as a hint of an accent. Interests include any tech, cricket, football, coding and early 19th century German philosophy. A renaissance man.
Born in Montreal, Ari has been drawn to the bright lights of Toronto ever since her parents took her to her first ever musical The Lion King at the Princess of Wales Theatre at 6 years old. Before her Pilgrimage to the six, Ari worked on and off stage at various theater companies in Montreal before moving to Ottawa for University. There she earned her Licentiate in Law (Civil Law) and her Juris Doctor (Common Law). After graduation she finally made it to Toronto where she was called to the bar while earning a Diploma with Honors from Humber College for Arts Administration and Cultural Management. During this time she interned at Canadian Actor’s Equity and worked briefly as counsel at North Peel and Dufferin Community Legal Services representing clients and attending hearings for those who had been denied Ontario Disability. Ari also founded a program in 2015 called Senior Summerworks in Montreal where she brings Musical Theatre to the Senior Community through original parody musicals. Though she no longer runs the program in person, she continues on by writing a new parody for them every year.
After all this Ari was finally willing to leave the safety bubble of being a student and landed a job working as an Executive Assistant on Broadway’s Paradise Square. For this role she was lucky enough to travel to both Chicago and New York City with the show. Once the show opened on Broadway Ari made the transition to AMI where she has been ever since. She currently pulls double duty as Shari’s assistant and as a Junior Talent agent growing her own roster. She is beyond grateful to be where she is now and you can still occasionally catch her on stage as a member of Nightwood’s annual Lawyer Show!
Gracie, or “G” as she’s known in the biz, was a founding member of AMI. Prior to joining AMI, Miss G did a brief stint in voice-casting and as an associate at a production management company. AMI was a natural “next step” in the 9 ½ lb Yorkie-huahua’s career.
Whether greeting clients in reception, seeking treats on the second floor or helping out in the studio, G was a big presence at AMI, and had a reputation as the “hardest working dog in showbiz.”