Production team

Christopher Paetkau was born and fed a Mennonite in Manitoba. He’s a filmmaker and the co-founder of BUILD., a company that produces and distributes dynamic content. He has documented the world’s most endangered marine mammal for Discovery Channel, navigated through the Northwest Passage on an icebreaker and moonlights as an Arctic wildlife cinematographer for brands like National Geographic and Smithsonian. When he’s not swimming with whales or walking with polar bears, he’s a dad to a daughter and son who’ve taught him more about the inherent spark and spirit of being a rookie at life than he ever thought possible.

Chloe Ross-Rogerson is a producer at BUILD., currently residing in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She graduated from the University of Winnipeg, where she studied politics, and Red River College, where she studied communications and media production. After years of working in a variety of roles, she found her fit in producing. She’s drawn to working on productions that tell inspiring stories in impactful ways.

Adam Gualtieri is a filmmaker living in Manitoba. He graduated from Toronto’s Ryerson University with a degree in media production. Adam has worked as a director of photography and lead editor on an array of documentaries and commercial content. After completing a documentary exhibition to honour the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S), Adam discovered a deeper purpose in filmmaking. He sought out the patient insight and wisdom of Indigenous Elders and leaders, under whose guidance he spent summers on the prairies with medicine pickers and frigid winters with water protectors to complete a series of internationally recognized documentaries that were conceived, produced and rooted in Indigenous tradition.

Leela Gilday is a celebrated musician, songwriter, singer, guitarist, composer and creator from Denendeh. Born and raised in the Northwest Territories, she writes about the people and the land that created her — of love, life, a rugged environment and vibrant culture. Her music has been recognized with many awards, including a Juno, and she has toured nationally and internationally for the better part of 25 years. She is the musical director for the Arctic Inspiration Prize Ceremony (2018–2021). As a music supervisor, she curates and licenses Indigenous music for Indigenous film, television and podcasts.

Dr. Alika Lafontaine is an award-winning Indigenous physician of Metis, Oji-Cree and Pacific Islander descent. He is past-President of the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada, the first Indigenous physician listed on the Medical Post 50 Most Powerful Canadian Doctors, and in 2021 was listed #15 on the Medical Post top 30 most influential Canadian physicians. Active in leadership and advocacy across medicine, Dr. Lafontaine is recognized nationally and internationally as an expert on Indigenous health systems and health policy, institutional bias, racism and reflective practice. In 2021 he was elected nominee for Canadian Medical Association President-elect, making him the first Indigenous nominee in the CMA’s history.

Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory is a kalaaleq (Greenlandic Inuk) performance artist, poet, actor, curator, storyteller and writer. She is known for performing uaajeerneq, a Greenlandic mask dance. She performs internationally, collaborates with other artists and is a fierce advocate for Inuit artists. She lives in Iqaluit with her husband and three children.

Jennifer Podemski is an actor and film and television producer of mixed First Nations and Israeli descent and was born and raised in Toronto. At age 25, Jennifer opened her first production company, Big Soul Productions, the first Aboriginal owned and operated, full-service production company in Canada. She later founded Redcloud Studios Inc. and had a starring role in Empire of Dirt, a film she produced.

Jennifer is the creator and producer of The Other Side and is the co-executive producer and creative director of the Indspire Awards. More recently, Jennifer starred as Dr. Crowshoe on the award-winning drama series Blackstone, on HBO’s Sensitive Skin with Kim Cattrall and in FireSong.