Toronto Film School President Andrew Barnsley is one of Canada’s most celebrated television producers, with an Emmy, a Golden Globe and six Canadian Screen Awards to his name. As CEO of Project 10 Productions – a Toronto- and Los Angeles-based production company – he continues to dedicate his career to sharing Canadian stories with the world by providing a space for Canadian talent to ‘be Canadian’. He currently serves as an executive producer on CBC’s Son of a Critch, CTV’s JANN, and Amazon Prime’s The Kids In The Hall, and was previously an executive producer on the CBC/PopTV hit comedy Schitt’s Creek, starring Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara.

Barnsley began his relationship with Toronto Film School (TFS) in 2016 as the school’s Executive Producer in Residence. For five years he generously provided support and thought leadership to all faculty and staff and focused his time on student mentorship and creating industry opportunities.

Since officially taking over reins as TFS’s President in July 2021, Barnsley has ushered in a new era of industry connectivity and student opportunity at the school. One of his top priorities as president of TFS has been to elevate the school’s purpose, helping students graduate with the knowledge, connections, and resiliency to thrive in the Canadian screen-based industry. With a clear vision on supporting the screen-based sector through education, he has tailored Toronto Film School's industry-focused curriculum with upcoming specialized post graduate certificates to build workforce capacity and enable diverse talent to build sustaining careers in the film and television industry.

With a track record of championing underrepresented Canadian voices, Barnsley believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion are essential to forming the Canadian cultural narrative. His most recent Canadian Screen Award win for the variety show It’s Funny that Way on CBC’s GEM, was based on the important work of the Rainbow Charity Network and showcases his commitment to building a strong human rights platform. As President of the Toronto Film School, Barnsley searches for opportunities to remove barriers and has established bursaries for students from Northern Ontario, BIPOC, and Indigenous communities.He also co-chairs TFS’s Diversity Advisory Council. 

Barnsley has spent the last 20+ years producing content across multiple genres and formats, including comedy, animation, live-action, children’s, documentary and multiple live concert specials. He has overseen more than $250M in production spending, producing award-winning Canadian television and creating thousands of jobs. He believes his dual roles as a working producer and TFS president have proven mutually beneficial to both – bringing industry to the school, and the school to industry. 

As an industry expert, Barnsley also elevates dialogue with federal and provincial political leaders, shedding light on how they can help to meet the needs of the industry. His continued efforts to establish reliable tax credits, build the right physical infrastructure, and develop a diverse workforce capacity will attract greater production volume, ensuring Canada remains a top destination for global studios.

Barnsley is a member of the Producer’s Guild of America, the Canadian Media Producers Association, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (USA) and the Academy of Canadian Film & Television. He holds an MA in Communications and Culture from Toronto Metropolitan Universities and York Universities, a BAA from Toronto Metropolitan University’s Radio and Television Arts Program and a BEd from St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick.