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[Opening theme music]

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Hello, and welcome to this episode
of ArtsAbly in Conversation.

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My name is Diane Kolin.

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This series presents artists,
academics, and project leaders

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who dedicate their time and energy
to a better accessibility 

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for people with disabilities in the arts.

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You can find more of these
conversations on our website, artsably.com,

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which is spelled A-R-T-S-A-B-L-Y dot com.

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[Theme music]

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Today, ArtsAbly is in conversation

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with Emily Schooley, an award-winning actor

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and filmmaker and the founder of
Laughing Cat Productions, based in Toronto.

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You can find the resources mentioned
by Emily Schooley during this episode

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on ArtsAbly's website in the blog section.

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[Tense music played by strings]

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Think of how many people love you.

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Think of how many hearts you're
going to break if you go

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through with this right now.
Look at how many people care about you.

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Look at how many people think
that you are going overseas for work.

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Think of how many people think
that you are off to something better.

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I am.

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You're what?

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[Tense music continues until it fades.]

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[TV Generic music with guitar and drum]

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Welcome back to Broadstrokes, 

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your local arts program for the tri-state area.

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If you're just joining us now,
I'm here in the studio with Kris Preston,

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the frontman for the American punk band,
The Flareups, joined via Zoom.

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They just released their third album,
Pharmaceutical Cocktail,

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and started their national tour.

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Kris, it's a pleasure
to have you here with us.

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Likewise, Bill.

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Could you tell our viewers
a little bit about your band?

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Yeah.
So we are a Cripple Punk band.

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And yeah, I know some audience members
might cringe at the use of that particular

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C-word, but it is a specific movement.

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Cripple Punk is all about refusing
to conform to able-bodied standards.

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So what's next on the horizon
for the Flare-ups?

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Well, once we recover from this tour,
whenever that'll be,

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we're going to get back in the studio
and record our next album.

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Right now, the working title is 
Not Covered By Insurance,

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and we've got a bunch of great
disability-related cover tracks.

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We've got Shiny Flappy People, Can't Stop
the Peeing, Pills, Pills, Pills.

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There's a lot that we're
excited to go in and record.

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You feel like this will
sell a lot of copies?

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Well, we would love to make a lot
of money, but Uncle Sam capped our savings

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at $2,000,
which is not enough to live in today's day

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and age, especially when we are
the only ones looking after each other.

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Look, before the interview,
I thought we agreed that 

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you weren't going to get political here.

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Yeah, news flash for you, buddy.

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When you're disabled,
everything is political.

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That $2,000 cap means that we are living
in poverty, especially

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with all the rapid inflation.

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Oh, and then there's the pharmaceutical
companies which keep jacking up the price

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of the medication that we
literally need to survive.

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Not to mention the political parties,
where the one side has a major disdain

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for any minority, to say the least,
and the other side,

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they just shrug and do nothing.

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So yeah, there is a lot to be angry about,
and that is the whole point, you f###

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[Beep sound]

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Welcome to this new episode
of ArtsAbly in Conversation.

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Today, I am with Emily Schooley,
who is an award-winning actor

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and filmmaker, and also the founder of
Laughing Cat Productions,

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which is based in Toronto.
Welcome, Emily.

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Thank you.
And thank you for having me, Diane.

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So you are right now in Toronto,
but you didn't grow up in Toronto, right?

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That's correct.

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I grew up in the Niagara region,
which is about 2 hours just 

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a little bit south of Toronto on Lake Erie.

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And then from there,
I end up going to university.

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I went to the University of Waterloo.

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So I've moved around the Southwestern
end of our province a fair bit.

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But since then, I've been
in Toronto officially since 2010.

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And I work here,
and then I also tend to travel and work

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regionally and internationally as well.

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Based in Toronto now,
but I think of myself as somebody who is

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both very globally inspired, and I love
traveling outside

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of the city to work as well.

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But you attended a school for the arts
over the Niagara region?

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or what happens to your first
artistic practices 

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that led you to where you are today?

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So for me, it's interesting because
my journey as a creative artist has really

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evolved over the years, where I
originally went to university thinking,

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Okay, well, I'm going to I'm specifically
train as an actor for theater.

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And that's what I went
into university doing.

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I did a lot of drama and theater
when I was in high school as well.

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So that's really what led me
to want to be a performer.

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But from there, what happened was after I
had shortly graduated university, 

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I ended up getting a lot of auditions
for film rather than for theater stuff.

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So I immediately went, okay, well,
I've trained as a theater actor,

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but now I'm going to try out film.

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And then from there, what happened was one
of the first directors who cast me

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in a film project,
he and I ended up working quite

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closely together for a number of years.

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So through him,
I got my feet wet with producing,

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directing, writing, all
of that at a more indie level.

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So it ended up that with one of the projects

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that I worked on with him, I started as,
"just the lead actor,"

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and I went from that to helping co-write
the series, helping production manage,

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as you do with indie arts, and then
helping direct as well, because I also...

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One of my side hobbies
is still photography.

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So I have a bit of an eye as well when it
comes to cinematography,

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setting up the shot, what am I looking for?

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And then as well as
a director being able to work with other

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actors and helping them reach an emotional
place, helping them

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choreograph or the story that we want
to tell when we're working on a project.

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So I went into that project that I was working on

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with the director who had hired me,
going, okay, well,

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I'm mostly just an actor.
And I came out of that one.

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We had actually produced a half an hour
series with a double length pilot.

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So it was about 13 episodes total.

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And through that, that was really my boot
camp in terms of learning

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the behind the camera skills.

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And then since then in my career,
I've done a lot of both,

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sometimes at the same time,
but any time I get to be just an actor

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these days, it feels like a vacation.

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So yeah, I still perform, I still direct.

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Those are my two favorite things to do.

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But I also produce my own work, which is what 
led me to founding laughing Cat Productions.

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When did you found this company?

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So I produce smaller work, casually,
off and on for years under the name,

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but we ended up incorporating
officially at the end of 2020.

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Before that, you did a lot of acting and
you were recognized internationally, too.

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You were saying you were
doing both at the same time.

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What's the feeling between both?

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You say when you are an actor,
it feels more like a holiday today than...

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[Laughs.]

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Than producing, which I understand.

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But can you explain to us what are both

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sides of your your position, basically?

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Yeah, absolutely. So for me, I'm somebody 
with ADHD, which I didn't know for years.

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I always thought I was just a slightly
quieter than some of the other theater

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kids' theater kid,
Because anybody

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who comes from that performing space,
we're all a little bit chaotic.

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We're all a little bit
like, energy, go, go, go.

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And for me, for years, it's always like,
Oh, I can do one more thing.

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I can learn this other skill.
I can do this other thing.

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And a lot of that fed
into my acting practice.

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But what I've ended up doing is
that because I like to challenge myself,

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sometimes on my own projects, I was like,
Okay, well, I'm both the lead

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actor and the director.

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And then just with the way that film tends
to work, unless you have millions

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of dollars, you're
wearing a lot of hats yourself.

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So I've also like,
I've learned to produce as well.

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And then that's actually what I
did on a few of my short films.

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But for me,
I think for me, too, part of it was always

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trying to find a ceiling and what I
could actually successfully accomplish.

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And then I finally hit that point
last year, the year before, where I went,

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okay, well, I'm only one person.

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I can accomplish
one substantial project at a time where

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I'm doing these things,
and that's about it.

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I can't do multiple projects.

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I can't be working at a seven-figure
budget level if it's just me.

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So I hit a point where I found
the ceiling layer where I'm like, Okay,

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well, if I'm producing and directing,
sometimes maybe acting,

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I can do this much.

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So it was nice to find being like, Okay,
well, now that I know that, now I can

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specialize down a little bit more again.

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And then so I've always relied on
that neuro-spiciness,

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that ADHD to be like, okay,
I can do this and this and this.

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And then it all blends together
in my mind, where 

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I always say, I feel like I'm a little
mushroom, where you see a little mushroom

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above the soil, and that's
the part that you see.

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But the part that you don't see is
the mycelial network underneath, where

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it's so interconnected to everything.

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To me, that's very much how I've always
drawn on creativity and how I build

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my creative work,
where everything is that yes and.

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But knowing what I can do successfully,
for me now, it's nice to take a I step

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back and go, Okay, well,
I just want to act in this project,

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so I'm going to audition for somebody
else's piece,

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and then collaborate with them,
or be like, Okay, well,

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I'm going to produce and direct this
project, but I'm not going

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to act on this one this time.

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And then that's being able
to take a hat off in a way.

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But for me, I found
starting with my training as an actor,

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it really fed into the other disciplines
because I could go, Okay, well,

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I know what works for me to get me
emotional emotionally present or deeper

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into a scene or being able to
achieve a genuine reaction

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on camera, things like that.

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So that's fed into my directing.

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And then I would say as well,
probably a lot of it is anxiety,

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where I'm like, I like to know what's
going on and have things organized.

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And on some indie productions,
that's not always the way it goes.

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So I think that's
how I learned to produce for better or

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worse was my anxiety just wanted
everything to be organized.

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But I've also realized, too,
it's in the world film,

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I'm really good at being
a creative or logistical producer.

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But for me, the business skills are not
really my favorite thing,

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to be doing a lot of paperwork or
being trying to find the funding.

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So one of the things I'm working on right
now is because we've already raised

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substantial funding for a couple
of Laughing Cat Productions projects,

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is looking for another producer to bring
on board to help finally share

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that workload so that our projects can
continue to grow and be successful.

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As a producer, the nice thing is that you
can choose your subjects and choose

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the scripts and choose the scenarios,
whatever, the authors.

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How do you choose the productions 
you want to bring life?

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Bring to life, sorry.

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It's okay.

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So for me, the way I choose things
to bring to life is that

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I'm very personally passionate about
creating queer woman-led media, specifically.

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And we have quite a gap 
in that market where

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we're finally getting shows like
Yellowjackets or films like Backspot,

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where there's just
normalized queer women-led stories.

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But when you look at what's out there
for men, gay men, straight men, whatever,

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they outnumber what's out there for women,
two to one, three to one, five to one.

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So for me, it's always like,
is there an underheard or underrepresented

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woman's voice in the story?

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That's one of the big
draws for me as well.

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And then also, is
there something in here that provokes

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social change or more inclusive thought or
bringing to life,

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bringing to screen somebody's life who we
don't really hear or see a lot of stories

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from somebody from that demographic.

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So for example, it's like 
we do get the occasional

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large scale feature film done by a really big no
name, where it'll touch on something like

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poverty or disability or
even fat phobia, things like that.

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But a lot of those films tend to be
produced from more privileged voices.

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So for me, as someone who grew up working
class, as someone who grew up

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in a mid-sized body,
especially in the '90s and 2000s,

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where people wanted you to be super slim,
I also experienced a lot of exclusion

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in the film industry just
because I was not not

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essentially what they were looking for.

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So for me,
I'm now drawn to tell those stories,

224
00:14:31,370 --> 00:14:35,908
the stories that we don't hear, the people
we still don't see enough of on screen.

225
00:14:35,908 --> 00:14:40,913
So that's really what I look for,
where it's like, who is this character?

226
00:14:40,913 --> 00:14:45,751
How are they different from
mainstream media out there?

227
00:14:45,751 --> 00:14:49,188
How is the story different?
How does this better society?

228
00:14:49,188 --> 00:14:53,058
Because the other thing I look for as
well, where it's like we have a lot of

229
00:14:53,058 --> 00:14:56,328
what I'm going to call content showing,
where a lot of stuff is getting made.

230
00:14:56,495 --> 00:15:00,232
People will watch something on streaming,
but they won't remember

231
00:15:00,232 --> 00:15:02,034
that series six months later.

232
00:15:02,067 --> 00:15:05,904
It's like I like to make things that
get into people and hook them,

233
00:15:05,938 --> 00:15:09,541
stick with them, where they'll come back 
and think about the film in a year from now.

234
00:15:09,541 --> 00:15:13,646
It'll go, and go, Oh,
I am seeing this play out in society.

235
00:15:13,646 --> 00:15:14,913
Funnily enough, Emily was right.

236
00:15:14,913 --> 00:15:17,716
Things like that.

237
00:15:18,817 --> 00:15:22,721
Sometimes even a shorter film,
I saw one of your movies called

238
00:15:22,721 --> 00:15:27,493
Crip Metal Interview,
and this one was really awesome.

239
00:15:27,493 --> 00:15:34,933
In that movie, there is the typical
reaction, or in that short film,

240
00:15:34,933 --> 00:15:37,937
there's a typical reaction
of the interviewer that says,

241
00:15:37,937 --> 00:15:41,774
Oh, I thought we would agree
that we won't talk about politics.

242
00:15:41,774 --> 00:15:45,611
And your character says,
Everything in disability is political,

243
00:15:45,644 --> 00:15:48,747
so how can I not talk about it?
Yeah.

244
00:15:48,747 --> 00:15:50,382
Yeah.

245
00:15:50,416 --> 00:15:51,884
So Crip Metal Interview.

246
00:15:51,951 --> 00:15:56,922
So that was a sketch done with Sick Bae,
which is a disability-focused

247
00:15:56,922 --> 00:15:59,758
sketch troupe that I work with.

248
00:15:59,758 --> 00:16:04,063
The people that benefit from the silence
of those being oppressed are the ones

249
00:16:04,096 --> 00:16:08,667
that will try to keep
perpetuating that silence or

250
00:16:08,667 --> 00:16:10,269
try to keep that power dynamic in play.

251
00:16:10,302 --> 00:16:15,140
Whereas I'm someone very much where

252
00:16:15,774 --> 00:16:18,877
I believe that none of us are going
to thrive until everyone can thrive.

253
00:16:18,877 --> 00:16:24,149
So a lot of the work I do is ultimately
about creating a world

254
00:16:24,149 --> 00:16:26,518
where that can happen.

255
00:16:26,518 --> 00:16:29,321
And also breaking assumptions, right?

256
00:16:29,321 --> 00:16:30,923
Yeah, exactly.

257
00:16:30,923 --> 00:16:32,791
That's very nice.

258
00:16:32,791 --> 00:16:36,528
In your recent projects,
you have one interesting

259
00:16:36,562 --> 00:16:38,297
upcoming project that is coming.

260
00:16:38,330 --> 00:16:40,299
Can you talk about that?

261
00:16:40,466 --> 00:16:43,736
Absolutely.
I made a short film.

262
00:16:43,769 --> 00:16:48,006
We actually shot back in 2022,
and then it's been on the festival

263
00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:50,009
circuit for about a year now.

264
00:16:50,042 --> 00:16:56,315
But it's a short film about
a chronically ill woman who chooses MAID.

265
00:16:56,315 --> 00:16:59,818
And the film is about her best friend 
finding out the 11th hour 

266
00:16:59,818 --> 00:17:02,988
and then confronting her
about her choice, where, 

267
00:17:02,988 --> 00:17:06,291
yeah, we've been on the festival 
circuit for about a year.

268
00:17:06,291 --> 00:17:09,061
And coming up in May,
we actually have two screenings here

269
00:17:09,094 --> 00:17:12,931
in Ontario,
We're going to have one May 15th

270
00:17:12,931 --> 00:17:18,937
in Alliston at the Circle Theater as part
of a collective of independent filmmakers.

271
00:17:18,937 --> 00:17:21,273
And then I don't quite have the date yet
because they're still

272
00:17:21,273 --> 00:17:22,241
finalizing the schedule.

273
00:17:22,274 --> 00:17:24,777
But the film will also be part
of the Grand River Film Festival

274
00:17:24,843 --> 00:17:29,048
at the end of May happening
in Kitchener Waterloo, Cambridge area.

275
00:17:29,815 --> 00:17:32,651
So for me, in a way, the project 
feels a little bit full circle, 

276
00:17:32,684 --> 00:17:36,688
where, having been a U Waterloo student,

277
00:17:36,688 --> 00:17:41,427
where we filmed the film was actually
literally along the Grand River,

278
00:17:41,427 --> 00:17:48,067
where the Airbnb that we shot at, it's
a property managed by a friend of mine.

279
00:17:48,067 --> 00:17:50,269
The Grand River literally
went through the backyard.

280
00:17:50,402 --> 00:17:54,006
So being able to screen there,
especially as someone who 

281
00:17:54,039 --> 00:17:56,809
grew up in Waterloo region,
was there for a number of years.

282
00:17:56,842 --> 00:18:01,413
I remember when Ken Nakamura 
started that festival in 2007,

283
00:18:02,848 --> 00:18:05,717
I'm almost more excited to screen there
than if we got him to TIFF,

284
00:18:05,751 --> 00:18:11,723
just based on the connections I have and
the way the film came about,

285
00:18:11,757 --> 00:18:14,626
who I made it with, where we made it.

286
00:18:14,626 --> 00:18:17,996
So yeah, I'm really looking
forward to both those meetings.

287
00:18:18,597 --> 00:18:24,269
So this movie,
is it a production with multiple actors

288
00:18:24,269 --> 00:18:26,672
or is it just story of this person?

289
00:18:27,606 --> 00:18:29,007
So it's two actors.

290
00:18:29,041 --> 00:18:32,044
And with this film, I
did the thing we were talking about

291
00:18:32,077 --> 00:18:36,014
earlier, where I wrote it, I was
in front of the camera as a lead actor.

292
00:18:36,048 --> 00:18:40,185
I directed with my cinematographer,
and then I did about 80 to 90 %

293
00:18:40,185 --> 00:18:41,720
of the actual producing labor.

294
00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:43,522
So it was a lot.

295
00:18:43,522 --> 00:18:47,292
But basically, the story
is a two-hander drama.

296
00:18:47,326 --> 00:18:52,131
So it's myself playing the character
Clara, who is the one that's

297
00:18:52,131 --> 00:18:55,167
choosing to undergo MAID,
and then her best friend Skye,

298
00:18:55,167 --> 00:18:59,371
who played by Salma Dharsee,
who's another very talented Toronto actor.

299
00:19:00,639 --> 00:19:04,076
Well, congratulations because
it's a big achievement.

300
00:19:04,076 --> 00:19:09,248
We're going to post all the details
on ArtsAbly's website so that people can

301
00:19:09,248 --> 00:19:15,187
have a look and know
more about the dates and everything.

302
00:19:15,187 --> 00:19:16,722
Yeah, so that's great.

303
00:19:16,755 --> 00:19:21,493
After this movie is streamed 

304
00:19:21,493 --> 00:19:24,329
and after this movie is featured in festivals,

305
00:19:24,329 --> 00:19:27,499
do you have other things that are coming
in the next few months

306
00:19:27,533 --> 00:19:28,800
that you're working on?

307
00:19:29,668 --> 00:19:30,536
I do.

308
00:19:30,536 --> 00:19:35,073
So I've got a few things that are
in earlier development right now.

309
00:19:35,073 --> 00:19:39,144
And then with The Sweetest Goodbye as
well, we're hoping to still screen

310
00:19:39,178 --> 00:19:43,415
at a few more festivals before we
wrap up and then move on to VOD.

311
00:19:43,515 --> 00:19:49,521
But in the short term, I actually just
got my first paid literary submission.

312
00:19:49,521 --> 00:19:53,458
So I'm going to be part of an anthology
that's coming out later this year.

313
00:19:53,959 --> 00:19:58,196
We're still waiting on a release date
for that, but that should be, I think,

314
00:19:58,196 --> 00:19:59,965
probably summer or fall.

315
00:19:59,965 --> 00:20:03,035
And that was done in collaboration
with Workman Arts here in Toronto.

316
00:20:03,635 --> 00:20:08,707
As well, I've got some Canada Council
funding for a short film, so 

317
00:20:08,707 --> 00:20:12,044
that's going to be in production later this fall.

318
00:20:12,477 --> 00:20:16,181
We're still getting some 
details together for that, but 

319
00:20:16,181 --> 00:20:18,450
I'm really looking forward to that.

320
00:20:19,318 --> 00:20:20,185
It's funny.

321
00:20:20,219 --> 00:20:22,187
I've actually become a little bit
superstitious where I

322
00:20:22,221 --> 00:20:26,725
don't talk a lot about projects unless
they're finally done and ready to screen.

323
00:20:26,725 --> 00:20:32,898
But outside of that, I'm
developing some feature film content.

324
00:20:32,898 --> 00:20:35,667
We actually had a really good reception
for The Sweetest Goodbye

325
00:20:35,701 --> 00:20:38,003
in Brazil last year.

326
00:20:38,003 --> 00:20:41,073
So because of that,
I've made a lot of really good connections

327
00:20:41,073 --> 00:20:44,977
in the São Paulo and Virginia areas.

328
00:20:44,977 --> 00:20:50,048
So I'm developing a feature film
with one of the filmmakers I met there.

329
00:20:50,048 --> 00:20:53,318
I'm developing some other
feature length work as well.

330
00:20:53,318 --> 00:20:57,256
And then I'm also developing 
a genre series that 

331
00:20:57,256 --> 00:21:00,559
we're hoping to be able to release 
an interactive digital prequel for that.

332
00:21:00,592 --> 00:21:06,632
And then there would also be a one hour
streaming or broadcast component as well.

333
00:21:07,332 --> 00:21:09,601
I'm very much right now,
I'm looking for the right people,

334
00:21:09,635 --> 00:21:13,872
the right partnerships to help elevate 
mine and Laughing Cat Productions' work

335
00:21:13,872 --> 00:21:17,309
to the next level and then help
bring these projects to life.

336
00:21:18,043 --> 00:21:24,383
You mentioned international connections
through this production company,

337
00:21:24,416 --> 00:21:26,485
but also as an actress, right?

338
00:21:26,518 --> 00:21:30,656
You also performed
in international projects.

339
00:21:31,390 --> 00:21:38,130
Yeah. So for better or worse,
because I've been so heads down in 

340
00:21:38,130 --> 00:21:41,566
grant writing, trying to get funding, trying
to develop some of my own work.

341
00:21:42,401 --> 00:21:43,168
I've had to take...

342
00:21:43,201 --> 00:21:46,471
Like acting has had to take a little bit of a 
back seat over the last couple of years for me.

343
00:21:46,471 --> 00:21:52,077
But I'm at a point now where I've 
realized how much I miss doing

344
00:21:52,077 --> 00:21:56,615
that element of the creativity,
because, not necessarily the downside,

345
00:21:56,648 --> 00:22:01,753
but it's the necessary evil that comes
with running a production company, where

346
00:22:01,753 --> 00:22:07,092
90 % of my days these days are admin,
and paperwork, and strategy,

347
00:22:07,092 --> 00:22:10,195
and looking for grants,
and writing grants, and 

348
00:22:10,195 --> 00:22:12,297
looking for funding, and trying 
to build partnerships.

349
00:22:12,297 --> 00:22:16,935
And so much of it has
been the business and logistics side

350
00:22:16,968 --> 00:22:20,138
of it, where,
yeah, it's been over the last couple

351
00:22:20,172 --> 00:22:23,375
of years where I haven't
really done much on screen.

352
00:22:23,375 --> 00:22:24,643
I shouldn't say that.

353
00:22:24,676 --> 00:22:28,447
It's not nothing, but I did
the sketch stuff with Sick Bae.

354
00:22:28,447 --> 00:22:29,948
I shot my film.

355
00:22:29,948 --> 00:22:33,785
Selma and I actually worked together
on another project just a few months ago.

356
00:22:33,785 --> 00:22:36,088
So that was her first time producing.

357
00:22:36,088 --> 00:22:41,893
But yeah, I'm at a point where I am looking 
to start doing more acting again, and

358
00:22:41,893 --> 00:22:45,263
I've just got to get some new head shots done, 

359
00:22:45,263 --> 00:22:48,967
but looking for more projects
to audition for and be part of.

360
00:22:48,967 --> 00:22:52,371
And then we're still nailing all
the details, but I'm supposed to be

361
00:22:52,404 --> 00:22:56,208
shooting a film this summer as well
with a filmmaker I've known for over

362
00:22:56,241 --> 00:22:57,809
a decade who's out of Montreal.

363
00:22:57,809 --> 00:23:03,648
So there's a few irons in the fire,
but especially for me who likes to be busy

364
00:23:03,682 --> 00:23:07,052
and on the go, there's not quite as
much as I would like of the creative.

365
00:23:07,052 --> 00:23:10,288
And then as well, it's been a few years
since I've been represented

366
00:23:10,322 --> 00:23:11,523
by an acting agent.

367
00:23:11,523 --> 00:23:15,026
So I'm also on the look out for another
agent as well who

368
00:23:15,026 --> 00:23:19,998
also understands the multidimensionality,
the multi-passionate that I do, but

369
00:23:19,998 --> 00:23:21,533
also supports my work as an actor.

370
00:23:21,533 --> 00:23:24,870
So we'll see where that hunt goes,
and we'll see who ends up

371
00:23:24,870 --> 00:23:26,905
being the best fit there.

372
00:23:26,905 --> 00:23:29,708
Did you work - With the production company,

373
00:23:29,708 --> 00:23:33,678
did you work with the project
called the Squeaky Wheel?

374
00:23:33,678 --> 00:23:36,848
I did, yeah.

375
00:23:36,915 --> 00:23:41,853
Funnily enough, the segment
I was in was also about MAID.

376
00:23:41,853 --> 00:23:45,891
That's been a theme over
the last couple of years.

377
00:23:45,891 --> 00:23:50,228
And then they're actually nominated
for two Canadian Screen Awards right now.

378
00:23:50,228 --> 00:23:52,998
So that's been very exciting.

379
00:23:52,998 --> 00:23:56,835
Andrew, the lead producer of that,
I had met

380
00:23:56,835 --> 00:24:00,872
actually through the Disability Screen
Office a couple of years ago,

381
00:24:00,872 --> 00:24:03,508
and then they had me come out to be part
of one of the episodes,

382
00:24:03,542 --> 00:24:07,345
which is really nice, where I
think I had actually missed the main

383
00:24:07,345 --> 00:24:12,784
auditions for the core casting, but it was
nice to be able to step in for an episode.

384
00:24:12,818 --> 00:24:16,855
And then, yeah, very supportive set,
very, very collaborative.

385
00:24:17,589 --> 00:24:20,025
And then, yeah, there are a lot of 
talented folks working on the show, 

386
00:24:20,058 --> 00:24:23,795
and that is all disability-centric comedy, which is...

387
00:24:23,795 --> 00:24:28,300
It's really nice to see how how
far people will push things.

388
00:24:29,167 --> 00:24:34,306
It's very almost reminiscent of a
little bit of that '90s, 2000s SNL vibe

389
00:24:34,306 --> 00:24:37,108
as well, has made its way in there.

390
00:24:37,609 --> 00:24:42,814
People can watch this
on AMI TV online also.

391
00:24:42,848 --> 00:24:49,721
If you want to discover that,
that's a very funny show that has very

392
00:24:49,754 --> 00:24:55,594
short episodes and always by disabled,

393
00:24:55,594 --> 00:24:58,330
with topics that are frequently

394
00:24:58,363 --> 00:25:02,400
mentioned and in a very fun way.

395
00:25:02,434 --> 00:25:06,104
I recommend watching that.

396
00:25:06,972 --> 00:25:12,110
Funnily enough, the sketch I did was a lot
more funny than - a lot more of a humorous

397
00:25:12,110 --> 00:25:17,048
take on MAID than my film,
and I'll share as well, too,

398
00:25:17,082 --> 00:25:20,685
just a brief anecdote where
the genesis of my film,

399
00:25:20,719 --> 00:25:25,523
The Sweetest Goodbye, was very much
because of Bill C-7 passing here in Canada,

400
00:25:25,557 --> 00:25:28,727
where MAID has now opened up to people

401
00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:34,666
that are not terminally ill, but,

402
00:25:35,567 --> 00:25:38,236
"decreased quality of life."

403
00:25:38,236 --> 00:25:42,207
And as I'm sure you know,
what we're seeing is that

404
00:25:42,207 --> 00:25:47,646
people have applied for MAID because
they can't get safe housing, which is...

405
00:25:48,079 --> 00:25:53,018
I understand why, to some degree,
it's not being made as much of a big deal

406
00:25:53,051 --> 00:25:57,489
in the news as it should be, but
what I think a lot of people who only

407
00:25:57,522 --> 00:26:02,127
consume mainstream news or who
aren't a part of any equity or community

408
00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:06,865
don't realize is just how 
dangerous it is essentially,

409
00:26:06,898 --> 00:26:10,802
where people are not being 
provided with the supports

410
00:26:10,835 --> 00:26:13,104
they need to live a thriving life,

411
00:26:13,104 --> 00:26:17,242
and then they're choosing to end their
life because they don't have that support.

412
00:26:17,776 --> 00:26:24,849
Whereas a lot of this could be 
mitigated if we had a UBI

413
00:26:24,849 --> 00:26:30,322
or If people living with disabilities had
adequate financial, adequate medical,

414
00:26:30,322 --> 00:26:33,959
adequate housing, other levels
of support, they need to thrive.

415
00:26:33,959 --> 00:26:41,032
And I think this is something systemic,
too, where in Canada, abroad,

416
00:26:41,032 --> 00:26:45,303
we're seeing more and more of a disparity
between the ultra wealthy and everybody else.

417
00:26:45,670 --> 00:26:47,572
And that's ultimately
what's underneath this.

418
00:26:47,706 --> 00:26:54,012
But for me, and this is like I was saying
earlier, where I like to include

419
00:26:54,045 --> 00:26:56,648
social impact themes in work.

420
00:26:56,648 --> 00:27:01,286
I thought it was very timely to address
this and address it's not just,

421
00:27:01,319 --> 00:27:03,021
Oh, I'm sick and I want to die.

422
00:27:03,121 --> 00:27:07,492
It's I want to die because I'm 
so sick of being made to feel

423
00:27:07,492 --> 00:27:12,697
less than or othered or unsupported
by society that I feel I have no other choice.

424
00:27:14,666 --> 00:27:19,037
I don't want to take things too dark or
too bleak here, but

425
00:27:19,938 --> 00:27:24,909
I think a lot of people don't think about
or realize how much social exclusion,

426
00:27:24,909 --> 00:27:31,483
how much living in poverty, living
without adequate resources that you see

427
00:27:31,516 --> 00:27:37,355
other people getting contribute to the
mindset that can lead up to that as well.

428
00:27:37,355 --> 00:27:42,427
Where I think it's an important topic
to address and think about going, 

429
00:27:43,395 --> 00:27:48,333
if we made more of an effort to
create equity in society,

430
00:27:48,366 --> 00:27:53,171
to reduce income inequality,
to make things more accessible, 

431
00:27:53,171 --> 00:27:55,907
a lot of people wouldn't be having
the struggles they're having

432
00:27:55,907 --> 00:27:58,743
simply because they're under-resourced.

433
00:27:59,511 --> 00:28:04,816
It's true.
And by making movies about it, in a way,

434
00:28:04,916 --> 00:28:08,620
people can see an aspect of life

435
00:28:08,653 --> 00:28:10,321
that they didn't really think of.

436
00:28:11,156 --> 00:28:14,426
And it also ties to my other question

437
00:28:14,426 --> 00:28:19,998
about what you think of

438
00:28:19,998 --> 00:28:24,903
the impact of the art in the disability
community or working in

439
00:28:24,903 --> 00:28:29,074
disability culture or creating more
accessibility in the arts.

440
00:28:29,174 --> 00:28:36,581
Can you tell us what you think the role
of art is in the disability culture?

441
00:28:37,282 --> 00:28:40,452
Well, I think overall, arts
and disability culture,

442
00:28:40,485 --> 00:28:45,824
or arts in any culture, is a way of
both expressing yourself, learning

443
00:28:45,857 --> 00:28:48,526
about yourself, telling your stories.

444
00:28:48,526 --> 00:28:52,897
But then as well,
it goes back to the Paleothic times

445
00:28:52,931 --> 00:28:56,034
with the handprint on the wall.
It's a way of saying, I was here.

446
00:28:56,034 --> 00:28:59,804
This is my story. This is what I experienced.

447
00:28:59,804 --> 00:29:05,677
But especially in terms of accessibility,
this is the hill that I will die on.

448
00:29:05,677 --> 00:29:10,014
Part of accessibility to me is adequate
funding and adequate inclusion,

449
00:29:10,014 --> 00:29:14,752
where even with, say,
Ontario Arts Council,

450
00:29:14,752 --> 00:29:18,723
disabled artists
can only get up to $10,000,

451
00:29:18,723 --> 00:29:22,093
but a media artist who does not apply
under the disability category

452
00:29:22,127 --> 00:29:25,130
can get up to $40,000 to make their work.

453
00:29:25,330 --> 00:29:30,935
So something like that to me,
there's still a weird inequity there,

454
00:29:30,935 --> 00:29:36,841
where if I apply to Ontario Arts Council
as a filmmaker

455
00:29:36,841 --> 00:29:41,279
versus a disabled filmmaker,
I'm treated a little differently.

456
00:29:41,713 --> 00:29:45,784
And so that's even within an arts body
within Canada,

457
00:29:45,817 --> 00:29:49,354
where that discrepancy still exists.

458
00:29:49,954 --> 00:29:56,761
And again, this just goes back to -
there's an inherent,

459
00:29:56,761 --> 00:30:02,433
in some areas, I will say an inherent
elitism or exclusionaryism that

460
00:30:02,433 --> 00:30:07,238
comes with certain areas of mainstream
media, mainstream arts, where

461
00:30:07,238 --> 00:30:10,808
we're told we need to look a certain way,
behave a certain way,

462
00:30:10,808 --> 00:30:16,381
have a certain set of ideals that
we blend in, and we don't rock the boat

463
00:30:16,414 --> 00:30:22,754
on politics, or genocide, or income
and equality, or any number of topics.

464
00:30:22,987 --> 00:30:27,358
But it's going back to what you mentioned
earlier, where you watched

465
00:30:27,358 --> 00:30:31,829
the Crip Metal sketch, and everything is
political because it's had to be.

466
00:30:32,497 --> 00:30:38,937
But in terms of accessibility in the arts,
a lot of it, too, I think,

467
00:30:38,970 --> 00:30:44,275
is being made to feel safe, seen, and
included in spaces where 

468
00:30:44,275 --> 00:30:47,212
a lot of the times it's clear that people don't...

469
00:30:47,212 --> 00:30:50,215
They don't think about including other
people because they've never had to,

470
00:30:50,215 --> 00:30:56,187
because the world has always catered
to them in some way, or they've never felt

471
00:30:56,187 --> 00:31:01,192
unwelcome or excluded in a room,
or somebody's never had to think about,

472
00:31:01,192 --> 00:31:04,162
Okay, well, how am I
going to get in there?

473
00:31:04,162 --> 00:31:08,566
Or watching films,
how do I understand what's on screen 

474
00:31:08,566 --> 00:31:10,835
if I can't see, hear, whatever?

475
00:31:10,835 --> 00:31:16,174
People that have more privilege,
people that have more access,

476
00:31:16,174 --> 00:31:21,246
they've never had to make room,
or they never think about making room

477
00:31:21,246 --> 00:31:23,514
because they've never had to, essentially.

478
00:31:23,514 --> 00:31:28,419
Whereas, yeah, I think too, 

479
00:31:29,487 --> 00:31:35,293
Part of it, too, I think, and this goes back 
to the whole financial equity, but also 

480
00:31:35,293 --> 00:31:38,229
being paid equally for equal work.

481
00:31:38,229 --> 00:31:42,000
Whereas one of our most pervasive
attitudes in society is, oh,

482
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:45,403
everybody has to earn a living,
which I think is one of the most messed up

483
00:31:45,436 --> 00:31:51,910
things, where the system that we're under,

484
00:31:51,910 --> 00:31:56,147
we're told we need to function under 
capitalism, where we have to produce

485
00:31:56,147 --> 00:31:57,749
a certain way to be successful.

486
00:31:57,749 --> 00:32:00,351
We have to look a certain
way to be successful.

487
00:32:00,351 --> 00:32:05,523
And I think the arts in general,
but especially disability arts, is so

488
00:32:05,523 --> 00:32:08,893
countercultured to that in a very
beautiful way,

489
00:32:08,893 --> 00:32:14,766
where you can produce amazing works of art
that the financial value is

490
00:32:14,799 --> 00:32:17,602
really, really irrelevant.

491
00:32:18,336 --> 00:32:24,342
And I think to me, too, accessibility is also...

492
00:32:25,076 --> 00:32:29,647
Just even having the support you need
to be able to thrive in the same way

493
00:32:29,647 --> 00:32:32,951
that somebody who's not disabled can.

494
00:32:32,951 --> 00:32:37,088
Whereas, for example,
I have one of my filmmaker friends.

495
00:32:37,088 --> 00:32:42,427
They always shoot on iPhone or they shoot
on a small camera

496
00:32:42,427 --> 00:32:47,665
just because the weight of a physical
cinema camera is 20, 30 pounds.

497
00:32:47,665 --> 00:32:51,135
And not everybody can lift that.

498
00:32:51,169 --> 00:32:55,273
To me, if I was hauling that around for
days at a time, I'd be very sore as well.

499
00:32:55,873 --> 00:33:00,244
So even thinking about that, too,
where it's adapting tools to 

500
00:33:00,244 --> 00:33:02,246
what can I use that suits me 

501
00:33:02,246 --> 00:33:06,050
versus, Oh, you have to fit with this 
standard to be taken seriously.

502
00:33:06,684 --> 00:33:13,091
But today, fortunately, to our advantage,
we live in a society that

503
00:33:13,091 --> 00:33:17,328
grows very fast and evolves.

504
00:33:17,328 --> 00:33:22,700
One of the things that I always found
amazing is the possibility of finding

505
00:33:22,734 --> 00:33:26,304
a new tool that is smaller
that is more efficient.

506
00:33:26,337 --> 00:33:30,174
I'm thinking of this advertisement

507
00:33:30,208 --> 00:33:34,445
that Apple did with their phone filming.

508
00:33:34,445 --> 00:33:40,284
The filmmaker was someone with

509
00:33:40,284 --> 00:33:44,088
vision impairment, and he was able

510
00:33:44,122 --> 00:33:47,191
to film a whole movie with an iPhone.

511
00:33:47,191 --> 00:33:50,928
It was the story of how he was

512
00:33:50,928 --> 00:33:56,167
managing the limitation of

513
00:33:56,167 --> 00:34:01,706
the way he could see the whole scene

514
00:34:01,706 --> 00:34:05,209
and the way he adapted with the new tools.

515
00:34:06,110 --> 00:34:11,883
I find it hopeful in a way to think of,

516
00:34:11,883 --> 00:34:14,085
Okay, so we have more and more tools

517
00:34:14,085 --> 00:34:16,487
that are built for everybody.

518
00:34:16,487 --> 00:34:19,724
Like the universal design concept, right?

519
00:34:19,724 --> 00:34:20,758
It's built for everybody.

520
00:34:20,792 --> 00:34:27,131
Everybody can use the last iPhone,
but it helps some artists

521
00:34:27,131 --> 00:34:31,469
to be able to create in another way.

522
00:34:31,469 --> 00:34:37,809
It helps with
visual descriptions and it helps with...

523
00:34:38,409 --> 00:34:42,413
I don't know,
it connects with hearing aids.

524
00:34:42,413 --> 00:34:46,751
The evolution today is better and better.

525
00:34:46,751 --> 00:34:51,556
I wonder if you feel this
impact in your industry.

526
00:34:52,457 --> 00:34:55,927
I think we're definitely in a very
interesting time when it comes

527
00:34:55,960 --> 00:35:01,666
to the intersection of technology,
art making, what the future is,

528
00:35:01,666 --> 00:35:04,402
and even the future of humanity itself.

529
00:35:04,402 --> 00:35:08,406
But I think any tool that we have

530
00:35:08,406 --> 00:35:11,609
should be able to serve us and serve all of us.

531
00:35:11,609 --> 00:35:19,083
So even for example,
while there's described video,

532
00:35:19,083 --> 00:35:26,958
there's also ways of even making dialog,
making on-screen content more accessible,

533
00:35:28,793 --> 00:35:32,063
where if somebody says, Oh, I
can't believe you're wearing

534
00:35:32,096 --> 00:35:35,433
that ugly pink sweater, for example.

535
00:35:35,433 --> 00:35:38,169
Even something like that in a line of dialog

536
00:35:38,202 --> 00:35:43,274
in a film can make visual descriptions

537
00:35:43,274 --> 00:35:47,011
or conveying that a little bit easier

538
00:35:47,044 --> 00:35:54,752
for people that are hard of sight,
blind, things like that, where it's...

539
00:35:54,752 --> 00:35:58,055
There's both technological ways,
and there's also just intuitive ways that

540
00:35:58,055 --> 00:36:00,558
maybe we haven't thought about before.

541
00:36:00,558 --> 00:36:03,928
But, yeah, I think because we're living

542
00:36:03,961 --> 00:36:08,366
in the age that we
are, people, regardless of

543
00:36:08,366 --> 00:36:11,369
financial background, whatever,
should be able to access the same tools

544
00:36:11,369 --> 00:36:14,605
that the ultra wealthy can access.

545
00:36:14,605 --> 00:36:16,841
And I think there's a lot of ways

546
00:36:16,874 --> 00:36:21,045
to incorporate that into making
performance, making films,

547
00:36:21,078 --> 00:36:26,050
even creating visual arts, where for me,

548
00:36:26,050 --> 00:36:28,586
I'm someone that I just ethically, 

549
00:36:28,586 --> 00:36:32,490
I can't really deal with a lot of AI use,
especially because knowing what

550
00:36:32,523 --> 00:36:35,092
it does for the environment.

551
00:36:35,092 --> 00:36:39,363
But even just on my iPhone,
there's so many accessibility tools

552
00:36:39,397 --> 00:36:42,366
built in where it'll do it automatically.

553
00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:45,536
It can describe something to you.

554
00:36:45,570 --> 00:36:48,072
It can read things back.

555
00:36:48,072 --> 00:36:50,208
Like, it's just...

556
00:36:50,208 --> 00:36:54,445
Everybody should have access to these.

557
00:36:54,478 --> 00:36:59,417
I do work in a accessibility
assessments of buildings.

558
00:36:59,417 --> 00:37:03,688
This iPhone has a tool.

559
00:37:03,688 --> 00:37:07,825
It's been there forever,
but people barely know it.

560
00:37:07,825 --> 00:37:12,430
It's a tool that can not only measure
the distance between two points,

561
00:37:12,430 --> 00:37:17,368
but it can also measure the inclination
of a ramp, for example, things like that.

562
00:37:17,368 --> 00:37:22,073
It's so easy now compared to the time
where we were using tools

563
00:37:22,073 --> 00:37:25,042
with wood and whatever.

564
00:37:25,076 --> 00:37:27,445
Calculation.

565
00:37:27,445 --> 00:37:31,215
It's almost getting the stone
and chisel to make sure the ramp is...

566
00:37:31,215 --> 00:37:33,451
[Laughs.]

567
00:37:33,451 --> 00:37:36,387
I'm grateful for these tools.

568
00:37:36,387 --> 00:37:40,925
I know totally what you mean
by including more, for example, captions.

569
00:37:40,925 --> 00:37:46,964
There are fun ways to include captions
in an artistic project,

570
00:37:46,964 --> 00:37:48,633
and that's something to think about.

571
00:37:48,633 --> 00:37:52,169
What can I do with these
boring caption that are helpful

572
00:37:52,203 --> 00:37:54,438
for following and reading?

573
00:37:54,438 --> 00:37:58,242
But is there a way I can include
that in the artistic project?

574
00:37:58,242 --> 00:38:04,048
Yeah, or even a way to, you know:
Oh, she grumbles, or she like...

575
00:38:05,049 --> 00:38:07,385
I have to admit, I'm not that good.

576
00:38:07,418 --> 00:38:11,255
I need to work with some people because
my captions, I do captions with these

577
00:38:11,289 --> 00:38:16,193
episodes, but it would be text captions.

578
00:38:16,927 --> 00:38:22,900
That's something I would really need
advice or a partner to make these

579
00:38:22,933 --> 00:38:26,537
captions more fun, or more useful sometimes.

580
00:38:27,204 --> 00:38:29,974
There's little ways, too,
because you can go, Oh,

581
00:38:30,007 --> 00:38:34,645
the music is like a '90s smooth, sexy jam,

582
00:38:34,645 --> 00:38:38,382
or just throwing in those spicy,

583
00:38:38,416 --> 00:38:43,587
fun adjectives there where
Little things like that.

584
00:38:43,587 --> 00:38:47,091
But yeah, and I think too,
just partnership in general is so helpful.

585
00:38:47,124 --> 00:38:50,895
I think, especially even looping 
back to the earlier conversation

586
00:38:50,928 --> 00:38:55,566
around accessibility,
where having somebody else's energy,

587
00:38:55,599 --> 00:38:59,670
having somebody else's insight,
somebody who,

588
00:38:59,670 --> 00:39:03,908
even if you've had very similar lived
experiences, will still have somewhat

589
00:39:03,908 --> 00:39:08,612
of a unique lens on the worlds, where
I think being able to share

590
00:39:08,612 --> 00:39:12,917
things with each other, share things
in community, share things in partnership.

591
00:39:12,917 --> 00:39:16,587
I think that's also crucial for all of us.

592
00:39:18,456 --> 00:39:19,390
Well, thank you.

593
00:39:19,423 --> 00:39:25,563
I have a last question,
and it's about people who might have been

594
00:39:25,563 --> 00:39:30,801
able to motivate you or

595
00:39:30,868 --> 00:39:39,443
counted in your career or in life, generally.

596
00:39:39,443 --> 00:39:46,150
Do you have someone to think of who
really counted in your career?

597
00:39:46,150 --> 00:39:49,887
Can you tell us who this
person is and why?

598
00:39:49,887 --> 00:39:50,988
Absolutely.

599
00:39:50,988 --> 00:39:56,193
I've got a few in mind, actually,
but I'll start just very quickly.

600
00:39:56,193 --> 00:39:59,497
I want to mention
the Disability Screen Office.

601
00:39:59,597 --> 00:40:04,668
So they're a film and television-focused
organization working on bringing more

602
00:40:04,668 --> 00:40:11,175
inclusivity to both how media is produced
and as well as reputation on screen.

603
00:40:11,175 --> 00:40:17,748
So that's something else
just circling back again to accessibility,

604
00:40:17,748 --> 00:40:23,254
where nothing about us without us,
to borrow that slogan.

605
00:40:23,721 --> 00:40:28,058
And I know the DSO is working on
bringing better representation

606
00:40:28,092 --> 00:40:30,761
to screen, to writers rooms.

607
00:40:30,795 --> 00:40:35,566
If there are disabled stories being told,
we should be in positions of power

608
00:40:35,566 --> 00:40:39,470
as the ones telling that story,
not just as a side character

609
00:40:39,470 --> 00:40:41,872
hired here and there for the day.

610
00:40:41,872 --> 00:40:47,711
But in terms of people, specifically,
I want to mention Sasha Boersma,

611
00:40:47,711 --> 00:40:51,148
and she's one of the founders
of Sticky Brain Studios.

612
00:40:51,315 --> 00:40:54,652
So I had originally met her through WIFT
a couple of years ago, 

613
00:40:54,652 --> 00:40:57,321
the Women in Film and Television Network.

614
00:40:57,321 --> 00:41:00,958
So she's building up...

615
00:41:01,158 --> 00:41:05,296
Sticky Brain is a video game company.

616
00:41:05,296 --> 00:41:12,670
They have a few different games launched
on your Android apps or your iPhone apps,

617
00:41:12,670 --> 00:41:18,742
Rooster's in there, there's also one called Kimono,
but basically, both between the way she

618
00:41:18,776 --> 00:41:23,180
runs her company and also just the way
that she makes education very accessible.

619
00:41:23,214 --> 00:41:28,953
I have so much love and admiration
for Sasha because she's done so much to

620
00:41:28,953 --> 00:41:34,024
build communities, to support community, to help 
educate, to help make her own workplace accessible.

621
00:41:34,024 --> 00:41:38,062
And I guarantee, like most of us,
she's probably only being paid a 10th

622
00:41:38,095 --> 00:41:44,435
of what her knowledge
and value actually is worth.

623
00:41:44,435 --> 00:41:48,272
Actually, thinking back, I think
she and I originally met in person.

624
00:41:48,272 --> 00:41:51,609
It was through a course that 
I did with WIFT, where

625
00:41:51,609 --> 00:41:55,713
getting prepared to apply for a 
certain level of funding and just...

626
00:41:55,713 --> 00:42:00,084
She was teaching budgeting
and cash flow and things like that.

627
00:42:00,117 --> 00:42:05,055
And just the way that she approached
sharing the information,

628
00:42:05,055 --> 00:42:09,960
teaching, making it accessible,
it was such a breath of fresh air.

629
00:42:09,960 --> 00:42:14,899
And just she's brilliant, she works incredibly hard.

630
00:42:15,666 --> 00:42:19,470
And I think even with her studio,
even with Sticky Brain, 

631
00:42:19,470 --> 00:42:23,874
I'd say they're probably one of the industry
leaders in terms of modeling,

632
00:42:23,874 --> 00:42:25,643
building an accessible workplace.

633
00:42:25,643 --> 00:42:31,115
And creating room for caretaking needs,
disability-related needs,

634
00:42:31,115 --> 00:42:33,684
mental health time, things like that.

635
00:42:33,684 --> 00:42:38,489
Being able to build and adapt
a workflow to actually 

636
00:42:38,489 --> 00:42:43,761
support diverse workers and 
support needed accommodations.

637
00:42:44,962 --> 00:42:48,632
I'm so impressed by everything she does.

638
00:42:48,632 --> 00:42:52,236
And also, she just goes a long way to

639
00:42:52,236 --> 00:42:54,271
reach out and serve a number 
of communities as well.

640
00:42:54,271 --> 00:42:59,310
So The Women in Gaming Community,
Women in Television.

641
00:42:59,310 --> 00:43:02,346
And then as well, she was
teaching for a while, too.

642
00:43:02,346 --> 00:43:05,516
So she was also impacting
a lot of students.

643
00:43:05,516 --> 00:43:11,155
She was at Centennial for their
advanced media and film program.

644
00:43:11,155 --> 00:43:14,858
So, yeah, I'm just so impressed by everything

645
00:43:14,892 --> 00:43:20,931
she does, just how generous she is with
her time, her knowledge, her energy.

646
00:43:21,231 --> 00:43:25,703
If anybody of the major funders are listening, 
definitely give her all the money because she deserves it.

647
00:43:25,703 --> 00:43:28,205
[Laughs.]

648
00:43:29,640 --> 00:43:35,512
Well, thank you so much for sharing part
of your career and life with us.

649
00:43:35,946 --> 00:43:37,081
Thank you for having me, Diane.

650
00:43:37,114 --> 00:43:42,486
I think it's really important to have
these conversations too, where

651
00:43:42,486 --> 00:43:47,191
in some ways we're told it's like, Oh,
well, to be a successful artist, you

652
00:43:47,191 --> 00:43:50,394
have to be making millions of dollars
in Hollywood blockbusters,

653
00:43:50,394 --> 00:43:55,265
and this, that, and the other thing.
I think that's not the reality that most of us 

654
00:43:55,265 --> 00:43:58,135
face, where we're either juggling

655
00:43:58,168 --> 00:44:03,207
an artistic career with a day job to get
by, or we're doing the arts full-time,

656
00:44:03,240 --> 00:44:07,878
but we're just like, we're living paycheck 
to paycheck. We're hanging in there.

657
00:44:07,878 --> 00:44:10,981
It's perpetual freefall, always
looking for the next project,

658
00:44:10,981 --> 00:44:16,220
always looking for the next opportunity,
and then celebrate the successes.

659
00:44:16,253 --> 00:44:19,023
But it's been an interesting journey for me, too, 

660
00:44:19,023 --> 00:44:22,426
because I've been at this for well
over a decade now, when that's

661
00:44:22,426 --> 00:44:26,964
something I realized, too, where it's the version 
of success I was told I could have

662
00:44:26,964 --> 00:44:28,399
may or may not ever happen.

663
00:44:28,399 --> 00:44:34,471
But to me, it's very rewarding for me
to meet other people from the community

664
00:44:34,471 --> 00:44:37,207
to collaborate and build up 
these projects and these

665
00:44:37,241 --> 00:44:40,377
stories one day in one project at a time.

666
00:44:41,879 --> 00:44:46,250
Well, it's an important topic
and it's great that it's happening.

667
00:44:46,250 --> 00:44:49,720
We're going to see that
in May at your screening.

668
00:44:50,187 --> 00:44:51,889
Thank you again.

669
00:44:52,056 --> 00:44:56,693
I wish you a great day and maybe
talk soon in the community.

670
00:44:57,695 --> 00:44:59,129
Absolutely.
Thank you, Diane.

671
00:44:59,163 --> 00:45:00,631
I hope you have a good day as well.

672
00:45:00,631 --> 00:45:02,633
Thank you. Bye, Emily.

673
00:45:03,767 --> 00:45:08,772
[Closing theme music]