
Back to All News
Training the Next Generation of Indigenous Creatives on the Set of You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah'
Director Sammi Cohen on the set of You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah'.
Social Impact
25 August 2023
GlobalCanada
Link copied to clipboard
Two years ago we created the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity and committed $100 million USD to help build new opportunities for underrepresented communities within entertainment. The Fund supports programs created to develop the next generation of Indigenous creators in Canada and we were excited to give three up-and-coming below-the-line artisans the opportunity to learn more about their craft on the set of our new film You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah.
Bert Whitecrow, Riley Assinewa, and Morgan Spence were the inaugural participants of the imagineNATIVE Institute's Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area (GTHA) Below-the-Line Mentorship program, supported by Netflix and IATSE-873. Announced in June 2022, the mentorship is designed for Indigenous creatives looking to begin or expand on a career in the art department of a long-form production.
Each mentee worked in a different department - Whitecrow in dressing/sewing, Assinewa in carpentry and Spence in set decor - on set alongside industry leaders while the film was in production in the GTHA last summer. The paid program lasted five weeks and also provided additional support for transportation, living expenses, and child care if needed.
"Its such a unique experience that Ive been a part of and such a crucial one to start building bridges between Indigenous communities within North America" said Spence. "They gave us the confidence and told us you dont need to know the history of filmmaking and all that, you just need to know how to use the gear. Thats what they will teach you and give you hands-on experience".
"The opportunity to partner with Netflix on the Below the Line Mentorships supported the imagineNATIVE Institutes continued efforts towards providing professional development opportunities for Indigenous Creatives in the Film + Television Industry, said Jamie-Lee Reardon, imagineNATIVE Institute Manager from Flying Post First Nation Treaty 9. As imagineNATIVE works closely with our communities, it is clear there is a need for more working Indigenous crew members in the on-screen sector. Mentorships like this recognize the transferable skill sets that can build a strong foundation to begin a career working on-set in the film industry."
There will be a second edition of this initiative with more details to come soon.
Written for the screen by Alison Peck, directed by Sammi Cohen, and produced by Happy Madison and Alloy Entertainment, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah centers on BFFs Stacy and Lydia who are both planning epic bat mitzvahs. But it all unravels when a popular boy - and middle school drama - threaten to ruin everything.
The film is now streaming on Netflix. Find out more about the three mentees below:
Bert Whitecrow - Dresser/Sewer mentee
Bert Whitecrow is a Two-Spirited, multidisciplinary artist from Seine River First Nation. Their work explores methods of storytelling through preserving and practicing ancestral knowledge. They attended the Indigenous Visual cultures program at OCAD University and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2022. Bert explores the ideas of Indigenous futurisms, the belief of inherent queerness in nature, and their relationship to place throughout their artistic practice. Bert has worked within community arts for five years as a facilitator and artist.
Morgan Spence - Set Decorator mentee
Morgan Spence is a proud Mushkegowuk (Swampy Cree) from Moosonee, Ontario. She moved to Toronto in 2020 and recently graduated from the Indigenous Production Assistant Training Program with POV and Miziwe Biik Aboriginal Employment & Training. She currently works as a Production Assistant in film and television. Prior to working in the industry, she worked closely with the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres as well as working in the youth department for the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto. She continues to support and be an active community member with these and other related organizations that focus on uplifting and supporting Indigenous youth and community.
Riley Assinewai - Carpenter mentee
Riley is an Ojibwe man currently based in Toronto who grew up in WIkwemikoong, Ontario, located on Manitoulin Island. In 2018, Riley got the opportunity to go to Scotland and work on Outlander, and since then, he has worked on various shows as an actor. Most recently, he had the chance to help behind the camera on a film. Now, Riley is interested in working more on set in all areas, behind and in front of the camera.
Most recent headlines
13/03/2025
(L-R) Stephanie Suganami, Tatanka Means, John Malkovich, Ayo Edebiri, and Juliette Lewis attend the premiere of Opus at Eccles Theatre in Park City. (Photo by...
13/03/2025
Spotify took center stage at the London Book Fair this week, reaffirming our commitment to the audiobook market and showcasing our impact on the publishing indu...
13/03/2025
At Spotify, we work every day to lift up new voices, giving creators the opportunity to live off their art. Through Spotify Audiobooks, our in-house publishing ...
13/03/2025
Every time airborne law enforcement (ALE) teams fly, they expect their equipment to perform. Whether airborne units are conducting support for ground teams, bor...
13/03/2025
Sunday February 9 saw the annual return of the US' biggest television event, the Super Bowl LIX. Jamie McCombs, Fox Sports Audio Consultant / Sr. Audio capt...
13/03/2025
On Sunday March 2, stars across the film industry gathered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 97th Academy Awards. Production Sound Mixer Paul Sandweis...
13/03/2025
WUPPERTAL, Germany Riedel Communications will feature its new StageLink family of smart edge devices, Smart Audio and Mixing Engine (SAME) and Virtual Smart Pan...
13/03/2025
TAG Video Systems and Harmonic Partner to Deliver Enhanced Real-Time Monitoring ...
13/03/2025
DigitalGlue Invites NAB Visitors to Experience New Features in Managed Storage P...
13/03/2025
FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Lif...
13/03/2025
CTIA, the wireless industry association, has named former FCC Chairman Aji Pai as its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1. He replaces Mere...
13/03/2025
he National Association of Broadcasters is urging the FCC to end its investigation of that controversial CBS interview with Kamala Harris stating there is no ...
13/03/2025
MIAMI CBS News & Stations continues to expand its use of augmented and virtual reality technologies with the planned launch of an augmented reality/virtual real...
13/03/2025
Srividhya Srinivasan, co-founder and chief customer success & innovation Officer at Amagi, tells TVBEurope how staying ahead of the latest trends is essential f...
13/03/2025
WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...
13/03/2025
SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...
13/03/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...
13/03/2025
TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...
13/03/2025
Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
13/03/2025
Roku Debuts NWSL Zone' Within Roku Sports to Spotlight Live Games, Content Feature marks Rokus first women's league-branded zone within service By Bra...
13/03/2025
Pixels, Images, Video, AI - and Us: A Perspective on AI from NDI Inventor Andrew...
13/03/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Lighting Design Group's Steve Brill, Dennis Size ...
13/03/2025
IOC, Comcast NBCU Ink $3B Media-Rights Extension for Olympic Games Through 2036;...
13/03/2025
NCAA March Madness Live Returns with Expanded Availability of MultiView Vertical...
13/03/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Cosm's Devin Poolman on What It Takes To Deliver the Immersive...
13/03/2025
Sky Business, Sky's B2B division, providing connectivity and content to busi...
13/03/2025
Rohde & Schwarz launches R&S NRP140TWG(N) thermal power sensor: A new benchmark ...
13/03/2025
We asked the questions, analysed the answers and now we're excited to share the results of the fifth edition of the ICG Marketing Survey.
Our 2025 survey p...
13/03/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. - March 13, 2025 Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced a breakthrough in video streaming innovation with the launch of new origin capabilitie...
13/03/2025
Haivision Showcases Mission-Critical Video Solutions at SOF Week 2025
Haivision's video wall systems, ISR technology, and DoDIN APL-certified video distri...
13/03/2025
Company Leads the Way with New Software-Based Production Platform, 12G Switcher,...
13/03/2025
A new Apple Immersive concert experience, Metallica, is coming to Apple Vision Pro this Friday, March 14. Filmed in Mexico City during the sold-out second-year ...
13/03/2025
Here is your host, Patrick Kielty!
Shake your Shamrocks, Patrick Kielty will be...
13/03/2025
This St. Patrick's weekend, RT invites you to celebrate all things Irish, showcasing the very best of Irish sport, entertainment and live coverage from the...
13/03/2025
What's next in AI is at GTC 2025. Not only the technology, but the people and ideas that are pushing AI forward - creating new opportunities, novel solution...
13/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
By combining T-Mobile's robust network, Thal...
13/03/2025
Bundle up - GeForce NOW is bringing a flurry of Blizzard titles to its ever-expanding library.
Prepare to weather epic gameplay in the cloud, tackling the genr...
13/03/2025
AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...
13/03/2025
PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...
12/03/2025
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report
NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...
12/03/2025
GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...
12/03/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...
12/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....
12/03/2025
Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
High-capacity switch enhances existi...
12/03/2025
DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...