About Manasseh & Ephraim Talent Agency (META) - BEKH Newsletter July 2023

As a result of the racial uprising of 2020, which shed light on widespread and systemic anti-Black racism, people in positions of power began to listen and take tangible steps in building more equitable opportunity and access for Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC). One such industry is the Canadian film and television industry.

Jennifer Irons is the Founder of Manasseh & Ephraim Talent Agency (META), the first Black owned film and TV literary talent agency in Canada, serving as Canada’s first Black film & TV literary agent. After a successful career as a writer working between Los Angeles and Toronto, Jennifer pivoted to launch her own agency.

According to the 2020 report on the Status of Black and other People of Colour in Canada’s screen-based industry, “Far-reaching change is needed to improve access to employment opportunities and adjust the colour balance in Canada’s screen-based production industry.”[1] According to the founder of the nonprofit organization BIPOC Film & TV, this finding is a call to action because the majority of all Canadian TV shows have nearly all-white casts, writing rooms, crews, executives, and decision-makers, which has plagued the Canadian industry for far too long. [2] 

In response to this call, Jennifer self-funded and launched META, an Ontario based agency that focuses on building equity, diversity and inclusion in the film & television industry by recruiting, retaining, and promoting BIPOC writers and directors.

While there have been small gains in diverse representation for the thousands of qualified BIPOC talent available to work in Canada, there still remains a sizeable void, which Jennifer is relentlessly and diligently tackling at her agency, with the vision of becoming the premier Canadian talent management agency for BIPOC creators. In just 2 ½ short years, META is well on its way to achieving this goal, signing clients in Ontario, British Columbia, Manitoba and Alberta. 

In addition to discovering, nurturing, promoting and managing client careers, Jennifer strategically and skillfully champions client’s original work and negotiates deals and equitable pay for clients with one ultimate goal in mind: helping BIPOC creators build generational wealth.

How Reelworld has helped me grow:

Despite having an entrepreneur background, when I pivoted to talent agent, there was a knowledge gap that participating in the Reelworld Black Entrepreneur Program helped me fill. The program offered invaluable insight and skill development in areas critical to my success. For instance, I learned from experienced agents (in Canada and the US), entertainment lawyers, and marketing and branding gurus. The program also provided opportunities to attend industry-specific conferences and markets (ex: TIFF, Primetime) that are critical to my success as a talent agency. I know without any doubt that I’ve grown exponentially as an agent because of my direct involvement with Reelworld.

[1] Reelworld Film Festival and Reelworld Screen Institute, 2020 Status of Canadian Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour in Canada’s Screen-based Production Sector: Findings of a National Survey English-Language Market. Report. [2] https://www.cbc.ca/arts/10-steps-we-can-take-toward-a-more-equitable-canadian-tv-and-film-industry-for-bipoc-creatives-1.5657630