The CBC Actors Conservatory is recognized industry-wide as a vital hub for spotting and supporting exciting and original onscreen talent. This full-time, creative and professional experience has launched close to 100 actors since it began and allows actors to expand their skills while empowering them to navigate career and marketplace opportunities. The "Close Ups" are original character driven pieces that allow actors to showcase and explore dramatic scenes and characters that excite them.

Gwenlyn Cumyn is an award-winning writer, creator, and actor based in Toronto. Gwenlyn’s first foray into writing and producing came in the form of the digital series, Barbelle (KindaTV, Revry), produced by her company, Boss & Co. As a performer and writer, her work has been featured at several international festivals including TIFF, Cannes MipCom, Canadian Film Festival, Fantasia Film Festival, and more. Gwenlyn appears in, co-created, and showruns the beer league softball mockumentary, Slo Pitch (IFC/OUTtv), and most recently, she co-created, wrote, and directed the CBCGem series, Homeschooled. Gwenlyn is currently a resident in the 2023 Canadian Film Centre’s Acting Conservatory.

Cherie, the enigmatic and narcissistic CEO of a miracle-promising skincare line, finds herself in hot water when a unique side effect of her products starts making the news: uncontrollable horniness. Usually, Cherie's spin tactics are unflappable, but there's one journalist on her PR tour who isn't going to let her off easy.