While it takes some people a while to find their calling, Joy Loewen found hers early on. A Steinbach native, Loewen started working in radio during high school. “I started at CHSM, working after school as a receptionist and in community relations in the summer,” she recalls. “I loved everything about working there, particularly connecting with the community.” After she graduated from high school, Loewen enrolled in the Radio and TV Arts program at Ryerson University in Toronto. It didn’t take her long to find her niche. “In my second year, I got a paid internship with newly formed Vision TV,” she says. “It was a brand-new network so there was a lot to do.” Suffice it to say, it was quite the learning experience. “It was all about the community, and mostly about connecting the community to stories. I learned how to broadcast shows to millions of people and pretty much did everything from programming to community relations.” After working full-time for a year in Toronto, she moved back home in 1992 to be with her boyfriend, who would eventually become her husband. Now back home, Loewen volunteered at the Winnipeg Film Group and found paid work with the National Film Board. Then, she heard a rumour. “I heard that a new network, the Women’s Television Network (WTN), was coming to town,” Loewen says. “The same person I worked for at the Winnipeg Film Group told me about a job opportunity there. I applied and got a full-time gig in programming.” Long story short, Loewen was part of a talented group of women who launched WTN in January 1995. Working non-stop, she and her colleagues put WTN on the map. After Corus Entertainment bought WTN and changed it to W Network in 2002, Loewen left to pursue other
opportunities, eventually finding work training storytellers at the National Screen Institute. At the same time, she began serving in the community. “I served on the Balmoral Hall school board, helping to build a community where girls learn together. I learned I could lead. It’s a choice to do it and choosing to say ‘yes’ is fulfilling.” These days, Loewen — who is now CEO at the National Screen Institute — is an active volunteer with leadership roles on The Winnipeg Foundation, the Order of Manitoba Advisory and serves as a civilian aide to Manitoba’s lieutenant- governor, the Honourable Janice C. Filmon. She says her drive to serve and give back comes naturally. “I grew up in a small community, so I have a built- in inclination to support my community.”
- Joy Loewen, CEO, National Screen Institute
“I grew up in a small community, so I have a built-in inclination to support my community,” Loewen says. “It’s not just about leading; it’s also about serving. Whether I bring clothes to my church or help at The Winnipeg Foundation, I see all of it as acts of service. Today I’m giving; tomorrow I might need the support. It’s my joy to be in positions where I can give back.” ◗
CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 11
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