When online learning wasn’t holding her daughters’ attention anymore, Christine Wilkinson decided it was time for a life lesson instead.

The co-ordinator of the college’s recreation therapy program would show them how freshly baked banana chocolate chip muffins could be used to make the social isolation that’s come with the COVID-19 pandemic more bearable for those living in long-term care.

(From left) Christine Wilkinson and her daughters, Kate and Emma.

Wilkinson had heard from former students working at local nursing homes how visitor restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus were taking their toll on residents. So she recruited Emma, 13, and Kate, 10, to the kitchen to bake up some perennial favourites they could sell to friends and family. Together, they would use the proceeds to purchase markers and specialized colouring books for residents with dementia to pass the time.

“I was learning from (former students) how life-altering the restrictions were for residents and how difficult it was to bring joy to residents so I wanted to do something,” Wilkinson said. “I was also looking for a project that would help (my daughters) do something meaningful and help them understand my work at the college.”

Wilkinson sent out an email to friends and family, and she, Emma and Kate set to work. The response, she said, was overwhelming. Everything from orders for Kate’s “killer banana chocolate chip muffins” to offers of flour donations poured in.

Jenna Derkson-Scott, an alumna of the College’s recreation therapy program, with her daughter, Bella, who participated in the bake sale and fundraiser to purchase colouring books and markers for long-term care residents.

So did offers of help from others, including recreation therapy program graduate Jenna Derksen-Scott, who took a leave from her job at the Linhaven long-term care facility in St. Catharines to stay home with her three children.

“It was really heartwarming to see what she was trying to do,” Derksen-Scott said. “It spoke to my heart to be able to give back to the community at this time. We started baking and selling and reaching out to close family and friends.”

With daughters Bella and Kira, 13, and Olivia 5, on baking, packaging and delivery duty, they contributed $600 to the effort.

All in, Wilkinson’s drive raised more than $4,600 for 414 colouring books from DementiAbility Enterprises, where Wilkinson is also a trainer. The markers and colouring books were donated to all 33 long-term care homes in Niagara between May 5 and June 24.

The books and markers are easily sanitized for safe use by residents who have largely been confined to their rooms since the pandemic started.

“It was just an amazing rally of support,” Wilkinson said. “It just touches so many people. There are very few people who aren’t touched by dementia. It was not difficult to get people behind the project.”

Examples of some artwork by residents at the T. Roy Adams Centre for Demetia Care at Linhaven in St. Catharines.

Better still was being able to deliver the donations to some of her former students working on the front lines during the pandemic.

Shara Gibbons, a recreation therapist at T. Roy Adams Centre for Dementia Care at Linhaven, was one of them. The centre was among the first to receive a delivery from Wilkinson and her daughters on May 9.

They were much needed and appreciated, Gibbons said. The donations have enabled residents to pass the time independently or one on one with either herself or another recreation therapist at the centre.

One of them is an artist, whose colouring projects Gibbons and her colleagues have put on display for the woman.

“She loves to see her art hung up on the wall. It’s a very pleasant experience for her. It’s very therapeutic,” Gibbons said. “The colouring books were a great thing to bring in at a time like this because it’s a one-on-one, meaningful activity.”

Now that every home has received a donation, Wilkinson is cooking up ideas for a second phase of the project.

“People still want to be involved,” she said. “We’ll find something to keep going, for sure.”

Four recent graduates from Niagara College’s Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film program participated in a webinar via Zoom on April 30, offering advice and inspiration to current students.

Although each participant has taken a different path after graduating from NC, together the group shares a commonality: they are all young women making their mark in the Canadian broadcasting industry.

The panelists included Kelsey Scobie, who graduated in 2016 and is currently a freelance associate producer/producer with Rogers Sportsnet and CBC, two alumnae from the class of 2017 including Kianna Klauck, an EVS/reply operator with Dome Productions, and Kristyn Taras, a second engineer with Dome Productions. Lexie Laus, who graduated in 2018 and is currently a production coordinator at so.da, Corus Entertainment’s full-service social digital agency, joined them.

Drawing from their own experiences, the alumnae offered valuable insights into what it looks like to work in a fast-paced industry that can change in an instant – like the current COVID-19 pandemic that has cancelled or postponed many major sporting events. For the alumnae working in the sports broadcasting world, the pandemic has put a stop to their regular assignments.

Klauck would have been working on the Toronto Raptors’ home show productions, instead, she came back home to Port Colborne and is spending time sharpening her editing skills and introducing her mother to popular Canadian television sitcom Schitt’s Creek.

Like Klauck, Taras would have also been working on the production end of the Raptors’ games with her fellow crew of engineers – for now, she is taking it day-by-day at home in St. Catharines.

From her condo in Toronto, Scobie explained that her assignments with Air Canada Fan Flight and Kraft Hockeyville, which would have aired during the NHL playoffs, are on hold.

While plans have changed for some, the group remains positive and looks forward to the day the world gets back on track. In the meantime, the alumnae shared career highlights and favourite moments from their time in the industry so far.

For Laus, who has been working remotely from home in Grimsby, a recent highlight has been working on her first sponsored series Made You Look, a so.da original in partnership with Slice and Pinterest.

Klauck, a former basketball player with the NC Knights, enjoys contributing to the production side of the sport. She said her adrenaline still gets pumping from behind-the-scenes, especially when she had the opportunity to work the robo cams during Kawhi Leonard’s most notable home game in the Toronto Raptor’s 2019 championship run.

Taras also recalled working the Raptor’s final run last year and spoke about her love for travel through her job – she has travelled to Las Vegas on multiple occasions to work the World Series of Poker.

Scobie, who has enjoyed storytelling from a young age, has been part of the Rogers Hometown Hockey team since season two of the Sportsnet series. With CBC, she has helped produce multiple Calgary Stampedes over the years and had the opportunity to work on the 2016 Rio Olympics. She landed her dream job, working as an associate producer for the Olympic prime time show and was heartbroken when the games were postponed due to the pandemic.

“You need to stay positive and surround yourself with positive people always,” said Scobie. “Don’t get down because the world turned off, the light will turn back on.”

BRTF program coordinator Dutch VandenBerg, who invited his former students to participate in the virtual webinar, is proud of the alumnae for all they have accomplished in their careers so far.

“These four young women are at the heart of major productions and new content delivery in the industry,” said VandenBerg. “They are incredibly inspiring and amazing role models for all of our students – not just the females – although, that is who really resonated with the group’s discussion.”

For female students listening in, it was encouraging to hear the group share positive stories from their experiences as women in an industry that has traditionally been male dominated.

Taras told students to always remember that there are other women in the industry willing to help you, while Laus highlighted that her workplace consists of mostly women – about 80 percent. Scobie, who has been working in the industry the longest of the group, spoke about how she has been fortunate to work with many talented women in sports broadcasting including Alison Redmond, executive producer of Rogers Hometown Hockey on Sportsnet.

“The culture of women working in sport is growing,” said Scobie. “It’s important to note that men and women bring something different to the table – they’re wired differently and think differently as a result.”

To Scobie, these differences are beneficial and help a broadcast team create quality content that speaks to every audience.

Not just girl talk: Advice from the alumnae

The group also offered sound advice for all students and recent graduates eager to get started in the industry.

Laus: Do not be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone – people notice when you are willing to do things others are not.

Taras: Say yes to everything, ask for feedback and try not to dwell on your mistakes.

Scobie: Take every opportunity that comes your way, especially the recurring assignments – consistency looks great on a resume.

Klauck: Be passionate and never forget that there are good things coming.

The words of wisdom proved to be encouraging for BRTF students, who appreciated hearing from the young women who were in their shoes not long ago.

Jenna Trew, a soon-to-be third-year BRTF student majoring in TV production, found the webinar motivating and inspiring.

“For me, the webinar was a great experience to hear stories from our very own female grads,” said Trew. “I am someone who has struggled a lot with trying to figure out what I want to do in my future and this was an amazing opportunity to get advice from females currently working in the industry and to learn of job positions I had never thought of.”

Trew also found the experience helpful in easing her post-graduation worries – a common stressor for students wondering where they will end up after college.

“Before speaking with these women, I was feeling very stressed and overwhelmed about my future but listening to their success stories made me feel motivated and inspired, especially during this time,” said Trew. “It’s really great that Niagara College and our program can offer these kinds of things and I think it’s important to continue to inspire and empower young women in these ways.”

Trew’s classmate, Jensen Croughan, who is also majoring in TV production and going in to her third year, appreciated the raw discussion and opportunity to make connections with young professionals already working in the industry.

“I felt that the webinar was a valuable way to spend my afternoon as the girls had great stories and advice about their experiences in the industry,” said Croughan. “I valued that they all opened up about their ups and downs of figuring out where they belonged in the broadcasting world and I appreciated the group’s invitation to reach out in the future with any career questions. That made me feel relaxed about the upcoming semester, knowing that if I ever needed advice, they would be happy to help.”

Student Al Johnson, who just completed her final year of the BRTF program, was encouraged to hear from other female grads from the program.

“Our industry is very male dominated so it makes me feel good to see these boss women working hard in the same industry I will soon be entering as well,” said Johnson. “I love that no matter how busy they were, and considering what is happening in the world, the group still had time to talk to students taking the same path they started on as well. I hope that one day I’ll be in the same spot sharing my own stories to BRTF students.”

The group is among a series of NC Broadcasting alumni to participate in webinars for students. Other webinars have included:

• Letterkenny producer and NC alumnus Mark Montefiore on March 31;
• Professional AI mixer Andrew Stoakley (lead mixer for Toronto Blue Jays) on April 7;
• A group panel of on-air radio/TV talent who are recent alumni, including Sarah Christie, Lucas Chittick Rodriguez, Shannon Burns and Josie Balka on April 10;
• A group panel of freelance crew with Dome Production including Greg Otterbein, Eli Kiriakopoulos and Austin Munday on April 29;
• Production engineers Reid, Will and Alex who work on every style of sports production from hockey to football to the X Games on May 1; and
• Twitch content creator and previous associate producer Mecca Eyre on May 4.

Peter Raymond should be immersed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs right now.

After all, as senior manager of broadcast operations for Rogers Sportsnet, he manages the NHL contract from the technical side – from the regular season, to the heritage and outdoor classics, to the playoffs.

Instead, the games have been cancelled, and his Toronto office has been empty for weeks. Like many adjusting to abrupt changes in the industry after COVID-19 brought the world to an abrupt screeching halt, Raymond has been working from home since mid-March. That’s where NC Broadcasting students had a chance to meet with him, virtually, on April 9.

Raymond, who graduated from the College’s Broadcasting – Radio and Television program in 1997, volunteered to speak with current Broadcasting students about his experience and to respond to their questions. Through a webinar held via Zoom, he offered students a glimpse of what it’s like to be in the centre of the broadcasting action at some of the most-watched televised events in the world.

Students got an inside look at the various challenges faced by those who live and breathe the fast-paced, ever-changing world of broadcast television. Raymond relayed stories about how he got started in the industry – from his early immersion into working in television at the age of 15 while he was growing up in Newfoundland, to his experience as a student at NC, and his more than 20 years of experience working in the industry.

“I learned a lot sitting in those old mobiles,” he said, reflecting back on his days as a NC student travelling to Gravenhurst in a Winnebago mobile to broadcast a live rotary auction. “Events like that, my love for doing remote production came in.”

While, these days, most of his time is spent in a studio – at least, prior to COVID-19 – Raymond said he still enjoys getting on the road where he has the opportunity to explore different methods and solutions for each location’s unique challenges.

‘I think what you learn on the remote side is a huge advantage,’ he said, speaking to students about learning about the need to troubleshoot for each remote broadcast. “Every remote, you literally build that show every time you go out … that’s the whole fun of it. Everyone working together to solve things.”

In addition to Rogers Sportsnet, Raymond spoke about his time at CTV where he worked as senior manager of technical training – on events including the Olympics (Vancouver and London), the Royal Wedding (2011), the Academy Awards and the Super Bowl – and as technical director for the CTV News Channel.

“I’ve never seen a TV compound like the Royal Wedding,” he said, recalling the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011, which drew major broadcasters from across the world – when every square inch of the compound of a park was slotted by TV trucks, complete with a massive broadcast tower. “We had a lot of technical issues. On air, you didn’t see anything but it was all happening behind the scenes.”

Peter Raymond gives students a close-up look of what cables look like at a major sporting event. He showed this photo of cables for broadcast feeds during the Stanley Cup finals in St. Louis in 2019.

While there are no remote or live productions for him to work on during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the NHL games cancelled along with other major sports, he has been busy editing content for viewers, such as previous NHL games they have been airing.

Raymond spoke about how broadcasters how the need for physical distancing has led broadcasters to explore new adaptive ways to share and produce content, such as TV hosts like Jimmy Fallon airing from their homes.

“Content is truly king,” he said, noting how many shows are now being shot from home.  “TV content is so real right now. There’s no production value, no sets, or lights. When this is all over, I think it will change the way we look at content.”

Raymond offered valuable advice to students looking to get their foot into the door: to have the right attitude, a willingness to learn and want to do better, and no ego.

“Once you find good people in this industry, you don’t want to let them go,” he said, mentioning several recent NC Broadcasting grads who have come to work for him.

BRTF program coordinator Dutch VandenBerg noted that Raymond has been a tremendous supporter of NC and a champion of the College’s graduates.

“Today’s webinar was an incredible opportunity for the students to hear from a great grad that is literally at the bleeding edge of broadcast technologies and process,” said VandenBerg. “Peter has a vast amount of experience and always takes time to champion our grads. I was able to loop a few of those grads into the conversation today – an endearing quality of Peter is his desire to spotlight those around him.”

Raymond is among a series of special guests to participate in webinars for Broadcasting students. Previous webinars included:

• Letterkenny producer and NC alumnus Mark Monefiore on March 31;
• Professional AI mixer Andrew Stoakley (lead mixer for Toronto Blue Jays) on April 7; and
• A group panel of on-air radio/TV talent who are recent alumni, including Sarah Christie, Lucas Chittick Rodriguez, Shannon Burns and Josie Balka on April 10.

Raymond was featured in the Spring 2012 issue of NC’s Encore magazine (pages 6-7). View it here.

A new video game, which originated as a student project at Niagara College, is now available on Steam – one of the biggest video game platforms on the planet.

It’s a new fantasy melee combat game called The Fallen where players become knights who must reclaim their honour by defeating the Guardians standing before their vindication.

For a group of Game Development students who embarked on creating the game for their third-year capstone project in September 2018 – most have since graduated from the College – it’s a dream come true.

“When we first started the program, this was an achievement none of us could have imagined,” said   Andrés Coimbra Castedo, one of the game’s artist/developers who graduated from the program in 2019.

Andrew Chiarelli, Philip Ellis, Andrés Coimbra Castedo and Emma Perretta attend the official opening of the Marilyn I. Walker Centre of Excellence in Visual Arts & Technology in October 2019 where they gave attendees a sneak preview of their video game, The Fallen.

Linda Roote, associate dean of NC’s School of Media Studies, applauded the team’s accomplishments.

“There’s no greater testament to the success of our Game Development program than the achievements of our graduates and students,” said Roote. “The Fallen is an example to all students that when they apply the skills and knowledge they gain through their studies, along with their own ingenuity and hard work, they can achieve their dreams.”

The quest was challenging for the group, now known as Six Pillars Studios- comprised of eight 2019 graduates of the program and one current student. Coimbra Castedo noted that it required a great deal of time and effort, even after the majority of the group had graduated, into the summer of 2019 and beyond.

“Thankfully, the College supported us, and granted us the use of their labs throughout the summer to further develop our game,” said Coimbra. “Additionally, we were able to expand our team, allowing us more flexibility when solving problems, and greatly improved our coordination, communication and discipline.”

Emma Perretta, a current student who is also one of artist/developers behind The Fallen, looked back on creating the game and recognized the value of working with a team, navigating different ideas and bringing them into fruition.

“I now have the experience in utilizing multiple software to better support my art, therefore, giving me confidence and insight on developing my skills,” said Perretta. “Niagara College gave me an unparalleled experience to complete a professional video game, which is now released. I wish to continue learning and adapting new techniques in the field of game development.”

Because putting the final touches on a game can be daunting, the fact that the students took their project all the way to distribution and a launch on Steam is an amazing accomplishment, noted NC Game professor Conor MacNeill. He pointed out that Steam has been a marketplace for independent developers to push new ideas, and it has been a catalyst for the birth of many new styles, games and genres.

“In the gaming world, all it takes is for one influential streamer to play the game and you could see a massive spike in interest from their followers,” said MacNeill. “By putting themselves out there on Steam, our students have given streamers around the world the opportunity to play their game.”

The College’s School of Media Studies got a sneak peek at The Fallen in late October, when the group presented their video game trailer at the official opening of NC’s Marilyn I. Walker Centre of Excellence in Visual Arts & Technology. While an official game launch for The Fallen was scheduled to take place at the same location in late March, the event was cancelled due to the campus closure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Their plight is currently shared by many in the gaming industry, as the cancellation of major conferences is affecting thousands of studios who have tied the release dates of their games around industry events.

“Dealing with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak will require innovation and adaptation, which are at the core of the gaming industry itself,” said MacNeill.

The development team behind Six Pillars Studios includes programmers Andrew Chiarelli (Dunnville), Philip Ellis (Niagara Falls), and Duncan Brudlo (Oakville); as well as artists Kristopher McArthur (St Catharines), Andrés Coimbra Castedo (Bolivia/St Catharines), Emma Perretta (Niagara-on-the-Lake), Doug McKay (Dunnville), Cole Robertson (Greenbank, ON/ Claremont, ON), and Mathieu A. Chartrand (Lafontaine, ON /Gatineau, QC).

For more information about The Fallen or Six Pillars Studios, visit thefallengame.com.

The Fallen is available for free download on Steam. To download, visit store.steampowered.com/app/1251060/The_Fallen/