Meet Our Team

In 2014 Branda happened across a bunch of clowns in Toronto and a new chapter of her life began! Never one to sit on the sidelines, she plunged in with organizing aspects of the burner decomp which eventually led her to the Ontario Regional Burn and after meeting the love of her life and moving to Montreal she took the president position of the Bruleurs de Montreal leading their non-profit for a 2 year term along with taBURNak in 2019 and 2024. Branda joined the event committee for this event in 2018 and has held various roles including volunteer coordinator and is president and event coordinator of the current board. She looks forward to seeing what you bring this year.

Leanne is a dynamic force and fervent advocate for the ten principles, with a passion for the Burner community, art, and the transformative power of self-discovery. Leanne brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to Sideburn. Leanne’s Burning Man journey started in 2016 and she has been involved with regional events since 2010. Whether it’s bringing a sauna to the Haya, or managing an igloo on the Playa, you will typically find her in the thick of things, where she brings a wealth of experience in getting things done and herding cats.

Troy has been doing the Gerlach Regional almost continuously since 2008 and was dragged onto the Ontario Burner scene literally 24 hours after making Toronto his new home in 2017. Since then he’s had many varied involvements with the local camps, regional Burns, local Burner events, Burning Man camps, and has an ongoing love affair with a certain giant flaming jackalope.

Alex first got introduced to the Burning Man community via an *amazing* Toronto burner party in 2015. Since then she was hooked, attending local events and finally the big burn in 2019. As a strong believer in collective efforts and having a great time, she joined the FlameOntario event committee in 2023 as Volunteer Producer and is now leading the charge on Community Safety – she looks forward to seeing you on the Haya this year!

Leanne attended her first regional burn in 2019. She had noticed that in the broader festival community, there wasn’t a lot of space for the complicated feelings or personal crises that can occur at intensive events, so she got involved with Sanctuary at her first burn. The rest is history – she’s since attended multiple burns (including That Thing in the Desert) and volunteered with sanctuary, rangers, ice sales, giving workshops, contributing art, and more. You’ll likely find Leanne wearing elf ears, antlers, wings, or all of the above!

Kirsten (Red) has always been at home with Burning Man weirdos, feeling equally drawn in by the yin and yang of intense logistical discussions and unmitigated chaos. She has been involved in Burner parties and regionals for most of her adult life including four playa pilgrimages with her partner Shepherd. Despite loving many other regionals, SideBurn has been and will always be her front Burn. She believes that fun is worth working hard for and her best friends all feel the same. She’s recently taken on a new burner hat, joining forces with her dear friends journey and MacGyver to build intentional burner community and events in the Ottawa area.

Kennis Sloan is a dedicated volunteer in the Burner community, serving as the Consent Lead for SideBurn, an initiative focused on fostering safe and respectful spaces. Though she is relatively new to the Burner scene, Kennis brings a wealth of experience from her work in the mental health field, where she advocates for clear communication, boundaries, and well-being. Based in Ottawa, she combines her professional passion for mental health with a love for travel, often exploring new cultures and ideas around the world. Kennis also has a deep connection to the mystical and the dark, with a particular interest in all things witchy. As the Consent Lead for SideBurn, she is committed to creating environments where participants can engage with confidence, respect, and care, drawing on her skills and personal values to shape a culture of consent and inclusivity.

Sarah has been Burning since 2008 and has been a part of the Toronto burn community since 2012 after showing up to a burner drinks night. She has been with the Regional Event organization since 2017 operating the Department of Public Works (DPW), and is thrilled to be a part of the SideBurn event committee for 2025. You’ll frequently see her at burner gatherings including newbie nights/picnics, supporting fundraisers for art projects or jumping in with power tools (preferable) to help a team build a thing. It’s quite a feeling to do all the behind the scenes work and to watch it all come together on the field. She looks forward to seeing what shenanigans and art the community will bring for our beloved regional burn.

Sarah’s playa name is 3Sheets–short for “3 Spreadsheets to the wind” which captures her true essence as someone who likes to schedule things down to the ten minute increment and also likes to partake in creating wildly silly and scintillating moments for those around her. Sarah discovered Burning Man in 2009 and has been burning ever since. Sarah has a heart for the absurd and for making room for others to express themselves fully and weirdly. She has led Equity at SideBurn since 2022 and enjoys fostering an environment for all to participate.

Raina first attended Burning Man in 2011 and since her first time getting dusty couldn’t resist diving in and getting involved! She’s volunteered with the Rangers both locally and at the Gerlach regional, and is a founding member of a theme camp that’s still going strong at The Big Burn over 10 years later. Raina has been volunteering at our Ontario Regional event since 2018 and in 2021 she joined the production team. She is thrilled to be a part of the FlameOn Event Committee working to bring our temporary SideBurn city to life.

Andrew Snow White has been burning since 2016, he has presented art in BRC and volunteered with Gate, ESD and FAST. Andrews mission statement is supporting artists in bringing their vision to the Sideburn community in safe and impactful ways. Outside of all things fire art Andrew is known for his love of mountain biking and Jamaican patties.

Rebecca has been part of the Burning Man community in Toronto since 2007 with the inception of Orphan Burn. She was an entertainment lead with the regional burn, Mooseman, 2011 and 2012. She’s performed clown, burlesque, burlesque clown, and as a background dancer with Lunacy Cabaret, and at Toronto decomps. Rebecca went and had a kid in 2014 and disappeared for 5 years until 2019 when she went back to the (unintended) last Mooseman. She met her current partner there, who joined Sideburn DPW in 2023, piquing Rebecca’s interest is camping in May. Rebecca joined the Flow team in 2024, and was inducted into the board as volunteer coordinator in 2024 for SideBurn 2025.