b'SHOW DEVELOPMENTcapital in their business as part of theirword was put out, the applicationsIts [about] inspiring entrepreneurs to judging rolethe norm with othercame rolling in. I got about 120create goods or products that create investment reality TV shows. Jacksonapplicants, Jackson says.a social impact in your community chose instead to have the show useor for Indigenous people in general, their incredible combined experienceThe difficult task of narrowing downexplains Jackson. How do we make and talent to guide and uplift the nextthe selection to just 18 contestantseach other better? How do we heal? generation of Indigenous investors.fell to one of the producers at MosaicHow do we uplift and how do we inspire and how do we mentor? Thats FINDING CONTESTANTS Entertainment. Selection criteriawhat this show has become, and this For the first season of any reality showrevolved around the strength of theis what makes it different.it can be hard to get applicationsbusiness pitch, its impact on the for participants, but this was not aIndigenous community and its ties toContestants showed the same problem for Bears Lair. Once theIndigenous people and culture.degree of commitment and drive as Jackson when it came to playing a part in the show. Several would drive across the country in the middle of the night to participate, and one pair of contestants even drove to Las Vegas for two days during filming to participate in an important tradeshow. That really set the tone and exemplified who we are as people, says Jackson.The season finale was filmed onMarch 12, with one contestant walking away with the grand prize of $100,000. A whirlwind week of filming wasthe culmination of decades of inspiration, dreams, challenges and breakthroughsboth for contestants and the shows creator. By sticking to her vision, Jackson has forged a paradigm shift in how business reality TV is produced. She opted for a reality show that relies less on combative and competitive scenes, focusing instead on recognizing the struggles and celebrating the talent that aspiring Indigenous business owners have to offer. Most importantly, Jackson has created a show that spotlights Indigenous talent through and throughfrom the contestants to the judges all the way to the makeup and hair crew.Its Indigenous business, Indigenous entrepreneurs, Indigenous judges on an Indigenous network. Were mentoring, were rising. This is only positive, says Jackson. You will never on this show see anybody belittled or put down or undervalued or told they should not shop local. Its not about competition, its about cooperation. We said that from the very beginning. This is the show about holding each other up, supporting each other, and making a difference in each others lives.20A CCAB PUBLICATION2022'