Building bridges between all communities
Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/306072
HELPINGYOUNG ENTREPRENEURS START AND RUN SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES. MANITOBA — Wookey Films Entrepreneurs: Jérémie and Janelle Wookey COMPANYPROFILE: Wookey FilmsInc. is anAboriginally-owned productioncompany specializingindocumentaryandnon-fictiontelevision programming. WFalsoprovides CreativeandExecution on promotionaland commercialvideoworkfor TV and web. Officiallylaunchedin 2012,Wookey filmslooks toproducefilms froma young and modern perspective,drawingfrom a setofpolished, veteran-level talents tobring stories and messages tothescreenthat inspireand engage. Co-ownedbyFranco-MétissiblingsJanelleandJérémie, thetwo believe theircreative talentsstemfroma bloodline laced thickwith the richness and resilienceofthe Franco-Métis,whosejoyous natureand passion for storytelling and artisticexpression hassecured theircontinued survival asa people. Jérémie and Janelle WookeyareaFranco-Métis brother-sisterfilmmaking teamborn and raisedinthe Canadian prairies. Atages 8 and10,their firstcollaboration, "Hostages", was an edge-of-your-seat short-fiction aboutthe murder ofthe American President's son,Jimmy, perpetrated by a jealous Vice President.All threecharacters, masterfullyportrayed by Jérémie ina series of cheap, disheveled wigs. Thatblockbuster wasfollowedbyalong series ofshort films, bothfiction and documentary (with the occasional experimental venture),mostly starring themselves and their miserablepoodle, Simba. After years of refining their craft, their big break came in2008, whentheir independent documentary, 'MéméreMétisse' premiered onopening nightofthe ImagineNATIVEFilm Festival inTorontoand aired on CBC, Radio-Canada and APTN.They'vesinceproduced and directed shortdocs forCBC's '8thFire',a Canadian ScreenAward-nominated cross-platform projectand most recentlyworked on a summervarietyTVseries, hosted by Janelle, for Radio-Canada.InSpring/Summerof 2014,theirfirst independent co-production,a one-hourdocumentary on the 2011First Nation floodevacuees will air on APTNand CBC. Theirnextdoc, which follows theever-evolvingstoryofthe Bell of Batoche will airon CBC French later this year. Thetwolovebeingentrepreneursbecausetheyfeeltheirtalentsareusedtotheirfull potentialundertheirownnameandcompany. ANY ADVICE FOR OTHERS WHO ARE CONSIDERING STARTING A BUSINESS? Start at CYBF. We worked in circles for months working on business plans, meeting with varoius people with no real idea what we needed, Googling endlessly ….but nothing felt real or like we were getting off the ground until our first meeting with Joelle at CYBF. She was like magic! What has been your most powerful or inspirational moment as an entrepre- neur? "Every single night, going to bed and not dreading the next day's work. Every single morning, waking up excited and motivated to head to the office. Week by week, month after month, being able to look back and appreciate how much we're learning and accomplishing. It's a great feeling." How has your mentor helped you? "Our mentor has been so wonderful. He has helped keep us on track in every aspect. He has been extremely valuable, as someone who keeps us accountable. He is always a phone call or email away and he has fully and personally invested himself in our business. The experience he brings has been instrumental in our continued success." — JÉRÉMIE AND JANELLE WOOKEY