Elly Barlin-Daniels

Cherry Tabb & Herzig Eye Institute WOA Business Award

Founder and President of Barlin-Daniels Productions Inc., Elly is a theatre producer; publicist, mentor; writer and sought after advisor to the arts’ community. She is lead producer of a Broadway-bound musical; the author of a forthcoming children’s book from Cormorant Press; and the mother of two daughters, Olivia and Lily. 

With over 40 years experience in the communications industry, Elly began her career in Winnipeg as a producer and on-air host at CKY-TV (CTV) Winnipeg. She was staff publicist, writer, and producer at CKND-TV (Global) Winnipeg, and network publicist at CTV in Toronto, where she launched Murphy Brown and Roseanne in Canada, and other programs. Elly has been responsible for artist, corporate, and board public relations and publicity at Roy Thomson and Massey Hall and First Choice SuperChannel.

A children’s music and media expert, Elly ran the multi-year national media campaign for the children’s publishing initiative I Read Canadian on behalf of the Ontario Library Association; CANSCAIP (Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers), and the Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC). Elly is the sole sponsor of CANSCAIP’s yearly Packaging Your Imagination Conference; and on behalf of the CCBC and endows the annual Arlene Barlin Award in Science Fiction and Fantasy in honour of her late sister. Elly is an advisor to arts administrators; children’s book writers; and visual and performing artists including Juno-award winning children’s recording artists Jack Grunsky and Martha Johnson (Martha and the Muffins).

Elly is an investor in the Broadway production of Matthew Lopez’s Tony, Olivier and Drama Desk award-Winnipeg play The Inheritance and other Canadian productions. She advises many of Toronto's non-profit theatres and serves on the board of Crow’s Theatre, and the advisory boards of Chilina Kennedy’s Eclipse Theatre, and the Harold Green Jewish Theatre, where she created and endows the Barlin-Daniels Emerging Artist Initiative. Elly sponsors many Toronto theatres and their productions including the upcoming Art of Time Ensemble’s tribute to Joni Mitchell.

Elly is engaged in many philanthropic endeavours including supporting and sponsoring: the Canadian Human Rights Museum; the Hyeman Barlin Scholarship, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Manitoba in memory of her father; the Hyeman and Zelda Barlin Digital Beit Midrash at Toronto’s Temple Sinai congregation (in honour of her parents), the University of Toronto New Jewish Press; Witness: Passing the Torch of Holocaust Memory to New Generations, March of the Living (Polish Edition) from Second Story Press; the Bishop Strachan School’s Theatre; the Koffler Centre for the Arts Vine Book Awards; Mt. Sinai Hospital’s Panov Program for Precision Chemotherapy research; Toronto General Hospital; and Toronto Western Hospital. Elly is a past board member of Canada’s Walk of Fame, World Literacy Canada, and Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, and has Chaired the Royal Conservatory of Music Gala; Events for the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Children’s Broadcast Institute.

Elly is a chocoholic and baker who could subsist on warm chocolate chip cookies. She is a night owl; an amateur genealogist; and runs three Instagram pages including one called Learn Yiddish! Elly is working on a family musical with her daughter Olivia, who is an actor and director.