Kadon Douglas: “Building an equitable industry requires discomfort”
Our Executive Director, Kadon Douglas, was recently interviewed by WildBrain—a leading global children’s content company—as part of their Black History Month celebrations.
For the past two years, WildBrain has been a partner on BIPOC TV & FILM’s Children’s Television Writing Bootcamp (now known as Writing for Kids’ TV).
Led by WildBrain’s development team, the program offers participants insights on how the development process works. The partnership has led to opportunities to join WildBrain’s writing rooms, as well as the chance to pitch ideas for current series.
The interview below was originally published in Wildbrain’s internal communication portal.
Photo by Gesilayefa Azorbo
You’ve had great success in your career. What drew you to the entertainment industry?
I grew up adjacent to it. My aunts [Debbie Douglas and Gabriella Micallef] were in the independent film industry in the late ‘80s to early ‘90s; producing, directing and writing. Their work centered on social justice issues, immigrants, and queer and women’s rights. So, I came up through that. I remember going to film festivals and being exposed to a lot of films from around the world. Growing up, I was that weird kid who was into a lot of art films and international works. I had access to European, Caribbean and African filmmakers – it’s from there that my interest was born.
You mentioned your affinity for film from your childhood. Can you remember any early moments where you discovered you wanted to pursue a career in film and media?
At heart, I’m a storyteller and just enthralled with other storytellers, people, and the different narratives we experience and share. I was also a big reader as a kid. I was the child who would be leaving the library [with] so many books and the librarian would be like, “Can you do it?”, and I’d say “Yes, I can!” and my mom would be like, “Yes she can!”. I’d have so many books like The Babysitters Club, Sweet Valley High, Sweet Valley Junior, Nancy Drew, and Hardy Boys. I also read a lot of Caribbean and African folklore as a kid and teen, along with autobiographies and socio-political theory. My favourite books are by Caribbean and African writers, such as Sam Selvon’s A Brighter Sun, Dionne Brand’s What We All Long For, Merle Collins’ Angel, and Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart.
Television was yet another medium for stories to be told, but it was really in high school that I grew a passion for documentary film. I discovered that there are so many stories that needed to be told about the Caribbean (that’s where I spent my teenage years) that have not been told and I wanted to be one of the people to do that. So, all of this is really born out of my love for stories and culture.
Is there someone or something that has influenced your career along the way?
Oh, there are so many people – so many Caribbean artists, who I adored growing up! People like, Paul Keens-Douglas, Makeda Silvera, Louise Bennett-Coverley, all of the different Calypsonians, and Reggae artists. For me, that’s all storytelling as well. There’s also Oliver Samuels, who was creating really great comedy content for Caribbean audiences in my time growing up. These are my early influences. Being able to see people who I know community-wise on screen, it all came from that. And of course, the women who collectively raised me (my mom, aunts, grandmothers, neighbours).
What continues to inspire your work?
It’s other creators. I’m always fuelled by people who could tell stories, who expand your imagination – people who do so with so much intention and passion. The artists I’m inspired by today are Barry Jenkins, Issa Rae, Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, Karen Chapman, Yasmine Mathurin. Denzel Washington gave a masterclass in The Tragedy of Macbeth and reminded us why he’s one of the greatest thespians of our time. All of these people still inspire me today, but I’m more moved by people who just want to tell stories and do that despite it all.
“We need to have more creative leaders from our community. That impacts hiring; that impacts what stories are being told; the culture of the room; who feels safe and comfortable in that space as well – that’s a huge part of the shift. ”
BIPOC TV & Film is such an incredible achievement. As its inaugural Executive Director, can you speak to an accomplishment or milestone you are particularly proud of?
There are a lot! Last year we hosted our “Meanwhile in Canadian TV” townhall, where we were able to provide a space for BIPOC creatives to share their experiences in the industry and have a platform to do that fearlessly. That’s something I am extremely proud of.
Then, it’s all the programs that we’re able to do. Last year, the biggest one for me was our Showrunner Bootcamp. We need to have more creative leaders from our community. That impacts hiring; that impacts what stories are being told; the culture of the room; who feels safe and comfortable in that space as well – that’s a huge part of the shift. Occupying spaces in leadership and executive roles, where they could impact policy decisions and hiring and so on. Whenever I see how we could create something like that, that's what I'm extremely proud of. And I think proud for me, is my team. I came in and had to build a team around us and we have some really incredible people with us right now.
What steps do you feel the industry needs to take to be more inclusive of Black artists and creatives?
I think the industry needs to start getting comfortable with the uncomfortable. Too many times things are dismissed. Things are belittled and they’re brushed aside because it would make a subsection of the industry uncomfortable, or it will require them to give up some power. It will require them to not feel so entitled to public funds, to job opportunities, to creative decisions. In order for us to build an equitable industry, it requires discomfort and also a releasing of ego-driven entitlement. This is what will be needed for us to really interrogate how racism is weaved throughout all of our systems and to acknowledge that it is a very real presence here. I’m happy to partner and to speak with people who are ready to have honest conversations and to take action.
What does Black History Month mean to you? Do you have any specific things that you like to do to celebrate this observance?
I'm going to say the cliche thing – I celebrate it right through the year. It's Black History Month 365, but I think that this month the recognition around it gives us a chance to really spotlight the contributions, the triumphs of Black people, not just here but also internationally, to celebrate the Black diaspora. That’s the opportunity it’s presenting us. I want it to be a celebration. For me, it's a chance for us to fully take up space unapologetically. I appreciate Black History Month activities that really centre Blackness that is not tokenistic in any kind of way. So, that's what it is for me – it's a time of reflection and celebration.
For those who are committed to furthering their learning about Black history or the Black experience in Canada, what books, movies, or podcasts do you recommend?
I highly recommend The 1619 Project, led by Nikole Hannah-Jones. I also recommend a new series on the History channel by Hungry Eyes Media, called BLK: An Origin Story – it’s coming out at the end of February. That will be amazing to look at – the history of Black Canadians and our contributions to this country.
Then it's also supporting Black artists and entrepreneurs – be conscientious in your buying habits, how you consume content as well. Read book and blogs by Black people. I think I would also challenge people to not think of Blackness like it’s just ‘one thing’. This is global and the expressions of it differ based on regions as well. So just truly expanding our thought as to what Blackness is and how it will show up. A lot of times I feel like North American expressions of Blackness get prioritized over others. So, when I say read books by Black authors and thinkers and so on, expand it to African leaders and Caribbean voices as well.