Creator of Moccasin Flats runs workshops for beginners
Who is Jennifer Podemski? If you follow the Aboriginal scene of movies
and films would probably recognize her as Sadie from Dance Me Outside
or maybe from The Rez. Her acting career has led her to a Gemini nomination.
Currently she produces the hit series Moccasin Flats which is airing its
third season on APTN and can be found
on Showcase in May 2006.
Podemski is an experienced filmmaker, writer, producer and an entrepreneur.
She is from Muscowpetung First Nation in Saskatchewan and is also a third
generation descendant of a Jewish family, some of whom survived the Holocaust.
A few years ago, she traveled to Auschwitz with her grandfather. She kept
this moment by producing a documentary which highlights her grandfather's
memories. "It was a very emotional journey." She says.
Perceptive and artistic Podemski accredits her passion for life to the
performing arts. "My first love was dance. It was a way for me to
channel the struggles of identity issues."
Through dance, she quickly learned discipline which enabled her to push
herself further. "There is nothing you can't do. If you want something
badly enough, all you need to do is focus in on it and take it."
Steering her career from acting to eventually maintaining and creating
a television series, Podemski believes it is her calling in life to share
her knowledge. "There is a lack of Natives in the industry. I believe
it is my duty to share what I know."
She does this by traveling and holding workshops. "It's all about
vision," she says, "Once you have your vision, you must do everything
to realize it." In order to realize your vision, Podemski says to
get out there. "A lot of it is networking. You have to really put
yourself out there. Find a way that makes you and your story unique. You
need to be open minded. Be creative and innovative...Vision and integrity
coincide. Don't sacrifice your dream for anyone or anything. Do everything
you can to realize it.
"Begin with writing it down. Put your dream on paper and post it
everywhere. This way it becomes real to you."
Podemski, a faucet of information, runs workshops which touch on how to
become an actor, where to look for government money, how to find readings
to help attain your vision, how to create budgets and the importance of
being on time. "A lot of the people you run into when you're networking
are very, very busy people. Don't ever interrupt anyone and make your
presentation short and to the point."
She also advises students to read everything under the sun about the creative thought process. "There are ton of good books out there. Read as many as you can and I advise everyone to go to the Summer Institute of Film and Television. There they teach how to network and how to pitch ideas."
Podemski says that in order to pitch an idea, you must be able to tell
the story and why you should be the one to tell the story in two clear
sentences. "It's a rough world out there, but if you're determined,
you can make anything happen."
And making things happen is what Podemski does. Up before the sun on shooting
days of Moccasin Flats, she speaks of multi-tasking." "There
are so many different factors that go into making a show. A lot of things
the audience doesn't get to see. With the filming of each episode, all
factors must be taken into consideration. You have to watch for colours,
for sound, for weather...there are just so many things that can be going
on at once. Multi-tasking is a big part of it."
Now that Moccasin Flats is in its third season, Podemski is aiming yet higher. "I would like to become the next Oprah," she says with a smile.
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