World Youth Day / Just TV

This podcast was recorded on the ancestral lands on Treaty One territory, the traditional territory of the Anishnawbe, Cree, Oji Cree, Dakota, and the Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis nation.

This is Humans, On Rights. A podcast advocating for the education of human rights.

Here's your host Stuart Murray.

August 12 is international youth day.

I'm joined by three young inspirational creative game changers who have benefited from broadway neighborhood centers.

Just Tv program.

Welcome to Humans on Rights heron Allen, Emanuel Bangor and Ana Sabina Hera.

Let's start with you, Tell us a little bit about you and how just tv has helped you in your career path for sure.

So first of all, thank you so much for having me on your podcast.

I'm so excited to be here.

My name is Karen Alum, I am a Winnipeg based multidisciplinary artist.

I love making art through music film.

I usually do acting for the most part but I also double into uh poetry.

I also dabble into actually being behind the camera and as well as dance.

Um I am a youth facilitator at the S.

T.

V.

Program where I basically engage youth ages 16 to 25 help them increase, basically making their artistic vision come to life.

That's that's me, that's awesome and we're going to get more into that in detail.

Let me just jump over to Emmanuel Bangor.

Emmanuel, you're obviously a videographer but let's just get a little sense about who you are and how just Tv has helped you on your journey.

Well this might be a little bit of it but hi I'm Emmanuel.

I'm a videographer editor and photographer sometimes.

Uh It actually started off back in 2015 when I immigrated here in the Philippines.

I was 15 years old, 2000 kids.

I was lost.

I didn't have I didn't know anyone there except for my dad and my sister.

And yeah I was like in a really terrible state of depression but movies and video games were able to help me cope with it as like a form of escape.

So that inspired me to be more on the creative side of things.

And as a result of that I decided to go to Technical High School for broadcasting and I discovered just tv through there I asked if I could do any extra stuff regarding video and text book introduced me to the just tv program and I started off part time in just T.

V.

But after I graduated high school I decided to put my full focus on just tv.

And I work here as a video apprentice now so I make videos for the program but at the same time I make my own videos and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Okay and we're going to get more into some of the background and what you brought you when where you're on in your journey.

Emmanuel thank you so much on a subpoena on a welcome to humans own rights.

Tell us a little bit about you and how just tv has played a role in your creative journey?

Thank you.

Thank you for inviting and thank you for everyone who is listening right now.

I am also a filmmaker.

I came to Canada two years ago and after being here for a while I understood that I need something to do something to connect my life with because before that I've been doing a lot of filming um filming my career journey like I've been an actress, I've been a dancer, I've been an artist and then I was looking for something that could refresh me something that could kick off my future life.

And I've been googling a lot about any youth programs where schools and I found after school leaders program and S.

T.

V.

And after three months of this program I've learned so many to making techniques, editing techniques.

I've hold a real camera and it was pretty cool for me.

And after after that I realized I want to do more of these things and I was wondering about any opportunities or work.

I can do a test tv.

And I was offered to be video apprentice and the video structure assistant and the after school achievers program as well.

It's kind of cool to become an instructor actually participate and now as a filmmaker myself I am living my way in the film industry by submitting my films and festivals and looking for more video production jobs right so anna just tell me a little bit about how what was the biggest barrier that you faced to get to where you are.

You know, I mean, you're obviously a young professional woman in an industry that there's not a lot of women in.

What was your personal barrier that you may be that you faced that you clearly have overcome.

I would say there are two main challenges as an immigrant I faced the problem of language and and being and feeling belonging to somebody and the other problem.

What problem is to be a female in the industry?

Because I never thought it's a real theme before I joined a mentorship program and I've been a female filmmaker alone Among other 20 male participants.

This was kind of stressful at first, but I knew that I need to work hard and show example for other female filmmakers.

So yeah, this is my uncle.

Yeah, I know for sure it's been very successful.

We'll talk specifically about some of the things you're working on in a moment.

I want to jump over to here at Alam, you're very creative.

I read your bio, you're a collaborative artist, but you know, talk about some of the challenges maybe you have seen or you've faced again, I know you've overcome them, but I want always to share with our listeners some of the things that that your creative, this creative group that you've been challenged with but that you've come, you've been able to overcome.

I feel like there's a it really depends on the situation, but for the most part, I think one of the biggest challenges that I have faced in my my collaborations, it's always like being looked at as a being categorized I guess, I guess.

Especially because a like I am I am a woman and I'm also a person of color.

I feel like that there is a certain expectation that I there is a unique experience that I think is very worth telling.

But I feel like because I'm trying to break into an industry that is very, very much Eurocentric, it's really hard to I guess, claim my space and take up that space when there's not a lot of opportunities to tell the stories that are uniquely coming from, from the perspective of my people for for the most part, that I've experienced.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And I mean, just just talking a little bit about the Eurocentric, is that something you feel, is that something local?

Or would you say that that's broader when you talk about some of the other folks that you're involved with.

Oh, I would say that's a very, very broad, like, take in my opinion, I think I think that the industry is definitely moving towards a direction that is definitely more inclusive and open more opportunities are coming up, Things are changing, but for the most part, yeah, like it's it's not gonna happen overnight, right?

Yeah, definitely, definitely like a broad thing.

I know that bigger, bigger, bigger bigger cities are definitely a little bit more fast progressive.

But in a small city like Winnipeg the pace is very slow and there's not a lot of like room I think at least for from what I have experienced.

Yeah, no, that's your experience and appreciate you sharing it with you.

Thanks so much.

Emanuel.

One of the things that I'd love to get a sense from you is as you said, you were a little bit, you weren't sure what to do when you arrived here in Canada, you immigrated to Canada, you were looking for something to do.

Clearly you've found something that is very exciting, something that you're very good at, you're leading the way of just tv how did you make that transition first of all?

Because both both anna and era said it, thank you for having us in this podcast.

I appreciate that.

I'm pretty sure anna and hair appreciate it too.

It was actually a really long road because hard to believe it, I was supposed to be a lawyer at one point, very big change of pace from my, from my previous career choice.

Okay, so basically at first I wasn't taking it seriously because I thought because I didn't think I could make a career out of this.

But the better I got, I realized that I realized I could make a career out of this.

I just have to be fully dedicated to it, give it your all all the time.

But the biggest barrier I had was I'm my own worst critic and I think that applies for everyone else.

I had to realize that like most of the videos that I showed everyone, I always think that there's room to improve and well, I haven't fully solved that self criticism problem yet.

I always criticize my work all the time.

I realized that sometimes it's just okay to show your work even if even with the smallest mistakes or the biggest mistakes, you still have to show it because everyone's opinions is different from yours.

You have a higher opinion of yourself when it comes to your work.

So yeah, the biggest barrier I had to overcome was my self criticism.

I haven't overcome that criticism.

I haven't I haven't overcome that barrier yet, but I've learned to accept it.

Yeah.

And I think that's uh that's a that's a great message Emmanuel, I think all three of you have tremendous run away in front of you.

So, your journey is going to be long and uh and exciting.

I want to just ask Ana as a filmmaker to build on what Emanuel said about one of the challenges is being your own sort of biggest critic.

How have you dealt with that as a young filmmaker?

Some of the things that that you have seen and maybe some of the advice you might give to other young filmmakers that would be listening to this podcast, one of the biggest self criticism issues that experience is to be the best, The first, the the 111 the fastest.

And I think that's it.

But we still have so much time and we're so young and it is always, we always have room for rest for a break to focus on one thing.

If you, I think that you don't do not enjoy filmmaking, for example, at this point, maybe try music, maybe this is what you like and then it's okay to change things, be proud of yourself because from where you've come through already.

So that's great advice and and coming from the heart.

I appreciate it.

I want to just, you talk about making some changes Heron Allen.

I want to just sort of jump into a conversation with you for a second.

I know that you're very, very creative and you use platforms like music and theater and film and fashion.

How when you look at that, that that's a lot of creativity there.

How do you choose which one you really want to focus on in terms of like permanent, like uh skills For you.

What what do I mean there's a lot of things there.

I mean music, theatre, film and fashion.

You, you could do all four of those are extremely creative so they fit under one umbrella.

But if you have to sort of say, hey, you know what I'm going to pick this one and see how I do is there one you would pick their, it's funny because I feel like my first choice, it kind of just came naturally was acting.

I don't know life kind of just put me in that trajectory.

But so that's why I went to university for acting, I got my degree on it and whatnot.

But underlying through all of that I was always playing music.

So it's it's a hard call but I I will have my education on acting but I feel for sure that my bread and butter will always be music because it's been with me for for as long as I can remember, like it's my my best way to express myself.

So I would easily choose music.

That being said though, I think the magical thing about being creative is that You can express an idea in its best way by by combining so many art forms.

So if I can combine theater and music, I I don't see why I shouldn't.

one 100%.

Yeah, no listen, I I totally agree emmanuel, one of the things that I want to get a sense from you is your your sense of how things from a videographer standpoint, the creative standpoint, the technical standpoint.

You know, one thing about technology, it changes rapidly, you know, there's always new things coming out smaller, faster, more colorful, you know, people that have an iphone can be a videographer, What have you seen in your time in as you pursued this career?

And what changes have you seen?

And what changes would you like to see to help improve those that may want to follow in your footsteps as a videographer.

There's not really any advice I could give like specifically, but back then it was really hard to get into this industry because a lot of stuff was analog.

Like you have to edit like analog yet to shoot with really big cameras, but now you can shoot with cameras that fit in your hand.

Like you can use your phone and you can actually shoot some cameras like there's actually film cameras that are pretty small that you can use to shoot very high definition video.

So nowadays my advice would be uh like anyone can be a videographer honestly like it's all up to motivation and uh your ability to like overcome problems.

So yeah you have a, you have an iphone that can shoot in four K.

Yeah anyone can be a videographer if that's the case, it all comes down to motivation.

Like if you like making videos, it's a hobby.

But making films is, is a career, you have to be really serious about it.

You can't just enjoy doing it, you have to like give it your all to be able to break into this industry.

Yeah and if you had a chance Emmanuel Bangor if you had a chance to make a feature movie or shoot your favorite rock band into a music video, which side might you come down on?

Can you elaborate more on that please?

Well, just, you know, you have a chance to be behind the lens to shoot a movie.

Uh it doesn't matter who's in it, it's just a movie and it's going to be very interesting and something that interests you.

You also get a request to be the videographer to shoot a music video for perhaps one of your favorite bands, whoever that may be.

So you gotta make a choice.

Would you kind of come down on one side or the other or where where might you might just sit with that question.

If we're basing this off of my work experience, I would shoot the film on the weekdays and I would try my, I would try my best to shoot the rock band on my weekend, so no day off for me.

Right?

Spoken like a true videographer, I actually was just gonna say that is like the most accurate way.

You could probably answer that question.

If you're like working in the industry like you, why not both?

Let's just book up all of our time.

I never get a weekend.

I worked to videography jobs.

I work here and I work at this really nice place called ST Norbert Arts Center where I work as a photographer.

So I never got a weekend, it's a grind.

you enjoy it and anybody you enjoy it.

I enjoy it.

That's why I'm okay with working seven days a week.

Yeah.

Okay.

Alright.

Let me switch gears a little bit.

Um I talked about the fact that august 12th International Youth Day.

I also mentioned that the three of you are a young game changers, your creative genius is going to make a big difference a lot of times when you get to a certain age, people look at you and you're saying in my age group and people sort of say, what would you like your legacy to be?

And so you look back on what your legacy and what you hope it might be.

Let's look forward.

The three of you have a long runway in front of you.

Um and I want to start off with you.

If somebody were to say to you, what would you like your legacy to be, what would you like it to look like in your career?

That's an interesting question.

I would say to change at least 1% of people's lives to impact their lives too much?

Wave them somehow or inspire or help through hard moments and also be a cool role model for my sister.

And you tell me is your sister involved, does she have any interest in the creative side of arts or whatever that you have pursued?

I mean she's four years old, but she's trying to trying to art Yeah.

Well, she she's creative in her own way.

For sure.

Yeah.

That's awesome.

Okay, anna thank you so much.

Emmanuel.

What about you if somebody said, okay, you know, look what what what do you want your legacy to be or what would you like it to be as you're charting your course.

I don't want to be like a conventional type of famous being featured in a tabloid newspaper is going to be a nightmare.

Honestly, whenever I get featured on stage, I'm gonna be the first one to leave because usually artists go great, I wanna I want to get on stage me.

I just want it to be over.

So yeah, I don't like being in the spotlight.

And honestly my legacy would be to spread whatever message that I want to spread.

Like there was this one video I made for the city of Winnipeg, Like it was produced by just tv but it was edited by me.

It was all about anti racism.

I'm a really firm believer in racism being abolished because honestly you shouldn't hate someone for the color of their skin.

You shouldn't hate someone for their gender either.

And you shouldn't hate someone for their sexuality either.

And that video resonated with me because it had a message that I can get behind with and I want to be able to spread that message.

My legacy would basically be spread whatever message that I have in my mind, like don't be racist.

Don't cheat on your significant other.

So Emmanuel, I did see that.

I was involved in the anti racism week here in Winnipeg and I did see that video that that you edited and your your team over there, just tv shot.

It was stunning.

It was fantastic.

And the part that I think was so incredible is that it was all a younger age group that just looked at this and said, this is when literally this is how we see the world through our eyes and through the lens that we can create and let other people see it.

And I just want to congratulate you and your team.

That was that was some really, really excellent work.

So well done, well done on that carol.

Let me ask you what, how would you like your legacy to be as you are looking down the path and sort of your creative career.

For me, what I'm very passionate about is um connection and nurturing relationships, especially within the arts community.

I feel like Winnipeg has this really niche circle of artistic people that know each other and it surprises me how much how or how very little opportunity we have.

And I feel like if I were to have a legacy, I would it would be to have a space for all of these artists to just be artists and not have to work the grind so much so that they can survive.

I think art is something that is very important to a human beings experience in life and so why why aren't we why aren't we nurturing those spaces and providing those opportunities, especially if if art is the ultimate way humans can connect.

So places like the STV is what inspired me and I hope that STV is a legacy that can exist forever.

Let me just sort of bring in the human rights element for a moment.

I mean my podcast is called Humans on Rights, talking about youth International Youth Day from your perspective, Heron Allen.

How do you see the youth and impacting human rights in terms of an education for those out there?

You you know, you're an immigrant to Canada, you've established yourself here maybe share some of your thoughts from a human rights perspective that you would like to see changed and how through the creative process you might see that come about from what I experienced.

I was very very very, very fortunate that when I was younger in high school I it landed on my lap program like jess tv existed.

And so as soon as I got involved, so I was once a participant at best T.

V.

Two and I remember being so surprised at how much possibility can happen within such a small space and now that I worked for this very same program, seeing it from a different perspective and hearing so many uh participants say like I wish I knew of this place sooner.

Um it's just one of those things that I'm like, why why aren't places like STV being talked about?

Why aren't they spread out?

Because it is a space for youth to exercise their brains and learn new things and and feel confident about expressing their ideas and connect with each other.

So, you know, like we can creatively educate people about anything we want to be through these spaces.

So if there was a change, if I were in charge, like through my medium, I would probably just do all of the creative things to say that hey, we need to take care of um programs that uplift people.

Yeah, listen, that totally appreciate it.

Thank you so much and I'm so I appreciate that.

Oh no, not at all.

Not at all.

Um Emanuel banker, when we come to you as somebody who also has immigrated to Canada.

Um how do you see, how would you like to see uh the medium, the as a filmmaker videographer.

How would you like to use that as a way to help educate people on human rights from your perspective, The film industry's biggest problem is it's very, it's very white oriented.

I want more diversity in the film industry.

For starters.

I'm Filipino and I'm trying to be a filmmaker.

So yeah, that's basically the first step to a lot.

Just last year, one of the first few asians won an Academy Award and The fact that there's been 90 of there's been 90 ceremonies and only a few people of color have been nominated and won.

It's kind of a little bit, it's a little sketchy, you know what I mean?

And honestly the goal is to try to break into this industry like this very white caucasian oriented industry and trying to make a difference from there.

Yeah, I think you're I appreciate the explanation and my sense is you're you're going to make that happen.

I mean you're obviously passionate about it and I appreciate your, your open and your your honesty about it.

Emanuel, thank you for that on a subpoena.

You know, you're an emerging Ukrainian, Canadian filmmaker, how would you like to use your medium to promote, educate or advocate for human rights support as many voices as they can as many diverse voices from any backgrounds because um artists for everyone and everyone should be welcomed.

I agree.

100%.

Yeah.

And I think that, you know, that is the three of you have very interesting but quite similar backgrounds when you think about how you have arrived at this medium?

Um anna do you think that is the ability to show films?

Do you do you find that that is a good medium to express ideas about human rights.

Is that something that you would be passionate about or you would think about when you're looking at what you want to put on film.

Yeah, I think so.

Everyone has their own medium, but through mine, I think this way many people are looking at other stories, at other experiences and film is one of those things where we can show off that and all those future dreams I appreciate again, your, your honesty on that.

And and the fact that you are a young female filmmaker is is really spectacular.

I want to ask the three of you.

Just give me your sense of um knowing what you do today, knowing what you know today.

What do you think the greatest challenge facing youth is?

And and let let me just on, I want to start with you on this and then I manually I'm going to go to you and then Heros.

So anna, what do you think is the biggest challenge facing youth today?

I think themselves and because as we mentioned earlier self criticism, um anxiety that use experience nowadays so frequently and also people need sport in a place where they can be um garland, I would say I'm going to build off of Ana's answer and that a lot of youth don't have that much motivation.

So a lot of them as a result they don't realize their full potential.

Some youths are very creative, but a lot of people are not supportive enough.

Like I'm not gonna name, I'm not gonna name any specifics, but there are some people who aren't supportive enough towards the use so they don't have the opportunities that they could have and that causes them to not have any motivation to realize their full potential.

So besides another thing is the lack of opportunities like what I said earlier, so there's not really that much opportunities to you know, have Specifically uh this is for our industry to you know, do a lot of filmmaking stuff, you have to like work really hard to break into the industry and there's no like easy opportunities to have a start to have a start with it, you have to like be at your 100% from the start to be able to like kind of break into the industry.

So yeah, basically lack of motivation and uh lack of opportunities, what do you what's your thoughts on that?

It's interesting because I find that this, this pandemic has really opened up so many conversations about opportunities and um old traditional ways of approaching work and and just a lot of dynamics throughout society and I think that nowadays, what one of from what I've seen youths biggest challenges is probably the fact that there is a shift, the fact that right now there's a lot of reconsideration as to like what is the normal day, like at work supposed to look like our 9 to 5 hours healthy or is there like, you know, there's a lot of shift happening and there there is an unspoken expectation from our youth to do well in figuring this shift out without a lot of the support.

So I feel like that's one of the biggest challenges that I am noticing and there has to be something done about it because otherwise what will the future generation do?

Like they are the future, so we must support them.

We need to let them have the room to grow but also allow for them to make mistakes.

Yeah I mean let's just talk about just T.

V.

For a moment because you know it has been a medium that has helped all three of you and you know you see it grow and you see all of the changes that it's made and I just would like to get a sense hero from you.

Do you see this just Tv as being a great platform to help others.

I mean is it an opportunity that you see in terms of you being coming a mentor for others?

100%.

It's funny because I was talking to, I was talking to my bosses about this at one point I told them why is jess tv not an international thing.

I think every province should have a just tv because this is the excellent place where youth and and the professional industry a gap is being filled.

This is a place where we can connect and fill those gaps so that you can have those opportunities and break themselves into whatever profession they choose whether that's creative or not?

Just T.

V.

Is an excellent place where you can really really allow you to get to know yourself as a as a youth.

Yeah.

I think we should be for everyone.

For everyone.

Yeah, for sure.

And Emmanuel from your perspective, clearly just tv has been awesome for you and you're giving back, I'm giving back by working in their social enterprise by making videos for them.

And I want to add on the hare's uh Harris question about just tv.

I think just tv gives us the equipment and the like the opportunities but it's up to you to be able to like take that opportunity and transcend.

Like just tv artists like era of course Isla barker, Erica Daniels.

They all broke into their respective careers too.

You know from just tv.

And I think just T.

V.

Is an opportunity if you allow it to be.

It's awesome.

So and and ana let me just uh getting ready to sort of close out our conversation here.

And I just wondered if you could sort of share.

Are you are you working on a project now that you want to talk about?

If you'd like to share with us?

Just not sure what your what your runway is right now.

Just recently finished a project which was done during just tv also um there was a uh earlier we had a plan to create a music video in person during the in person programming.

But unfortunately we I had to close again and I had to brainstorm new ideas and the project that I just premiered recently, it's called Under the Shadow which talks about identity and how it is important to I appreciate your interests and your beliefs and just accept who you are.

I really hope that that short film will resonate with many people if ana where might somebody be able to watch Under the Shadow, my Youtube channel and my website.

And one of the things that I'm going to do is I'm going to make sure that on my podcast notes that I have all of your social handles so that people that are listening can get ahold of you and so we will make sure that Under the Shadow one of your productions, I know the other one is happy place that you've done.

I want to make sure that people have a chance to watch that.

So so let me just say to the three of you, Anna Sabina emerging, Ukrainian, Canadian filmmaker, delighted to have you on here, Emmanuel Bangor.

So I wish this was a video so people could watch just how engaged you are when we chat.

And uh Karen alum, clearly a leader and somebody who is making a difference.

Uh not only today, but clearly mentoring others to make a difference with just tv.

So the three of you, thank you so much for spending some time with me.

I love the fact that that you're all creative, you're all sharing and you're all making this world a better a better place.

And uh thank you for joining me on Humans on Rights.

I look forward to watching your careers blossom and continue to keep in touch.

So thank you all very much.

I appreciate it.

Thanks for having us have a good day.

Thank you.

Thank you for listening.

Thank you.

Humans on Rights is recorded and hosted by Stuart Murray.

Social media marketing by the creative team at full current in Winnipeg.

Thanks also to Trixie May bite you in.

Music by Doug Edmund.

For more, go to human rights hub dot C a a production of the sound off Media company.

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