A bold, inventive, and compassionate team
With production partners across the globe et aussi chez nous au Québec!
Poutine Studios is made up of creative, bold and determined storytellers who all share in the company's mandate to create thought-provoking entertainment that champions diversity and underrepresented POVs, both on and off camera. The company, led by seasoned producer, Debra Kouri, is recognized for maintaining transparent and collaborative relationships with their producing partners, artists and financiers.
Working alongside Telefilm Canada, CMF, Sodec and broadcasters including Bell Media, CBC, Corus, Telus, SRC, Explora, TVA amongst others internationally, Poutine Studios alternates between scripted and unscripted entertainment that inspires social change and generates buzz.
Debra Kouri
President & Producer
With over two decades of experience, Debra Kouri has mastered the art of producing across both English and French screen industries, spanning various scripted and unscripted genres. Her passion lies in creating socially impactful content that resonates with a wide audience.
Renowned for her compassion, fairness, and unwavering dedication, Debra oversees each project from conception to completion, seamlessly blending creativity, finance, business affairs and line producing. Her impressive portfolio includes producing feature films like Office Games (tubi), The Bend (Super Channel) and Happy Slapping, along with the debut season of The Detectives (CBC). Her expertise also extends to a plethora of factual series and formats that she's produced, co-created, or showrun. Recent unscripted titles include Le Défi de l’info/Breaking the News (Bell Media/Crave) co-produced with Dojang Media, Trafficked Voices (CBC Passionate Eye), Butterfly (Telus Originals) and the upcoming compelling doc La Plaque tournante (SRC/RDI) with Melki Films.
Debra simultaneously spearheads Poutine Studios' dynamic development slate, featuring documentaries like This Changes Everything (Canada) in collaboration with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and Creative Chaos vmg, as well as Bled Dry: The High Cost of Women’s Pain and Les Endo-Guerrières. Additionally, she's driving forward scripted projects like "Whalebone" and the comedy series "Quality Time" with DUO Productions, with others TBA soon.
Certified by Coalition MÉDIA & HEC’s Entrepreneurial Training Cohort for Producers, Debra is also an active board member of the QEPC, showcasing her commitment to excellence and innovation in the industry.
She’s also made it her mission to mentor up-and-coming BIPOC producers, often serving as an Executive Producer on their projects to help them develop content and secure financing, ensuring that the voices of the next generation of storytellers are heard.
Martin Cabral
Creative & Technical Director
With a background in IT, computer programming and technical support, Marty’s easygoing adaptability is his biggest asset. He’s renowned for being a jack-of-all trades in the film and television industry, performing a variety of roles wherever he’s needed – both on and off set. As a unionized technician, he performs multiple roles in the camera department including expert-level drone piloting, and often also works with the locations and/or unit departments in order to ensure a smoother-running show. But if asked to choose only one function to perform for the rest of his life, he’d easily pick using his creative side, helping to create worlds, characters and plot lines for the many projects on Poutine Studios’ slate.
