What it's like to be an actor making a podcast.
Vol. 33 - Joel (JD) Montgrand chats about his new podcast, Actors and Ancestors, plus 5 new Canadian podcasts out this month!
Hihi!! Happy Pod the North Tuesday!
In this issue:
Some podcasts I’ve been into this month!
True Detective’s Joel (JD) Montgrand says we're in a native renaissance.
Canadian Indie: Disrupting Death
True North Podcast Feature: Nightmares of the Americas
5 new podcasts and lots of really cool Canadian podcasting news.
There are currently 28 long-term drinking water advisories in effect in 26 First Nations communities across Canada.
The cold weather has frozen my brain…
As the winter starts to roll in this week in Ontario, my brain is headed straight to holiday mode and is practically turned off.
Luckily, I do have a bunch of stuff in the works for Pod the North that is just requiring some more digging and more time (which you can help support by buying me a coffee, an ad, or signing up for a paid subscription!).
But this week, I’ve got nothing whitty to say about podcasts.
Instead, I’m going to shout out some podcasts that I’ve been really into these days, incase you’re looking for something new to at to your queue:
The Liquid Courage Podcast:
Amanda Pereira has had a bunch of podcasty people on the Liquid Courage Podcast lately that I’ve been having a blast getting to listen to outside of their regular context, like Maddy Foley (30 Going on 13), and the Sonar Network’s Marianna Miniotis. Amanda seriously knows how to bring life to a podcast and is a shining example of holding space for her guests while being an absolute hype-man for them, and a hoot to listen to. I go here for the best vibes!
The Newfoundlander:
The new series from Canadaland, The Newfoundlander, hosted and created by reporter Justin Brake, has been a totally fascinating listen. The series starts one way and by episode two alone brings up even more questions about Newfoundland’s history than you probably ever thought you’d have. The series is really worth a listen of you’ve ever wondered what defines someone’s identity, and what it’d be like if your family’s national history wasn’t what you thought it was.
Romancing the Pod:
My partner, Mark, and I are pretty avid movie-review podcast listeners.
For some unexplicable reason, I dubbed this November, “Rom-Action Comedy” month, in which we watched as many funny, romantic, adventure and action movies a possible. Titles included: Romancing the Stone, The Lost City (which is basically Romancing the Stone with Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum and Daniel Radcliffe), Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and a few more. Sadly, I did not get my 2000th viewing of A Knight’s Tale in, but I still have a couple days left of the month sooooo….
All that to say, Romancing the Pod, the podcast that reviews romance movies, was the perfect companion podcast to this months movie marathoning. I have zero regrets, hosts Mikey, Paige and Todd crack me the heck up, and I only wish I’d found this podcast sooner!
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Thoughts from the ecosystem:
True Detective’s Joel (JD) Montgrand says we're in a native renaissance.
Vancouver-based Joel (JD) Montgrand has a really exciting year ahead! In January 2024, he’ll be hitting TV screens around the world in the new season of HBO’s True Detective. Just a month later, you can catch him in the new Live-Action ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’.
Like a cherry on top, earlier this week, JD launched his new podcast, Actors and Ancestors, a podcast about Indigenous actors talking about… being Indigenous actors!
With three episodes out already — including a really inviting first episode where Joel gets to introduce himself — the podcast is set to feature not only plenty of talented actors, but a ton of incredible stories and teachings that personally, I was very excited to learn from. With the launch of Actors and Ancestors and his two latest acting gigs, the next few months of Joel’s life are sure to be an unforgettable ride!
I recently talked to Joel about why he decided to create his podcast, how his acting chops impacted his approach to the podcasting world, and what it’s been like creating it with one of his favourite people, his partner Daniella Barreto (Rights Back At You).
Our chat was filled with just pure joy, I can’t wait to see what comes next for Joel and Daniella!
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Kattie Laur: Congratulations, first of all, on all the really exciting projects that you're a part of! So, I have questions about you getting into podcasting as an actor, but give me the cliff's notes on what your podcast is!
Joel D Montgrand: My podcast Actors and Ancestors is a podcast that I went searching for and wasn't able to find. It just didn't exist, sadly. So I decided I was going to be the one that was going to have to make it.
I just wanted to listen to a bunch of Indigenous actors and hear their experiences. I took it upon myself and my partner, Daniella Barreto [who] is a podcaster herself, and with her help I was able to get this off of the ground!
I'm just really focused on staying in my lane. I'm an Indigenous actor. I want to talk to Indigenous actors. But invariably it's impossible to not talk about some of the heavy topics because they just permeate all of our lives. There's not an Indigenous person out there that doesn't have some type of trauma that they've faced.
What I'm hoping to do is just show any other Indigenous person listening or POCs, anyone that's just interested in “the biz”, that we're not all that different. There's no wrong way to pursue this dream. And if you are Indigenous, there's never been a better time.
We're in a native renaissance. You should jump in if you have those dreams, you don't even have to leave your home communities anymore.
KL: Can I clarify, is Daniella your romantic partner or your business partner?
JDM: Both!
KL: Aww! I keep finding more and more couples creating podcasts together, I love it!
JDM: You know, it's joyous. We're very happily in love and I think that definitely helps that we like being around each other.
We work well together, she keeps me motivated and focused. I do the same for her just by being in the room — not that I'm helping her with the editing!
KL: So you're coming into the podcasting space with acting chops and then Daniella's got her podcasting chops and her perception of the podcasting industry. What kind of things have you been bringing into the podcasting space that you've learned from acting?
JDM: Oh yeah, well, specifically staying within my lane. I didn't want to talk about things that I didn't really understand or know about. I've heard a lot of really cringey questions being asked to have native people, wrong assumptions thinking that we're a monolith or something.
When it comes to Indigenous podcasts, in my view a lot of it can feel like it's scattershot, like, everyone's trying to talk about everything in the Indigenous world. And, that's a real challenge.
So I was like, I'm just going to stay really focused on one thing: we're actors, we're promoting our culture, we're making people proud of who they are by seeing other people that are like them on screen.
All these white people will know who these white [actors] are but they won't be able to name indigenous actors. For instance, the lady in Scorsese's new movie. They won't know their names, and that bothers me.
And from my viewpoint of being a person that's often mistaken as a white person, I just want to show other “Mixie” kids out there that you can be proud of who you are.
KL: So what are your expectations for the success of your acting career impacting your podcast?
JDM: Yeah, it is very exciting because I just did an interview with CBC radio actually, and they were saying, “it sounds like you don't even need to do this podcast!” I mean, it's not about need, I think it's necessary.
Weirdly enough, who knows, this could be it for me in terms of acting, but it is a successful ladder to climb. I mean, I'm in some of the biggest shows in the world that’s going to be coming out and nobody knows who I am. And I'm fine with that.
But soon they might, and I hope to use that to elevate not just my platform, but maybe other people's platforms, because not other people are doing it for us. We are the ones that are responsible for our success with each other.
KL: Like you mentioned, it's about filling a gap that you couldn't find and building a community, I definitely resonate with that!
JDM: The success for me will be that someday someone will actually be like, “this helped me find my path… I listened to this interview with this person and I was able to really focus in and start pursuing this.” That would blow my mind!
What Joel is loving:
Check out this Canadian Indie: Disrupting Death
Conversations about Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada.
True North Podcast Feature: Nightmares of the Americas
Stories of murder, disappearance, cryptids, hauntings, and mysteries that will have you petrified.
Have you ever been alone alone on a dark road, and all you hear is the sound of crickets and the rustle of leaves...and then it's there! It's all around you! It's that feeling, isn't it? That creepy, crawling sensation in your gut. The one that tells you something bad is about to happen?
Learn about the horrors that lurk in the shadows of Native American folklore. Each episode explores the darkest places in North and South America, from native stories, lore, mysteries and true crime.
What’s going on in Canada’s podcast ecosystem:
New Releases:
COASTERS, an offbeat, quirky miniseries about community and the small stories that define us, is back! The first episode was picked up by CANADALAND, and now the show is set to be featured on Amazon and Acast's "Indie Podcast Amplifier" collection on Amazon Music. From host, Sophia Woodrooffe, “if you have time for a quick skim/listen, I suggest the first (if you want to learn why Canada is obsessed with long-dead TV series, The Beachcombers) or the third (if you want to learn about the the last great ornithological mystery in North America).”
Cooking Up Culture, from UCB Masters of Journalism student, Karla Jubaily, is a podcast that explores how our childhood memories of family meals forge connections, preserve traditions and mould our identities.
One Dollar Words, from Nug Nahrgang and the Sonar Network has launched with a live show! Check out the first episode from Fan Expo featuring the Food Network’s, John Catucci.
Among Equals, from Knockabout Media, launched November 22nd. Fifty years ago, a group of First Nations artists gathered to form the Professional Native Indian Artists Incorporation (PNIAI). From Expo 67 to their groundbreaking exhibition at the Winnipeg Art Gallery and beyond, learn more about the lives and artistic practices of the PNIAI and its members, and how they changed the art world forever.
Hollywood exiles, a new podcast from CBC Podcasts and the BBC World Service comes out January 22nd, 2024. The podcast follows the the story of how its host, Oona Chaplin’s grandfather, Charlie Chaplin, became a part of an FBI campaign.
You should know…
More incredible content for Canadian podcasters — check out Northern Voices from ! This new, ongoing column on on the
newsletter is where you can discover and learn from Black Canadian podcasters and help to amplify the rich tapestry of voices echoing from the Great Black North. Check out the latest issue filled with great recommendations here!Submit your narrative podcast for Bingeworthy’s 2023 list!
listened to more than 35 different narrative series this year, but has only written about 20-ish. If you want her to listen to your series, or a series you loved, she’s got room for a few more she drops her list. You have until December 1st to contact her!Amplify Podcast Network is accepting applications for their first Podcast School until December 15th! The course is five days of hands-on workshops and seminars for scholars looking to make a podcast. The CFP’s professors includes an incredible roster of the smartest people in podcasting that’s worth checking out!
JAR Audio’s Roger Nairn says that engagement, rather than conversions, should be a branded podcast’s North Star. “Engagement is a long game — but it does lead to conversions. An engaged audience that trusts and values your brand is more likely to turn to you when they’re ready to make a decision.”
A coalition of 20 local, regional and national media outlets from across Canada have launched Unrigged.ca, a news platform that provides up-to-the-hour news and podcasts, including content from the Harbinger Media Network. Bookmark it in your browser!
For your pod:
There’s a free tool for podcasters to get cross promotion recommendations tailored to your podcast, Grro. Check out the demo here.
How to add your podcast RSS feed to YouTube (and should you?) from
Just Joe (and his best friend over the weekend)…
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Kattie
@Podkatt (Twitter, Spotify, and Goodpods) | @PodtheNorth (Bluesky)
Thank SO MUCH for mentioned 'Northern Voices' Katie. Truly appreciate it!
Thank you for promoting Northern Voices with Sherley Joseph. We are so excited to have this launched! Cant wait to see how it helps bridge the gap for Canadian voices.