Over the past few years, working on audio documentaries has become a passion and a joy. Being freelance has allowed me to source stories, serve unheard voices, and create a systematic and holistic approach to my craft. Rather than churning out content week by week, I can go deeper into my research and sources and take the time with each voice rather than hurry the scripts into production.

On the other hand,

I have no idea where my next documentary will come from. The ideas, leads, questions, and curiosities that develop into a story worth hearing and telling do not just suddenly land on my desk, ready to go.

I Listen & Watch

I pay attention to everything around me. What are people going through? What topics are rising to the surface? Who is not feeling heard? What is surprising? What is unsurprising? Who is angry? Who is hurt? Who is heard from often? Who is heard from rarely?

I discern

Often, a story that needs to be told will become something I have underlined repeatedly. A collection of screenshots on my phone or a thought I have written down more than once. It becomes louder in my head until I intuit deeply there is something there.

I listen again

I go back to my notes and screenshots and re-read and observe the snippets of a story I have accidentally collected over time.

I Get curious

I wonder aloud to myself, the internet, and books at large if other people know about ‘this.’ I write down what I believe would give me answers. I drop the topic in relevant conversations and see if it raises more thoughts. I consider what the format might be, stumble into voices, and start to ask to talk to them to approach this new story.

I ask questions

I ask more questions and begin to discern which voice has the answers, perspectives or ideas I still need to include.

I listen again

I listen to them and set up times to record.

I record.

I hold space for their story.

I listen again.

I listen back, transcribing on my laptop as I go.

I highlight

I print out the transcription and read back, highlighting what is essential.

I Lay it all out.

I lay out all the transcriptions, focusing on the highlighted portions to find the story.

I listen & piece it together.

I begin to put the story together, listening back to each segment as I go, confirming each voice's pace, accuracy, and intention.

I listen again.

I listen to each portion in order, confirming continuity and maintaining accuracy.

I double check.

I circle back and ask questions about lack of clarity and confirm simple but essential things like pronunciation of names.

I listen again.

I listen to my finalized draft/audio.

I submit the final script

I let it go, applied incoming notes from executive producers, and often adjusted the scripts the day of recording, adding, removing, and making on-the-spot adjustments as needed.

A short radio documentary with CBC Mainstreet Nova Scotia, on the co-owners Maria Radelich and Shannon Platt of Pelivco Health Centre along with their clients to learn about pelvic health and why taking the needs of all gender-specific dysfunctions is important.

Listen: Here

Over the winter I worked alongside the Mainstreet Nova Scotia team to collect the voices of paramedics and produce their story.

Take a Listen via CBC

During the Autumn of 2022, I was welcomed into Shelter Movers Nova Scotia under CBC Radio to document and cover the work of volunteers and the process clients/survivors of intimate partner violence experience when using the service of Shelter Movers.

To read the Article: Read Here

To Listen to the radio doc: Listen Here

Following along a move.

Over the past few years, I have been doing my best to maintain and invest in my own creative business.

As much as I would like to say I am on top of all that I own, use and have fallen into using, it’s simply not true.

The truth is, I am often either emergency replacing an item (aka my laptops) and rushing to update, set up and use than genuinely taking my time and learning what these items are capable of.

I also know that personality does play a part in this. I know a few creative-based individuals who obsess over a new tool/software and would spend all of their free time figuring them out until they have mastered them. Admittedly, that is not me. I need reasons for using something, a personal or professional project, to wrap my head around using something. Although this is how I genuinely learn best, it also does naturally, at times, leave gaps.

This year, I decided to change that and am working on learning in-depth each of my tools and software.

To stay accountable to this goal, I will be updating over time what I have learned.

Equipment

Blue Yeti Mic - Used for podcast recordings & various radio docs.
Zoom h4n Pro Audio Recorder - A recent birthday gift to support my audio documentaries
Canon EOS RP - For creative and documentary captures.
MacBook Pro 14 Inch - 2021 - For every single thing I do.

Software

Final Cut Pro - For editing any footage that I use.
Final Draft 12 - For screenwriting.
Celtx - For Audio script writing
Grammarly Editor - To catch everything I am too busy to catch. ****A Ukraine business.******
Audacity - For exporting and editing audio clips.

& with all of this said, I recognize that it is a huge privilege to have these items at my disposal, and I am determined to end 2022 with a greater grasp on how I can use them to their highest potential.

This season I invested in a camera.

With the help of a colleague, I settled on the Canon E0S to replace my second-hand Sony A7, which, let's be honest, was frustrating at best.

Although I still would like to get my hands on a few more elements for this sweet babe, an attachable microphone and a macro lens, to name a few, I am delighted with this compact and portable camera.

With this, I am not seeking to become the world's best cinematographer or photographer, but that I can practice capturing moments in a way that elevates my projects and my own understanding of storytelling.
I can see it would be advantageous if I made a creative challenge in 2022 to keep me learning the craft and what it can do.

I have a few ideas for something concise and fun I can do.

We shall see what 2022 leads us to.

Over the Summer, I worked alongside CBC Producer Natalie Dobbin and my good friend from high school playwright, director and writer Megan Piercey Monafu to create a three-episode series that discusses the mementos we make and carry with us.

This series is the outcome of what happens when you sit down with a good best friend from your past over video chat, catch up and discuss what is going on in each other's lives. It led us to reflect on the notes we have kept and created conversations that morphed into this beautiful three-episode series featuring not just ourselves but two other smart, intelligent, and deep women.

What We Carry With Us

Episode 1.

Episode 2.

Episode 3.

Over the Summer, I worked alongside CBC Producer Natalie Dobbin and my good friend from high school playwright, director and writer Megan Piercey Monafu to create a three-episode series that discusses the mementos we make and carry with us.

This series is the outcome of what happens when you sit down with a good best friend from your past over video chat, catch up and discuss what is going on in each other's lives. It led us to reflect on the notes we have kept and created conversations that morphed into this beautiful three-episode series featuring not just ourselves but two other smart, intelligent, and deep women.

What We Carry With Us

Episode 1.

Episode 2.

Over the Summer, I worked alongside CBC Producer Natalie Dobbin and my good friend from high school playwright, director and writer Megan Piercey Monafu to create a three-episode series that discusses the mementos we make and carry with us.

This series is the outcome of what happens when you sit down with a good best friend from your past over video chat, catch up and discuss what is going on in each other's lives. It led us to reflect on the notes we have kept and created conversations that morphed into this beautiful three-episode series featuring not just ourselves but two other smart, intelligent, and deep women.

What We Carry With Us

Episode 1.

Heading into the screening of our Brilliansea Documentary: ‘Her Business Our Story Your Calling’

Having ‘Her Business Our Story Your Calling’ accepted into the FIN ‘Atlantic International Film Festival’ was an honour. I am so proud to have had the opportunity to work with Claire Fraser on this short documentary and work towards creating it into a feature.

Although I have written and produced theatrical plays, written and collaborated on various screen pieces, this is my first screening of a produced work of film.

The Festival was packed with various opportunities and events as a film maker to enjoy and be inspired by. The opening film Murmur was a perfect way to celebrate locally made films and various colleges. Murmur is a perfect example that quality is better than quantity. It had a quiet confidence about itself and was made with excellence.

I found the Mussel Bar reception hosted by WIFT-AT a time of solidarity and connections with my peers. I am looking forward to seeing more of them both at events and also by design.

FIN gave me the opportunity to see my local film and television community on a broader scale, find solidarity and get inspired for what can be possible.

Onward I go…

Poster made by one of the featured entrepreneurs ‘Élana Camille’.

We were so thrilled to announce that our short documentary ‘Her Business Our Story Your Calling’ has been accepted into ‘FIN’ the ‘Atlantic International Film Festival.

There are two Screenings:

14-SEP-2019 03:30 PM | PARK LANE: 8
17-SEP-2019 08:50 PM | PARK LANE: 2

“Her Business, Our Story, Your Calling.”

A short documentary featuring various entrepreneurial women and the story behind their businesses. Through sharing their experiences, they aim to inspire and encourage other people to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams.

Our documentary features in order of appearance:

Élana Camille Saimovici | Elana Creates

Korayne Romanchuk | Koko Mod Floral Design

Kate Pepler | The Tare Shop

Victoria Smith | Fluke Boutique

Sharlene Loveless | The Globarre now known as Rehab Body Lab

Colloberations & Credits

Elana Camille Saimovici | Poster designer

Rachael Delano | Musician

Devon Drake | Filmography & resident bestie for bouncing ideas off of

Branding

Five months out from launching Brilliansea we are enjoying refining our values and our vision for this platform. What we are coming back to again and again is ‘the voice of a woman’ is to be treasured. Making space for that one voice is an important and integral part of our vision. Yes, we are also focused on the ‘brilliance’ in all women, but we want to bring them all out to celebrate their unique voice.

This is what we have been driven by and finding even more clarity in.

Spotlight Interviews

Spotlight interviews have been and are life giving. These sessions, for us, are full of joy, celebrating the woman we have in front of us and finding the depth in the simplest of moments. We have enjoyed creating the spotlight series so much that we are going to be releasing them bi-monthly starting May and we are so pleased to be able to do that.

Documentary

Pulling together a short is multi-purposed for us. It allows us to play with the narrative we are beginning to see, gives us a bit of face time with the footage we have accumulated, puts an action behind our filming and gives us something we can share.

Other

We have begun to start giving ourselves permission to explore what other projects and ideas might fit well under our platform and as we are doing so, it becomes more obvious how much we are LOVING running this platform and it’s presence in our life is one of our greatest sources of fulfillment.

Over the past six months Claire Fraser & I have been carefully collaborating and refining this platform. The development of this is ongoing and we are thrilled to officially share it with you and bring you into our journey together.

What is it?

Brilliansea:
pronounced the same as ‘Brilliancy’
A platform for sharing the voice of women in creative and entrepreneurial positions.

PROJECTS

The Spotlight Series

Through the Brilliansea platform Claire & I are continuing my work with the Spotlight Series by adding a video component that will serve as a way to better share the interviews and to better serve what we see in the various women we find brilliant.

Young Female Entrepreneur Documentary (2020)

While filming for the Spotlight Series we are in tandem, interviewing women for a documentary to focus on young female entrepreneurs. We are excited to bring you into this journey along with us.

How to Find & Join Us

Instagram
Follow us on Insta to get the latest content & personal updates.

Youtube
Follow us on Youtube to get the latest spotlights & video content.

#sheisbrilliant
Join us in our collective work by using the hashtag #sheisbrilliant for resharing , highlighting women you know who captivate you & for your own empowering creative & entrepreneurial process.