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Three dynamic women who have staked out successful careers in the entertainment industry will inspire your female students to explore new career pathways.Female role models help get this career on the radar of women and girls because they’re able to see someone who looks like them on the job. This video reveals the personal experiences and insights of successful women working in this field. Entertainment and related industries employ millions of people. Increasing numbers of women are establishing rewarding careers in the traditionally male-dominated entertainment field. |
Career Options for Women -- Entertainment:
This 24-minute video features profiles of three women with successful careers in entertainment:
- Stephanie Gignac, an animation storyboard artist
- Marie-France Coallier, a press photographer for a major newspaper
- Andrea Dixon, a senior film colorist for Rainmaker, a company that provides complete post-production services, on-line editing, film developing, special effects, and multi-media
Additional information from co-workers and supervisors supplements each job profile.
Meet the role models featured in the Entertainment video:
Stephanie: Animation Storyboard Artist
Stephanie Gignac is an animation storyboard artist. The storyboard artist is responsible for what is considered the "blueprint" of animation. The job involves taking a script and illustrating each scene in sequence with dialogue and actions.
She has worked in the industry for 6 years. Stefanie received her Classical Animation diploma after attending a 3 year-program at Sheridan College. She has worked on animation shows such as Rupert, Franklin, and Little Bear for Nelvana. At the time of her interview, Stefanie had been working freelance for Cinar Corporation for 4 years.
Stephanie does her work in the comfort of her home, along with her younger sister, who is also a storyboard artist. One of the shows Stephanie worked on - Arthur - won 2 U.S. Emmies for best children's animation.
"It's a great job - hard but fulfilling - and very creative. You can earn a good living if you're willing to commit to crazy schedules. There aren't many women in the field, so it's kind of special to be doing this.”
Marie-France: Press Photographer
Marie-France Coallier is a press photographer for The Gazette in Montreal. Sometimes, she does photo essays, or short articles on a story accompanied by a big picture. Reporting is a small part of the job as well - knowledge of the story (names of people, places, etc) is required before a caption can be written.
Marie-France has always liked drawing and the visual arts. She took photography in high school. Her post secondary education consists of a double Bachelors in Visual Arts and Communications. She studied photography at the Dawson Institute.
Marie-France says that - to do the job - you need to be in good shape, carrying up to 35 pounds of equipment. Many photographers tend to have back problems. You must be passionate and determined and talented - have an eye for it. You can be a freelancer too - but need money to cover your expenses. You can also work for magazines and agencies, or wire services. If you work for them you have to travel abroad.
The salary is commensurate with seniority and experience. Career advancement opportunities may include becoming chief photographer or photo editor at a newspaper. “It's not a man's world anymore. It would be nice to have more of a woman's perspective.”
Andrea: Film Colorist
Andrea Dixon works as a senior film colorist for Rainmaker, a company that provides complete post-production services, on-line editing, film developing, special effects, and multimedia. Andrea turns photo images into electronic images for color correction. She creates the 'look' for a show. Some of the shows Andrea has worked on include XFiles and Millennium. Also, she worked on 'Aftershock: Earthquake in New York,' and a mini-series for A&E named Barnum.
Andrea first developed her interest in television production through photography, which she took up when she was 16. She enrolled in a two-year Television Production program. During her first semester, she started working at Rainmaker Imaging.
For those who are interested in this line of work, Andrea recommends volunteering for cable TV stations to get experience with the machines. Hard work is necessary, as well as perseverance and a sense of humility as a beginner. According to Andrea, it's sometimes your connections that can help you 'break into' the field. A few months after graduating from university, Daisy completed a job search program, which involved finding an eight-week job placement at a company in her field of study. She approached Next and a few other companies, and ended up choosing Next Environmental Inc. to do her voluntary placement. After the eight weeks, she was officially hired by Next.
For those who are interested in pursuing a similar career, Daisy recommends talking to someone in the field. Also, if you have an opportunity to do a placement for career prep in the field, then do it. Look into the university calendars and make sure you take the necessary courses to get into the entertainment program. Today's rapid technological revolution means that engineers will be continually upgrading their education for many years to come.
“It's interesting to see how things work and how it is designed in entertainment. Also, I like having the chance to work both inside and outside of the office. Staring into a computer, day after day, all day long is not much fun.”
Video details:
Run time: 24 minutes total, including three segments of approximately 8 minutes each.
Format: DVD. Closed-captioned.
Year: 2006
Note: Videos are interspersed with Canadian salary and labor statistics, which are similar to the numbers in the United States.
Policies: There is a no-return policy on these videos.
Grade level: Middle School, High School, Two-Year College, Four-Year University
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Three dynamic women who have staked out successful careers in the entrepreneurship industry will inspire your female students to explore new career pathways.Female role models help get this career on the radar of women and girls because they’re able to see someone who looks like them on the job. This video reveals the personal experiences and insights of successful women working in this field. Entrepreneurship and related industries employ millions of people. Increasing numbers of women are establishing rewarding careers in the traditionally male-dominated entrepreneurship field. |
Career Options for Women -- Entrepreneurship:
This 24-minute video features profiles of three women with successful careers in entrepreneurship:
- Lisa Nadeau, a maple syrup producer whose company started as a side business to her dairy farm
- Christine Zacharko, an optician who runs a mobile optical dispensary
- Jessica Dawe, a pest control producer who breeds and sells crop-friendly insects
Additional information from co-workers and supervisors supplements each job profile.
Meet the role models featured in the entrepreneurship video:
Lisa: Maple Syrup Producer
The next time you have pancakes, check to see if you are using genuine maple syrup. Maple syrup entrepreneur Lisa Nadeau could taste test that for you with her eyes closed.
Lisa and her husband live on a dairy farm that also produces maple syrup. Lisa wanted to do something creative to enhance the character of the farm and started the Sugar House. Now, she makes all sorts of maple syrup products and exports them to the United States and Europe. She also runs her farm as a tourist spot for families with a sweet tooth. After seven years at her business Lisa is starting to see a profit from her work. She doesn’t know how many hours she works and can only say that it is a lot. She does manage two weeks off in the winter and in the summer though. In the future she would like to do her Ph.D. in medicine or maybe open a similar farm elsewhere. Whatever she does, she will always look for a challenge.
“It’s a different way to live when you’re in agriculture. You need a good sense of organization.” Lisa says it takes passion to have your own business. It’s challenging, creative and very fulfilling. She really enjoys it. Lisa has about 2,700 maple syrup taps on the go all over her farm. She still manages to find time to relax though. Lisa takes time out to sing in a choir and is an avid reader of classic novels.
Christine: Optician
Optician Christine Zacharko is always on the go with her mobile optical dispensary “Glasses to Go.” She’s drives around in a mini-van, helping seniors, disabled people and whoever can’t or won’t travel to the optician. She provides all the services a regular optician does except she goes to her customers.
Christine’s future goals are to pass her business on to her children. “Glasses to Go” is her dream and she wants to keep it alive as long as she can. Christine is also considering setting up a chain of businesses in other locations.
"You have to be very self-motivated. I didn’t realize how difficult it was to run my own business. You constantly have to be out there getting business."
While entrepreneurship is a great idea for women, Christine knows that it’s important to take time off away from the business as well. You can burn out and lose focus. Time off helps you to be positive, energetic and more productive.
Jessica: Pest Control Producer
Biological Pest Control entrepreneur Jessica Dawe has more crawly creatures in her back yard production center than you’d ever want to see. But she raises “good” bugs. Jessica supplies an ever-expanding market of organic farmers and other growers with bugs that attack crop pests. They are a natural alternative to pesticides. The business is a good fit for Jessica’s nature-loving approach to life, and it’s why they call her the “bug lady.”
Biological pest control producers can make a very good living. Jessica is still working hard at establishing her company, but she is certain to be making money soon. Her future goals include succeeding at her business and sharing what she knows. Eventually, Jessica would like to establish some kind of scholarship fund for women who want to get involved in agriculture.
The bugs Jessica starts with lay eggs. She gathers the eggs, feeds and cares for the bugs as they grow, then packages them up live for sale and release. “I love my insects. I love watching the way they interact with each other and in the crops.”
Jessica’s business keeps her very busy. She works about eight to ten hours a day, seven days a week. Jessica doesn’t mind the long hours because she gets to stay close to home. And for Jessica, home is where the heart is.
Video details:
Run time: 24 minutes total, including three segments of approximately 8 minutes each.
Format: DVD. Closed-captioned.
Year: 2006
Note: Videos are interspersed with Canadian salary and labor statistics, which are similar to the numbers in the United States.
Policies: There is a no-return policy on these videos.
Grade level: Middle School, High School, Two-Year College, Four-Year University
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Three dynamic women who have staked out successful careers in the film production industry will inspire your female students to explore new career pathways.Female role models help get this career on the radar of women and girls because they’re able to see someone who looks like them on the job. The video reveals the personal experiences and insights of successful women working in this field. Film production and related industries employ millions of people. Increasing numbers of women are establishing rewarding careers in the traditionally male-dominated film production field. |
Career Options for Women -- Film Production:
This 24-minute video features profiles of three women with successful careers in film production:
- Vali Fugulin, a director of short films and documentaries
- Braydon Haggardy, a camera assistant specializing in underwater cinematography
- Cynthia Greer, a technician who repairs and maintains movie cameras.
Additional information from co-workers and supervisors supplements each job profile.
Meet the role models featured in the Film Production video:
Vali: Director
Vali Fugulin is a director of documentaries and short films. She was motivated to make films as the ultimate creative expression. While being a director is very creative, it also requires business sense. Unless you have a big team behind you, there is a great deal of time spent on organization, funding submissions, budgets, contracts and personalities.
Vali encourages other women to enter the film industry. She says it’s important that women express themselves through film so everyone can benefit from the female point of view. It gives the world a chance to see life in a different way. Vali isn’t sure what she wants to do in the future, but she does know that she wants to stay involved with the creative side of the business. “What appeals most to me about my job is the creativity, imagining things then translating them into images.”
There’s a lot of work that goes into just getting ready to film. Once the prep work is complete it’s finally time to shoot. Shooting can be simple or extravagant depending on if you’re producing a fictional film or trying to capture reality with a documentary. The hours Vali works vary depending on what projects she has on the go. Production, for example, can be very time consuming and somewhat unpredictable. When Vali isn’t heavily into production or post-production, she directs her time and energy to her young son, Leo.
Braydon: Film Assistant
Camera assistant Braydon Haggardy works regularly on dry land but is also one of only a few women who specialize in underwater camera work. She parlayed her love for scuba diving into this unique focus on the film industry with some specialized training and a lot of hard work. While the film business keeps Braydon very busy, she also has her own company Turtle Films, which produces underwater documentaries. All that and a family, too!
Although Braydon likes her job, in the future she wants to do more acting and go on to produce underwater documentaries. Her advice to others is to be patient. Sometimes it takes a while to get into the film industry, but you just have to remain focused. “This is a great job. You go places, meet interesting people and you work around a flexible schedule.”
Securing a position in the film industry can be difficult, but when the demand for production people is high, odds are good you’ll get a shot. You usually begin as a trainee through the union and work your way up. Whatever experience you get prior to that, however, is really an asset.
To do her underwater filming, Braydon has to wear all the dive gear plus deal with a camera or lights, depending on her role in the filming. Working on-set as a camera assistant pays the bills in a big way, but her passion lies underwater.
Cynthia: Camera Technician
Camera technician Cynthia Greer’s original goal in the film business was to direct meaningful movies. Her hands-on experience in film equipment rentals, however, evolved that goal into something she could really hold on to - camera equipment repair. While Cynthia likes the regular employment and reasonable hours her job offers, there’s still more than enough production pressure to deal with. Camera equipment has to function properly or there’s a lot of high priced talent on set waiting around for Cynthia to fix it or bring another camera.
“If you like cameras, there are lots of opportunities in this field. This position also offers job security, which is important to women with families.” Cynthia usually works a regular 40 hour work week, but in the summer the hours are longer because that's when the film industry is booming. Then she can work up to six hours of overtime a day.
Cynthia has to be meticulous when it comes to making sure the camera is in proper working order. And, since the cameras are so crucial to production, the inspections don’t stop when Cynthia’s done. Next, the customer comes in and double checks all the equipment again. To be a camera technician you need to pay close attention to detail. Cynthia is good at her job because she is a perfectionist. She enjoys going over every detail until she is satisfied that the camera is in proper working order.
Video details:
Run time: 24 minutes total, including three segments of approximately 8 minutes each.
Format: DVD. Closed-captioned.
Year: 2006
Note: Videos are interspersed with Canadian salary and labor statistics, which are similar to the numbers in the United States.
Policies: There is a no-return policy on these videos.
Grade level: Middle School, High School, Two-Year College, Four-Year University
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Three dynamic women who have staked out successful careers in finance and investment will inspire your female students to explore new career pathways.Female role models help get this career on the radar of women and girls because they’re able to see someone who looks like them on the job. The video reveals the personal experiences and insights of successful women working in this field. Finance, investment and related industries employ millions of people. Increasing numbers of women are establishing rewarding careers in the traditionally male-dominated finance and investment fields. Role Model Videos: Career Options for Women -- Finance and Investment
$99 
Item #: EDV55 |
Career Options for Women -- Finance and Investment:
This 24-minute video features profiles of three women with successful careers in finance and investment:
- Charlotte Faulkner, a stockbroker who works closely with investment clients
- Karen McMeekin, a market supervisor for the Montreal Exchange
- Josée St. Hilaire, a micro-finance advisor who helps provide capital to tiny start-up companies in developing countries.
Additional information from co-workers and supervisors supplements each job profile.
Meet the role models featured in the Finance and Investment video:
Charlotte: Stockbroker
Charlotte Faulkner is a stock broker at Odlum Brown. She looks after the financial interests of companies and individuals by helping them invest money, mainly in stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Charlotte's up early to follow the markets and keep her clients' portfolios on track.
There are a lot of ups and downs when you're a stock broker. It can be emotionally demanding. No one can consistently predict market performance. In order to give expert financial advice, a stock broker has to stay ahead of the latest investment trends.
As a child, Charlotte wanted to go into art, but her family's dinner time chats about stocks must've rubbed off on her. “I just love my job. When a client phones you and thanks you, when I feel that I've helped somebody, I feel really good about that.”
When Charlotte meets with a client for the first time, she helps them identify financial goals by taking into account the client's income, assets, liabilities and other factors. Even though the client makes all investment decisions, Charlotte plays an important role by presenting a number of options, making recommendations and keeping the client informed.
Karen: Market Supervisor
Karen McMeekin is a market supervisor in the monitoring department for the Montreal Exchange, the only derivative exchange in Canada. Her job is to oversee the derivative trading process and to ensure that the computer system that facilitates all the trades is operating in top form.
Karen's training qualifies her to work as a broker, an operator for financial transactions, a sales and marketing representative and more. As a market supervisor, she experiences the action by facilitating market trading, but doesn't have to take the worry of client investments home with her. She just keeps the traders happy.
Karen works in a very dynamic, team oriented environment. When it comes to vacations, only one person can be away at any time. Karen likes to spend her green on the green, fine tuning her swing. “What I love most about my job is the unpredictability and the excitement of following financial markets.”
Josée: Micro-finance Advisor
What can ten dollars buy these days? Well, in some countries, it's enough to start a business. Providing expertise on how to manage these types of loans is the job of micro-finance advisor Josée St. Hilaire.
Josée's employer, Desjardins International Development, assists financial institutions in developing countries. Individuals with no assets are provided with small loans that are guaranteed by a group they form. For some, it's enough to change their lives.
It's not easy to introduce financial concepts to people who have never been exposed to traditional financing. Josée uses creativity to adapt financial projects to the needs, resources, economic conditions and cultural backgrounds of people she works with in developing countries.
“What I really like about this job is the satisfaction of knowing that we are helping people improve their lives.”
Josée loves the travel aspect of her work and Africa in particular. Going overseas gives her a chance to learn business hands-on in a developing country. She gets to use finance to help people and have an adventure at the same time. Afterwards, Josée returns to the office to manage the numbers, reports and follow-up for her business activities.
$99
Item #: EDV55
Video details:
Run time: 24 minutes total, including three segments of approximately 8 minutes each.
Format: DVD. Closed-captioned.
Year: 2006
Note: Videos are interspersed with Canadian salary and labor statistics, which are similar to the numbers in the United States.
Policies: There is a no-return policy on these videos.
Grade level: Middle School, High School, Two-Year College, Four-Year University
Video Clip: |
Three dynamic women who have staked out successful careers in the forestry industry will inspire your female students to explore new career pathways.Female role models help get this career on the radar of women and girls because they’re able to see someone who looks like them on the job. The video reveals the personal experiences and insights of successful women working in this field. Forestry and related industries employ millions of people. Increasing numbers of women are establishing rewarding careers in the traditionally male-dominated forestry field. |
Career Options for Women -- Forestry:
This 24-minute video features profiles of three women with successful careers in forestry:
- Karen Trimmer, a helicopter pilot who transports raw lumber by air
- Lorraine Muskwa, a dispatch attendant for a large pulp mill
- Chantal Isabelle, a forest technician responsible for ensuring that woodland development stays within legal boundaries
Additional information from co-workers and supervisors supplements each job profile.
Meet the role models featured in the Forestry video:
Karen: Helicopter Pilot
To see heli-logging pilot Karen Trimmer in action is quite amazing. The guys on the ground trust her with their lives as she hoists huge logs out of the woods, into the air and down to the water with a twin blade helicopter capable of immense lifting power. She's as at home in the pilot's seat as she is being the only girl in a fly in float camp. Her workmates treat her like a sister and respect her like the pro logger she is.
Karen says her job is great because the money is good and she gets to fly. It's a good job if you like the outdoors too, because you're outside all the time! “I love the beautiful sunny days and I get to be out there in the middle of the most beautiful land. It's just gorgeous.”
Karen really flew at her helicopter training. The first day up you get the controls. After a long day on the job, Karen gets to go home…to a barge camp. It has all the comforts of home, the food is great and the people are just like family. Karen even gets a bit of time to catch up on her reading.
Lorraine: Dispatch Attendant
Dispatch attendant Lorraine Muskwa works for a large pulp mill company. Her resumé of forest industry jobs and education includes everything from stand tending to environmental evaluations. This background is all part of Lorraine’s ideal career goal, being a registered professional forester.
There are a lot of other areas in forestry she can branch into as well. She could work in field operations, reforestation, forest protection, fire fighting or be a woodlands coordinator. “Other people would like this job because it's fast paced and demanding. The day always goes by quickly.”
Lorraine is one of those people who’s constantly learning. Her approach to the job is the kind of attitude forest industry employers look for. Build on your knowledge, set goals and move forward. There are plenty of places to go in this business!
Lorraine works 12 hour shifts, four days on and four days off. But when she isn’t working she likes to get outside. One of her favorite places to spend time off is on the golf course.
Chantal: Forest Technician
Chantal Isabelle is a forest technician. Chantal is responsible for ensuring that all kinds of development done on forested land is done well and in accordance with the permits obtained. For example, if a developer needs to trim branches off trees on his land to facilitate access, she will follow the process with the developer from start to finish. She'll make sure the work is done well, that the trees have not been damaged and that the forest remains healthy.
You have to love nature and be resourceful to do this work. Chantal often spends whole days in the woods in all kinds of weather, sometimes in very difficult terrain. But you also need good communication skills to work effectively with the developers. It was towards the end of her college studies that Chantal decided to follow her heart. She left the sciences to go into forestry and she had to convince her father that she was doing the right thing. Now she loves her work and even thinks of pursuing her studies in engineering.
Chantal is convinced that other women would really enjoy this kind of work, especially if they like the outdoors and are in good physical condition. “I'm sure that other women would love this kind of work but they have to be passionate about.
Video details:
Run time: 24 minutes total, including three segments of approximately 8 minutes each.
Format: DVD. Closed-captioned.
Year: 2006
Note: Videos are interspersed with Canadian salary and labor statistics, which are similar to the numbers in the United States.
Policies: There is a no-return policy on these videos.
Grade level: Middle School, High School, Two-Year College, Four-Year University
