The Firecracker Department with Naomi Snieckus

Latest Episodes:

Reel Women's Network Spotlight: Tina Huang Apr 20, 2021

Show notes

Our fifth spotlight is on actor, producer, director, writer, voice over artists, TINA HUANG. She's been onscreen in Rizzoli & Isles, Days of Our Lives, Grey's Anatomy, Shameless, The Office, Criminal Minds, and SO much more! She's been onstage in Revenge Porn, Cult of Love, Brain Problems, and is a founding member of Ammo, the Ammunition Theatre Company in Los Angeles. Tina was also a member of IAMA Theatre Company and Co-Founder of 1 to 1 Productions. 1 to 1's mission is to champion women of color in front of and behind the camera.

LINKS:

Follow Sedina Fiati https://www.instagram.com/bwheelsheels

Follow Farah Merani https://www.instagram.com/fa_me/

Sylvia Duckworth's gender neutral graphic: https://www.instagram.com/p/CGr7GCahEHv/

Follow Sara Levine: https://www.instagram.com/saralevinedoodles/

Follow Mila Jam: https://www.instagram.com/themilajam/

Mila Jam - Pretty One music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU3BcCXicDM

Mommies: An American Parody: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyR66F_peUc

Tina Huang on RWN: https://reelwomensnetwork.com/tina-huang/

Twitter: @tinahuang @1to1Productions

Instagram: @tinahuang381 @1to1productions

https://tinahuang.com/

http://www.1to1productions.com/

http://ammunitiontheatre.com/

Reel Women's Network social:

Twitter: @ReelWomensNetw1

Instagram: @reelwomensnetwork

Cory Mack Apr 15, 2021

Show notes

Our guest on the show this week is comedian, emcee, writer, producer, CORY MACK! Cory has been living in Calgary and performing stand up comedy now for over 30 YEARS! She was the producer and founder of the YYComedy Festival, and ran the festival for 7 years. Cory has starred in her own Comedy Now Special on the Comedy Network, performed at Just For Laughs International Comedy Festival, the Hubcap Comedy Festival, she's been nominated for two Canadian Comedy awards, featured on CBC radio's The Debaters, and more! Now, this interview was recorded way before we had any idea what 2020 held for us, and in REAL LIFE!

Donate to The Daunte Wright Sr. Memorial Fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/dauntewright

Black Lives Matter Resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

Twitter: @corymack

Instagram: @corymackwilson

Website: https://corymack.ca/

Stand Up Alberta: https://open.spotify.com/album/50xs3cyknrzuJKcZudiwda

Cory Mack photo credit: David Kotisibie Persuasion Photography

Enid-Raye Adams Apr 06, 2021

Show notes

Our guest on the show this week is actor ENID-RAYE ADAMS! Enid-Raye has been working in the industry for over 30 years, most recently in You Me Her (which you can find on Netflix or Crave) and Hospital Show on Youtube. She's appeared on TV in Arrow, Lucifer, Riverdale, Van Helsing, and on the big screen in Good Boys, A Guy Thing, and Final Destination 2, to name just a few!

This is one of our last few recordings from the before times! That's right, this episode was recorded IN! PERSON! It gets a little loud near the end of the interview, we were at the Whistler Film Festival, so finding any time and space was a miracle but we did it!

Follow Enid:

@enidrayeadams

@youmeher

@hospitalshow

@lifeXP_series

Follow FD: @firecrackerdept

Head Producer: Winnie Wong @wonder_wong

Head of Post Production: Sydney Neilson @sydney_neilson

Jennifer Hosten Mar 30, 2021

Show notes

Our guest on the show this week is author, psychotherapist, radio broadcaster, former diplomat, and former Miss World, JENNIFER HOSTEN! She represented Grenada at the Miss World Contest in 1970 and won (!!!) making her the FIRST woman of colour to take the title.

Jennifer has worked in radio broadcasting, earned two Masters' degrees, served as Grenada's High Commissioner to Canada, as a Canadian diplomat to Bangladesh, became a mother, a grandmother, AND a psychotherapist!

In 2020, Jennifer was played on screen in the film MISBEHAVIOUR starring Keira Knightley, Greg Kinnear, and Gugu M'Batha-Raw as JENNIFER HOSTEN!

We talk about growing up Grenada, becoming the first woman of colour to win Miss World, feminism, political movements of the 70s, her purpose, her confidence, her faith, Gugu M'Batha-Raw and the film Misbehaviour, her travels, journey in education, and so much more!

Follow Jennifer Hosten @missworld1970

Get Jennifer's book: https://www.amazon.ca/Miss-World-1970-Craziest-Pageant/dp/1989555233

More about Jennifer : http://jenniferhosten.com/

To directly support the victims of the Atlanta shootings and their families: www.advancingjustice-atlanta.org

Visit the Chinese Canadian National Council - For Social Justice ccncsj.ca)

Butterfly Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Network (Toronto) @butterflycsw

SWAN Vancouver @swan_vancouver

Red Canary Song (NYC) @redcanarysong

Winnie's episode of The Ling Podcast hosted by Marlene Benedicto drops April 1st.

Instagram: @thisislingblog

Facebook: @ThisIsLingBlog

Twitter: @m_benedicto

Follow FD: @firecrackerdept

Head Producer: Winnie Wong @wonder_wong

Head of Post Production: Sydney Neilson @sydney_neilson

Reel Women's Network Spotlight: Brooke Berman Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

We have a brand new Reel Women's Network creator spotlight for you! our FOURTH Firecracker Department Spotlight is playwright, filmmaker, author, teacher, BROOKE BERMAN.

Brooke has written and directed shorts Uggs For Gaza and All Saints Day, adapted her play SMASHING for Natalie Portman (!!!) and has written features for The Mark Gordon Company, Vox Films, and Red Crown!

Beyond her filmmaking and writing for the stage, Brooke is also the author of three nonfiction books including her memoir, No Place Like Home! The audiobook of her memoir, No Place like Home, is coming out in April!

She's also been shopping around a new play and a pilot. And somehow she still finds the time to teach! This fall, she's teaching screenwriting at NYU this Fall and in the Spring, playwriting at Bard College! Brooke is booked and BUSY!

Daniel Dae Kim on IG: https://www.instagram.com/danieldaekim/

Advancing Justice: https://www.advancingjustice-atlanta.org/

Brooke on Twitter www.twitter.com/berman_brooke

Brooke on IG: www.instagram.com/brookebermannyc

Brooke's new short: https://www.facebook.com/filmprettydoesnthurt/)

Reel Women's Network social::

Twitter: @ReelWomensNetw1

Instagram: reelwomensnetwork

FB: ReelWomensNetwork

Melanie Oats Mar 16, 2021

Show notes

Our guest this week is writer/producer/director MELANIE OATS! She has written, directed, and produced five short films, a digital comedy series AND was also the Costume Designer for two features! Lately, Melanie is currently in development with her second feature film, Sweet Angel Baby.

Follow Melanie Oats!

Twitter: @MelanieAHelena

Instagram: @mel.anie.oates @bodyandbonesfilm

Follow Melanie's Shout Out, the St. John's International Women's Film Festival!

https://www.instagram.com/sjiwff/

https://www.womensfilmfestival.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAaMV1aHxf2gz5miXkKkhhw

Follow FD: @firecrackerdept

Editor: Jordyn Giddens @jordyngiddens

Head Producer: Winnie Wong @wonder_wong

Head of Post Production: Sydney Neilson @sydney_neilson

Rebecca Leib Mar 09, 2021

Show notes

Our guest on the show this week is writer, podcaster, comedian REBECCA LEIB! Most recently, she's been working as a writer-producer on NatGeo's "Brain Games" reboot with Keegan Michael Key! Rebecca has also been a writer for Disney, CBS, NBC Digital, and Investigation Discovery! She's written hilarious and brilliant stuff online for VICE, Reductress, LA-ist, LA WEEKLY, The Rumpus, and more! And you may have had this firecracker in your ears already, on her comedy-meets-strange history podcast "Ghost Town!"

Follow Rebecca!

@rebeccaleib

@ghosttownpod

https://losangeleno.com/strange-days/eulogy-local-restaurants-covid-19/

Head Producer: Winnie Wong @wonder_wong

Head Editor: Sydney Neilson @sydney_neilson

Nathalie Younglai Mar 02, 2021

Show notes

Our guest on the show this week, our ONE HUNDREDTH Firecracker, is writer, director, producer, founder of BIPOC TV & Film NATHALIE YOUNGLAI Natalie's gone from being a professional harpist to reality TV Director, to Screenwriter! Right now, Nathalie's working on a few projects in development and is a Writer/Co-Producer on CBC's Coroner, which you can catch new episodes of on Wednesdays at 8pm Eastern on CBC or the CBC Gem App.

Nathalie founded BIPOC TV & Film, a grassroots organization advocating for meaningful representation of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour in front and behind the camera. They recently launched the amazing HireBIPOC dot c-a, an online industry-wide roster of Canadian BIPOC creatives and crew working in screen-based industries. We're big fans, to say the least. She's truly a changemaker.

In 2020 she was the recipient of the 2020 Canadian Screen Awards special Humanitarian Award AND named one of NOW Magazine's 2020 Trailblazers. She was even nominated for a Daytime Emmy for her writing on Dino Dana!

Twitter:

@nyounglai

@BIPOCtvandfilm

Instagram:

@nyounglai

@bipoctvfilm

www.nathalieyounglai.com

www.bipoctvandfilm.com

www.hirebipoc.com

Nathalie Photo Credit: Gezilayefa Azorbo

Head Producer: Winnie Wong @wonder_wong

Head Editor: Sydney Neilson @sydney_neilson

Ariane Thielenhaus Feb 23, 2021

Show notes

Our guest on the show this week is filmmaker and Director of Programs and Partnerships for Women's Voices Now, Ariana Thielenhaus! Ariana oversees the entire Women's Voices Now film festival, plus their online film collection and the Girls' Voices Now youth program. She believes in the power of story and film to shift culture and accomplish positive change, and has a passion for womens and girls rights that seems to guide everything she does.

Now, if you haven't heard of Women's Voices Now or their Film Festival, it promotes women and femme-identifying filmmakers using social-change films to advocate for women's and girls' rights around the world.

The 2021 edition kicks off on March 11th, at 11am! The Women's Voices Now festival event will feature a key-note speaker discussing the power of film in advancing women's & girls rights, and introducing the award winning filmmakers.

Eventbrite link is active: https://standandbecounted2021.eventbrite.com

Follow Women's Voices Now:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WomensVoicesNow

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womens_voices_now/

Head Producer: Winnie Wong @wonder_wong

Head Editor: Sydney Neilson @sydney_neilson

Editor: Jennifer Rowley

Reel Women's Network Spotlight: Emmalie El Fadli Feb 16, 2021

Show notes

It's that time of the month! We have a brand new Reel Women's Network creator spotlight for you! Our THIRD Reel Women's Network Spotlight guest is writer, director, editor, producer EMMALIE EL FADLI!

She made her directorial debut with the lesbian short film 'Seasons' (2016) which now has over a million views on YouTube! Emmalie co-wrote the 2018's "The Date," a lesbian short film which you can watch on Reel Womens Network! Now, lately, Emmalie is crowdfunding for her new short, From A to Q.

Emmalie's been a favourite in our community ever since she stopped by our holiday party and absolutely schooled us all in the trivia room!

Follow Emmalie & her projects:

Twitter: @P_L_R_I_M / @fromatoqfilm / @thedatelesmovie

Instagram: @fromatoqfilm / @thedatelesbianfilm

'From A to Q' crowdfunding campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/from-a-to-q-final-post-production-steps#

Watch 'The Date:' https://watch.reelwomensnetwork.com/romance/videos/the-date

Watch 'Seasons:' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0S-b7kM-pE&t=89s

Subscribe to our newsletter at www.firecrackerdepartment.com for upcoming events and updates!