Catching up with actress Jennifer Podemski

It’s been a well deserved recent run for actress Jennifer Podemski.

In addition to her already impressive career which includes roles on some of our favorite programs such as Smoke Signals, Reservation Dogs , Moccasin Flats, Empire of Dirt, and Degrassi: The Next Generation, to name but a few, she also boasts major contributiuons behind the camera as a producer and writer on shows including Unsettled. The Other Side, Coming home and more recently, Little Bird.

Not only has she been named the 2024 Woman of the Year by Actra National, but The Crave/APTN original series Little Bird leads the TV series categories with 19 nominations, including for best drama series, best drama performance for stars Darla Contois and Ellyn Jade and best drama direction for Zoe Leigh Hopkins and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers.

Billy catches up with Jen to congratulate her on the recent nods and chat a bit about family life, some of her favorite roles and the future of the Indigenous film industry:

Learn more about Jens ACTRA Woman of the Year announcement here.

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See Jen’s IMDB list of credits here.

BIO

Actor, Writer, Producer, Director Jennifer Podemski is a director, writer, producer and actor. Born and raised in Toronto, Jennifer makes her home in Barrie, Ontario.

Of mixed Anishinaabe (First Nation) and Ashkenazi (Jewish) decent, Jennifer’s professional acting career began when she was 17. Her breakout role was Sadie, in Bruce McDonald’s iconic film, Dance Me Outside, a performance that garnered critical acclaim, solidifying her place in Canada’s film and television canon.

In 1999 Jennifer shifted her focus to producing as a way to address the lack of Indigenous representation in the film and television industry. She launched Big Soul Productions with Laura Milliken becoming Canada’s first Indigenous owned and operated, full-service film and television production and post production company. Big Soul Productions produced a variety of documentary television series, scripted short films and the award winning, multi-season, all Indigenous dramatic television series Moccasin Flats for Showcase Television and APTN.

In 2005, Jennifer branched out independently and has been creating, producing, writing and directing content through her production company Redcloud Studios Inc. Her most recent credits include 5 seasons of the paranormal television series The Other Side (APTN), the award winning feature film Empire of Dirt and two seasons of documentary series Future History (APTN) for which she received the 2020 Canadian Screen Award for Best Director Factual.

Jennifer has maintained a successful career as an actor, with roles in Degrassi TNG, Republic of Doyle, Take This Waltz, Blackstone, Hard Rock Medical and Cardinal. She is most proud of her starring role in her own film Empire of Dirt which was nominated for 5 Canadian Screen Awards in 2015 including Best Actress (Cara Gee), Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Podemski), Best Editing (Jorge Weisz), Best Film (Jennifer Podemski) and a win for Best Screenplay making Shannon Masters the first Indigenous woman to receive this honor.

In 2020, Jennifer launched The Shine Network, a digital platform designed to amplify the voices of Indigenous women content creators and offer professional development opportunities to Indigenous women.

Redcloud Studios Inc. With veteran producer, Jennifer Podemski, at the helm, Redcloud Studios has produced award-winning and critically acclaimed productions across all platforms and genres for over 15 years.

Redcloud Studios is committed to creating and producing Indigenous content through an Indigenous lens while building capacity and creating opportunities within the screen sector for aspiring Indigenous storytellers. From concept to completion, Jennifer leads the creative on a wide variety of content from dramatic series to documentary, factual and live broadcast.