b'PRODUCTIONPhoto courtesy of Marissa Baecker/shootthebreeze.ca PREPPING THE CONTESTANTSTamara Goddard, CEO of Four Our Future, was brought on set to help contestants prepare for their pitch. I was there to help them relax and speak from their heart so that their vision would come through in front of the cameras, she recalls. Entrepreneurship means being able to take care of your family and your community, and I wanted them to remember that before they presented their busi-nesses to the Bears.Goddard has educated and mentored thousands of students over her career through her company, which applies an Indigenous economic lens in our work with individuals, industry, governments and investors, she says. The Bears Lair is so important. Both our people and the world need something that brings out the heart of the strongest people in our community who are standing and lifting, celebrating and sharing. Mentoring emerging leaders is also a career focus for Orene Askew (aka DJ O Show), a successful DJ and entertainer. She drew on her skills as a motivational speaker, activist, educator and former member of the Squamish Nation Council to help the contestants make a good impression in front of the cameras. I asked them potential questions that the Bears may ask or what they were looking for in their pitch, she recounts. I tried to remind them that being nervous is normal and that it was good that they were nervous because it means this pitch was important to them.Like Goddard, Askew was drawn to the shows inspiring values and its potential to forge deeper inroads for Indigenous businesses. What motivated me to get involved with the show is that it was coming from an Indigenous entrepreneurial lens, which is a huge part of decolonization that I have never seen on television before, she says.Baecker brought her 20 years of promotion, writing and communications experience to help the shows marketing push. I met Geena in the fall at a conference. Her idea resonated with me and I wanted to support her seeing it come to fruition, Baecker recalls. Her goal was to capture as much imagery as she could from the production to promote the show in all media channels before it aired. Reflecting on the experience, Baecker notes, This was a class act production. Everyone was supportive of one another, encouraging the contestants, and they all worked to showcase the very best of Indigenous style, fashion, artistry and culture. Filming nine episodes put every team member to the test. Looking back, Beaudoin and Rabalkin agree that their success in turning Geena Jacksons vision into a milestone Indigenous TV show is owed to the many talented players that were busy behind the scenes. We were fortunate to find a lot of great creatives and crew members from the Indigenous community and our own network who all contributed to creating a really good energy throughout the entire project, reflects Beaudoin. We didnt have a lot of time to put this together, andwe were working with a tight budget, she adds. Buteven with COVID, scheduling, weather and other challenges, it just came together. We couldnt ask fora smoother production.50A CCAB PUBLICATION2022'