Canada’s Shaw Rocket Fund has added industry veteran and former CBC exec Gave Lindo (pictured) to its board of directors. 

Lindo, who is currently serving as the head of content programming for TikTok in North America, is based in Toronto and officially joined the nonprofit’s board on January 17. He has a varied skill set ranging from creative strategy to media law, and also has a deep understanding of the Canadian media landscape. Prior to joining TikTok in 2020, Lindo spent more than two years working as an executive director of OTT programming at CBC, where he oversaw CBC Kids and spearheaded the launch of streaming service CBC Gem. 

It’s a key appointment for the Rocket Fund, a leading funding body that has invested more than US$281 million to support Canadian productions aimed at young audiences.

Buoyed by Lindo’s versatile experience, the board’s top priority now is to navigate ongoing changes in the kids media sector, such as the new funding framework that the CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) plans to implement over the next two years. 

“We need to ensure kids have access to Canadian-made content on the platforms where they consume media,” says Rocket Fund President and CEO Agnes Augustin. “Gave brings his experience in digital platforms [at CBC and TikTok], along with his business experience, to our board and will be instrumental during this time of change.”

To efficiently tackle these challenges, the Rocket Fund is also bolstering its own team. After 12 years with the org, Becki Brisson has been elevated from manager of business affairs to VP of business affairs and operations. She will now oversee day-to-day operations on top of her existing remit. 

Mica Taiah has also come aboard as a content analyst, with responsibility to analyze creative and business affairs in support of applications and program investments. Taiah was a digital content creator at Discovery Kids LatAm for three years before briefly segueing into a digital producer for kids & family content role at Warner Bros. Discovery following the 2022 merger. She then interned at Shaw Rocket Fund as part of her postgraduate studies in Children’s Media at Centennial College.