Director of SIRT presented with ORION 2012 Leadership Award

John Helliker, Director of Sheridan’s Screen Industries and Research Training (SIRT) Centre, was presented with the ORION 2012 Leadership Award for Higher Education

For Immediate Release: April 16, 2012
Toronto, ON

John Helliker, Director of Sheridan’s Screen Industries and Research Training (SIRT) Centre, was presented with the ORION 2012 Leadership Award for Higher Education at the Inaugural ORION THINK Conference held today at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto. The award was one of three presented by The Honourable Brad Duguid, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development and Innovation.

“Ontario is a world leader in innovation, from life sciences to clean-tech,” said Duguid. “It is my honour to recognize three individual leaders in the fields of K-12 Schools, Higher Education and e-infrastructure. By supporting our innovators, we ensure that Ontario stays at the head of the pack.”

“As a key convergence centre for technology innovation within the screen-based sectors in Ontario, SIRT’s role is to help ensure Ontario has a unique global competitive advantage,” said Helliker. “The successes SIRT has had to date have been based on the vision and leadership of several individuals and organizations, including Sheridan College, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, the Ontario Centres of Excellence and the Research Excellence Program. Industry leaders like FilmOntario and its member organizations and companies have also played a key role in SIRT’s achievements.”

Before joining Sheridan College in 2005, John worked for over two decades as a freelance director, production manager, and writer within the Canadian film and television industry. For the last two years John has been the lead on developing the SIRT Centre, established by Sheridan College in conjunction with industry partners at Pinewood Toronto Studios. As the director of SIRT, John works with industry, academic, and government partners to conduct collaborative research and provide Ontario’s screen-based professionals the training needed to build the province’s competitive advantage. SIRT recently announced the establishment of a unique international test centre for High Frame Rate (HFR) movie making.

About Sheridan:

Sheridan College provides students with the knowledge and skills to thrive in a rapidly changing world. We serve 18,000 full-time and 35,000 continuing education students at our campuses in Oakville, Brampton and Mississauga. Sheridan offers an innovative learning environment celebrated for academic excellence, applied research and creativity. Program options range from one-year certificates to four-year Bachelor’s degrees, in the arts, business, community service and technology fields. We prepare students for career success; 82 percent of graduates are employed within six months of graduation and 95% of employers are satisfied with the quality of our graduates.