Christina Jennings

One of the media industry’s most accomplished producers, Christina Jennings founded Shaftesbury in 1987 as a feature film company, producing such acclaimed titles as Camilla, starring Jessica Tandy and Bridget Fonda, and Long Life, Happiness and Prosperity, starring Sandra Oh. Since then, Jennings has evolved Shaftesbury into a diversified, global business with offices in Toronto and Los Angeles, spanning the production of scripted drama, kids and digital content sold in 120 countries worldwide.

Shaftesbury is known for its innovative international co-production, financing and distribution partnerships, as well as award-winning storytelling. Shaftesbury’s current slate includes 10 seasons of Murdoch Mysteries for CBC, UKTV and ITV; David Shore's Houdini & Doyle, for Corus Entertainment, Fox, ITV and Sony; thriller series Slasher for NBCUniversal’s Chiller; and hit Kids’ CBC series The Moblees.

With a view to evolving media consumption habits and the impact of technology on traditional media, Jennings acquired groundbreaking digital studio Smokebomb Entertainment in 2008, which produces convergent experiences for television and original projects, including branded entertainment. Smokebomb was named Playback’s Digital Producer of the Year in 2015.

In June 2014, Shaftesbury and Smokebomb launched shift2, an innovative agency that helps brands harness the power of video content on YouTube and explore their millennial voice using scripted series and social media to drive measurable results. With 50 million views and counting on the company's KindaTV channel, which is the largest scripted YouTube channel for millennials in Canada, branded entertainment projects include the hit U by Kotex®-funded drama series Carmilla and mystery series V Morgan Is Dead, brought to life by RBC.

Jennings is a graduate of the Canadian Film Centre and serves as Chair of the Centre’s Board of Directors. Named to Maclean’s Power List of Canada’s 50 Most Powerful People, Jennings was recognized as Playback’s Producer of the Decade in 2010 and was honored with the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television’s prestigious Academy Achievement Award at the 26th Annual Gemini Awards. Jennings was a finalist in the 2011 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards and received the PROFIT Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship at RBC’s Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Awards in 2008 and the Innovative Producer Award at the 2009 Banff World Television Festival.