Ascend

Intro

  • thank you all for joining us
  • Ian – volunteer with Ascend Canada and moderator for tonight
  • share a bit about me, and why I, along with the amazing Ascend events team, are bringing this panel to you
    • grew up in Toronto, went to Columbia University and then built my career in NY, where I lead teams of economic consultants for almost a decade
    • quit my career and came back to Toronto to do some soul-searching
    • although I was always a math and data person, I turned a lifelong love for reading into a love for creative writing, and now an early-career writer and poet, among other things
    • as I went through this journey, realized: (1) when we’re in our professional bubbles, we may not explore or appreciate the vibrant arts and culture around us in Toronto, in Canada (2) as immigrants or children of immigrants, we might not have been encouraged to explore arts and media
  • why excited about tonight’s event – Ascend is all about uplifting pan-Asian professionals in Canada, but our events typically focus on careers in finance, business, tech.
    • except Asian-Canadians are accomplishing amazing things in the arts as well. like you, we work tremendously hard, face some similar challenges, and excel despite those challenges. and shortly we get the chance to share some of that with you
    • whether you’re interested in exploring the arts yourself
    • whether you just want to get to know and support Asian-Canadian artists
    • provide some context for the panel tonight
      • representation is important, growing up didn’t know Asian-Canadian artists, didn’t read books by Asian-Canadian/Americans, didn’t see Asians in media or hear our stories told
      • but there were always people working hard to become seen, and more recently we’ve seen them achieve success – Simu Liu
      • the work of Asians in arts and media benefits all us in Canada, and has positive impact on the Asian-Canadian and immigrant experience across all industries
    • I’m so glad we all get a chance to learn from our incredible panelists tonight

My honour to intro our panelists

Jai Kalra is an actor, producer, and entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience. He started his journey as an entrepreneur at the age of 15 when he joined his family business and expanded their retail and manufacturing footprint. Jai also walked the ramp for many renowned Indian designers, and modeled for over 50 international and national brands in India. After his success in business and modeling, opportunities came knocking in the Indian Film and Television Industry popularly known as Bollywood, and over the course of 8 years he worked in 5 movies and over 800 televised episodes as a main cast. He immigrated to Canada in 2015 and launched Shivanche Media, producing a 14-episode docuseries for the SONY network, and media content for many high-profile clients. Jai also actively works in the Commercial Real Estate Sector in Toronto.

Amrit Gill is an award-winning Producer, Reporter and Host, with a career spanning national news, multilingual storytelling, and sports media. From navigating complex political landscapes to uniting sports fans worldwide, she’s collaborated with organizations across over 40 countries, cities, and global institutions. Her leadership and advocacy have earned her recognition as a Changemaker by The Hockey News and a Business Leader by the NHL. Whether reporting from a small mill town in British Columbia, covering female athletes in the Himalayas, or mentoring the next generation of storytellers in Finland, Amrit’s mission remains the same—elevating voices that have long been overlooked.

Born and raised in India, Rati Mehrotra now lives and writes in Toronto. She’s the author of two science fantasy novels, Markswoman and Mahimata, and three YA fantasy novels, Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove, and Flower and Thorn. Her short fiction has been shortlisted for The Sunburst Award, nominated for the Aurora Award, and has appeared in multiple venues including The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Lightspeed Magazine, Uncanny Magazine, The Deadlands, Apex Magazine, Podcastle, Cast of Wonders, and AE – The Canadian Science Fiction Review.

Panel Questions

Intro and starting out

  1. We covered some in your intros, is there any colour you’d like to add regarding:
    1. what you do, what you’re all about
    2. where people might have seen your work
  2. When did you develop an interest in arts and media, what motivated you to explore it more seriously, and what motivates you now to keep at it?
  3. How did your family, friends, or community influence your path? Were they supportive, cautious, disapproving, worried?

Passion vs. Career

  1. How did you get to where you are now?
  2. What advice would you give someone who wants to break into your industry? In arts and media, how do you balance pursuing your passion and your art with making a living?

Experiences as a minority

  1. Can you share any experiences you had grappling with stereotypes? For example, when I was young, Asians are only good at maths and sciences, Asians grow up to be doctors and engineers, not creative types. In the movie Mean Girls, there was only 1 south asian and 1 east asian, and they were both mathletes
  2. What is it like being an Asian or minority in your field? Tell us your stories about roadblocks and discrimination, or solidarity and uplifting each other, whatever reflects your experience.
  3. How do the various aspects of your identity influence your work or your creative process? Including but not limited to your identity as a minority/Asian/immigrant/marginalized gender, etc.
  4. Do you feel any tension between bringing your culture into mainstream view and maintaining your own artistic identity? In other words, are you worried about being pigeonholed as representative of your Asianness? Do you have any thoughts on how to tackle this (either as an individual or collectively)?

Closing

  1. Can you share a little about other Asian-Canadians or minorities/immigrants doing great work in the spaces you’re in? 
  2. What do you have going on (or coming up) that you’re excited about and the audience should be excited about? Or where should the audience go to find out more about your work?
  3. Audience questions