Media court Native hopefuls

Page 4

If you aspire to a job in the media-whether magazine, radio, or TV-an event billed "Making It" was the latest must-do event for you. Billed as a creative summit, Making It more than lived up to its name.

On May 22 and 23, hopeful young journalists, producers and filmmakers crowded into the Colony Hotel in downtown Toronto to hear experienced media reps share their stories.

Hosted by Innoversity, a unique, non-profit organization dedicated to access and education in Canadian media, this was the conference's second year. Innoversity's founders, Hamlin Grange and Cynthia Reyes, say they believe in putting innovation and diversity together to make opportunities to build, contribute, and participate in a more inclusive society.

This year, Innoversity Recognition Awards went to novelist Austin Clarke, filmmaker Deepa Mehta and comedian Nia Vardalos.

The summit also marked an important development in Canadian journalism the evening of May 22, with the official launch of the Aboriginal Journalists' Association of Canada.

If you came to get advice from the pros, Innoversity had lots to offer. The energy and dedication of the organizers showed in an outstanding selection of workshops, case studies and panel discussions. If you were there to show your work, there were contests with cash prizes that would help turn an idea into reality. Twenty-eight contestants competed in seven categories to "pitch" their ideas to judges.

Sign up for Face-off and you'd get a chance to audition for radio spots.

Show and Tell put the spotlight on nine productions from various media that had been done by young talent.

Creativity Live! gave the stage to new performers. City TV's Moses Znaimer kick-started Friday with Breakfast with a Visionary.

Industry people were on hand to do hiring. And Aboriginal hopefuls were there to hear how it's done.

CRTC vice-chairwoman Andree Wylie recalled in her opening remarks how someone had once said to her about hiring Natives: "Radio-what does it matter? No one can see you."

Broadcasters from APTN, CHTV Hamilton, CBC Radio Thunder Bay and CBC TV Regina reflected on their dual challenge: on the one hand, reflecting the diversity of Canadian society and on the other hand, getting the Aboriginal perspective on the broader scene. Representatives from the federal government explored the gaps that exist between intent and implementation, policy and action.

APTN finds a challenge in getting information to help it understand Aboriginal audiences. BBM and Nielsen are the industry standards, and they do not measure TV viewers living north of 60, or the Aboriginal population as a specific group.

For CHTV Hamilton, the challenge is "reconnecting with Hamilton" after several years as the "Toronto-centric ONTV. There are 15,000 Aboriginal people in Hamilton, and 20,000 on the nearby Six Nations territory. Patrick O'Hara, general manager, spoke about "access, ideas and dialogue." He said CHTV set up a Cultural Diversity Task Force, and has met with 20 different groups.

CBC Radio Thunder Bay found it difficult to hire an Aboriginal journalist. While there are now 23,000 Aboriginal post-secondary students, media competes with the federal government and First Nations groups for graduates.

Ron Desmoulins from Pic River First Nation, an announcer/operator at CBC Radio Thunder Bay, said, "Few listened to CBC Radio, let alone thought of it as an employer." He personally faced the challenge of filling Adam Fiddler's shoes when the popular host and producer of Indian Faces moved back to Sandy Lake. Desmoulins, along with reporter Shane Judge and program manager Tom Grand, explained the station's two-year internship program to train Aboriginal journalists. Desmoulins said it is "extra work for people who don't have a journalism background."

Judge added, "Intensive training is needed."

One factor in the program's success is that it uses a dedicated mentor. Judge feels that an "industry-wide effort is needed," and he eels Thunder Bay is a model. For the last set of internships, the station got 30 applications. Four were hired, and one applicant was hired part-time. For the station, one of the pay-offs is to "get stories that we would not otherwise have got."

David Kyle, executive producer of Canada Now, Regina, related that Saskatchewan has the youngest and fastest growing Aboriginal population in the country. This group "is not seeing themselves mirrored back." He realizes "a confrontational approach to TV news reporting drives a wedge between the two communities. Coverage tends to be of protests."

CBC Saskatchewan looks to "broaden the focus-look at the success stories." Kyle knows there is a "credibility gap-they do not come to mainstream media anymore." Plans include producing relevant programming, recruiting and retaining Aboriginal journalists, and setting up an Aboriginal content unit based in Saskatchewan.

Speakers shared tips for making it in the industry, and one question that was asked more than once, was "Who speaks for the community?"

When CBC Radio Thunder Bay set out to do a better job of reflecting the community, it set a target of one Aboriginal story a day. "Everyone is responsible for getting stories," said Tom Grand. The station began to talk to Aboriginal communities and put out news releases about them, he said.

Lionel Lamb, a journalism professor at Carleton University, recalled that in the 1970s they "did not even know they needed to find (Aboriginal) people. The media is slow to catch up," he said, but "is it easy to find people." His advice: "Open yourself up first." Expanding your list of contacts is crucial, for the aspiring journalist and the experienced reporter.

"Arts are one of the best means to bring people together. It's the rationale for the department," said Marie Molinar, regional director for Ontario in the Department of Canadian Heritage. Canadian Heritage seeks to realize recommendations made in April at the minister's forum on diersity and culture, but recognizes that "some agencies are far ahead of the department" in moving from policy to action on diversity.

The Department of Canadian Heritage funds the CBC, NFB, CRTC, the National Art Gallery and the Canada Council, as well as the Centre for Indigenous Theatre, and 70 national arts programs.

"Diversity was always here," said filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin as she reminded participants of the richness of Aboriginal cultures and languages.

Obomsawin spoke as a member of a panel discussion called "Commodifying Canadian Culture." The "fight for inclusion in the education system" was her first fight. She would go to schools "to talk to students to give them a different view of who we are."

When asked if she would make films on subjects unrelated to Native interests, she replied: "This is where I am badly needed." Obomsawin added, "I love what I do."