Why Bother?

The final episode of All That Matters. We thought it’d be fitting to go out with one of the big questions behind everything we’ve done on the show: Why bother? Why bother making something, rather than nothing?

We’ve got three stories for you. Elevator pitch master Julie Ferguson returns, as we follow them through the daily hustle of bussing between rehearsals and trying to make ends meet. We talk to Daniel Secker, a drummer who always wanted to make it big. And we talk to filmmaker Geraldine Carr, who wants to go bigger.

This show is coming to a close because most of the producers who’ve worked on it over the years have moved away, or moved on to other projects. We’re sad to wrap things up, but really excited to keep making great stories for you through CJSR. You can find alumni from our show on Fuses With the Muses, Topograph, Word, Adamant Eve, and soon on Generator.

We’ve really enjoyed making this show for you over the years. Thank you for listening to our little corner of the radio.

This episode first aired on September 14, 2016.

Director’s Cut

This week: Director’s Cut. We have three bonus stories that we wanted to put in earlier episodes, but just couldn’t find time for.

This week, we revisit the question of whether it’s the camera or the photographer that makes a great picture. Lisbon Lux Records’ Julien Manaud tells us about the time he suddenly found himself becoming a producer for the first time, a manager, and then a music video director. And to top it all off, he was filming on an iPhone.

Then, more stories answering that question artists love hearing: What would you say you do here? Like, what is your job anyway? We went to Game Discovery Exhibition Edmonton – GDX back in May and spoke to Neil Thompson and David Lam, Art and Animation Director and External Art Director at Bioware (respectively). That’s also where we caught up with Nathan Weatherby and Tyler Copeland, the entrepeneurs behind Polyhobby Studios.

This episode first aired on September 7, 2016.

Nice Camera

Is it the camera or the photographer that makes a great picture? Is it the artist… or the tools? This week on All That Matters, we compare old and new Doctors Who with Steven Schapansky, co-host of the podcast Doctor Who: Radio Free Skaro. Two scenes about the same time-travelling alien with a big blue box, shot almost fifty years apart. How did the look change over the decades, and why?

And we ask Canmore-based photographer Graham Twomey how much credit he gives the fancy gear he uses to take the perfect shot.

This episode first aired on August 17, 2016.

Kids These Days

Kids these days with their Pokémons and their decadently wide sleeves… On today’s episode of All That Matters: are kids these days really the worst generation ever? We head out to catch Pokémon with Edmonton’s Sean Walker, and Professor Mau Chuan-Hui helps us take a look at the women who broke imperial dress codes during the Qing Dynasty.

This episode first aired on August 3, 2016.

Dead or Alive

The Telus World of Science was originally designed by Canadian architect Douglas Cardinal. But its expansions weren’t. How should we treat iconic buildings as the years go on? Especially when the creator is still alive and kicking? We’ve got the story of the many, many times Douglas Cardinal’s buildings have been changed over the years, and how he feels about it.

In this episode, we spoke to Douglas Cardinal, Edmonton-based architect and Cafe Mosaics co-owner Khuyen Des, and Telus World of Science President & CEO Alan Nursall.

This episode first aired on July 27, 2016.

When Obsession Becomes Passion

What happens when an obsession becomes a passion? On this episode of All That Matters, we chat with Reggie Stefaniszyn, an editor, ESL instructor, and table hockey enthusiast whose hobby has taken him all over the world. And we speak with mixed media artist Darlene Madden, whose artistic career has impacted many people’s lives.

This episode first aired on July 20, 2016.

Putting a Price on Art

How do you put a price on what you’ve made? On this week’s show, we talk to two artists from the Carrot Cafe about all the things that go into pricing their art. Then we get the skinny from freelance journalist Taylor Lambert, who launched a kickstarter for an indie media outlet called The Calgarian, about the unintended consequences of putting out a public request for funding. And we’ll hear from Heart of the City Music and Arts Festival 2016‘s Mike Siek about all the hidden costs that go into running a festival.

This episode first aired on June 1, 2016.

It’s Up To You

Have you seen Sandra Oh’s first feature film, 1994’s Double Happiness? If not, you’re not alone. Asian-Canadians are criminally under-represented on screen. This week we’re asking, whose responsibility is it to make sure stories like this get told? Is it up to big studios and funders? Is it up to the people who aren’t being represented enough in pop culture?

We’ll speak to Alexis Kienlen, curator of the Asian Canadian Film Series showing Double Happiness and a bevy of other films at Metro Cinema this month. And we’ll hear from Stuart McDougall, one of the folks behind Fort Edmonton Park’s new queer history initiative.

This episode first aired on May 18, 2016.

What Makes a Hero?

What makes a hero? Is it the choices they make? The way we see them? On today’s episode of All That Matters, we talk to the creators of Heroes of 107th, an attempt to reframe how Edmontonians see the people who live and work near 107th Ave. And we speak to Kristine Kowalchuk about how she started the campaign to save the Cloverdale Footbridge.

This episode originally aired on May 11, 2016.

There was a technical glitch during the live show – apologies for that! We’ll upload the full version of the interview that got cut off below.

Avatars

This week: Avatars. We were really curious how composite sketches are made, so we went straight to the source: the Edmonton Police Service’s Sgt Alanna Harrison joins us to tell us about the emotional and labour-intensive process of building a sketch of a suspect. And digital artist Braxton Penner joins us to talk about how digital avatars are made for video games.

You can watch Braxton Penner’s 3D modeling and texturing demo reel online here:

3D Modeling and Texturing Demo Reel Braxton Penner 2016 from Braxton Penner on Vimeo.

Demo Reel for Braxton Penner (2016)

Song Credit – San Holo Remix – Dr.Dre, The Nest Episode.

This episode first aired on April 27, 2016.