The Firecracker Department with Naomi Snieckus

Latest Episodes:

The Blaze Sessions Season 1 Trailer Apr 19, 2023

Show notes

Get ready for The Blaze Sessions! Award-winning actors and friends Amanda Brugel and Naomi Snieckus kick off their shoes and dive into honest conversation with eight women at the top of their game in the entertainment industry. It's a showbiz cheat sheet, a dose of creative inspiration and a great ride, all rolled into one. Coming at you April 26.

Amanda Brugel finds beauty in her daily "delights" Apr 12, 2023

Show notes

The incomparable Amanda Brugel should truly be recognized as an artistic chameleon. With her seamless ability to transition from comedy to drama - in roles like Karina Duff on Pretty Hard Cases and Rita Blue and then effortlessly to her work on The Handmaid's Tale - Amanda is constantly reinventing herself and breaking away from the proverbial "box" that many actors seem to fall into. But her successes haven't come without setbacks, and she tells Naomi how she's learned to be open about her struggles throughout her life, and also to take time to appreciate the little "delights'' that appear. She shares that one of the most valuable muscles for her is the one that helps her recognize the victories in her life, big or small. And, even though she knows life is a never ending journey, Amanda is learning to always show up as herself, and learning that no matter what role or struggle she may face, she can always find a way to Brugel-ize it.

Rong Fu Jun 08, 2022

Show notes

Our guest this week is Chinese-Canadian actor, writer - RONG FU!

Rong was born in Qin-an, China and was raised in Toronto, Canada. She knew at a young age that she wanted to be an actor and started her classical training in theatre at Earl Haig, an arts high school in Toronto and then went on to graduate from York University's Acting Conservatory in 2012.

Rong's theatrical debut was in the critically acclaimed production of THE CRUCIBLE at Soulpepper in Toronto. She has since performed on stages across Canada in amazing productions including the Shaw Festival's STAGE KISS and THE ORCHARD AFTER CHEKHOV in Niagara-on-the Lake, Vertigo Theatre's SHERLOCK HOLMES and THE RAVEN'S CURSE in Calgary, Toronto Tarragon Theatre's THE MILLENNIAL MALCONTENT, and Roseneath Theatre's Dora Nominated THE MONEY TREE in Toronto.

You may recognize Rong on the small screen in shows such as: CBC and NBC's PRETTY HARD CASES, CBC and Netflix's WORKIN' MOMS, CBS's AMERICAN GOTHIC, ABC's ROOKIE BLUE, CTV's CARTER, and The CW's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Most recently, on Paramount+'s STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS, and Lionsgate and BuzzFeed Studios' MY FAKE BOYFRIEND.

Rong plays the romantic lead Avery in CBC Gem's original HELLO (AGAIN), a k-drama inspired rom-com created by Simu Liu and Nathalie Younglai, that recently won BEST DRAMA PILOT in the DIGITAL SHORTS SERIES in SeriesFest in Denver, Colorado.

MAY FLOWERS, ASIANS IN THE SIXTH is a short film that Rong wrote and it premiered on CBC: CANADA REFLECTIONS in 2020. She is a founding member of a community collective of Asian artists in film and television called ASIANS IN THE SIXTH as a Facebook group. In 2021, she curated a program of various free industry workshops to uplift and support fellow Asian artists, including workshops about The Business Side of Acting and another workshop on Authenticity and Wellbeing.

Twitter: @rongideas

Instagram: @rongideas

Website:

https://www.officialrongfu.com/

HELLO (AGAIN)

@watchhelloagain #watchhelloagain

@cbcgem

Watch: https://gem.cbc.ca/media/hello-again/s01

Podcast Team

Head Producer and Editor: Winnie Wong @wonder_wong

Editor: Shayne Stolz @shaynestolz

Graphic: Vicki Brier @brier2019

To listen to the podcast: https://linktr.ee/firecrackerdept

Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.firecrackerdepartment.com and follow us @firecrackerdept!

Sally Shaar May 26, 2022

Show notes

Our guest this week is Toronto-based Juno-winning vocalist, songwriter, director, music marketing specialist and Syrian-Canadian - SALLY SHAAR! Sally studied with Canadian vocal legends Christine Duncan, Lorraine Lawson, Falconer Abraham, and Micah Barnes. She has such an amazing voice and she's constantly pushing the boundaries of her voice both on stage and in the studio. Through her studies at Humber College's music program and an unfortunate bout of tonsillitis, Sally has become a veritable expert on vocal health and recovery.

Sally is a founding member of the alternative rock band MONOWHALES. They recently won a 2022 Juno for Breakthrough Group of the Year!

Sally has been the creative force behind numerous music videos, photos, and online marketing campaigns for the band. That's right, Sally's ingenuity and forward-thinking approach to music marketing has helped MONOWHALES establish themselves as one of the most exciting new bands in Canada and the WORLD!

MONOWHALES' 2019 single RWLYD (Really Wanna Let You Down) broke the record for the highest-charting single by an unsigned Canadian band when it hit number two on the Mediabase Canada Alternative Rock Chart. They released their latest album DAYTONA BLEACH in early 2021 which included RWLYD along with Top 10 singles ALL OR NOTHING and OUT WITH THE OLD. By the way, OUT WITH THE OLD has over 1 million streams on Spotify!

Sally is no stranger to the stage, she has toured extensively with MONOWHALES. Performances include Reeperbahn in Hamburg, Germany, Canadian Music Week in Toronto, Canada, Festival d'ete in Quebec City, Canada and Yellowknife PRIDE. MONOWHALES has played in support of artists including K Flay, Our Lady Peace, Death From Above 1979, Marianas Trench, Sloan, I Mother Earth and many more.

MONOWHALES were just on a cross-Canada tour with indie-rock band Mother Mother and they have a new album slated for release Fall of 2022.

Fun Fact:

Three MONOWHALES songs off 2018's CONTROL FREAK were featured in Season 1, Episode 5 of 2020 Netflix series SPINNING OUT, which also included a cameo appearance by the band.

Twitter: @SallyShaar

Instagram: @sally_shaar

MONOWHALES

@monowhales - Instagram and Twitter

Facebook

Monowhales' Website

Monowhales on Spotify

Monowhales on Apple Music

Podcast Team

Head Producer and Editor: Winnie Wong @wonder_wong

Editor: Shayne Stolz @shaynestolz

Graphic: Vicki Brier @brier2019

Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.firecrackerdepartment.com and follow us @firecrackerdept!

Veronica Martin May 16, 2022

Show notes

Our guest this week is Greater Toronto-based Coach and Consultant, Crafter, Cook, Sewist, Bread Baker, Head of our Mentorship Department, Facilitator of Firecracker Artists Way Programme and Actioneer VERONICA MARTIN! Veronica has lead and developed both the Mentorship Department and Firecracker Artists Way Program with such heart. Both support women and non-binary folks in the arts who come together to listen and learn. The Mentorship Team includes Kathleen Harquail, Sarah Potter, Emilia Copeland and Rebecca Marquardt. Together they create things like helpful content, virtual events with experienced Mentors, meet and greets, panel events, one-on-one mentoring opportunities AND more! We've had mentorship workshops that have focused on writers, directors, indie producers, and they have some more cooking in the near future. Veronica describes herself as a recovering HR Director, who has a personal goals creativity coaching and small business human resources consulting company with clients in Canada, and the US. Veronica's love of languages led her to volunteer as a literacy tutor through the Oakville Literacy Council for over ten years. She also mentors HR practitioners through the Human Resources Professionals Association and students through the McMaster Alumni Association. No wonder the Mentorship Department was such a great fit for Veronica - she has that mentoring passion.

Speaking of taking her passion to another level, Veronica is currently developing an online programme for women and non-binary folks who want to amp up their happiness as they move through all their ages. Twitter: @veronicaamartin Instagram: @veronicaannemartin Facebook page: http://ow.ly/2OFu50Ii7NQ

Website: http://ow.ly/xEB650Ii7NS Mentorship team Kathleen Harquail @atkharquail Sarah Potter Emilia Copeland @insaninox Rebecca Marquardt @rebeccaloops Podcast Team Head Producer and Editor: Winnie Wong @wonder_wong Editor: Shayne Stolz @shaynestolz Graphic: Vicki Brier @brier2019

To listen to the podcast: https://linktr.ee/firecrackerdept

Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.firecrackerdepartment.com and follow us @firecrackerdept!

Kathleen Harquail May 11, 2022

Show notes

Our guest this week is Toronto-based policy advisor, workplace consultant, change maker, film producer AND Firecracker Actioneer and part of our mentorship department - KATHLEEN HARQUAIL!

Kathleen has a degree in Hispanic Studies from Trent University, in Peterborough, Canada, and Universidad del Valle de Mexico. As well as, a diploma in screenwriting from George Brown, in Toronto, and is a graduate of Women In Film and Television Toronto's Media Business Essentials program. Kathleen can do it all! She could write a film in Spanish about media business essentials.

Kathleen, as an independent film producer, focuses on queer stories and projects led by women and non-binary folks. Kathleen associate produced the award-winning film TRU LOVE, a film written and directed by Kate Johnston and Shauna MacDonald, about a lesbian with commitment issues who befriends a widowed mother visiting her workaholic daughter. Some of the awards TRU LOVE won in 2014, include Best International Feature at the FilmOut San Diego Film Festival, Best Feature Film at the Inside Out Toronto LGBTQ plus Film Festival and Best Women's Feature at the Long Island Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

Kathleen founded, with Sandra McCallum - Reel Culture, a consulting firm focused on building sate and inclusive work cultures in the film and television industry. Their tag is "Reel Culture. Real Change."

REEL CULTURE

Twitter - @reelcultureca

Instagram - @reelculturerealchange

reelculture.ca

Podcast Team

Head Producer and Editor: Winnie Wong @wonder_wong

Editor: Shayne Stolz @shaynestolz

Graphic: Vicki Brier @brier2019

To listen to the podcast: https://linktr.ee/firecrackerdept

Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.firecrackerdepartment.com and follow us @firecrackerdept!

Laura Terruso May 04, 2022

Show notes

Our guest this week is screenwriter, director and producer LAURA TERRUSO!

Laura is a graduate from NYU's graduate film program at the Tisch School of the Arts. Her feature film debut as writer, director, producer is FITS AND STARTS which premiered at SXSW 2017. This comedy is about a struggling writer who can't seem to escape his wife's literary success. When a road trip to a publisher's salon takes an unexpected turn, he has to face his own creative shortcomings and find a way to regain control of his life and work.

Laura also co-wrote and directed the comedy GOOD GIRLS GET HIGH which won the Audience Award at the 2018 Santa Fe Film Festival and currently holds a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS, is a feature that Laura co-wrote and co-produced. It stars Sally Field. The film is about how a self-help seminar inspires a 60-something woman to romantically pursue her younger co-worker. HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS is based on Laura's short film DORIS AND THE INTERN. NOW, the feature HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS is released by Roadside Attractions and went on to become one of the top grossing indies of 2016.

Laura directed the Netflix film, WORK IT. It premiered worldwide as the number one movie on Netflix US in its first weekend and it remained in the top ten for two weeks!

Laura is currently in post-production on the Lionsgate film ABOUT MY FATHER starring Robert DeNiro and Sebastian Maniscalco.

Instagram: @lauraterruso

WORK IT: https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/81132038

HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS: https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/80050896

Podcast Team

Head Producer and Editor: Winnie Wong @wonder_wong

Editor: Shayne Stolz @shaynestolz

Graphic: Vicki Brier @brier2019

To listen to the podcast: https://linktr.ee/firecrackerdept

Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.firecrackerdepartment.com and follow us @firecrackerdept!

Teresa M. Ho Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

Our guest this week is Toronto-based executive producer, producer TERESA M. HO! Teresa has over 25 years of experience underneath her belt in production finance and management, along with over ten years as a Producer in Canadian Television. She has produced four seasons of CBC's FRANKIE DRAKE MYSTERIES and two seasons of Corus's DEPARTURE. Teresa also managed the hit Netflix Series ANNE WITH AN E, and multiple units on NBC Universal's reboot TV Series HEROES REBORN.

Teresa recently launched on a CBC Gem original HELLO (AGAIN). A rom-com short-form nine episode series created by Simu Liu and Nathalie Younglai, with the support of CBC Gem, the Bell Fund, the CMF and Ontario Creates.

Teresa founded 100 Dragons Productions with the newest branch 100 Dragons Media launched in 2015. 100 Dragons focuses on cultivating and gathering diverse people and inclusive ideas to create innovative programming for the world.

Teresa is currently developing a feature film 15 KINDS OF CAUSAL SEX which was selected for the WIFT Toronto NBC-Universal Development Incubator, it was also selected for the National Screen Institute – EAVE on Demand Access Program and it was awarded development funds from the Harold Greenburg Fund and Telefilm. She is also developing WILD WILLIE with Nathalie Younglai who will be writing the feature. WILD WILLIE received financing through the new Telefilm development stream for Racialized Persons.

When Teresa isn't racing around sets, you can find her racing around the tennis courts working on her service game.

Twitter: @thetho

Instagram: @teresa.m.ho

https://100dragons.com/

HELLO (AGAIN)

@watchhelloagain #watchhelloagain

@cbcgem

Watch: https://gem.cbc.ca/media/hello-again/s01

Podcast Team

Head Producer and Editor: Winnie Wong @wonder_wong

Editor: Shayne Stolz @shaynestolz

Graphic: Vicki Brier @brier2019

To listen to the podcast: https://linktr.ee/firecrackerdept

Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.firecrackerdepartment.com and follow us @firecrackerdept!

Mae Martin Mar 30, 2022

Show notes

Our 150th guest this week is London-based award-winning Canadian comedian, actor, writer and producer MAE MARTIN! Mae began doing comedy at the age of 13 and dropped out of school at 15 to pursue comedy full time. They trained at The Second City, and was the youngest person to be nominated for the Tim Sims Encouragement Fund Award. At 16 they were nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award and recently they won a Canadian Comedy Award for their work as a writer on BARONESS VON SKETCH SHOW. Netflix's FEEL GOOD is a semi-autobiographical comedy drama series created and co-written by Mae and they play Mae. Lisa Kudrow stars as their mom and Charlotte Ritchie stars as their love interest named George . FEEL GOOD has a perfect 100% "Certified Fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes. Mae's performance earned them a Royal Television Society "Breakthrough Award", the Edinburgh TV award for "Best Comedy", the "Best Comedy Drama series" at the C21 award and "Best Scripted Representation of LGBTQ+" at the MIPCOM Diversify TV Awards. Recently, FEEL GOOD won a Writers Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Situation Comedy.

Mae's last stand-up show, DOPE, focused on addiction, has since been turned in to a stand-up special for Netflix as part of their first global stand-up series, COMEDIANS OF THE WORLD. Mae wrote CAN EVERYONE PLEASE CALM DOWN?: A GUIDE TO TWENTY FIRST CENTURY SEXUALITY about the pros and cons of labels to coming out and the joys of sexual fluidity. You can grab a copy on Amazon or listen to it on Audible or Apple Books. You will soon be able to see Mae in their recurring guest star in a role in HBO's THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT. Twitter: @TheMaeMartin Instagram: @hooraymae For info on CAN EVERYONE PLEASE CALM DOWN?: A GUIDE TO TWENTY FIRST CENTURY SEXUALITY and Tour Dates: https://www.maemartin.net/ Podcast Team Head Producer and Editor: Winnie Wong @wonder_wong Editor: Shayne Stolz @shaynestolz Graphic: Vicki Brier @brier2019

Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.firecrackerdepartment.com and follow us @firecrackerdept!

Lisa Berry Mar 23, 2022

Show notes

Our guest this week is Toronto-based actor, writer, producer, mindfulness and meditation coach and teacher LISA BERRY! Let's celebrate LISA's Canadian Screen Award Nomination for Best Lead Performance, Web Program or Series for playing Notice in Obsidian Theatre's 21 BLACK FUTURES! You may recognize Lisa from her recurring roles as "Billie," aka Death, in The CW's sci-fi-fantasy hit show SUPERNATURAL, as "Cleophas Garroway" in Freeform and Netflix's SHADOWHUNTERS: THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS, AND as "Natashia" on CBC and Netflix's WORKIN MOMS. When Lisa was 17, she was cast in a community theatre production of FAME: THE MUSICAL as Mable Washington, this is where she fell in love with the stage and never looked back. She studied singing, acting and dance at the Randolph Academy College, in Toronto. Back in the day, Lisa made her screen debut in a small role playing the 'theatre manager' in DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION. Lisa was cast as "Tituba" in The Shaw Festival's productions of THE CRUCIBLE. Then she spent the next decade playing leading roles on Canada's top stages. In twenty seventeen, Lisa won the role of "Penny" in the Canadian Premier of Suzan-Lori Parks' FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS and got a Dora Nomination for Best Actress in a Play. Lisa has 2 movies coming out on Lifetime next month, FALLEN ANGELS MURDER CLUB: FRIENDS TO DIE FOR on April 2 and FALLEN ANGELS MURDER CLUB: HEROES AND FELONS on April 8 both in 2022. Lisa is a strong advocate for self-care, dedicating her social platforms to promoting mental health Lisa has an Ebook with accompanying audiobook coming out in this month called, LOVE YOU: FALL IN LOVE WITH TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF. And a full-length book coming out at the end of the year called MIRACLES FROM THE MESS. A late bloomer's guide to loving yourself on the inside out. Lisa leads a mindfulness membership group called THE LOTUS LIFE. It helps artists who are new to meditation grow through, what they go through. When you join The Lotus Life community, you'll have access to two of Lisa's courses at no additional cost. Lisa is producing her first short film called BABY DADDY and Naomi is part of the cast. Twitter: @_LisaBerry

Instagram: @lisaberrylive

https://www.lisaberrylive.com/

LISA BERRY - CSA Nomination Best Lead Performance, Web Program or Series for 21 BLACK FUTURES

More about Lisa's Book LOVE YOU: FALL IN LOVE WITH TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF and THE LOTUS LIFE go to: https://www.takeabreath.ca/

Podcast Team Head Producer and Editor: Winnie Wong @wonder_wong Editor: Shayne Stolz @shaynestolz Graphic: Vicki Brier @brier2019

To listen to the podcast: https://linktr.ee/firecrackerdept Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.firecrackerdepartment.com and follow us @firecrackerdept!

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