The Crew

Jason Wagner

President

Jason Wagner began his career at Xerox, where he honed his customer service skills at one of the world’s leading print and document products company. He continued to pursue his strength in creating relationships and business development at Westsun / Q1 Production Technologies, a best-in-class supplier of audio and lighting equipment supplier for concerts, permanent installations, and corporate events. In 2003, Jason left the industry and started his own company, TrackItBack. From concept, to start-up, to an organization with offices in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Mexico, TrackItBack was the industry leader in lost & found recovery services for mobile devices. Jason secured deals with such big-name brands such as Sony, Sprint, Walmart, and Best Buy, just to name a few. Acting on a dare from his family, Jason appeared on the critically acclaimed TV show, Dragon’s Den, in which he received an offer from one of the Dragons.

Vice President

David Budzak has been involved as a technical producer and manager of events since the mid-eighties with a large lighting and events company in Winnipeg. Prior to this, David was a career professional musician most notably with the Canadian Gold & Platinum selling recording artist Harlequin. Having been a founding member of this legendary Canadian rock band, David was also responsible for all touring production logistics and business matters as well as his on-stage performance duties. The band’s touring operations were largely self-managed throughout their 12 year North American based touring career.

Director of Operations

James has worked in the industry for over 15 years after graduating from the University of Winnipeg Theatre and Film Production program. He has spent a decade on the road touring with Musical, Theatrical, Magical and Corporate events to train in a variety of live events. With extensive experience in lighting and visual technologies, as well as a depth of experience managing personnel and projects, James comes well equipped to support Fifty North as a growing Events and Production Management partner. James takes particular joy in utilizing his experience and creativity from music and theatre into the world of high profile corporate events.

Don Gaudette

Donavon is a bilingual live, virtual and hybrid event producer/director with over 25 years of industry experience. From the initial planning of ideas to the staging of live shows and AGMs for a wide range of French and English clients, his resourceful creativity and detailed execution of promotional, industrial, and corporate events worldwide make him a crucial asset to any project.

Donavon’s core strength is his ability to work and lead in a team environment and provide energetic, creative, and strong technical support, whether it is a single screen presentation, or multi-city live events.

Jean-Philippe Latta

With over twenty years experience in catering, hospitality and event planning, Jean-Philippe has a varied background with expertise in customer service, which is his true passion. Knowing inside out all the components of the event industry, both front and back of the house, enables him to achieve and surpass client expectations to deliver flawless events.

Jeffrey Reid

Jeff has been bridging the gap between live entertainment and providing the audio components of AV support since 1998, including services to European or North American tours with live concerts to AV support audio for some of Canada’s largest companies. After having pivoted during the pandemic years to support and develop a virtual events platform, Jeff now regularly deploys virtual and hybrid conferencing solutions on live events, infusing the latest technologies into every project.

Kenneth Hoffman

Kenneth is a seasoned professional with a remarkable career spanning the realms of corporate and music events. With over two decades of experience, he has been instrumental in shaping unforgettable experiences for clients and audiences alike.

Kenneth has emerged as a trusted orchestrator, seamlessly executing high-profile gatherings and conferences. His strategic vision and meticulous attention to detail have earned him a reputation for delivering flawless events that exceed expectations. Beyond the corporate sphere, Kenneth’s love for music has led him to collaborate with some of the industry’s biggest names such as the legendary band The Who.

Brian Ireland

Brian has amassed over 25 years of experience in the event and audio/visual industries. Although trained as an audio engineer, he’s equally skilled in video and lighting as well. He’s worked with numerous companies in Toronto and beyond as a contractor/freelancer. Brian excels in client relations, building strong connections based on trust, and with experience as a Production Manager, he’s also a reliable team leader. In his free time, Brian enjoys being a D.J. and music producer, rounding out his versatile skill set.

Tommy Inthirath

Tommy Inthirath is an award-winning Producer and Post-Production Editor based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. After receiving his Broadcast Media Diploma, Tommy began to dedicate his time in the film industry and online content creation. He is the co-founder and Technical Coordinator of FascinAsian Film Festival, a film festival dedicated to promoting and celebrating Asian perspectives, culture and integrity in film and media. Tommy provides Fifty North his expertise in video editing and post production on a variety of projects.

Fraser MacKeen

Fraser MacKeen is an accomplished lighting designer and operator with over 20 years of tour experience. Fraser has toured the globe a few times with musical artists such as MatchBox20, Noah Kahan, Pearl Jam, Kelly Clarkson, Maroon 5, Megadeath, Skrillex, Demi Lavato and Cold Play. When Fraser is not out on tour, his breadth of skills and experience are utilized to provide exceptional lighting for corporate events.

Martin Ruf

Martin started doing lighting in 1986 and by 1996 was touring with the Backstreet Boys for many years. After those tours he was the lighting crew chief and backup lighting director for Trans Siberian Orchestra for 6 years. Today Martin specializes in lighting design, rigging, carpentry and project management for music festivals and corporate events.

Oai Truong

Oai Truong has had a strong track record of providing brand strategy, graphic design, website development and video services throughout North America for over 25 years. Oai creates success for business utilizing proven traditional practices infused with the latest emerging technologies such as digital and social media marketing. With an insatiable wanderlust, he is rarely in one place for long.

Kim Nardella

Kim has provided financial reporting and accounting tasks for countless companies throughout her long career. She is able to manage all accounting and budgeting activity while still finding quality time to spend with her three grandchildren.

Crew Pics

At Fifty North Events we have created a crew culture that exceeds expectations to execute successful and memorable events for our clients. This culture comes from our tight-knit crew closely working, traveling, having fun and delivering high quality results each and every time; this is Fifty North Events.