CURRENTLY supported by:
© 2024 JANINE RAMLOCHAN. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Issues were raised regularly with Sussman directly but nothing was addressed, leading to further animosity, threats and later death threats in subsequent years, which also fell on deaf ears.
“1. Cunt” and “Shut the fuck up” are abusive behaviour in the workplace…
by contrast my (relatively infrequent) verbosity are well-timed insults. There’s a difference… legally" (7.6.2019).
2020
8.6.2020 / consequences are real
I cannot be more unequivocal about this. If you don't like what I have to say, you should walk away and stop wasting everyone's time and resources. I'm not the one creating a toxic environment nor am I responsible for correcting it. Placating me with romantic overtones is creepy — you're all geriatric old men. You're equally unqualified to counsel me on DIY mental health diagnoses, marketing strategies, tech tools and weight loss. I don't want to hear any of it. You have never had any control over your people, culture or finances and I can no longer afford to subsidize lost opportunity costs because you suck up a ridiculous amount of my energy and attention. You need to walk away now.
8.5.2020 / consequences are real
Remember Charlie Hebdo? I realize it's completely lost on the West why that happened… despite a decade of warning signs you all remain oblivious to. White people think the world is their oyster, yet as soon as they leave theWest, they become the stupidest people on the face of the earth. Freedom of speech is only something available toyou in the West. The rest of the world is politely tolerant, but even so, there are limits. I'm sure if you bombarded an employee with messages 24/7 you'd eventually have an employee come see you with nefarious intentions resulting in your imminent satisfactory painful end.
Clearly I need to state the obvious. I do not work for you. I am not in a relationship with you. I'm busy with things you're not aware of and is none of your business. I do not owe you anything. I dare you to say the things you're saying in real communication… but you're just a bunch of useless girls with shrivelled up balls.My personal media channels are not yours to demand my attention 24/7. I use them to communicate with real people, for research, to get stuff done. If you need constant attention, go see your mother or your ex-wife.
#jenesuispascharlie
“2. Biology of genitalia and mating/ reproduction habits of animals — whether they be dolphins, elephants, llamas or humans — are inappropriate discussion… and also have legal implications
when conveyed with layered meaning/ intent
directed at someone else." (7.6.2019).
7.28.2020 / Stop
You need to realize you have demonstrably nothing to offer me. In 3 years we've never even had a conversation about the entertainment industry, law or finance, you've chosen to mansplain basic strategy to me instead (an int’l strategist) in a manner that requires me to invest hours of my time reading business books (before I realize it's completely irrelevant) and you somehow expect me to drop everything I'm doing to develop projects that would normally require retaining a management consulting firm with a hefty price tag. When I don't I'm bombarded with messages about how there's something wrong with me and I can overcome my problems. When I do give you the benefit of the enormous doubt, you're incapable of even having a coherent discussion about anything I've put forward. Instead your team continues to bombard me with inappropriate messages and you refuse to address harassment and abusive behaviour that your board continuously sponsors. I get it. It's a white industry, with a casting couch culture that's been swimming in its own shit for so long, it can't smell the difference. But I can, nothing smells good here and I no longer want to be a part of this.
There have been three plans on the table (Jul 2019, Apr 2020, Jun 2020), all of which you demanded, which have been ignored (w/an attempt to throw token resources at the last one). If you were real business people, you would be able to discuss the merits of the plan and how it does/doesn't addresses the market needs, how much of a risk/reward the business model could be and different approaches to putting a team together for it. It's now pretty clear, you nor anyone you're involved with has this ability. You're clearly not business people at all. If you were, you wouldn't be bombarding me with junk and white-trash judgements, nor communicating with me in a manner that eerily resembles an approach to getting women to join your harem or Al-Qaeda.
7.2.2020 / police report
I will never work for you nor accept any investment money from you or anyone I think might be even remotely connected to you. I regret ever meeting you and everyone involved with you. I have pulled down all of my social media accounts over a month ago to get away from the harassment and stalking that you and your board sponsor…yet it continues, every holiday, weekend, throughout the week, every week. I spent the last two months planning a test, which I now have to also pull down because of the same harassment… all of the effort wasted. Your time and attention has become burdensome, demonstrably lacks in value to anyone but yourself, is more exploitive than you seem to realize and has become a sustained form of abusive behaviour that is directly sanctioned by your board.This is not the first time I have brought this to your attention. I will begin to explore tracking options in addition to the lists and correspondence I have already compiled over the past year for the purpose of filing a police report.
Mid-Jun 2020
If I have to destroy my public profile — deleting all my social media that encompasses 10 years of my art practice— to get away from your dumbass sidekick, I promise you'll regret it. Your board better pray I never find out who they are. You need to stop contacting me.
“3. Any suggestion that you will reduce my compensation is a threat,
and has legal implications due to the conditions
created by your prior behaviour." (7.6.2019).
6.8.2020
You’ve lost your privilege to communicate with me on social media. If you need to send me a message, your sidekick can cut letters from a newspaper, glue them to paper and send via snail mail. I completely understand you need to give him something to do. I assure you, this approach will accomplish the same goal.
I realize you’re part of a community who’ve spent that last 50 years throwing money at each other based on little more than white skin, well aspirated, untested mediocre ideas. That’s not the world the rest of us live in. What you want can’t be done, not by me, not this year. I shouldn’t have to tell you that. If acquisitions are your business, you should be able to look at this and know what you’re asking for requires a team. I’m not willing to volunteer my time and exploit my friends in the name of my project to create a structure that solely serves your ambitions.
Not only are you surrounded by people who continually harass me and waste my time… but I question whether you’re surrounded by anyone who knows how to do anything.
5.2020
I'm pretty sure I said your sidekick can't be involved with my project. Your poor choices are not mine.It doesn't even matter 'cause this isn't even a real conversation, now is it? You don't even seem to realize how unethical this process is. Who even does this?
If you're going on vacation (or to the ICU), don't send him to harass and pressure me and pretend it's you. That just makes you both assholes #again.
I can't participate in this anymore.
I have other things to do.
My time is my own.
Can't do this anymore.
This all ends now.
#clarity.
5.17.2020
We’ve reached a stalemate in this process.
1. I refuse to continue to be pressured into considering ill-conceived, not well-thought through ideas put forward every two weeks, that once I put energy into seriously responding to, are never again discussed. I’m still figuring out the idea proposed a month ago (that requires reading a pile of books)
2. I refuse to further clarify the concept surrounding my project, simply because I don’t trust you, your board or your idiot sidekick. There’s no basis for further trust here.
3. I refuse to lure other companies to be acquired by a group that is demonstrably unapologetically unethical.Ethical business people don’t conduct themselves or communicate in this way. It would be a source of embarrassment to admit I participated in this non-dialogue for so long.
4. I don’t care if everyone believes I am a failure (such hypocrisy), not willing to try, or if your board thinks I’m CEO ready or not. All of you spent six years sitting on your ass in school. After the career I’ve had, I feel entitled to the same.
5. Most have more pressing things to consider at the moment than your unfulfilled media ambitions. It’s selfish and inappropriate for you and your idiot sidekick to demand this dialogue be a daily priority in my life right now.
4.2020
I have invested seven years in a tailwind project… completely self-funded. Six weeks ago it became a gale force wind. I would be the stupidest business person on the face of the earth to walk away from my project to what… help digitally transform your now ailing industry? Oh, and work for/ with people I can't even feign respect for#nothankyou
I am not obligated to fix everyone else's problems #despitepopularopinion
“4. Aside from your mother, wife, priest/ rabbi or therapist,
no one has to care how entitled you feel, nor cater to your narcissistic needs. No one is obligated to perpetuate
the nebulous fog you’ve created for yourself." (7.6.2019).
2019
[conveyed on multiple occasions, but I only documented the first two times]
10.21.2019 (previously 6.4.2019)
As I conveyed previously, my therapist helped me craft the following, as I think it is necessary to explain:
“The ways we’ve been interacting thus far exacerbates cognitive distortions linked to my specific diagnoses. The lack of clarity creates a nebulous-ness that amplifies my symptoms and further elicits rumination tendencies. I spin things in my mind for days when I can’t solve something and ruminate about it in my sleep. For months now, he has been saying that I need to shut down these vague online conversations or move them offline, because they are hindering, rather than helping my mental health.”
8.7.2019
This is an untenable situation. I’ve been pretty gracious considering. It’s unclear why these individuals are even allowed to continue to contact me, and why the discourse is getting weirder.
[The following was to confront the broader group about the misogynistic and racist behaviours that were directed at me, notably that their CEO was comparing me to the woman he was currently sleeping with, saying I should try to be more like her.]
8.6.2019
I still consider myself relatively green, however, I’m pretty aware that I rec’d the best training in my field — across Canada and Japan. When I opted-out of the business over a decade ago, I was visibly at the top of my game [..] So, when you parade some blonde that you feel I should be more like or aspire to (and you all keep doing this), who’s a decade younger (part of a generation with demonstrably weaker work ethic), a fraction of the experience, questionable training and no real achievements, with an image specifically constructed to undermine their own credibility — it’s quite frankly insulting. More importantly, it begs the question, has it even occurred to you people that white skin isn’t actually a real qualification… for anything??
“5. I don’t care about your philosophy on life
or marital relationships… also inappropriate in a recruiting situation. Tell it to an intern." (7.6.2019).
[The following I was asked to write to the harasser, so Peter could better understand what was happening and better manage the situation. Nothing came of it other than more animosity]
7.6.2019 / Patterns of engagement
1. “Cunt” and “Shut the fuck up” are abusive behaviour in the workplace… by contrast my (relatively infrequent) verbosity are well-timed insults. There’s a difference… legally.
2. Biology of genitalia and mating/ reproduction habits of animals — whether they be dolphins, elephants, llamas or humans — are inappropriate discussion… and also have legal implications when conveyed with layered meaning/intent directed at someone else.
3. Any suggestion that you will reduce my compensation is a threat, and has legal implications due to the conditions created by your prior behaviour.
4. Aside from your mother, wife, priest/ rabbi or therapist, no one has to care how entitled you feel, nor cater to your narcissistic needs. No one is obligated to perpetuate the nebulous fog you’ve created for yourself.
5. I don’t care about your philosophy on life or marital relationships… also inappropriate in a recruiting situation. Tell it to an intern.
6. I am still waiting for a dialogue to emerge about the business itself… and yet this hasn’t manifested in over six months. Any effort on my part to move the conversation in this direction has been met by resistance and animosity (see the behavioural pattern in #1-4).
All of the above were just as true this past week as they were in April. Prioritizing the potential value of ideas, individuals who develop ideas or shareholder value at the expense of individuals’ human rights is not something that I would tolerate, even if it’s the company and industry norm. Again, you may want to think about whether I’m the right fit…
[The first instance I formally brought the harassment by Kew Media CEO, Steven Silver, to Peter’s attention]
6.23.2019 / *Discretion*
Wasn’t sure if this was all in my head… my therapist wasn’t sure either, so he had me write down some of my observations in April… patterns rose to the surface. To begin with, it was mostly attempts at gaslighting and subtle ways to make me feel uncomfortable, but later he began saying things that exacerbate/ test my trauma boundaries. I feel like he tries to use my diagnosis/ symptoms against me. Recently, there have been veiled threats when he gets angry.I realize you feel his are isolated errors but they feel all intentional/ manipulative to me. While I appreciate that you want to be fair to him, this comes solely at my expense. I’ve experienced these patterns before… it’s unlikely to get better. Working with/ for him poses too much of a risk for me. Nothing is worth this. I need to shut down these communication channels. I expect once you share this with him, there will be a increasing barrage of nasty messages.
6.21.2019
I did not create this toxic situation… the onus shouldn’t be on me to fix it. But clearly no one on your end sees it asan issue to solve — beyond carrots and pacifiers. I think we’re now at least three months past giving you the benefit of the doubt. Based on how you’ve conducted yourselves, I’m pretty sure, yours is an industry I wouldn’t enjoy being a part of. [In response, was sent a mocking cartoon of someone dangling carrots in front of horses.]
[conveyed on multiple occasions, but I only documented the first two times]
6.4.2019 (& later 10.21.2019)
My therapist helped me craft the following, as I think it is necessary to explain:
“The ways we’ve been interacting thus far exacerbates cognitive distortions linked to my specific diagnoses. The lack of clarity creates a nebulous-ness that amplifies my symptoms and further elicits rumination tendencies. I spin things in my mind for days when I can’t solve something and ruminate about it in my sleep. For months now, he[my therapist] has been saying that I need to shut down these vague online conversations or move them offline, because they are hindering, rather than helping my mental health."
A stalled harassment settlement has been in negotiation, however, I need assistance compiling evidence and devising a legal case. I am willing to offer a percentage of the settlement amount for a human rights lawyer, investigative journalist and tech team willing to invest the time to research the issue upfront. Additional bonusing is on offer if systemic change is garnered (throughout the university system, the media industry value chains, government organizations and funding bodies).
The settlement amount is, in my view, fairly substantial and has grown steadily in discussion each year the harassment has not ceased. As Sussman has always been a Canadian government-financed TV media industry exec (and subsequent billionaire), I see this case offering a bottomless pit of legal fees and cutting-edge legal case studies – in areas of Canadian (state-sponsored) media, spyware, privacy, harassment and cyberstalking, intertwined with racial and gender discrimination.
Here is how I view approaching this:
1. A legal assessment of Sussman’s conduct as a prominent Canadian media industry executive, board chair of a Canadian public holding company (recently defunct), and an advisor for The Creative School programs and faculty at the Toronto Metropolitan University.
2. A legal assessment of Sussman’s current and former board, their conduct vs. obligations on this issue, history of financial (and other) scandals and failed companies. This holds relevance due to how heavily government subsidized Canadian media industries are (across every level of the media industry value chain). It may also be worthwhile to dig into individual board member’s personal financial dealings, to add more granularity to their profiles and culture.
3. An assessment of personal liability each board member should incur (across Sussman’s companies) and anybroader legal repercussions/ penalties for perpetuating misconduct for such a duration, including the possibility ofcriminal charges.
4. A legal assessment of Charles Falzon’s role (Dean, The Creative School), his conduct vs. ethical obligations to theToronto Metropolitan University students amid harassment concerns, his dismissal of the issues, and how thisinfluences the broader community as a feeder institution to multiple media verticals, and its ecosystem of creativestartups.
5. An assessment of Steve Levitan’s role (contract lecturer, The Creative School) relative to unethical conduct,exploiting student-professor trust for personal profit, and being the institutional conduit between the TorontoMetropolitan University and illegal Canadian television industry practices – abusive, exploitative behaviour,intellectual property theft, posing as an unauthorized broker of work not for sale (all things Sussman, his boardand staff have perpetuated).
6. An investigation into the financial transactional history between Sussman (including his companies and their affiliates), and Charles Falzon, Steve Levitan and Ian Mirlin over the last six years, to determine where priorities align and allegiances prevail.
7. A cultural assessment of Sussman’s organizations, individual staff and board members. There is evidence to suggest the group is predominantly Jewish, a significant proportion are apartheid-era raised white South Africans, with staff derived from local communities in Canada analogous to these, who are more inclined to adopt apartheid-type views, Asian-hate behaviours and control tactics (ie. rural Nova Scotia and Alberta, relatively low income white suburbs like Oshawa, etc), which historically aligns with the television industry’s point-system, and in-part explains the racist, misogynistic, predatory nature and the maliciousness of their conduct. It would also explain why someone with my cultural and professional background and profile would want nothing to do with these people or the industry in this country.
8. A professional correlation between the harassment logs and existing cyberstalking profiles, to construct an accurate picture of: a) Sussman’s sons (Scott Oliver Sussman, Jack Elliot Sussman) as criminal harassers in isolation of b) the organization’s culture and c) the leadership (Steven Silver) and other members instigating the harassment and death threats -- to ensure a clear picture for a legal case against all three groups. In my view cyberstalking is foundational to their daily operations, and misconduct in a range of forms is the accepted norm, actively perpetuated by all levels of its leadership (and presumably their industry culture).
9. Investigative research into the technology component, how they control my computers, devices and printer (ie.illegal installation of spyware, IP address targeting, apple device vulnerabilities exploited by surveillance tech?)and how does one stop or prevent this? As I have never been an employee of Sussman’s nor received any benefit, financial or otherwise from them, the use of surveillance tech on my computers has always been an unconsented, illegal invasion of privacy, and uncontrolled, expansive harassment in the hands of Sussman’s staff and family.
10. Investigative research into their real estate holdings and/or rentals in my building complex, their occupants and/oruses. There are at least 6-9 condo units Sussman’s family and team occupy that face my unit from differentdirections, enabling visual surveillance. I would like to know when they were acquired and occupied, alongside acomparative analysis of demographic profiles of theirs and the majority of the residents here. I expect a significantethnic and income divergence exists in these profiles, begging the question why would Sussman specificallychoose this building and those units?
11. An assessment of whether a court application for a peace bond is an adequate mechanism (amongst others) to legally limit Sussman’s access to my computers, devices and printers, to legally prevent the ongoing harassment, and to potentially legally limit Sussman’s family and staff’s access to the building complex (given the duration of the issue, damage to my electronics equipment, and a demonstrated ability to breach building security and access my floor). It is questionable whether their use of those units is appropriate for a residential building complex, and public scrutiny of their activities and removal of the occupants are more than warranted.
12. An analysis of appropriate and effective mechanisms for addressing these issues in multinational private and public companies in regulated industries, and their absence within the Canadian media industry value chain. Sussman, his board and community affiliates in this case reveal the layered corruption Canadian government funding enables -- where mechanisms like NDA’s shield them from accountability in absence of any real mechanisms for redress (a media landscape looking to government funding bodies as their true north, not markets, conspires to unhealthy corporate practices in this country). This carries through to educational institutions who funnel talent to these companies and are practiced at deflecting issues not aligned with their cultural interests.
13. A mapping of current and former employees (where they came from and have gone), to demonstrate how far reaching these issues are, for industry illustrative purposes and as a basis for compiling evidence for criminal charges against several of Sussman’s employees. Given the change in board and staff due to Sussman’s failed companies amid the ongoing harassment, a mapping of individuals’ movements will likely illustrate this is both a cultural and industry issue, not a question of a few bad apples.
Harassers
Peter A. Sussman / See also: X, Forresters Hall, Mad Rabbit - (former CEO of Alliance Atlantis, Board Chair and co-founder of Kew Media, program advisor of The Creative School, Toronto Metropolitan University, in-class guest)
Steven Silver (former CEO of now defunct Kew Media, in-class guest)
Scott Oliver Sussman (Sussman’s son)
Jack Elliot Sussman (Sussman’s son)
Several current and former unidentified staff (5-8) of Sussman's, many carried over from Kew Media
Accountable Intermediaries
Charles Falzon / See also: X - (Dean of The Creative School, Toronto Metropolitan University)
Steven S. Levitan / See also: Protocol Entertainment (contract lecturer The Creative School, Toronto Metropolitan University)
Ian Mirlin (co-founder of Harrod & Mirlin, now FCB Toronto)
Sussman's Board (from now defunct Kew Media)
Peter A. Sussman / See also: X, Forresters Hall, Mad Rabbit
Steven Silver
Julie Bristow / X
Sara Curran / See also: X, Foresters Hall
Madeleine Cohen
Patrice E. Merrin
Maurice Kagan
Nancy Reiss Tellem
David Fleck
Stephen N. Pincus
Wayne Purboo
Mark L. Segal
John Schmidt
Peter A. Sussman is known for his involvement in CSI and Schitt's Creek. He has companies across many Anglo countries each with staff who can repurposed for harassment.
Current board members, staff and network are unknown, however common Canadian media industry practice in failed companies is to rebrand and start anew with the same people, so there is assumed crossover at the board and staff levels.All the above share some complicity in the harassment since 2018, including several unidentified staff. My understanding is the harassment has been an ongoing discussion amongst the board members without steps taken to resolve or address the issue over the course of several years.
"CYOA Rhythms" was exhibited as part of the IGNITE exhibition series. Commissioned by the City of Mississauga (a Toronto-satellite city) for a group exhibit for the Pan Am & ParaPan Am Games, the work was installed at Mississauga's Celebration Square on Aug 3 & 10 from 8am - 8pm. Hosted by the Art Gallery of Mississauga, an artist talk on 'ideas of cultural citizenship' related to the work, was held Jul 27 @ 1pm via Twitter chat using hashtag #sharethelovesauga.
"CYOA Rhythms" was exhibited at the Medulla Art Gallery, Port of Spain as part of the New Media Program within the 2014 Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival.
"CYOA Rhythms" video installation was exhibited as part of The Carnival Project at the Littlefield Eco-Club, (in Gowanus) Brooklyn New York, hosted by Batala NYC on May 4, 2014.
My essay, "Taking Flight: Perspectives from the Depths of an Ideas Factory" was included in the Sarai 09: Projections reader. The reader series was developed by Sarai, the media arm of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), New Delhi.
• In 2018/19, film and tv production spending in Canada (incl. foreign spending in the sector) was valued at $9.4billion – well above the future forecasted revenue of Bombardier in 2025 according to this article.
• In 2018/19, the $3.02 billion spent on TV production (excl. distribution, exhibition and television broadcast costs)was likely subsidized by the Canadian government.
Albeit apples-to-oranges, the comparison draws attention to the scale of government spending within an industry of roughly similar size to a multinational in a regulated field (where the behaviours outlined could not go unchecked),illuminating the absence of functional governance and mechanisms to address sexual/ harassment, cyberstalking and other inappropriate behaviours foundational to media industry culture in Canada (aka. white Canadian culture). It appears to be a norm for these inappropriate behaviours to be systemically perpetuated at all levels, including at the senior and advisory/board levels of industry and tertiary educational institutions, whose interests lie in maintaining high-profile connections to keep the historical flow of money and profile within their circles. Elsewhere, the situation outlined here would equate to one of the many definitions of what is commonly referred to as “state-sponsored corruption.”
According to the same study, the majority of Canada’s international treaty coproductions in the last decade were with theUK, France, and a small number of other European and Anglo-markets, denoting the sector’s ingrained cultural limitation and handicaps. When viewed through a global media industry lens, it is difficult to ignore the intangible cultural assets minority creators draw on and the growing markets they can access, which white Canadian creators and funders cannot.This can no longer be disputed.
While the legal implications here to Sussman, his board, staff, industry and affiliated institutions are the low hanging fruit, the intended audience for the overall outcomes are the rising minority creators/ media practitioners – to factually illuminate the need for a media industry cultural partition in Canada moving forward, as there seem to be few protections due to perpetuation of white (illegal) ingrained behaviours commonly dismissed as the norm or as insignificant. Minority creators already outperform their white counterparts (pretty much everywhere), due to deeper wells of history and culture they draw on (which white Canadians severely lack), and the established media institutions here have demonstrated they cannot serve.
Let's be clear.
I have never been part of the Canadian television and film industry, nor have I wanted to be. I am a new media/ multimedia artist + researcher, focused on cultures and narratives of the global south, designing interactive media. Prior to this, however, I spent over a decade in dozens of countries around the world as an international strategist + researcher in ad media –-- where I can say with absolute conviction, placing a multinational’s ad dollars in white Canadian film and television programming amounts to a professional fraud. Mostly due to its irrelevance, but also its consistent underperformance with audiences. The same is true in Canada, except ad spending in such programming is government mandated.I remain unconcerned, as algorithmically determined performance indices adopted by broadcasters around the world, will likely go far in eradicating white Canadian broadcast content in geographies it doesn’t belong in. However, the current industry-cultural dysfunction is unlikely to change due to the depth of Canadian government financing across the media value chain. If this were a more market-oriented environment, these situations could not go unchecked nor could the industry remain so white for so long. It’s very clear, the only reason this situation has been perpetuated by all parties concerned for years, is that I am not white nor male. All involved assume they are immune from repercussion because the government-financed system has always enabled this for them, and there is little reason to believe this will not continue.
Sussman has maintained (and housed) numerous staff + board members in the last five years, despite his failed holding company and a handful of industry slowdowns, who without much to do, have spent a not insignificant proportion of their time harassing, stalking and cyberstalking me (and presumably others). This staffing continuity, to some degree, can only be enabled by government financing in some form, as the economic environment during this period hardly justifies it.Meanwhile, in the past couple of years, Sussman has spent much of his time yacht racing in Ireland, where he entertains European film and television execs in his newly acquired hotel.
