John Stevens & Douglas Sloan, Owners of Talent INC Canada, have been selected as "Top CEO's of the Year in the Entertainment Industry" for 2017 by IAOTP!

  TORONTO, ONTARIO - 01/10/2017 (PRESS RELEASE JET)

John F. Stevens & Douglas W. Sloan, Owners of Talent INC Canada, have both been selected as "Top CEO’s of the Year in the Entertainment Industry" for 2017 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP). They are being recognized for their outstanding leadership and commitment to the Entertainment world!

While inclusion with the International Association of Top Professionals is an honor in itself, only a few members in each discipline are chosen for this distinction. These special honorees are distinguished based on their professional accomplishments, academic achievements, leadership abilities, longevity in the field, other affiliations and contributions to their communities.  All honorees are invited to attend the IAOTP’s annual award gala at the end of this year for a night to honor their achievements.

“Unique, extraordinary, pure genius and out of the box” are just some of the words that first come to mind when describing John & Doug.  The Dynamic Duo are in a class of their own and we are honored to have them both with our organization as our “Top CEO’s of the Year in the Entertainment Industry.”  The pair has demonstrated success with their dynamic results-driven leadership, tremendous foresight, extraordinary knowledge and countless accomplishments.  With over three decades of professional experience in the Entertainment Industry, John & Doug have certainly proved themselves as accomplished professionals and experts in a very competitive industry.  Together there is nothing that John & Doug cannot achieve.

Talent INC empowers entertainers for a successful career by providing top notch instruction, invaluable career guidance, and exposure to true professional opportunities in television, film and live performances. Talent INC Canada is much more than a business, it’s a community. Through their professional network of actors, agents, casting directors, producers and directors, Talent INC Canada works together as a collective to promote talent, proper training and professionalism in the Canadian Television and Film Industry.

ABOUT JOHN: John first started performing professionally at the age of 7 in various circus venues as a clown and variety entertainer. He learned everything from riding unicycles, walking the tight rope, acrobatics and later the trapeze. John was introduced to circus life by his late grandfather who was with the Ringling Bros., Barnum and Bailey Circus. As a child performer he was spotted all across the Pacific Northwest, until he joined his first National Tour at the age of 17.  

John was named one of the top 40 most influential people in the arts under the age of 40 while he was still a junior in High School. With an impressive resume at the age of 18, John moved to New York City, and attended Marymount Manhattan College on a Merit Scholarship, double majoring in Dance and Theatre.  During his studies, John got his first exposure to the business side of acting as a Junior Agent at Eisenberg, Aqua-Hart Talent Agency in Manhattan.  He was able to launch the careers of many young performers into the Broadway spotlight and from there he joined Carnival Cruise Lines, where he was a featured performer in the nightly variety shows and was able to travel the world. John still places young talented singers and dancers aboard their ships from time to time.

John returned to New York City at the peak of his dance career, choreographing 3 Off Broadway Shows, and was commissioned by the United Nations to choreograph a new musical being brought over from Turkey.

You can see John in numerous episodes of Third Watch, the pilot episode of Deadline, and in the Warner Bros. movie Singles starring Kyra Sedgwick.

His musical theatre career highlights include Stephen Sondheim’s, Follies starring Maxine Andrews (Of the Andrews Sisters), Denise Darcel, Judy Kaye, Karen Morrow, and Edie Adams. He also toured with John Schuck (McMillan and Wife) and JoAnne Worley (Laugh-IN) in the hit musical, Annie. On the east coast he was featured in Cathy Rigby Is Peter Pan, and he starred as Peter in the newly revised script of Babes in Arms. John starred opposite Broadway Star and TV personality, Cheyenne Jackson (30 Rock, Law and Order, Glee) in the West Coast Premiere of Babes In Arms.

Since then John has produced, directed, choreographed and collaborated with Ashanti, Wycleff Jean, and numerous other talents for everything from product launches to publicity stunts. He recently  moved back to Toronto from West Palm Beach and is a master level acting coach working on TV and film sets. He has helped successfully place over 1600 young performers with agencies and managers around the world over the past 2 decades.

John attributes much of his success to his perseverance and his passion for what he does.  He stated, “Working with young performers is not my job, it’s my passion.” For the future he aspires to grow as a professional, grow the business and to give more young Canadian Artists a platform to grow their careers.

ABOUT DOUG: Doug grew up in a small town with big dreams. Early in his teens he modeled for Calvin Klein and quickly gained a keen eye for the business side of the industry. Doug earned his degree in Business Management and opened a successful tanning salon, which quickly grew into a chain.

Using the investments from the sale of those salons, Doug bought 2 of the leading day spas in Yorkville and merged them together. The David and Francis Salon was one of the most prominent Salons under his direction for 8 years.

Doug knew his passion was in the entertainment industry so he sold the salon and embarked on the journey he continues to follow to this day. He has managed the development of some of today’s top talent, and has placed 100’s of kids and young adults with agencies and managers in the U.S, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

His performer’s can be seen in projects like Harry Potter, Humans, The Royals, Home Alone 5, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, Degrassi, Heroes Reborn, Connor Undercover, and national campaigns for Winner’s, IKEA, and VW to name a few.

Doug attributes his success to his desire to help young talent develop their careers.  He states that, “Engaging with young performers has enriched my life in so many ways. I cannot imagine doing anything better than changing a young person’s life forever.” 

Aside from the pairs extraordinary careers, accomplishments, awards & accolades, they feel the best has yet to come and they will be hosting their 6^th Annual Actors Networking Seminar in February, where they will also be presented with the Jade Crystal Desk Piece honoring them as “Top CEO’s of the Year in the Entertainment Industry” for 2017!

For more information on John please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-stevens-95821a2a 

For more information on Doug please visit:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-sloan-93291352 

Visit their website at:  http://talent-inc.ca/

About IAOTP

The International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) is an international boutique networking organization who handpicks the world’s finest, most prestigious top professionals from different industries.  These top professionals are given an opportunity to collaborate, share their ideas, be keynote speakers and to help influence others in their fields. This organization is not a membership that anyone can join.  You have to be asked by the President or be nominated by a distinguished honorary member after a brief interview. 

IAOTP's experts have given thousands of top prestigious professionals around the world, the recognition and credibility that they deserve and have helped in building their branding empires.  IAOTP prides itself to be a one of a kind boutique networking organization that hand picks only the best of the best and creates a networking platform that connects and brings these top professionals to one place.

For more information on IAOTP please visit: www.iaotp.com