Freelance Work

Hungry All The Time

This documentary features an interview with Kateryna (Kijak) Gellner recorded in 2004. It recounts her experiences as a slave labourer in a factory in Nazi Germany during World War II. Thanks, Kateryna, for sharing your story. This documentary first aired on Nash Holos Ukrainian Roots Radio on August 10, 2014: www.nashholos.com Special thanks to Brian Cherwick of The Kubasonics for the use of “The Owl’s Lament”. For an award-winning fictional account of the slave labourer experience, check out “Making Bombs for Hitler” by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch: www.calla.com

CBC Broadcasts

My news reports and feature stories have been broadcast on CBC Radio: Saskatchewan’s Keewatin Country, The Morning Edition, The Noon Edition & The Afternoon Edition; Ottawa Morning; and nationally on This Morning.

Some of the interesting people I have interviewed include a 12-year old girl who got to play Don Messer’s violin, a former smoke jumper who had to fight a forest fire in his seventies to rescue his float plane; a classical music composer who lives in northern Saskatchewan; a hockey club volunteer; a fur trader; and a jail matron.

My personal reflections were broadcast on CBC Radio’s Commentary: Fundraising; The Volunteer Spirit, Remembering the Famine-Genocide in Ukraine, Saskatchewan Voices: The Great Cemetery Tour; Love and Laughter, and todradio.com: Icons and Windows.

My Dad, the Storyteller

Outfront, a CBC program, broadcast my 15-minute feature documentary entitled, My Dad, the Storyteller.

This originally aired nationally on December 11, 2002 and was re-broadcast on July 24, 2003. It also aired on “In Town and Out” (Ottawa) on March 15, 2003.

A shorter, edited version was broadcast in the first part of the Fathers and Daughters episode of Living out Loud on December 9, 2011.

Beyond the Blue Mirror

I have created three storytelling programs, available on CD, exclusively for broadcast on ethnic and community radio stations. If you host a radio program, contact me for your copy.

Beyond the Blue Mirror is a series of programs for radio broadcast that celebrates the rich Ukrainian oral tradition. Each program features an English telling of a traditional folk tale or legend and a related real life story, enhanced with traditional and contemporary music.

Produced with the support of:
Canada Council for the Arts and Ethnic FM CKER Radio / Roger Charest Sr. Award for Broadcast & Media Arts

Program Descriptions:

Program 1: A Rich Man’s Greed 18:42
Introduction (Dance Five, Paris to Kyiv)
Folk Tale: The Stolen Postoly
Excerpt from Hutsul Fantasy, Vasyl Popadiuk
Real Life Story: Spring Harvest: recollections of Mike Mikolayenko
Kraina Kazky, Duet Maryna
Credits

Program 2: A Brother in Need 18:04
Introduction (Dance Five, Paris to Kyiv)
Folk Tale: The Magic Pumpkins
De zhoda v rodynee, Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival Choir
Real Life Story: An Unexpected Meeting: recollections of Ostap Gellner
Family Harmony, Jeffrey Stephaniuk and Willie Hunchak
Credits

Program 3: For Eternity 18:24
Introduction (Dance Five, Paris to Kyiv)
Legend: The Eternal Bride
Oy u vyshnevomu sadochku, Lastiwka Choir and Orchestra
Real Life Story: Michalina by Linda Mikolayenko
Joy of all Sorrow, Oleksa Lozowchuk
Credits