I was given the amazing opportunity to host the Indspire Awards on multiple occasions from Winnipeg, to Calgary to Ottawa. The show focuses on celebrating Indigenous achievement with awards, music performances and hilarious entertainment. The writers, the producers and everyone involved work so unbelievably hard to make this show the success that it is and it over delivers every year.
Getting the chance to work with a variety of different Indigenous stars has been an unexpected treat in my career. I’ve been able to watch and learn from veterans in the game and see how they do it. The show is so full of humour and gratitude that it sets the positive tone for the show, so it made working with hilarious talented stars a very easy and smooth process.
Hosting is very similar to live theatre. It’s a scripted show but the more memorized and prepared you are the easier it is to not only enjoy it but to feel comfortable through. It can be quite debilitating knowing it’s live and if you mess up you are messing up in front of a live audience and Nationally televised show.
So for me I make sure I am over prepared so that my mind doesn’t panic and take my focus away from the moment. Breathing techniques help as well to keep my energy calm and grounded other wise the adrenaline and anxiety could get out of hand and sometimes uncontrollable. Yet no matter how hard the challenge may be, I am excited for it every time!
I never got to pursue live theatre as I was always focused on film training so any chance to perform in front of a live audience, especially on a stage this large, is always an opportunity I gladly accept and look forward to. Thank you Indspire.
https://indspire.ca/events/indspire-awards/