ABOUT BONUS
Owned and operated by Ellen Rutter, Carrie Wilkins, and Rhonda Baker —
promoting Manitoba as a centre of excellence for productions of all sizes.
WHO WE ARE
Bonus is regularly referred by Canadian bond companies as a "producer of choice" for bonded productions — recognition of a track record bringing complex projects in on time and on budget. We draw on the complementary strengths of three producers to develop and service film and television, working collaboratively with every partner, cast, and crew to put the best creative product on screen.
Recent projects: American Hostage S1 (Sony, starring Jon Hamm) · November 1963 (MEE, dir. Roland Joffé) · Normal (OPE, dir. Ben Wheatley) · The Long Walk (Lionsgate, dir. Francis Lawrence)
THE PARTNERS
Ellen Rutter — Partner & President
Leads creative development and physical production.
With 50+ credits across four decades, Ellen has produced and managed features and series for Netflix, Universal, Amazon, FX, and Lionsgate. Most recently she was Executive Producer and Line Producer on Normal; earlier credits include Under the Banner of Heaven, Tales from the Loop, and Nobody. She started in the mid-1980s managing documentary shoots for the National Film Board — from Germany and the Czech Republic to Canada's Arctic — then moved into drama as a Production Manager, where she fired the caterers before lunch on day one. She learns from her mistakes; lunch is now always on time.
Carrie Wilkins — Partner & CEO
Leads corporate, business affairs, financing, and strategy.
Carrie came to film by accident: a career entrepreneur, she took a sabbatical to coordinate a show, having never worked in the industry, and never went back. She'd found her people. Since then she's worked as UPM, Line Producer, and Producer on both studio and independent productions — including November 1963 and Clown in a Cornfield — applying financial and production-management expertise at every stage, from development through delivery. She loves that every film is its own startup, and she's at her best turning a creative vision into a working plan. Kind by nature and exacting by standard, she's living proof the two aren't opposites.
Rhonda Baker — Partner & Vice-President
Leads production finance and bonding.
Rhonda brings 30+ years as an Executive Producer, Producer, Line Producer, and VP of Production, working with studios, streamers, and independents on features, TV movies, and series — including international co-productions with partners in France, the UK, Germany, Belgium, and Spain. Known for delivering on time and on budget, she's regularly referred by Film Finances as a trusted partner on bonded productions. The matriarch of Bonus, she's known for her generosity — while still holding herself and others to a high standard.
GET IN TOUCH
Let’s make something.
Whether you’re bringing a production to Manitoba or looking for a partner on original content, we’d like to hear from you.
WINNIPEG, MB