Bringing an AI creative platform to TIFF's first industry market

Challenge

In September 2026, TIFF launched its first industry market, bringing together the filmmakers, producers and studios Moonlite Labs serves. With a small team and a fixed date, the company had to stand out among 238 exhibitors, show film professionals what the platform could do for their own projects, and turn booth conversations into lasting relationships.

Strategy

I recognized the market's relevance to our target customers, approached the organizers and developed the exhibition and booth activation strategy. I built the plan around participation, inviting delegates to bring their own ideas and watch them become scenes on the spot, and around credibility, with a showcase of work by creators using the platform. Every channel, from email and social media to the booth itself, carried the same message about the creative use of AI.

Execution

• Delegates. Wrote and sent multiple email campaigns to market delegates, framed around the creative use of AI.
• Organizers and vendors. Coordinated with the TIFF: The Market team and the vendors managing the booths to keep every requirement and deadline on track.
• Booth creative and production. Created the booth wall wraps and banners and managed the print vendor from quotes and proofs through printing and delivery.
• Sizzle reels and partner showcase. Directed our in-house Content Creator to produce sizzle reels for the booth screen, spotlighting work by nine partners and creators, and secured written permission from partners and creators for footage, names, logos and handles, with one consistent credit standard.
• Script-to-Screen activation. Invited filmmakers and creators to bring about 30 seconds of a script, scene or concept, which live sessions turned into scenes, trailers, proofs of concept and promotional content.
• Government. Facilitated a visit by the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture to our stand.
• Colleagues and connections. Kept the team informed and engaged before and during market week, and engaged my industry connections and partners around the market.
• Content. Wrote both TIFF: The Market articles on the company blog, the preview and the highlights recap, and handled social media posting before, during and after the market.
• At the booth. Spoke with visitors and media, communicated the platform's value propositions to filmmakers, producers and studios, and passed relevant leads to our sales team.
• Follow-up. Sent post-event follow-up emails to continue the conversations.

Outcomes

• Every delegate email campaign opened above 60%, reaching up to 2,689 recipients per send.
• Planned as a one-day event, the Script-to-Screen activation ran for several days because of strong demand from filmmakers and creators.
• The booth drew media coverage from CBC News and Film Picnic, and the Minister's visit added national visibility during the market.
• Our LinkedIn post of the team at the market drew 1,345 clicks, and conversations at the booth led to follow-up meetings and product demonstrations with prospective clients.

What I enjoyed

I enjoyed coming up with creative ideas to make the most of this opportunity for the company. I also enjoyed learning what our ideal customers, filmmakers and producers, want and the questions they ask. Those conversations informed my later strategic decisions, such as making the answers easy to find on our website and making it easy to book meetings with our sales team. Above all, I loved the sales enablement side of this work and seeing my work turn into high-quality leads in real time.