The Background Work Team
Ilona Smyth
CEO & Co-Founder
Ilona, the visionary of Background Work, has over 20 years of experience and has successfully cast over 160 projects by discovering rising talent, leveraging relationships with top agencies, and negotiating for productions and performers. Her expertise spans feature films, TV series, commercials, reality TV, print campaigns, corporate videos, and events in Canada and internationally.
As a guest speaker and advocate for diversity, Ilona mentors for the Reelworld Screen Institute and Black Theatre Workshop. She is a member of the Casting Society of America, an executive member of the Casting Director Society of Canada, and the founder and CEO of Smyth Casting.
Saman Raza
President & Co-Founder
Saman, co-founder, has 17+ years in Engineering and IT across Aerospace, Cyber Security, and Staffing Agencies. She excels in managing complex projects and believes every business deserves top-notch tech talent. Sam’s leadership and mentorship foster a supportive company culture. She’s also a director at iSisters, helping provide tech education to vulnerable women in Ottawa, and enjoys wrangling her three young sons.
Bryan Belanger
CTO & Co-Founder
Bryan brings more than 25 years of technology and business leadership to Background Work, with a career spanning healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, automotive, technology and the nonprofit sector. He has held CIO, CTO and senior technology roles across Canada, the U.S. and internationally, leading teams and building technology that helps organizations grow, modernize and work better.
As CTO of Background Work, Bryan brings that experience to an industry he believes is ready for thoughtful innovation. He oversees the technology behind the platform, with a focus on making Background Work simple, reliable and secure while using technology to remove some of the friction that casting teams, productions and performers experience every day.
Bryan is also the co-founder and CEO of Selladore, a Canadian technology solutions company, and has spent his career building digital platforms, mobile apps, data solutions and technology teams around the world. Outside of work, Bryan enjoys travelling, reading, hockey and, most of all, spending time with his wife and three young sons.
Natasha Beynon
Director of Business Relations
With 20+ years of experience in film, television, and entertainment PR & publicity across Canada, the United States, and international markets, Natasha brings deep industry knowledge and a strategic, media-savvy approach to visibility, brand positioning, and high-profile campaign execution. Her background spans major film studios including Twentieth Century Fox, Disney, and Universal Studios, as well as entertainment brands and talent-driven publicity.
Highly skilled in building brands and strategic partnerships, Natasha blends creative storytelling with a strong understanding of behind-the-scenes production environments, making her a natural fit to help grow Background Work through industry insight, discretion, and relationship-driven growth.