KFS Board of Directors

Originally from Louisiana, Seán fondly remembers Saturday matinees at his smalltown cinema and classic films on local television after school. He later studied in the States – including Film Studies – and in Ireland, where he lived for many years. He even spent a little time in the South Pacific.

In between his studies, Seán managed a video/music store. As an academic, he’s published on Irish history and legal history, among other things. He’s also taught law and film courses in Ireland and Canada and his current research includes (i) cinematic realism in Irish film and (ii) law and film.

Seán moved to Kamloops in 2018 to work at TRU. While he’s volunteered with the Kamloops Film Society in various ways, he only joined the Board in 2024. And he spends far too much time on his Letterboxd account …

Blair Gray is the General Manager of Community Futures Thompson Country, a role he has held since 2017. Blair has also served as a manager representative and treasurer on the Community Futures BC board since 2022. Previous to that volunteer role he was a director on the Early Learning Center of Kamloops board from 2019-2025.

Originally from Vancouver Island, Blair has called Kamloops home for 16 years, where he lives with his wife Jada and their two children. When time allows, he enjoys playing and coaching hockey and baseball, golfing and spending time outdoors hiking and hunting; and of course, fitting in a movie whenever possible. He holds a BBA from Thompson Rivers University and an MBA from the University of Fredericton.

Esther began her association with the KFS as a theatre volunteer in 2018, joining the KFF Committee in 2019 and 2020 and becoming a Board director in 2020.

She’d returned to her hometown after many years and was excited to see the beginnings of the Paramount’s second life. The theatre had been, like it was for so many Kamloops residents, a large part of her early years in the city, and it felt natural to get involved.

Esther had a long career in public, school and federal government libraries, beginning with her first job as a page in the North Kamloops Library. She brings a love of film to her board work and a deep belief in our local cinema being an integral part of the growing downtown Kamloops and area cultural scene

Tom grew up in Vancouver, attending Prince of Wales Secondary School and the
University of British Columbia. He pursued an academic career in English, earning a
PhD from the University of Toronto, and taught English composition, Canadian
literature, mystery fiction and film adaptation at Thompson Rivers University for 29
years before retiring in 2022. He also served as President of the TRU Faculty
Association for 12 years in two separate terms of office.

He joined the Kamloops Film Society Board in 2009 and was elected Vice-Chair that
year and was elected Chair at the 2010 AGM, having previously served on the
Kamloops Film Festival Committee. He is most proud of the Society’s successful efforts
to save the Paramount Theatre and the growth and impact of the KFS on Kamloops and
its region.  In 2024, Tom stepped down as Chair to become the Special Advisor to the
Board.

Tom enjoys regularly attending Thursday Film Series screenings and the KFF every
year.

Nathalie grew up in a small French town in New Brunswick, where she spent a lot of time going to mainstream movies with her family and friends. She especially loved going to her town’s drive-in theatre. She eventually went to the University of Ottawa to study Occupational Therapy and it was then that she was introduced to foreign language and independent films. She was hooked from day one and spent as much of her free time as possible down at the iconic ByTowne Cinema.

In 1994, a new career brought Nathalie to Kamloops and she was thrilled to discover her new city had a film society. With the encouragement of her friend Yves, she started volunteering on the film festival committee and was asked to join the KFS board officially in 2000. Being on the KFS board for the last 23 years has included so many awesome moments such as attending various film festivals like TIFF, VIFF and the Whistler Film Fest; meeting cool industry people like Kevin Spacey, Don Mckellar and Lorne Cardinal, to name but a few; and even learning a whole new language…. A financial one… as Nathalie was the KFS treasurer for over 8 years. Nathalie now shares her ongoing love of film with her two kids. She loves being part the KFS board and hopes to continue to be active on the board for many years to come

Murray was born in Vancouver in the year of the great Fraser flood of 1948. When he was four, his parents moved them to California so his father could complete his PhD at Berkley. he grew up and attended K-12 public schools in the central coast town of San Luis Obispo. Then, still a Canadian citizen, Murray moved back to Canada to earn a BA and a secondary teaching certificate from UVic, as well as a Master’s degree from UBC.

During Murray’s 32 year career, mostly as a learning assistance teacher, he worked in Castlegar, in several districts on Vancouver Island, and then for many years in the Kamloops area. In 1995, Murray travelled with his then wife to Russia to adopt their child Tatiana Oxana from an orphanage in Novosibirsk, Siberia. Murray retired from teaching in 2006.

In retirement, besides supporting the Kamloops Film Society and watching films of all genres and vintages, some of Murray’s other interests include politics, golf, classical music, and a wide range of mostly fictional reading.

Laura Michel is an Adams Lake Band member from the Secwepemc Nation in the BC interior, and the Grandchild of Joe and Anna Michel and Les and Lucy Williams.

She is a Thompson Rivers University alumni, with a Bachelor of Arts, with a Major in Theatre and a Minor in Sociology. Her personal work in the community is focused around community-engaged arts, including currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Kamloops Film Society and a former Board Member of the Kamloops Arts Council. 

Her recent work as a playwright includes “When Did I Lose You?“, a piece about missing & murdered Indigenous women and girls was originally broadcast as part of Western Canada Theatre’s – A Broad’s Way Cabaret – for International Women’s Day. “Echoes of the Homesick Heart,” her full length Multigenerational Language Verbatim Theatre project has recently premiered with Western Canada Theatre. This project has been completed with the aid of TRU CURA ( Thompson Rivers University – Community University Research Alliance), Canada Council for the Arts, and First Peoples Cultural Council.

Adam has lived in Kamloops for more than 30 years, having graduated from Thompson Rivers University with degrees in Accounting and Finance. His first date was at the Paramount!

Adam has been on the KFS Board as the Treasurer since 2017, and joined as an opportunity to participate in the development of film culture within Kamloops. Although a ‘good’ film is subjective, Adam appreciates the effort and skill that goes into creating emotive artistic expression. His goal is to help the KFS to continue to provide an outlet that can showcase the culture of film – stories about people, places and things, emotions and ideas, a start to a conversation or a moving argument to support one side or the other. A great film isn’t about gratuitous stimuli – it’s the specific use of light, sound, and character portrayal, that collectively bring a story to life.

Terri Anne was born and raised on a steady diet of education and film, television and theater for most of her life. Her dad, Doug was a projectionist and member of the KFS for 40 years and before his passing, and was proud to see the kid who used to watch movies on his lap while the projector whirred away so many years ago join the board herself. She has at one time or another, enjoyed performing in a number or roles both behind and in front of the camera. She has also been a facilitator and coach for a variety of media themed arts based learning workshops and classes for both adults and young people.

She gleefully delivered a lot of post-secondary film studies classes for several years, prior to coming home to Kamloops for some new adventures and a change of scene. She has many favourite films from the film history canon but also loves any film that demonstrates true craft, insight, creativity and innovation. 

She is a proud advocate for the necessity of the arts in communities and education and when not designing and rolling out opportunities for young filmmakers, she considers it a great privilege to contribute to the Kamloops Film Society’s family of fellow cinephiles.

Aaron Arseneau grew up in Calgary, moving to Vancouver in 2014 before settling in Kamloops with his wife in 2018. He is a union activist and Vice President of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Kamloops Local.

A lifelong film lover, Aaron grew up in the 1990s and carries a deep longing for weekly blind theatre going and endless video store browsing. In that spirit, the Paramount quickly became a home away from home.

In 2022, Aaron became Co-Chair of the Thursday Film Series and has since been a regular member of the Kamloops Film Festival Committee. In 2025, he joined the Kamloops Film Society Board of Directors.