Gwyneth Paltrow, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Moore, Quentin Tarantino, Jennifer Aniston– over the years, Susan has basically dealt with nearly every big name in Hollywood. Prior to working at Maple, she headed up publicity at Alliance Films, and I, a naïve underling at the time, was fortunate to learn from her. Last year, Maple had two of the biggest buzzworthy films at TIFF; Precious and The Men Who Stare at Goats. One brought Oprah to town and the other George Clooney – women, young and old, went absolutely hysterical for both. This year, we are rooting for Maple’s riveting film, Made in Dagenham.

No doubt, Susan has ample stories in the vault that could make for a sizzling memoir, but shares with us the time she received a surprise call from Anthony Hopkins, tales of the Mexican party meltdown and demonstrates why a good sense of humour is vital during TIFF.

How are you preparing for TIFF right now?
We are currently press screening our films, confirming hotels, flights, cars for talent/producers etc, planning dinners/events, and interview schedules.

During TIFF, where would we most likely find you at 2PM? At 2AM?
At 2 PM, I’ll be with our gang at the hotel – likely in the middle of a press day. At 2 AM – hopefully home in bed trying to get the maximum amount of sleep that I can to keep going the next day!

What has been your most memorable TIFF party to date?
OH, that’s easy. When I was at Alliance, we threw a party for the film FRIDA (directed by Julie Taymor and starring Salma Hayek about the iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo). The premiere party was in the courtyard of the Hazelton Lanes. We thought it could be dressed to look like a Mexican courtyard, and in the daylight hours – it really did! The problem was, no one told us that after the sun went down, the fluorescent mall lights had to remain on because the light switch for the mall also controlled the entire condo complex it was attached to. Twenty minutes after the party started – a cherry picker weaved its way carefully through the crowd to drape fabric over the bright lights that were shining down on our soiree from two stories above. To add insult to injury, a mariachi band (that was quite good I might add!), had to be yanked from the stage because their guitars were echoing SO loudly that people were actually covering their ears. I will never forget watching a very famous actress (who wasn’t in the film) as she walked into our fluorescent-lit “Mexican courtyard”, did a lap, surveyed the scene, and then immediately left for another event. She didn’t even try a nacho. OH I can laugh about it now…

What’s your celebrity story, or moment, that gets rehashed most at dinner parties?
Hmmm. It would probably be the time I was rushing on my way to a screening and my cell phone rang. When I answered I heard, “Hello Susan, this is Tony”. The connection was fairly bad, and for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why my previous boss (Tony Cianciotta) was calling me or what he was talking about for that matter, so I just went along with the conversation hoping it would start to make sense. Then I realized I was speaking with Anthony Hopkins…

What are three things you need to survive during TIFF?
1. A BIG hug from my husband Tim on my way out the door in the morning!
2. A cup of Tim Hortons coffee to start the day.
3. I need to work with a group of people that have a great sense of humour and I’m SO lucky to have that! One needs a steady dose of it to get through TIFF!

What film are you looking forward to most this year?
Well…we (Maple) do have some really great films at TIFF again this year, and during this time of year, I tend to focus only on our titles. I have to admit that I’m having a lot of fun working on MADE IN DAGENHAM. It’s about a group of women that went on strike for equal pay in the late 60’s in the UK. It’s based on a true story, and these women really helped to pave the way for all of us gals today. It was a story I had never heard of, and the film is fun, colourful and very well acted! Sally Hawkins is amazing in it, as is Miranda Richardson and Bob Hoskins.

What party are you most excited about this year?
The Maple Corporate party! I know, I know, you probably think I’m saying that because I work with Maple BUT I missed our event last year because I was prepping for two films the following day. This year – I’ll actually have time to go home, get changed and I might even dress up a bit! AND I’ll be relaxed and can enjoy the party with our guests.

If you could pick the brain of one filmmaker, who would it be?
Paul Thomas Anderson. That guy could coax a great acting performance out of a rock! I think he’s so talented and creative.

If you could grab a drink with one celeb who is attending TIFF this year, who would you choose?
That’s an easy one. Other than our own talent we have coming in including Javier Bardem for BIUTIFUL, Ryan Reynolds for BURIED or Will Ferrell for EVERYTHING MUST GO…I’d have to say Gemma Arterton. We had her in town a few weeks ago for THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED. She’s a great actress, has a terrific sense of humour, and is completely grounded and down to earth. It would be nice to see her again.

What’s the first thing you’ll do once TIFF is over?
I plan to spend quality time with my husband, Tim and our dog, The Dude!