Nuanced.
A podcast that challenges polarization with real conversations, fresh perspectives, and fearless curiosity — hosted by Aaron Pete.
Nuanced.
200th Episode Event: How This Podcast Was Built — Untold Behind the Scenes Stories
In this special replay of our 200th episode live event, we reflect on how the podcast was built — and formally unveil its new name: Nuanced. Join host Aaron Pete alongside key members of the team, including Rebecca Myrol (social media), Tim McAlpine (producer), Alex Harte (photographer/videographer), and Matej Balaz (branding), as they share behind-the-scenes stories, early challenges, creative breakthroughs, and the vision moving forward. The event concludes with a powerful and meaningful Eagle Song by Elder Eddie Gardner.
Learn more about FortisBC: https://www.fortisbc.com/
Thank you all so much for being willing to come out for this. This is a huge, momentous occasion for us because we've been doing this for over five years, so I'm hoping you guys can all give a round of applause for you all coming out tonight and sharing this night with us. We really, really appreciate it. It has been a long five years and it has been an absolute blast to interview so many diverse voices and get to know people and learn more about their work, and I'm so grateful that so many past guests like Kylie Bartel, like Kim Gemmel, are here tonight to share their time. I've learned so much over these past 200 episodes and I'm just so excited to be able to celebrate tonight. We're also sponsored by Fortis, which feels like a pretty big step, and I'd like to thank Kelsey, who's here tonight on behalf of Fortis, which is a huge step for the podcast, because being able to work with partners like them adds legitimacy to what we're doing and what we're working on, and the opportunity to work with them has been a huge privilege. So we have some exciting news we'll be talking about later tonight that we've been working on with Fortis. But, kelsey, please tell your team. We're just so incredibly grateful for your support to make this night possible, to help us get the red carpet and everything. We appreciate it. So we're going to have Rebecca coming out in a couple minutes here, but I did just want to take a minute to reflect on these past 200 episodes because it has been a bit of a wild journey.
Aaron Pete:I started this in 2020. For those of you who don't know, I was commuting back and forth from here and UBC Law School every single day. It was like five hours of commuting and I was listening to a lot of podcasts, a lot of podcasts, and I just learned so much from those interviews and I thought a lot about how there's so many important voices and there's so many issues that I wanted to understand to a greater extent, and I was very interested in being able to hear from people that I was interested in, and those people were like Chief David Jimmy in the early days, bill Turnbull, who's running a business, who's here tonight. Those individuals stood out to me that they were doing something and I didn't understand what starting a business looked like. I didn't understand First Nations governance. I didn't understand so much, and so to be able to ask somebody for time and get to know them and learn their story and the trials and tribulations they went to to start their business or to support their community or to build others up, was something I was really interested in, and it was such a privilege to have individuals like Johnny Singh, who's in the back there, come on and talk about his passion for health, and so many people have hidden passions and things that they're dedicated to that you don't always get to hear fully about. And we talk about this idea of networking and sitting down with somebody for a cup of coffee, but really being able to dig into somebody's journey and why they took the turns they did was always something that I was fascinated by and, to be honest with you, I grew up with a single mother, who's here tonight, and I relied heavily on her for support, but I didn't have a lot of role models within the building I lived in or within the community that I had, so I was really interested in hearing from people who had made it or people who were making a difference bigger than themselves, and that's really where the name came from. Rebecca and I were walking and we were talking about. I want to speak to people. I want to get to know how people think about things and we were trying to figure out a name for it and what that would look like.
Aaron Pete:And one of my favorite songs was by an individual named Big Sean. He's a rapper, for all of you who don't know, and he has this song about how he had made it big in the music industry. He'd gone triple platinum with some of his songs and he felt empty and he felt like that didn't mean anything and the real opportunity he had was to do something bigger than himself and that was to be a representative and a role model for his community in Detroit. And there were so many similarities that I saw with him at the time. I deeply cared about the Paramount Theatre, which was a local theatre within our community, and they were working on shutting it down and I started with my friend Jake. We tried to stop them from tearing it down and stop them from closing that, and Big Sean did the same thing within his community. He reopened a theatre in Detroit and one of the big challenges they had was gang violence within the community, so he had to have people standing outside making sure they were checking people for metal detectors and making sure they didn't have guns on them when they were going to see a movie, and so I learned a lot from him as a role model and I've learned a lot over these past 200 episodes and I'm just blown away by the amount of people who are willing to share.
Aaron Pete:For the first 82 episodes it was three hours. Willing to share. For the first 82 episodes it was three hours and I think Kylie and Johnny can attest to that's a long time to have to talk about yourself and get asked a lot of questions. And then we started to shorten it down and I started to try and figure out what was the essence of what I was trying to get to, what made them unique and stand out to me and what did I want to learn from them. And so it's shortened over time. They're like 30 to 45 minutes now, which I think is much more manageable for people. But it's been such an incredible journey to have individuals like Brent Butt and Nigel Begar and people who had really interesting perspectives, and we'll get into more where I think we're going from here.
Aaron Pete:But the big takeaway for me is that individuals are really generous with their time, and I think the one piece I hope everybody can take away from this is. I think we're all yearning to share our story and the journey we've been through, like, I think, whether it's with your family, whether it's with your friends, whether it's with your community, we're all doing something in a way that's bigger than ourselves, and I think it's really important to give people the space to share their stories way that's bigger than ourselves, and I think it's really important to give people the space to share their stories, and I'm just incredibly grateful to have been able to have 200 episodes with individuals so gracious to share their thoughts and perspectives. But I have to invite up my fiance, my partner, the person who was there the day that I said I wanted to start a podcast, the day I said I'm in law school, I'm broke and I have student loans and I'd like to spend $2,000 on podcast equipment. Rebecca, would you please join us?
Rebekah Myrol:All right, well, good evening everyone. Well, let's give it a round for Aaron for 200 episodes. Let's give him a big round of applause. I mean, it's a huge milestone, right? I mean, even to start something at all is a lot of work to do. Every one of you knows that you have to pick something and you have to work really hard at doing it. Every one of you knows that you have to pick something and you have to work really hard at doing it. And Aaron, for no doubt he is since day one, since his dream of doing the podcast. It's been hard work since day one, right, and you have to take a chance, you have to risk it, and there's nothing meaningful unless you risk it. And I saw it since day one, since it was a dream of walking downtown Chilliwack and us just thinking what can we do next?
Rebekah Myrol:The podcast just came about as a conversation. We dreamed about what the name would be. We thought how do we make ourselves different? There's so many podcasts out there. How do you differentiate yourself? It's really hard. How do you market it too? How do you pick guests? What does that look like? All of that just came through trial and error. It's really hard. And how do you market it too right, and how do you pick guests and what does that look like. And all of that just came through trial and error. It's so easy now for 200 episodes to think, oh, this is so easy, like, look at how far you've come, but you haven't. You didn't. You weren't there in the first day, right In the first months, the first three months, and it takes a lot of time and energy to do it. But it's time and energy worth doing and that's what you do when you pursue something meaningful. And it's just been really great to see this evolution of the podcast, all of the guests that Erin has been able to come on the podcast and also the Bigger Than Me podcast name is legendary because your role model is Big Sean and I thought that was a really great way to connect what you're doing with your community, what you want to do in the overall world. You want to make a bigger difference than yourself and that's still leading into your new brand reveal, which we'll get into, and I think when people see that for the first time, it'll all make sense on how this has evolved and where we're going in the future. I manage a lot of the social media and I've learned that you know captivating intros, you know captivating thumbnails, and marketing is huge to get out the word, and it's been an honor to be able to market that with my partner and just see all the evolution that we've been up to and where we're heading in the future and, most importantly, seeing his growth as a person from the first start of the first episode.
Rebekah Myrol:It can be pretty cringy to look back at the old episodes. Myself included, I was in there and it was a bit cringy. You know. Look back and be like, oh okay, but you have to start somewhere, right. You have to be able to make mistakes, you have to be able to just put yourself out there and talk and have a conversation and that's exactly what this is all about and looking how far we've come.
Rebekah Myrol:Now to David Eby, to John Rustad, carolyn Victor Elder, eddie Gardner, kylie Bartell like so many people that we never thought that we'd be able to connect with.
Rebekah Myrol:We never thought we'd be able to travel for a podcast and we did that on the island for John Burroughs, and that was amazing too, to be able to travel and meet people that you've never met and you just don't know what you're going to get yourself into with the podcast, and seeing how this has evolved has just been amazing, from our small apartment to coming into this beautiful studio with Tim and I.
Rebekah Myrol:Just one of my favorite memories was the 100th episode celebration for you, aaron, for the podcast. And little did I know that Tim was also watching me because I didn't have a job at that time and I was looking for a job and Tim was watching how I conducted myself, how I set up the whole space and after that I got the job, and he was secretly watching me to make sure and to see who I was and how I conducted myself. And it was pretty cool to get an opportunity to host an event here, get to meet Tim and get to be a part of this team and watch it all happen. So, without further ado, I'm going to give it over to Tim. He is the owner of the space and I've had lots of great times with him working here and I love what I do here. I manage the space at CoWork and I just, I'm just really glad to be here and to speak on the podcast and at my work here for CoWork. So, without further ado, let's give it over to Tim.
Tim McAlpine:All right. Well, thanks Rebecca for introducing me and calling me out as a stalker. That was amazing. But we were looking for a new Co-Work Chilliwack community manager at the time and she just really stood out and we had been doing a search and it was indeed, is not, indeed it's tough. So anyways, sidebar to the sidebar.
Tim McAlpine:So I'm the owner of Cowork Chilliwack and Studio C. Cowork Chilliwack is actually my side hustle and Studio C is the side hustle to the side hustle. My main thing is a marketing firm and we have a financial education program that we license to credit unions all over North America. So I have this weird tripod and Aaron asked me to give a little bit of an origin story of this space you're in. And so Cowork Chilliwack we've got 120 registered business licenses with the city of Chilliwack and I think we are the single biggest address for business license revenue to the city. We have a mix of all sorts of different entrepreneurs and growing their business under one roof and it's really hard to estimate the economic impact of this space but it's just been wonderful to be a part of.
Tim McAlpine:So Studio C used to be our photo studio for the marketing agency and then it was Tim's kind of hoarding problem, with a bunch of junk in here, and so when we opened the co-work space, I thought it would be interesting to put a stage in here. This used to be our photo studio. It was all white, with a seamless cove in the back, and we put what now looks like a 1970s studio in here. This used to be our photo studio. It was all white, with a seamless cove in the back, and we put what now looks like a 1970s studio in here and with some basic audio capabilities. And then one thing led to another we were able to acquire another unit, which meant we needed another fire exit, and so I was able to do that into a balcony as well and kind of modify the whole space, and so it's been one renovation after another. Interesting side note to that particular balcony we were doing our grand opening in 2018 and Magnum Glass Indoor was doing some glass railing for us, and it was three hours to go before all the Chamber of Commerce people were here and I heard this explosion and they were putting it up and it just literally smashed. So when you walk out, just take a look up and see the second set of glass that was installed.
Tim McAlpine:But what I was really looking for was just some photo of the original tech capabilities, and it was actually. This is the only one I had, and if you look at it, we had a small eight-channel mixer, simple lights and no video capabilities. I learned far after that there's a rule to live by with anything electronics or AV equipment Buy once, cry once, because you'll start with a four-channel mixer, then you'll need an eight-channel mixer and then you'll need a video switcher and you'll need a bigger video switcher. Anyways, if anybody's looking for used equipment, I'll talk to you after. And so we added more tech and this little corner in the background began to encroach on the whole space, and even that space which is our podcast studio. I was looking at it. It was an office, and I said I think I'm going to take that wall down and make it into a podcast area, and so we did that in 2020.
Tim McAlpine:And then, lo and behold, I had met Aaron. He interviewed me. Actually, he reminded me of that. Where did I meet you? Yes, it was three hours in the sweltering sun.
Tim McAlpine:We all have a very similar origin story. I think that was his MO at the time, but he had, ironically had his apartment had flooded. Nothing to do with the actual flood. But at the same time that there was the actual big flood and he had landed a really big guest, mayor Henry Braun from Abbotsford. He had done 64 episodes to that point and he swung by and said could I maybe use your studio to do this? And I was game. We didn't have a real. We had a few people doing podcasts very fresh and I was willing to experiment and he brought him out. If you see the timestamp on that one it says two hours and 45 minutes. He was still in that mode but it was.
Tim McAlpine:But as soon as Aaron sat down and I really had this notion man, there's something special about this and I say kid affectionately, because he's older and younger at the same time. And there was always this I don't see it as much now but quite often in the early interviews that I was producing I luckily I get to, I'm the first viewer of every one of this podcast and I sit now in the control room and there's this moment where they cock their head a little bit and they go who is this guy? Because maybe through a well-crafted email by Rebecca they agreed to be on this thing that they don't know quite what they've got themselves into, especially as they grow beyond friends and family. But there was always this moment where they would just, hmm, he's really smart Boy. I've never been asked such interesting questions. And then they lean in and it becomes this really dynamic, heartfelt conversation and, lo and behold, he could get three hours out of them.
Tim McAlpine:I was twitching in my producer's seat for a while and we had many conversations. I think maybe under an hour would be better, but he has opinions. So episode 65 was the first one that Aaron recorded here, and then he did another 20 on his own through the summer working in his temporary Airbnb apartment, and then came back because he was starting to say I'm running a little thin on local people that can come and do an in-person podcast. And when you move to wanting to do remote, it's really tough to wear multiple hats. You're maybe doing it over Zoom and in this side of your mind you're going did I hit record? Is the red light going? Did I have this? Is my audio clipping Can? All of this stuff is? And once you have a producer, you can just kind of okay, I got one job, I'm just going to do this interview.
Tim McAlpine:And so this is an example of the way we set up the podcast studio. Over there there's a big teleprompter, aaron's staring right into the eyes because it's a nice to just have that. We use Zoom and then a number of different things. He can have some show notes to the side or questions, but honestly he rarely. He does so more now that they're more heavy duty. But he was like don't you need any notes? No, I got this. I'm like really.
Tim McAlpine:But sure enough, it's been amazing to see him in action and grow His YouTube channel. I was looking it's approaching 750,000, 800,000 views and I was looking at a tool that estimates the growth and I think it said it'll be at 2 million within about a year, which is amazing. And views aren't the only metric, but some of them will blow up. You can see like 11,000, and I think the most he's got is 80,000 on a video, but that's just the video side. Audio is a whole nother beast. But in 2023, he did 66 recordings here, so it was more than one a week, and then 2024, a little bit more methodical 45. And so far, half this year he's done 21. Truth be told, I was looking through the channel. There are 200 numbered episodes, but he's done a number of little packages, like Taste of Abby, which are another four or five, and then this thing and that thing. So I'll let you off, it is 200, but you're a little over that.
Tim McAlpine:And so the transition to remote guests really allowed Aaron to grow the podcast and I was constantly amazed who would show up on the screen. So I'm in the control room, I'm on the Zoom call and we know who's going to show up and then huh, it's Brett Butt on my TV, and it's not just a TV, because if I say something he'll hear it, and so just really neat to see that and grow in that piece. Aaron's held four now five sold-out events here and it's been really neat to collaborate on that project and do live podcasts. This one's a little bit different, it's more of a celebration need to collaborate on that project and do live podcasts. This one's a little bit different. It's more of a celebration, but typically it's a conversation on stage and a really dynamic, wonderful vibe in the room. As I mentioned, I get the first viewing of every single episode in the control room we live cut, so meaning it's a multicam live production studio with multiple angles and just like tonight you're seeing that up here. It's sitting there right now because, well, I'm not in there cutting, so it's a static wide shot, but I'll fix that in post. But yeah, it's a really interesting setup and Aaron really takes advantage of it. So, from my little humble beginnings in the corner, we now have 18 cameras, 30 monitors, a 120 by 120 video switch, a 40 input video switcher, and I still have a whole laundry list of more things that I want. I'm a little out of control.
Tim McAlpine:A friend of mine, scott McVetty. He's a local realtor. He's called this my midlife crisis and I'm quick to point out it's better than cocaine. Marginally my favorite episode and I think it's more the experience it was David Eby and Aaron comes. It's in the summer last year and he said I'm going to get all four candidates. Oh, yeah, good, yeah, good for you. Go for it, buddy. And and he did, and he got three of them out here.
Tim McAlpine:There was one piece, um, kevin Falcon was on and he had made the wonderful decision to rebrand the BC liberals to the BC United and Aaron's going at him pretty good. And and he says he says there's rumor that you might be kind of folding and going with the conservatives. Oh, over my dead body and a few days later I'm. It was probably a couple weeks later when he actually published it and this had gone down and I'm making dinner and I've got global news on and I hear this dinner and I've got global news on and I hear this and I spin around and the podcast studio is on global because they use that as this kind of breaking news, gotcha journalism type thing.
Tim McAlpine:But it was interesting. But another side story with David Eby, with my multiple camera angles I've got a view of the kitchen and they had, I guess, our version of the Secret Service. So there were a couple guys with side arms and and you would expect them just to be going like this, but I swear they were just both on TikTok, just going like this for like an hour and a half. Yes, I'll wrap this up. I'm really proud of this partnership. I feel a little bit like Aaron's friend slash father figure, slash opposite ends of the political spectrum conversations we have and he's just really grown into a great friend and I'm in great admiration of him. So with that I'll turn it back over to you and I'll get back back over to you and I'll get back.
Aaron Pete:Perfect, thank you. Thank you, rebecca, and thank you, tim. So our goal for tonight is to introduce you to the team that has been supporting all of this work. This doesn't just happen by myself, of course. Rebecca is working on social media, which is an incredible beast to try and figure out. I don't know if you've noticed, but there's a whole system to try and get you to stay on your phone all the time and she's trying to figure it out all the time, and Tim has been an incredible support to supporting this podcast and again adding that legitimacy.
Aaron Pete:The biggest thing I heard over the first 100 episodes was everybody has a podcast man, and I really do understand that. It would be worth noting that the amount of people with podcasts has significantly dropped off since 2020. Everybody had a podcast in 2020. Almost nobody has one anymore, and I knew a bunch of people when I was starting this that said they were going to start, said they bought the audio equipment and then didn't get to episode one or two or 10. And so the drop-off rate is incredibly high for people who are willing to start something, and I think that's true across the board.
Aaron Pete:But it's been a huge privilege to work with individuals who actually believe in you, who see the vision, and I kept that circle very close for a very long time because there are a lot of doubters. There are a lot of people who think you're wasting your time or you're wasting the other person's time or just don't understand where you want to take things. And I hope one of your takeaways tonight is, if you have a vision, if you have a goal for yourself, if you have an idea, to start to chase that. And you don't have to share that with everybody when you start, but you should share it with the people who really want to support you and get behind you. Because it was a big risk when I spent $2,000 when I was already in student loans for law school to chase this dream and I committed to myself that I would get to a thousand episodes before I'd consider stopping because it's so easy to drop off, it's so easy to get busy with other things, and when you have individuals like Tim who are watching the episode and going wow, like that person is really like fascinated by the conversation, or that person clearly wants to come back on, or like all of these doors start to open up and you start to have that self-confidence that you might need in order to start these things. And so that's how the team started. It was just Rebecca and I to start with. We would invite the guest in. They would have a seat, we'd grab them water, we'd make them comfortable and then I'd take three hours of their life away. And then we moved here and things started to grow and things started to make sense.
Aaron Pete:But for those of you who don't know, there's a whole science to YouTube. There's a whole science to podcasting. You have to get the thumbnails right. You have to get the photos you post on social media right. You have to figure out what's going to hit on LinkedIn is not the same thing that hits on Facebook, which is not the same thing that hits on Instagram, because every one of those platforms is trying to serve the user in a different way.
Aaron Pete:And so once we started to figure out the thumbnails, it started to become a huge challenge. If you look back at the beginning thumbnails, they were terrible, not following best practices. But once we started to figure that out and once I started to figure out other people who are doing something similar to what I was doing, I knew that I needed to start to reach out to somebody who was a good photographer, because it would just be me making somebody very uncomfortable, telling them to stand against the wall as they take a photo of them very uncomfortably during the first 100 episodes. But then I had the privilege of speaking with Alex Hart. I recorded my first interview with him. It didn't air because I didn't hit record and he was willing to stick it out with me. So, without further ado, please welcome up my photographer, alex Hart.
Alex Harte:Aaron told me not to work tonight, but I promise I get a few pictures. So just on the count of three One, two, three, make my job easy, thank you. Okay, aaron, thanks for sharing the story, because if you weren't, I was going to add to that. So thank you. Yeah, my name is Alex Hart and I am a local photographer here in Chilliwack and I've been a longtime friend of Aaron's and I've gotten to work with a lot of really great clients around here in the Valley, some I see in the audience tonight, two of those being Aaron with the Bigger Than Me podcast and Tim and Rebecca here at CoWork. If you kind of look around, you'll see kind of the slideshow, presentations and stuff. Those are all my shots throughout the years of the events that we've put on together and I've also had the opportunity to work with organizations like Run for Water out in Abbotsford doing trail runs and street runs, raising money for clean water projects, and the Terry Fox Foundation doing the Ride of Hope, in which they're still raising funds for the Terry Fox Foundation, and it's just. It's been a really great experience through photography so far and meeting so many wonderful people, getting to do so many cool projects and just kind of being a fly on the wall, kind of in the same sense as maybe interviewing people. I get to kind of step into their shoes for a little bit and kind of see how the wider world goes on and just be really invested, interested in that. But really it was meeting Aaron that got me to where I'm going today and the work that we've done together over the years. So I'll give a little bit of background before I kind of dive into my role here with the podcast.
Alex Harte:But Aaron and I go way back, probably close to 10 years now. We were both young. I was working at the Shiam Centre at the time front desk, and there's Aaron coming in every few times a week working out and we just banter and chat back and forth there and just kind of built this fun, casual friendship and both just kind of. I think we were both going to school at the time and we were both just kind of like gassing each other up and cheering each other on and, you know, riffing and all that. And after that I moved to the island for a few years to finish my own education and it was there at the same time where I started really falling in love with photography. I bought a Canon Rebel T6 from Best Buy for like 60% off so I could afford it on the student budget, which beat having to steal my parents' cameras, taking it out and getting grounded for doing that back in the day when I was first getting started. But it was on the island. I studied there and I graduated the same year that you know big C hit and all of the restrictions came into place and I was finishing up my educational career, so to speak.
Alex Harte:I was starting a master's the following fall and as that was going on, the world had shut down and it had gotten really really small in a really really short period of time. I know all of us probably have flashbacks to that and have had our own experiences During that time. I decided to try and be constructive with what was going on and I started a small project for myself on the side which was grad photos by donation and it was kind of my way of trying to still celebrate the grad ceremonies of all the classmates and all my friends around me who suddenly had no passage from education into the real world, so to speak. So I was on the island and I was doing these grad photos and you know people would pay me a 20 bucks or a six pack of beer and we'd go outside, we'd distance, we'd do all of our protocol things and we'd sit there and take photos. And they just became fun hangout sessions, a chance for people to vent, grab some photos, some memories, and it got a bit of traction. It kind of stretched across the island that was up in Nanaimo and I had people from Victoria, from the north part of the island, who were actually driving up and down to meet me for these shots.
Alex Harte:And it's while this was gaining tension I eventually heard from Aaron, kind of towards the end of this project, because what had happened was I eventually moved back to Chilliwack where we kind of slowly reconnected and Aaron caught wind of what I was doing and at the same time I had seen the first few episodes of his podcast and paying attention to what was going on there and I remember first seeing his early episodes and just thinking, hearing from local people, local makers and shakers, people who are just invested in community. I just thought was such a wonderful idea, especially in the time that it was coming up, and I wanted to support that and I had no idea I was going to be a part of it. But kind of at the same time Aaron reached out to me and invited me on the podcast, where we got sunburned for three hours, then had to reshoot again in his apartment. But it was that podcast that really kind of, I want to say, like rekindled our friendship and we both we're both kind of in the next chapter of our lives and we're both seeing each other try and do something and we both wanted to support that. And when I was first watching these and when I sat down and talked with him for my own podcast, which I think we got like 20 full views, which at the time was like okay, 20 people are giving us their time. That's pretty wicked. I'll take that Big win so far.
Alex Harte:And I just knew something was going to come from this, like I knew Aaron wasn't going to stop in an episode or two and that this was going to keep going, and I knew that I wanted to support it in any way that I could. So fast forward in our reconnection and I'm building my own business here locally and Aaron starts hitting me up for photos, for taking pictures of the in-person interviews that he has, which were taking place right here in Studio C. So after Tim got involved, I started coming in too and it just became this really great experience for both of us because not only was I finally able to help Aaron on this mission that I've believed in for a few years prior, but just getting to extend that and get to meet all these people that were doing things and getting to kind of be on the inside, the inner workings of how his podcast was shaping up and how he was interviewing these people and getting to kind of add to that and the value to that is just something that I'm going to touch on with Aaron and just explain kind of the importance of the visual aspect of his storytelling Because, like he mentioned, there really is a lot of behind the scenes and there is a science and it is a full-on project to get an episode from concept to being put up on YouTube and social media. So what I'm going to do is I've got a few pictures. I'm just going to quickly go through and then we'll circle back to them and kind of check them out. So we've got Aaron and Matthew sharing some whiskey, which we'll talk about. We've got Angela Murphy here with her children's book and we've got Dan Oostenbrink talking about local harvest and organic regenerative farming.
Alex Harte:So, between these images as just a bit of insight into the gallery that we've created over all the podcasts with quality content that the Bigger Than Me podcast produces. It requires quality. Everything Like this is not. You don't get to this level without taking with taking shortcuts and trying to cheap out on things. And when it comes to the visual aspect, because it's so audio centric, being able to create those compelling thumbnails or just to document what's going on so that when we have these celebrations we can look back on and have visuals of it, is so important. And what you'll notice in these images is what I like to think of as consistency. First and foremost, we've got a really cool space with kind of Aaron's colouring and the branding all in the corner there and being able to bring all of his guests into this space and sit them down with the studio in the background, where he's got accolades, he's got gifts from other guests that have been given to him throughout his podcasts, and being able to capture his interactions with his guests in that space I think is incredibly important just to showing that there's that, that consistency and that care that goes into everything that his podcast encompasses.
Alex Harte:And the other thing, too, is it's easy to take photos of. You know you can sit somebody down, you can snap a photo, you can walk away. But what makes Aaron's podcast special is the relatability and the humanity that's baked into every episode and, as his photographer and as somebody who is driven to share that having moments like this this isn't staged Like, this is, hey, aaron, sit down with like Matthew for a minute, grab your whiskey and just chat. And these photos are just little snapshots into what these experiences are like. When we look at something like this, that's a little bit lighter and a little bit more celebratory of someone's passion and art. We get to see it come across with the smiles and just enjoying whiskey there, which that was maybe not the first and only glass that was had during that episode, but it did make for some great photos Just capturing that humanity and not being afraid to be humble in front of your guest.
Alex Harte:And really, when it comes to storytelling like this, with photography and podcasting and interviewing, it's about taking things to the ground level and when you're sitting next to the person, the title kind of vanishes and their work is still front and center of the podcast, but it is an element of a person talking to a person, and so that is something that I try to capture in all of Aaron's images. And, if you'll notice, even walking throughout the studio and into the lobby there you'll catch these little candid images of Aaron chatting with his guests and you'll see the reactions on their faces. And again, those are candid moments, just catching Aaron interacting with his guest, and when he gives the freedom for a guest to speak like that, it really opens up opportunities to capture those moments and keep them as a visual documentary for all the work that's gone into it. Like here with Angela, we were celebrating I believe it was celebrating the release of her new book, and so we just had her sit down and just, you know, show the book, show us how excited you are about it, and we're going to capture that for you while we share and celebrate it. And with Dan, it's easy to get Dan to smile. He was a super grounded, down-to-earth person and once you get him on the topic of farming, it's it's all talk and it's all smiles and it's easy to.
Alex Harte:I shouldn't say it's easy, but it's, uh, it's worthwhile to take that moment and just capture those images and really just make it memorable because you'll have it on all of your audio platforms, on YouTube, um, but people look back and kind of have like a a scrapbook or a photo album to be able to look and see the work that's done, um, but yeah, working, working with Aaron over the past few years has been, um, a huge area of growth for myself, and being able to see the podcast grow and shape itself into what it's been and being part of that team has been really a highlight for the clients that I've worked with and the work that I do get to do and continue to do.
Alex Harte:Getting to sit our premier down for a few minutes and tell him how to sit and how to smile and to avoid the double chin and you know, just to get to tell him what to do for a minute is kind of an added bonus. Just little moments like that, um, but just getting to be like person to person, like that right and uh, I think the images like this and just seeing the, the ease that people are put at when you look back at these images, is just, it is just a reflection of how this podcast is operated, the, the philosophies behind it and um, it's a testament to what it takes to get to this level and to look forward and to see what's next. But I think that's about my spiel. But yeah, if I could leave it on anything, it's just. The visual side of this is just about capturing what's already out there and just figuring out how to best bring it forward. And working on this podcast, that comes pretty easy. So well done, aaron.
Aaron Pete:That was incredible. When we did episode 100, all of these guys had speaking notes. I don't know what's good. There's nothing here. There's nothing You're like look behind you. There's nothing on these speaking notes that say anything of what they're supposed to say. That's all coming from you guys. This is incredibly meaningful because a lot of people feel the most comfortable when they have something written on a piece of paper. But that was all off the top of your head, was it not?
Alex Harte:Yeah, you didn't even force me to say that.
Aaron Pete:I didn't. Even I didn't pay him to, I didn't do anything but Okay. So I just wanted to go through a few of these really quickly and just explain to you why this matters. So do you see how crisp this photo is? That plays a huge role on whether or not people click on YouTube. And this photo stands out to me because I did an interview on regenerative farming, and if you asked me to bet how many people would watch that video, I would guess one. Like I would guess not very many people are going to jump at that, but this was one of the first times I really started to understand how much the thumbnail and how much the information of what you're talking about matters on a thumbnail, because it was this interview that I think is at like 7,000 views on YouTube, where I'm talking about regenerative farming.
Aaron Pete:Something I don't know anything about, and the fact that this did well is, one, the photo and the quality that it brought out, but then, two, the ability to connect it with what people are looking for, and so I don't know if anybody knows this, but I think it's worth just quickly spending a moment and explaining how the algorithm works. The algorithm is incredibly fair. For those of you who don't know, it will put your thumbnail in front of a thousand people and if nobody clicks on it, then it stops pushing it to people. But if people start clicking on it and start taking an interest, then it will continue to push that, and they do calculate how many clicks per view when they put it in front of a thousand people and they will continue to promote it. So a quality photo like this was far exceeded any other interview I had done previously, and it was this that started to make me go okay, this thumbnail thing starts to matter, and I'm not great. I wanted to outsource the thumbnail process, but once I started to realize that this was a key piece, I started to understand how all of this ties together.
Aaron Pete:Because people hear podcast. They still think audio it's on Apple podcasts or it's on Spotify or something, and so you don't think much about the visual aspect. But do you really want to tune into something that's like just a question mark and you don't know what they look like Like. That's a key piece for people to want to know what does this person look like, what are their credentials, who are they? And this started to add huge legitimacy to what we were doing, and so I just I really appreciate all the work that you've done and, again, finding those people who believe in you before you really believe in yourself is a huge key piece of this, and just watching your photography take off, watching people to continue to want to work with you, watching you expand your style, has just been a privilege to see, and I'm just so proud of you for you chasing your own goals, and we've done that alongside each other for years. So please give it up for Alex. Alongside each other for years. So please give it up for Alex.
Aaron Pete:But we're done with the bigger than me podcast. We're throwing that in the garbage. We're going to try again with something different now, and I just want to give you a little bit of background as to why. So we're changing the name and we're changing the brand, moving forward, and the reason for that is one, because every time I said, oh, you've got a podcast, what is it called? And I'm like the bigger than me podcast, they'd be like the bigger than it's. Just that's too many words to type on my phone. I don't want to do that. So that was one of the challenges.
Aaron Pete:And then, two, I think over these past 200 episodes, I've learned a lot, and I've sat with certain, certain interviews that I've wanted to speak more about, but I have just moved on to the next episode without addressing it, and so the one example I'll give was David Suzuki, which was a huge privilege to have him come on the show and just a momentous occasion. But man, was he depressing man did he have like this? The first question was like are we on the right track? And he's like nope, we're Wile E Coyote and Roadrunner and we're off the cliff and we're looking over at the cliff and we are already off it. So it just depends how far we want to fall. And it was like whoa, like that was. That was really like upsetting, and I think it's important, like there is information to pull from that, and I think it is useful for us to think are we on the right trajectory when it comes to biodiversity, when it comes to taking care of the planet, when it comes to pollution? I think those are all valid conversations, but I don't like the message that we are already off the cliff. I don't think that's productive, I don't think that's how I would want it communicated, I don't think that makes me want to spring into action, and so being able to hear all of that and go, that's really interesting. Being able to hear all of that and go, that's really interesting.
Aaron Pete:I want to respond, but my interviews the first 200 have always been let the guest speak. Get out of the way, and that's one of the challenges I see so many interviewers struggle with is they get in the way of their own interview, they interrupt the person. They have their own thought they want to jump in with, they want to point out what they know and they want to be seen. And again, I understand that know and they want to be seen. And again, I understand that. But my goal has always been to hear from those voices, and so now I want to be able to continue to do that let people speak. But I also want to be able to dive into these issues in a deeper way and be able to share my perspective and take this person's opinion and this person's opinion and try and find some sort of middle ground where we can move forward in a constructive and useful way.
Aaron Pete:And so we're looking at switching the brand. We've done that with the incredible support of people who will be coming out shortly, but without further ado. I'd like to introduce you to the Nuanced brand, thank you. So that's it. We're switching the name from bigger than me podcast to nuanced. It's much shorter, it's much easier to say and, and I think, in one word, tells you what we're about and where we're trying to take this, and the goal is to have nuanced perspectives. I've heard one side is evil and the other side is brilliant. I've heard one side is evil and the other side is amazing, and I'm really, really tired of it and I think it's time that we start to have mature, thoughtful conversations. And so there are a bunch of principles that Nuanced is going to follow that I think are really important. One of them is steelmanning positions. So I don't know if everybody's heard of the term strawmanning, but strawmanning is where you take the weakest version of that argument and you utilize that.
Aaron Pete:The goal of this podcast is now going to be to steal man perspectives, and this is going to get, at times, controversial. So, as some of you may know, I've interviewed people who are called Indian residential school denialists, and I've interviewed them to get an understanding of what they're talking about, because if we don't talk to them, they're going to be on a team of their own and we're going to be on a team of our own and we're going to be on a team of their own and we're going to be on a team of our own and we're going to become polarized and I have no interest in that. And so we are going to have tough conversations. Some of you may know I've interviewed Candice Malcolm, who is one of the authors of a book that is incredibly unpopular and it goes through the unmarked grave story and the book is called Grave Error. I've interviewed her twice and in story and the book is called Grave Error. I've interviewed her twice and in those conversations we disagreed on a lot and she did so respectfully and we agreed on a lot. I do not want to see us criminalize Indian residential school denialism because there are pieces of this conversation that are important to have that are uncomfortable, that I know my own community and First Nations people are going to feel uncomfortable with. But we have to have these conversations if we're going to show up in a thoughtful and respectful way, and the only way to bring down the temperature in the room is to speak to these people, and Candace was incredibly respectful to me. She was willing to hear my side of the argument. She was willing to have tough conversations and I think that's becoming more and more important.
Aaron Pete:One of the interviews I was the most nervous about was John Rustad, and because all of my research, all of my preparation for that interview, was that he is an evil person, that he doesn't care about anybody else, that he's got all the wrong mindset, and I was very nervous to go into it because I didn't want to interview a caricature of him. I didn't want to end up speaking to somebody and him being like that's not my position. You read that in some article. That's not who I am, and so just reading all of the articles that said he hates Indigenous people, he hates everybody who doesn't agree with him, and then sitting down with him, he was incredibly respectful, thoughtful, and he has some bold positions that I don't agree with.
Aaron Pete:But it's still worth having these conversations and I think my big concern and one thing I've been thinking a lot about is I'm afraid that we're becoming a less and less mature society when we look at tough issues, that we want it to be A or B and if you're anywhere in between then you're on the wrong side of history and that really scares me because this does impact my own community. I don't want growth in First Nations hatred. I don't want people thinking reconciliation is not worthwhile. But if we're not willing to come to some of these tables and have really tough conversations about, okay, what is the evidence of the Sun Marks grave story, what is the middle ground of some of these complex issues, then we are going to be on a team and we're not going to get anywhere and the support for us is going to continue to diminish. And we saw that in the last federal election, first Nations issues and Indigenous issues were not on the ballot box, it was mainly the economy. And that happens because this conversation gets difficult.
Aaron Pete:And I had the privilege of interviewing the Minister for Indigenous Services, canada and the Minister for CERNAC, which is Crown Indigenous Relations, and both of them were petrified of the story. And when I asked them off camera why, why aren't you raising, how you're supporting First Nations and getting water treatment? Why aren't you talking about all the things you're doing to support Indigenous people they were like this is not what our cabinet wants to be talking about. We don't think this is a strong issue to be discussing right now and that scares me because these are things where marginalized communities do need these supports and are receiving them, but it's not a political topic that is popular right now and so they are avoiding it. And that scares me because that shows that what's going on with this conversation is getting more complicated, and my interview with Candace Malcolm had 20,000 views of people saying that I'm a moron, I'm an idiot, I'm on the wrong track, and I appreciate all of that because it means I'm reaching the audience that needs to be reached when we're having these really difficult conversations, and I'm just I'm really excited to be able to go down this track and start to interview people. I again, I don't agree with.
Aaron Pete:Dallas.
Aaron Pete:Brody is currently one of the people I'm very interested in interviewing and she's an incredibly controversial person.
Aaron Pete:If you haven't heard of her, she has left the Conservative Party for some of her extreme views on First Nations people.
Aaron Pete:But if we don't bring down that temperature, if we just leave her to continue to do what she's doing, then we're not going to get anywhere and there's no reason for her to reach out to anybody right now to try and have a reasonable conversation, because everybody's just denouncing her, and that really does freak me out, because I was always taught to ask a better question by my mother, and I think that that's what we need right now who want to engage and take whatever grain of truth they're saying and take it seriously, so they know they're being heard, but also that the people that they're speaking to also understand that there are different, more reasonable perspectives taking place, and so my hope with Nuanced is not only to continue to interview people, but to start to dive into issues and start to speak for myself on some of these issues that I'm really worried about, because I want to take everything that I've learned and start to channel it in a way that communicates all perspectives and comes to some reasonable middle ground to make sure we can continue to move forward in a safe and responsible direction, and I'm incredibly excited to be going on this journey.
Aaron Pete:I think the length of the name, I think the new brand, will really help a lot of people connect with it and understand that we are committed to finding nuanced perspectives in a time where we're finding more and more polarization, and so, without further ado, I would really appreciate inviting Matej out to talk about some of the branding work that has gone into what you've just seen. So, matei, please join us.
Matej Balaz:Hi everybody. Everybody can hear me. I promised everybody I was going to make this show. I've always had a dream to look like a Britney Spears. You know, today I have a Britney Spears mic. I have debated that I was going to pace the stage left and right like she does. You know, anyway, but obviously I came here to talk about you know, what do we do? My name is Mathieu Balazs and we have a film company called Kala Films. We operate out of Abbotsford. We've been around for 12 years.
Matej Balaz:Before I talk about the branding, before I talk about the evolution of the intro and how we sort of got to know Aaron, I wanted to give a shout out to some of our team members Dasha, who is also my wife and she's our lead editor. She's pretty much the person who's, perhaps you know, responsible for 99% of the intros that have been created. And obviously Camille, who worked on the Oldry brand. She's one of our graphic designers who we work with. Alex, who worked on the new intros and is one of our junior editors. Harnoor, abby and Kiana, who worked on the logo. So it's a big team of people. They're involved in the process. I think that it takes a little more than just one person. I make a joke that I'm basically a person with a loud opinion and I barely touch a keyboard other than sending an email. But you know I wanted to give a shout to a lot of hardworking people.
Matej Balaz:Obviously, we met Aaron a while back, I think it would be five years ago. I remember him operating the podcast out of his living room and he, sort of, you know, reached out to me and was saying hey, you're a filmmaker from Abbotsford and or from local filmmaker. Can you give me some advice how to film, you know? And I came to his living room and or the bedroom I don't know exactly what it was and I remember the cameras all pointing down at the top of the people's heads, which is sort of like nails on a on a on a bork chalkboard for me. So I was like maybe we'll lower the cameras a couple inches, you know. So we've gone a long way. You know we've gone to 17 cameras. You know I don't think I've ever had that many cameras pointed at me in the same time. But obviously, you know, we've helped with early branding, where I felt the podcast was a little more playful. I think it was more about, you know, having general conversations with people from all kinds, and I think that with a nuanced branding, I think we've Aaron has dived into a little more nuanced conversation, so maybe I'm going to show the logo.
Matej Balaz:And you know, we wanted to capture. You know who Aaron is. Obviously he's from Chihuahua. The eagle is very significant. We wanted to capture his signature suit. I don't think I've ever seen Aaron without the suit Actually, no, I have at his home. He does not wear a suit. He actually wears, you know, comfortable clothes. Obviously, the glasses are a huge, big part of the branding. I think that that was something that we wanted to capture. And so you know, really, the storytelling.
Matej Balaz:I think that what I have seen as a filmmaker over the years was really cool to see and really, you know, pushing for the storytelling and pushing for the, as he calls it, nuanced conversations I think you've probably heard it seven times already but to really, you know, press people and to put them on hot seat. I think that that's where you know, the work becomes interesting for us because you know, you have, you know, somebody who's really interested in having conversations with both sides, which is really difficult. I don't think that I have that strength sometimes, or I sometimes I say to myself like, hey, you know how do you do it, you know how do you. But yeah, it's been amazing to see him, you know, go after things. I mean, we've, you know, gravitated to his passion. I think what was really amazing to see is is that somebody has a huge passion for story and and and for for talking to people. You know, he can talk to pretty much anybody. I've, I've, I've, I've, I've really admired, you know, the way that he conducts interviews. You know, I, I mean, I am shaking. I'm not exactly a public speaker, you know, behind the camera guy, and so I feel it's been really amazing.
Matej Balaz:And so, you know, with the podcast, we really wanted to capture that and really create a brand, you know, from the graphic standpoint Not that you want me to talk too much about graphic design, but you really wanted to capture something that has a chameleon, you know, effect. If you will, that could be applied to anything that could take a certain, you know, image. You can see the different colors and color palette and whatever have you. And so, if anybody's interested in the type of topography we've used, you can take a look. We've used Neue Haas grotesque medium in various different sizes. If anybody wanted to take a photo, you're more than welcome, you know. But, you know, obviously it's been a pleasure. You know the whole team, rebecca and Tim.
Matej Balaz:You know the podcast has gone a long ways and I think that you know, for us the most interesting part was, you know, really learning about the medium. I remember always Aaron calls me like oh well, if you push the intro to 45 seconds, the retention rate is much higher, and we're like I don't understand what a retention rate is, I don't understand what any of these things mean, and the percentages and when we're hitting these percentages. So okay, well, it'll be 60 second intro then, I guess. And so it's been really, really awesome to learn about the YouTube, you know, and so it's. It's been really really awesome to, you know, learn about the YouTube, learn about the world, that that he lives in, and I think that what I've always appreciated is is, you know the stories he tells and and, and I'm looking forward to see you, see you go forward. But yeah, you know, one of the big part was developing intros. You know, I think we've gotten from a little more playful to something a little more serious.
Matej Balaz:But the funny story I wanted to talk about is, if you notice this logo, we've gotten through a lot of different variations. I think we've gotten we've had over 100 different versions, and the eyes and the smile was the last phase of the design of the logo, and I think we've gotten through over 10 to 20 different smiles, and so if I made a time-lapse of all the smiles and facial expression that he's making, you would literally see a person going through a panic attack or something like that. But there was a smile once, and I'm texting with Aaron and he's telling me like I really want to be a little more approachable, I want to have a smile Right. And so I tell Hardenor, who's a graphic designer, is working on the logo, hey, can we apply a little bit of a smile. And he sends me this photo that looked literally, you know, like a portrait of Hannibal Lecter from from high school.
Matej Balaz:It was a Colgate, you know, a commercial type of a smile, and so, anyway, and so, anyway, we had a lot of fun. This has been a fun process. I hope that Aaron has enjoyed this as much. But anyway, without further ado, I wanted to share one of the intros, and that's all from me. Hopefully you enjoy the brand. Hopefully you'll watch the podcast and I want to give one more round of applause to Aaron and to the episode.
Brad Vis:I think in Ottawa there's a culture of denialism, there is a culture of not coming clean.
Aaron Pete:When did you know that the election was heading in the wrong direction and that the Conservative Party was unlikely to be successful in the election? What is your position on Trump's approach? Is there any merit to what he's done?
Brad Vis:What Donald Trump was doing is disrupting one of the most successful economic relationships the world has ever seen. I would have Brad from a senior, you know. I just don't think Carney's the right guy for the job. Facing the challenges we're facing and then the next door, I'd go to a young mom. It's like I can't afford the groceries. I don't know what I'm going to do at the end of the month and I don't know what's happening or if I'm even safe in my community anymore and it was like people were living on two completely separate planets.
Aaron Pete:What is your message to Canadians and your constituents who might be frustrated?
Brad Vis:I'm going to fight for you. I take this job extremely seriously. Pierre Pauly have lost his riding.
Aaron Pete:Yeah, what was your reaction to that? We've come a long way to fill in Matej's comments about the YouTube algorithm in these intros. One thing we found and one thing I've learned over this journey is that the questions you ask at the beginning really matter to whether or not people stick around to hear the whole interview, and so one of the pieces that we started to develop were these intros, where we highlight some of the conversation that we had already had and start to put it together, and then we started to work with Matei and Dasha on doing some B-roll footage and adding that in and starting to make it so people understood what they were tuning in for. But for many of the intros we were doing 45 seconds, and then they did one that was a minute long and we saw an increased retention rate for anybody who's interested, and so basically every 30 seconds, youtube judges whether or not people are sticking around or clicking away, and so the longer you have them retained for, the more they push it to more people, and so for the first minute, it really matters whether or not people are sticking around. So now the intros are an entire minute in length, and the reason for that is because we noticed that that does better.
Aaron Pete:This interview with Brad Viz is at 18,000 views and continuing to grow, and that was released, I think, three weeks ago, and so we start to understand how these things start to function. And perhaps it's useful for you to know what's making you watch YouTube videos all the way to the end, because these are some of the things people are thinking about on the other side, on how to get people to stick around. How are people feeling about Nuanced, good, positive? Am I moving in the right direction?
Aaron Pete:Imagine. This is a gigantic waste of my time and I'm on the wrong track.
Aaron Pete:So the next piece I wanted to talk about was again Fortis, and I'm incredibly grateful for Kelsey and her team for being willing to support the Bigger Than Me podcast. I reached out to them I think two years ago, if I'm not mistaken. She doesn't want to talk about it, but I reached out to them two years ago and said I had traveled to their Tilbury site, which is out in Burnaby Delta, close enough. Same thing For the Fraser Valley. Everything over there is all the same thing. And so we had gone out to one of their sites and one of the people had said yeah, we run this site and during the 2022, what was the year? That was that? 2020, 22.
Aaron Pete:It was extremely cold. If you can remember, it was like minus 30 degrees for like a long period of time and one of the operators said during that period, we almost, like this whole system almost failed. It got very close to failing and that would have impacted British Columbians across the region and they would have been going cold. And through other life experiences, I also know that the cold kills far more people than the heat does, and so having people without heat is an extreme risk, and that's when I was like this sounds like a good podcast episode. And so I had reached out to Fortis and said I'd really be interested in understanding the system more, because I kind of get BC Hydro. They have dams, I have electricity, it all goes together Like I kind of get that. I don't really understand what natural gas is. I don't really understand why we have two systems. Why not just have one system. I don't really understand any of these things and I'd be interested in learning more, and so over the past couple of years we've spoken a lot about what would the topics be, how would we approach it and all of those things, and I'm very grateful for the people that you all selected because they've turned into, I know, natural gas. It doesn't sound that exciting, but it's become way more interesting than I would have expected, and again, I think there's something interesting to be found in the places you might least expect, and I do think we take our gas, electricity and a lot of these infrastructure pieces for complete granted.
Aaron Pete:A lot of people don't understand sewage systems or lighting systems or any of these things, and being on Chihuahua Council, I've learned about sewage, active transportation, how to support people with septic fields and all of these things that I never thought I would ever learn about Telecommunications.
Aaron Pete:I met with Rogers about how we upgrade the telecommunications on reserve and, like all these things, I never thought I would ever learn about Telecommunications. I met with Rogers about how we upgrade the telecommunications on reserve and, like all these things I never thought I would touch on, and it's been humbling to continue to learn from people. And again, every person I get to sit down with is passionate about what they do, and I think that's probably true for all of you. Everything you do that you're committed to is something you're passionate about, and I think we don't give enough pause for the people who are passionate about those things and who are willing to do it without any praise, glory or anybody noticing the fact that they're doing this important work. And being able to highlight people behind the scenes who make sure that you have heat in the winter and make sure that you have electricity that makes your Wi-Fi run so you can watch endless TikTok videos and watch YouTube videos, is really important, and so, without further ado, I'd really like to show you what we've done with Fortis.
Carol Suhan:I have to say I'm very proud of working for Fortis and really delivering a vital service for everybody in the province.
Aaron Pete:But could we start at the beginning? What is Fortis BC?
Carol Suhan:Energy efficiency not only will make your home more comfortable and reduce your utility bills, but potentially could even improve your health and what does that look like in people's homes when they're getting that Fortis bill?
Aaron Pete:What does that really mean, does that?
Carol Suhan:look like in people's homes when they're getting that Fortis bill. What does that really mean? You could have a new furnace and you could have solar and you could have air conditioning, but if it's that air is just leaking in and out of your house?
Aaron Pete:Why is it so important that you have BC, hydro and Fortis BC? What was the logic behind making sure that you have different options?
Carol Suhan:Homes were saving on average. A minimum was like $200 and $300 a year to $3,000, $4,000 a year. Having that heat, having that energy in people's homes, it's not even a matter of comfort, it's a matter of safety.
Aaron Pete:Carol, thank you so much for being willing to join us today. Would you mind first briefly introducing yourself?
Carol Suhan:I'm Carol Suhan. I work for FortisBC in the Energy and Conservation Group, and over the last seven-ish years I've been working almost exclusively with Indigenous communities, Again really trying to improve energy efficiency in homes and in community buildings. The idea, of course, is to make homes more comfortable, reduce utility costs, utility bills, and obviously climate change is a part of that as well.
Aaron Pete:I'm incredibly grateful for Fortis to being willing to support the podcast and, again, being willing to share their trusted brand with my brand, and being willing to collaborate means a lot more to the seek, more opportunities to interview other, more prominent individuals, and, as we continue to grow, there are pieces that you need to have in order to have the trust of those people to be willing to come on, and so I'm incredibly grateful for this journey.
Aaron Pete:I'm incredibly excited for where we're going, and I just can't thank all of you enough for being willing to share your time tonight to discuss where we're heading and to celebrate where we've been, but where we're going, I think, is just as important, and so I want to close us off in a good way, and it wouldn't be in a good way without bringing out somebody that I had the pleasure of having on the podcast previously.
Aaron Pete:I have to confess something I failed Elder Eddie Gardner previously when I had him on. We had him out to the Great Blue Heron Reserve and it was 42 to 43 degrees in the sun and we did three hours and this man managed to sit it through, and it was incredibly fascinating to hear his journey and his passion for uplifting First Nations, people, and supporting our continued growth and figuring out a way to reconcile the past and grow into the future. So, eddie, thank you so much for being willing to join us on that hot day and for being willing to be such a mentor to me. Please give a round of applause for Mr Gardiner. Thank you.
Aaron Pete:RCM CIO, I want to hold my hands up to each and every one of you for answering the call to be here today. Give yourself a big pat on the back for being here too. And I remember when I was really rabble-rousing and raising hell about the open-end fish farms, raising public awareness to get the federal and provincial governments to get the fish farms out of the migration routes of our wild salmon, there was a really strong supporter of the fish farmers and I was making all this noise and I got some publicity about it. And this guy said Eddie Gardner, who's he? He's just a minor local celebrity. But we have Aaron. He's a major, more than a local celebrity. He's hitting the national scene with all these interviews he's doing with famous people.
Aaron Pete:And this evening what you heard was how he started out and all those brave new steps that he had to take. He had to step out of his comfort zone, he had to believe in himself and he had to surround himself with supportive people. And that's the sign of a leader If you ever want to achieve anything in your life. It's just like he says you have a dream. Take small, simple steps in the beginning, outside of your comfort zone, and eventually you're going to make it and you're going to make it big. And look what happened. This is an amazing achievement and he must be congratulated. And he does more than talk about it. He takes inspired action every single day and that's really important for all of us to be inspired about and to do likewise in our own lives. And all the interviews that he's conducted show that people actually who believe in themselves and really want to make a difference in the world, they can do it and you can do it. Everybody has that inside of them. They just have to wake that courage, wake up that bravery, wake up that own wisdom and intelligence that we all have to do something to make a difference. And so I'm really proud. I'm really proud of Aaron and the people he's surrounded himself with to continue on the good work that he's doing.
Aaron Pete:Opening up a new chapter Nuanced and nuanced, bigger than me, going from bigger than me to nuanced it's a challenge. It's a huge challenge. It means that he pitches himself against other people and challenges other people. He challenges himself, people and challenges other people. He challenges himself and he challenges other people, and that's where the magic is going to take place with this new chapter that he's entering in right now boldly, and I followed Aaron and what he's been doing with his life. It's very impressive. You know, he's a graduate out of law school, he's on council taking up leadership, he's pursuing to become chief of Chabotlo First Nation and look what he's doing with all of this. It's absolutely inspirational. I so admire it and I wish him well. You know, I wish him well and continued amazing success, and so I'm going to sing this eagle song.
Aaron Pete:We saw the eagle in the picture about nuanced, and that image does have the eagle on it and the eagle for For First Nations people it means that it's a spirit. It's a spirit that carries our prayers to our great mystery. But the eagle is a teacher and the eagle teaches us to take that long vision, the long-range vision. As the eagle soars up into the sky, it can see all around, but it also pays attention to the details and it can swoop down, you know, and catch its prey very swiftly. So it's attentive to detail as well, and we learn a lot from the spirit of the eagle and how it takes care of its young ones, and the eagle spirit is something that I think is part of who Aaron Peed is. Thank you.
Eddie Gardner :Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, ¶¶. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, wee-oo-oo-hee-hee, wee-oo-oo-hoo-hee-oo, Wee-oo-oo-hee-hee, wee-oo-oo-hoo-hee-oo, wee-oo-oo-hee-hee, you are the only one to fly that high Fly, eagle fly, fly soar through the sky, or through the sky, Wee-oo-oh-oh-oh, wee-oo-oh-oh-oh, wee-oo-oh-oh-oh, wee-oo-oh-oh-oh.
Aaron Pete:OCMCIS, thank you. O-c-m-c-i-a, thank you. It's always good to acknowledge FortisBC, the sponsor. Our hands go out to the sponsor for this evening as well, and a special thanks to the crew who made this happen and to each and every one of you for making this so special as well. Oh, see him. Yes, you can say it. Thank you, thank you.
Aaron Pete:So, very briefly Eddie mentioned it I am running for chief of my community and I just want to really appreciate Eddie for all of his support. My mother and I grew up off of reserve, completely disconnected from our culture and our community, and it's individuals like Eddie who say that that's your birthright to connect with your culture, to connect with your community, to hold up your culture and your teachings in a good way. And there's a lot in First Nations communities that a lot of trauma of people who don't think that that's your right to be able to access those things or connect or to serve or to give back. And I just I can't appreciate Eddie enough for making the culture accessible to other people like yourselves, but for always wanting to support others and connecting and learning more and and trying to be a steward for that. So I just I can't appreciate him enough.
Aaron Pete:In terms of the formalities of this evening we are at a close and I appreciate all of you for being willing to come. We have lots more food still sitting out there, so please eat it, because I cannot eat 17 pizzas to myself or the rebrand is not going to be reflective of what I'll look like after 17 pizzas. We have more drinks, more snacks, and so I hope you don't rush to your vehicles and rush home. I hope you're able to connect. We'll have everybody out front willing to chat with you if you have any questions. I hope that this just can be a relaxing evening where you have another drink, chat with your friends and then you're able to head out to your evenings. But feel free to head out if that's your preference. But thank you all for being willing to attend tonight. I really appreciate it.
Eddie Gardner :Thank you.
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