Board Members

As a “recovering lawyer”, Bill has been active in the entertainment business for over 30 years as a concert promoter, theatre producer, onetime venue manager (the Vogue), and president of Vancouver’s venerable Theatre Under the Stars (2000 – 2002).

He owns and runs Famous Artists Ltd., a Vancouver-based production company that takes its name (with founder Hugh Pickett’s blessing) from one of the city’s legendary promotion companies. Under Bill’s direction, Famous Artists Ltd. has brought, among others, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, The Nylons and Will Millar (of the Irish Rovers) to stages in B.C.  The company was also the proud presenter of Ruth Nichol & Jeff Hyslop in the touring production of A.R. Gurney’s classic play, “Love Letters” and the Christmas musical, Mrs. Claus’ Kitchen as well as the Western Canadian premiere of Bad Jews, the comedy The SantaLand Diaries, and a successful remounting of the musical The Last Five Years.

Additionally, Bill has created and executive-produced two specialty cable television series (seen in Canada, Australia, and the US). As a writer, Bill has written or co-authored eight feature screenplays, as well as two series pilots, two musicals, and co-authored the sold-out 2019 hit Alice: A Murder Mystery for the Vancouver Police Museum. With a background in history, Bill is a natural fit for the Hall of Fame board – his love of Vancouver’s cultural scene spans its entirety from the classic to the contemporary.

Rob Haynes retired from his position as the Vice President of DMG World Media some years ago but continues to give much of his time to the arts & entertainment community of BC. His background is varied and most interesting, as he has worn many hats in the entertainment and consumer show industry.

Rob started as a performer on stage and television which led to producing special events and spectaculars for the Olympics; World Expo – Yokohama, Japan; Consumer Shows in London, England and World Meet involving over 76 countries. He founded one of the first talent and theatrical agencies in Western Canada which has given him a reputation for firm but fair amicable negotiations.

Rob is past Chair of the Vancouver Civic Theatres Board and now sits as Commissioner Emeritus, Vancouver Civic Theatres Board.  He is also President of the Buena Vista Apartment Ltd.  His past positions have included Chair, Grants Board, Palm Beach Cultural Council; Executive, Palm Beach Cultural Council; Vice Chair, Professional Show Managers Association (NYC) and Vice Chair, West, Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.

Elizabeth is a producer, director and arts advocate. A graduate of the Vancouver Playhouse Internship Program, she founded Carousel Theatre Company and School and served as Managing Artistic Director and Co-founder of The Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island. She was Vice-Chair of the Vancouver Civic Theatres Board for over a decade and Co-Artistic Producer for the Orpheum Theatre 75th Anniversary Celebration. She is on the Board of Studio 58 Theatre School and the Mavor Moore Theatre. She taught at The University of British Columbia for many years and served on the National Executive of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres for almost a decade. She was awarded the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame ‘star’ on Granville Street, the Granville Island Award for Outstanding Contributions, the Vancouver Theatre Alliance Lifetime Achievement Award and the ‘Medallion’ Award by the Children’s Theatre Foundation of America. During her three terms on Vancouver City Council, Elizabeth was a major champion for the arts. Her work made many cultural events possible including the successful Juno Awards and the Vancouver125 Festival.

Lynn Ross is an impact-driven leader with 25 years of experience working in the arts and culture sector. She is the executive director of PAL Vancouver/PAL Studio Theatre, a unique complex that provides longstanding members of Metro Vancouver’s performing arts professions with affordable housing in a vibrant and creative community setting.

Her previous positions include Cultural Planner, City of Vancouver; General Manager, Creative City Network of Canada; and General Manager, Western Canada, SOCAN, where she spent 18 years advocating for the fair remuneration of musical works and the rights of creators. Lynn holds an MBA, Social Enterprise Leadership and is a graduate of the University of Toronto, the University of Fredericton, and BCIT. She is currently an advisor to the Music Policy Forum (USA) and Canadian Live Music Association.

Since 2000, Howard has helped raise just south of 1 billion dollars for philanthropic organizations across Canada. Howard serves on many philanthropic Boards including Past President of Variety BC, Co-Chair North West 911 Organization, Vice President BC Entertainment Hall of Fame, Zajac Foundation, Vancouver Aquarium Ocean Wise, Odd Squad Production Society and the Mob Museum in Las Vegas.

Howard is the recipient of the Governor General Sovereign Medal for Volunteers, The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal, BC Community Achievement Medal, The Paul Harris Fellowship, and awards from Variety, Canadian Gaming Association, and many Jewish Organizations.

Howard is a producer and creator in the Film & Entertainment sector and CEO of Point Blank Entertainment

Christina is a graduate of UBC’s Sauder School of Business and has a background in legal administration and is currently a Licensed Realtor. As a former talent and locations agent, as well as having spent significant time on the set of many movies and TV shows, she has a keen understanding of the entertainment industry.

Ms. Potter is a working member of the Board of Directors with the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame working with media, communications, and photography, as well as participating in many of the annual inductions. Christina is also a former Board Advisor of the Canadian Entertainment Hall of Fame.

Born and raised in beautiful BC, Christina currently lives in the lower mainland

Rebecca built her first website in 1997 and she has been blogging about life in BC since 2004 on Miss604.com. Over the last 20 years, Miss604.com has become the most award-winning blog in Western Canada with over 20 local awards, a national award from Notable.ca, and an international media award from Variety – The Children’s Charity.

Rebecca has co-authored 2 books (Blogging to Drive Business 2010, 2012), is a Technical Editor for Wiley Publishing, and covers BC events and the arts extensively on Miss604.com. She also serves Stanley Park Ecology Society as Secretary of the Board of Directors and Marketing Committee Chair, and is a columnist for Megaphone Magazine.

Patrick earned his Bachelor of Laws from the University of British Columbia, 1990 (Doctor of Jurisprudence). Patrick’s practice focuses on advising clients about structuring and completing many kinds of business transactions, contracts and mergers and acquisitions. He is often involved as counsel on corporate reorganizations and the establishment of holding structures and trusts. Pat is Owen Bird Law Corporation’s Personal Property Security Act expert. He has sat on the boards of both private and public companies and has active business interests. Pat serves on several charitable boards and is active in the community.

He is a songwriter and guitarist and has released four albums with various bands.   He is on the board of the Society which hosts the annual Lawyer Battle of the Bar Bands charity fundraiser at the Commodore Ballroom and, with his law band “The Disclaimers” has won the battle four times.

Tom Carter has made his mark not only in Vancouver’s professional music scene but in our heritage scene as well. As the owner and manager of MagicLab, a studio that recorded BC legends Long John Baldry, Gary Fjellgaard, and countless others, Tom has also worked with BC Entertainment Hall of Fame inductees Tom Harrison, Fran Dowie, Lance Harrison, Alberta Slim, Ra McGuire, and many others. As well as production and engineering Tom has played piano and Hammond B3 on over 50 albums.

In the realm of BC Entertainment preservation, Tom has worked ceaselessly to preserve Vancouver theatre and nightclub history in a very “hands-on” and practical way – buying, preserving and warehousing much of the original Pantages theatre (1908), as well as significant artifacts and ephemera of many other venues (including the second Pantages (Beacon)(1917), second Orpheum (1913 Sullivan & Considine), Palomar, Cave, etc.). As well, Tom has recorded interviews with pioneers from all these venues and acquired their papers and personal archives where possible.

Tom brings to the board a love of Vancouver’s entertainment history, not only in the decades he was actually in it, but of the hundred years prior!

Doug Cameron is a true entertainer with a career as an actor, singer, musician, and comedic entertainer. Doug is considered one of the last true “vaudevillians,” creating numerous characters while playing the musical saw. These characters have been requested by many around the world. He has performed his comedic acts and the British Music Hall in the United States, Japan, and throughout Canada. As a working actor, Doug’s film, television, and stage credits are many due to his versatility. His passion for entertaining and dedication to give back to the community has led him to volunteer for numerous charities in British Columbia including the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame.

Sonny is a social and marketing entrepreneur with a diversity of business interests and projects that span marketing/media, live programs and events, sustainability, arts and culture, film and television, creativity, and social innovation. He is president and creative director of Hamazaki Wong Marketing Group, an award-winning multicultural marketing-communications agency. Sonny is also co-founder and producer of both the LEO AWARDS (BC’s annual awards program for the film and television industry) and FEAST (Metro-Vancouver’s Asian Dining Festival having celebrated its second year). He is a committed community steward with a long record of community engagement.

Among his activities are serving on the board of trustees of the Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Foundation of BC, Pacific Council Member of OMNI Television, chair of the Board of Change Society, trustee of the Daryl Duke Foundation, and member of the Chinatown Legacy Stewardship Group where he leads the Culture & Heritage committee. He is Immediate Past Chair of the community advisory board of Seattle-based KCTS 9 and was a founding member of the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival, serving as its General Manager for over a decade. Sonny is also a published writer and thought leader having had pieces published in Adweek, Business in Vancouver, Huffington Post, and Strategy. He was also an Adjunct Professor at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Sonny has been recognized as one of Business in Vancouver’s 40 Under 40. He has a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Marketing from UBC.

Merv can neither sing or dance but loves Arts and Culture. He served as chair of the Arts and Culture grant adjudication sub-committee and as chair of the West Vancouver Community Grants Committee. 

He is currently the Chair of the Aegis Peace Fund (UK) and also served as a social enterprise trustee of a chain of recycled fashion stores in the East Midlands. 

He was the former Regional President for the Canadian Red Cross, as well as a technical advisor for sustainability and social impact projects in West Africa. 

He is involved in food technology companies, is the founder and president of NEX Industries Corp and a former YPO member. He is engaged in civic issues, believes in the vibrancy of our communities, is passionate about Roman history and the future of a sustainable world.‎  

Fiona, who is best known for her many years hosting “The Rush”, loves her work. “I get to meet so many interesting people and hear their stories. I’ve lost count, but I think I’ve interviewed over 25,000 people in the last 20 years!”

Fiona has interviewed A-listers to Prime Ministers, rock stars to astrophysicists and is a proud pop culture fanatic perhaps best described by Hollywood guru Larry Moss who called her a woman with “chutzpah who reminds me of Lucille Ball”.

In addition to “The Rush”, Fiona has also hosted several other shows including the “Fiona Forbes Show”, “Fiona Talks”, “Daytime” on Rogers, “Automotive Morning” on Slice, “Onstage” on JoyTV and CityTV’s Breakfast Television. She has appeared as a guest on Marilyn Denis, CBC Newsworld, Global News, CBC Radio & honed her newsroom skills at CKNW News Talk 980 as a regular contributor and fill-in host. 

While Fiona loves her work, she also has a passion for supporting many charities with her talents. Some organizations close to her heart are CKNW Kids’s Fund, Pink Shirt Day, Looking Glass Foundation, Canucks Autism Network and BC Cancer Foundation.

Fiona is currently residing in her hometown of Vancouver with her smiling dog Chewbacca.