History and concept
During my time working for CNIB as the program manager for entrepreneurship and innovation, I was approached by Accessible Media Inc.. This is a national cable broadcaster in Canada with mandatory carriage on both cable and satellite. AMI TV carries TV shows, movies and original programming with both captioning and described video.
AMI asked me whether I’d be interested in hosting a show focused on entrepreneurs with disabilities. I said yes and then, as is typical in television production, nothing happened. In the fall of 2021, I finally got the call that I’d been matched with a production company to produce a pilot episode. This is an episode that often never makes it to air, but gives the network an overall idea of the structure , tone and look of the show. AMI approved the pilot and we began production on season 1.
The concept of the show is quite simple; entrepreneurs with disabilities share their story along with a particular business challenge they’re facing. A panel of mentors advises the entrepreneur and we then follow up to see whether they have taken on the challenge.
We began shooting in early 2022 with 8 entrepreneurs from a wide variety of backgrounds and in every stage of business. Along with hosting, I played a role in casting, writing and structuring the show. My cohost, Purdeep Sangha, shot the follow-up episodes with each entrepreneur. After months of shooting and editing, season 1 went on the air in the summer of 2022 and received positive reviews.
The show was renewed for a second season in 2023 and a third season in the same year. Season 4 is scheduled to air in the fall of 2024 on AMI TV.
How I Adapted
I have a background in radio and television production having attended Toronto Metropolitan University and working at CHRY for nearly 8 years, so working in front of TV cameras was not a big adjustment for me. The hardest part of live-to-tape production is knowing your script lines and waiting around for the technical aspects of the production to be taken care of. Our production company has been fantastic to work with and I’ve had the privilege of working with top-tier makeup artists, sound technicians and directors who are all consummate professionals.
I memorized many of my opening and closing scripts, something challenging even for sighted actors to do for 8 episodes at a time. It’s a good idea to use the down time on set to work on your scripts, your vocal warm-ups and your delivery.
You can watch this season and prior seasons of Mind Your Own Business on the AMI website and through the fully accessible AMI TV app for both iPhone and Android.
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