Download a spreadsheet of the Current Members List Here.

Find a Visual Researcher

Use the Alphabet bellow to locate your VRSC Researcher by their Last Name. Or you can also use the Filter Search below to find a VRSC Researcher by Project Type, Research Type, Subject Area and Language.

 


  
142 Visual Researchers
Isabella Cairess Favaro
City Toronto

Project Type All Project Types, Documentary, Feature Films, Industrials, Dramatic Television, Factual Series, Publishing, Advertising, Museum Exhibitions, Web Content
Research Type Visuals Stills, Visuals Footage, Licensing, Project Management
Subject Areas History World, History Canadian, History American, History European, History Military, Politics And Current Affairs, Food, Biography, Geography, Human Rights, Science And Environment, Popular Culture, Arts And Culture, Nature, Music, Architecture And Interior Design, Social Studies, Health And Medicine, Business And Law, Sports, First Nations Issues, Agriculture
Languages English, French, Italian

About My Work Isabella works as both a documentary & program Producer/Director for TV and online - as well as a visual archive researcher/producer. Most recent work in 2015: Archive Producer on 20 x 30 minute series. Managing a team of visual researchers & close to a half-million dollar budget on archives. Specialized in "viral video" licensing: writing contracts, agreements, liasing with lawyers, performers, clip/IP owners negotiating rights & terms from world-wide sources known & unknown. Archive research / licensing for multiple of genres: documentaries, commercials, television programs, film. Detailed tracking, efficient, economical. Driven to assist in telling a good story and work diligently on any project. Understanding of your needs for quality research that works within budgetary constraints AND gets you through your E&O with no questions asked!
Gina Cali
City Toronto

Project Type All Project Types, Documentary, Feature Films
Research Type All Types, Visuals Stills, Visuals Footage, Licensing
Subject Areas Geography, Science And Environment, Nature, Health And Medicine, Agriculture
Languages English

About My Work The jewel in my professional crown has been working with the internationally acclaimed Science and Nature series, The Nature of Things, hosted by environmentalist Dr. David Suzuki. Over the past 30 years I have provided exceptional footage on some of the finest science and nature documentaries in both Canada and Europe. I love the work that I do, and I bring that enthusiasm to every project! I have a rich cache of established sources that consistently give me discounted licence fees. I have built long standing relationships with wildlife cinematographers around the globe whereby I now have trusted agreements with them to shoot stock footage on spec along with access to numerous private natural history footage collections.
Lea Carlson
City Toronto
Project Type All Formats
Research Type Visuals Stills, Visuals Footage
Subject Areas History World, History Canadian, History American, History European, Popular Culture, Arts Culture, Architecture, Social Studies
Languages English
About My Work I have been working as a costume and production designer in the film industry for 30 years. Research and presentation is a really big part of the job that I have been doing and I am interested in finding a way to translate the skills that I have over to visual research as it is a part of the job that I have always really enjoyed. I am a good and tenacious digger, whether it is visual reference or actual set or costume items. I have a good inclination towards what works for storytelling as well as years of experience dealing with collaborators, both creatively as well as logistically. I have dealt with permissions/clearances as they pertain to product placement in narrative film but the world of rights and licensing agreements is something that I would need to learn about. I have a BFA in theatre design from Concordia University and am currently completing an MFA in film production at York University.
Sonja Carr
City Hamiton

Project Type All Formats
Research Type Visuals Stills, Visuals Footage, Licensing, Project Management, Editorial Research
Subject Areas History World, History Canadian, History American, History European, History Military, Politics Current Affairs, Food, Biography, Geography, Human Rights, Science Environment, Popular Culture, Arts Culture, Nature, Music, Architecture, Social Studies, Health Medicine, Business Law, First Nations Issues, Agriculture
Languages English

About My Work I am an award-winning Visual Researcher and Archive Producer with over 20 years experience working on documentaries. I am especially experienced in using visuals well to tell a story. I find creative solutions for visual challenges. This includes negotiating licensing of visual material from footage archives, filmmakers, photographers, small collections and individuals around the world; advising directors and business managers on budgets for stock and archive visuals and the proper use of “fair dealing”; and once production is complete, providing a detailed final Rights Report.
Anne Castelain
City Montreal

Project Type Documentary, Feature Films, Dramatic Television, Museum Exhibitions
Research Type Visuals Stills, Visuals Footage, Talent Clearances, Licensing, Editorial Research
Subject Areas History World, History Canadian, History American, History European, History Military, Biography, Geography, Science Environment, Arts Culture, Nature, Social Studies
Languages English, French

About My Work Website | annecastelain.com I’m working as a researcher since 2017. I have got the opportunity to fulfill my first contract on the famous French TV serie Apocalypse. Since then, I’ve worked with several Quebec-based companies on a variety of subjects such as new technologies or sociology. My main interests of research are in documentary as a format, with a strong historical focus. Recently, I worked on a beautiful historical documentary with Nemesis films (to be broadcast by CBC-Radio-Canada in fall 2024) and completed two collaborations with the NFB. I also have a degree in fine arts and I studied art history for 7 years. Finally, as director and project manager (3 years at Quebec Cinema, Montreal), I’m a creative and really pro-active person with a wide knowledge in all technical and operational areas of film-making.
Ari Castillo
City Toronto

Project Type Documentary, Factual Series
Research Type Visuals Stills, Visuals Footage, Licensing
Subject Areas History World, History Canadian, History Military, Biography, Geography, Arts And Culture, Nature
Languages English, Spanish

Ana Paula Castillo Mendez
City Winnipeg

Project Type All Formats, Documentary, Feature Films, Web Content
Research Type Visuals Stills, Visuals Footage, Music Clearances, Licensing, Project Management
Subject Areas History World, History Canadian, History American, History European, Politics Current Affairs, Food, Biography, Geography, Human Rights, Popular Culture, Arts Culture, Music, Social Studies, Health Medicine, Sports, First Nations Issues
Languages English, French, Spanish, Italian, Other

About My Work I have worked as an archives researcher since 2017. I have extensive experience in Indigenous and Latin American archives. I am fluent in English, French, Spanish and Italian. I also have limited working proficiency in Hungarian. Please see the CV for a list of my latest work.
Bianca Cervantes
City Vancouver

Project Type Documentary, Feature Films, Dramatic Television, Factual Series
Research Type All Types
Subject Areas History World, Biography, Popular Culture, Music, Sports
Languages English

About My Work I’m a highly experienced Archive Producer specializing in documentary and factual entertainment. I love to hunt for rare, never-before-seen archive and enjoy being a big part of bringing a story to life with amazing visuals right from the story outline stage through to delivery. I’m extremely organized and skilled at navigating tricky licensing and clearance issues and negotiating the best rates possible rates with a variety of licensors big and small. Throughout my career I have built great relationships with numerous licensors of premium content. The slate of projects I’ve worked on include Network Entertainment’s “I Am” docu-series (Spike TV/Paramount Network/CW Network). Titles include: I Am Steve McQueen, I Am Bruce Lee, I Am Heath Ledger, I Am MLK Jr, I Am Patrick Swayze and I Am Alfred Hitchcock to name a few. I have also researched and licensed content for several music docs and series including Johnny Cash: American Rebel (CMT), Anne Murray Full Circle (CBC), PUNK (EPIX), and Women Who Rock (EPIX). In 2022 I worked on Sidney (Apple TV+) which won the FOCAL Award for “Best Use of Footage in an Arts & Entertainment Production.” As Senior Archive Producer at Network Entertainment I also manage the Archive Department. I’m responsible for hiring, training new staff and managing archive budgets and processes across several projects.
Erin Chisholm
City Toronto

Project Type Documentary, Feature Films, Factual Series
Research Type Visuals Stills, Visuals Footage, Music Clearances
Subject Areas History Military, Politics And Current Affairs, Biography, Human Rights, Popular Culture, Nature
Languages English

Michael Chong
City Toronto

Project Type Documentary, Factual Series
Research Type All Types, Editorial Research
Subject Areas History Canadian, History American, History European, History Military, Politics And Current Affairs, Food, Human Rights, Popular Culture, Arts And Culture, Nature, Crime, Architecture And Interior Design, Social Studies, Health And Medicine, Business And Law
Languages English

About My Work Finding that one little thing, you cannot do without. Anything and everything especially inexpensively.
Cassie Clancy
City TORONTO
Subject Areas Food, Biography, Nature, Crime, Music, Sports
About My Work I got my start in television as a Researcher/Associate Producer. Only a few years in, I had the chance to work as a Visual Researcher, and I realized how much I loved it and wanted to pursue that path. I became familiar with the process of Archive Producing, and was able to produce my own episode. I am a strong researcher due to my background in production, and I thrive in organization - making Legal Logs, Cost Reports and Cue Sheets a breeze.
Jocelyne Clarke
City Montreal

Project Type Documentary, Factual Series, Web Content
Research Type Visuals Stills, Visuals Footage, Music Clearances, Licensing, Project Management, Editorial Research
Subject Areas History World, History Canadian, History American, History European, Politics And Current Affairs, Food, Biography, Geography, Human Rights, Popular Culture, Arts And Culture, Music, Social Studies, First Nations Issues
Languages English, French

About My Work I have been a researcher since the early 90's, primarily in documentary, in a wide range of subject areas, both for outside producers and my own films. I have not only specialized in research, but have also been a director and producer of films, an analyst for funding agencies, and editor, teacher and film-programmer - all areas in which research skills and knowledge of the quality of research play crucial roles. A considerable amount of my research-focused work has been in First Nations issues and history, including both editorial content and archival research (visual as well as documentary). Other subject areas I have explored in my freelance research work include bio-technology, rare diseases, whistleblowers, Canadian military in the North, art history, storytelling from a historical and global perspective, modern dystopias, North-South relations, aging, Alzheimer's disease, homelessness and poverty.
João Vitor Corrêa
City Vancouver

Project Type All Formats
Research Type All Types
Subject Areas History World, History Canadian, History American, History European, Politics Current Affairs, Biography, Human Rights, Science Environment, Popular Culture, Arts Culture, Nature, Crime, Music, Social Studies, Health Medicine
Languages English, Spanish, Other

About My Work João is a Brazilian-Canadian filmmaker whose work spans both fiction and documentary, driven by a passion for telling stories that amplify marginalized communities. His projects have earned international recognition across major broadcasters, streaming platforms, and digital media. João was selected for the prestigious Documentary Organization of Canada’s Breakthrough Program (BC), preparing him for the 2024 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival market. He also received a 2024 Canadian Screen Award nomination for his work as a lead archive producer on Black Life: Untold Stories (CBC/Gem). In addition to his documentary projects, João is currently developing his first narrative feature film, Just Like Heaven, a coming-of-age story exploring the transformative power of music and friendship.