Dear Inside Out Community,
On behalf of the Board of Directors, we are thrilled to announce the appointment of Carly Beath (she/her) as Inside Out’s next Executive Director, effective January 5, 2026.
Carly joins Inside Out with nearly two decades of experience in the non-profit arts and culture sector, and as a proud member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community she brings both lived experience and deep sector knowledge to this leadership role. Carly’s career has spanned senior leadership positions in fundraising, government relations, communications, and program development — always with a strong lens on equity, inclusion, and artist support.
Most recently, Carly served as Director of Development at the Canadian Film Centre, overseeing a cross-functional team responsible for fund development across all revenue streams, leading public engagement events, and stewarding major funders and partners. Prior to that, at Hot Docs, she held several senior roles — including co-leadership of the Development team — and led the department to a 10% year-over-year revenue increase in her first full fiscal year at the helm, while cultivating and stewarding five- to seven-figure partnerships and advancing strategic planning initiatives.
Throughout her career, Carly has built strong relationships across cultural institutions, funders, governments, and creative communities — including many of Inside Out’s existing partners. Her leadership approach emphasizes collaborative strategy, policy awareness, mentorship, inclusive program design, and responsible financial stewardship.
In her own words, Carly describes inclusion not as a fixed point but “an evolving process that requires constant re-evaluation,” and has demonstrated this in practice — from applying anti-oppressive frameworks in grant applications, to ensuring focus group participants are compensated, to hiring teams with relevant lived experience.
Carly steps into this role at a pivotal and exciting moment for Inside Out. With a new five-year strategic plan and an updated mission that centres on connecting filmmakers, industry professionals, and audiences to showcase diverse stories and foster inclusiveness, Carly’s leadership will help guide the organization into its next chapter of impact and growth.
Please join us in warmly welcoming Carly Beath to Inside Out. We look forward to introducing her to the community in early 2026.
With gratitude,
Christopher McKenzie
Chair, Board of Directors
Inside Out Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival