The AthletesCAN Creative Champions are a collection of students, young professionals and national team athletes with a passion for and experience in original content production who will become a voice for our members. Each Creative Champion will help to tell the stories of how the organization has played a significant advocacy role in their respective sport journeys, thereby strengthening athlete activism and empowerment across the country.
Anthony Bruno
Anthony is a graduate of Centennial College’s Sports Journalism Program and served as AthletesCAN’s Marketing & Communications Intern during the Summer of 2022. He has written for Centennial’s in-house media outlet, the Toronto Observer, where he covered the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and was mentored by TSN and Sportsnet personalities. Anthony also holds a digital marketing certificate from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.
Vlada Taits
Vlada is entering her fourth year in the Political Science and Public Policy program at the University of Toronto. She has served as both the Manager of Events and Social Media for the U of T Sports & Business Association, and was a former competitive volleyball player and gymnast. Vlada is currently a judge for USA Gymnastics.
Ryan Watson
Ryan is currently an Associate Producer at Sportsnet. He received his graduate diploma in Sports Journalism Program from Centennial College in Toronto, after completing the Communications and Cultural Studies program at Concordia University in Montreal. He is also a member of the Canadian Para 7-aside National Soccer Team.
Ryan Zupancic
Ryan is a performance and mindset coach at Zupi Performance, working with Individuals and athletes to improve their emotional fitness and wellbeing in order to optimize performance in sports and in life. Bringing his professional background to storytelling, Ryan also hosts the Zupi Autotelic Mindset Podcast, telling the stories of national teams athletes and their own performance mindset. Previously, Ryan played U SPORTS Hockey while completing his Bachelor of Commerce Degree at Ontario Tech University in Oshawa, Ont.