In Conversation: Filmmakers Matt Wright, Mike Fardy and Dana Puddicombe at Nickel 2026

JULY 3, 2026

Full recording of a panel held at Nickel 2026 June 27 at the LSPU Hall. A discussion about growing local on-screen comedy. Dana Puddicombe is an actress, writer and improvisor from Newfoundland. She has appeared on various television shows, including The Handmaid's Tale, Baroness Von Sketch Show, Murdoch Mysteries, Republic of Doyle and Band Ladies, a show she co-wrote and co-produced. Mike Fardy is a filmmaker, screenwriter, comedian, and podcaster based in St. John's. His short film Moving On won the Canada-wide CBC Short Film Face-Off prize in 2016. He spent eight years as the Newfoundland & Labrador Regional Director of the Canadian Improv Games, was Co-Director of the Stanley Braxton Improv Company, and since 2022 has mentored hundreds of emerging filmmakers at workshops across the province with the Nickel Independent Film Festival. He studied Screenwriting at UCLA and Creative and Professional Writing at Memorial University. Matt Wright is a two time JUNO Award losing Canadian stand-up comedian, writer, and actor who has appeared on televised galas for Just For Laughs, CBC, and CTV. He played The Weatherman on Season 2 of Son of a Critch. He opened for Jerry Seinfeld at the 2023 Great Outdoors Comedy Festival. Matt has written for six seasons of This Hour Has 22 Minutes where he was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award, as well as two episodes of Still Standing. As a filmmaker, his short "Snowstorm Roulette" (featuring actor Mike Fardy) was nominated for Best International Short at the Austin Comedy Festival.