For The Culture Canada Podcast

“Theres so much talent in Kelowna. I wanna be able to help someone else get to the point where their favourite artist is.”  If Matt had a mission statement for what he does this quote would be it. He’s a versatile videographer, photographer, musician etc… who’s interest solely lies in documenting hardcore punk and electronic music. He really believes in the talent in Kelowna and I believe it’s important to have him around. You can tell he had a lot to say in this interview and I’m happy to say it’s available now everywhere!

“It’s why a lot of people do keep full time jobs. it takes the pressure off of doing gigs you don’t wanna do.”  By the time my interview with photographer David Vassiliev was over it honestly felt like we were good friends already. It really demonstrated how friendly he was and captivating his story-telling was. INSTAGRAM @FortheCultureCanada @davidvassiliev

Jaide Bateman is a visual artist who specializes in alcohol ink and beautifully tranquil pieces of art. She was sincere and so fun to speak to. You’ll find her personality was just as inviting as her art! Please check out the interview! INSTAGRAM @FortheCultureCanada @jaidefoxpaintings

“I’m a big believer in you turn one hard turn a million. You just have to make an impact in your community of what you’re doing. I feel like we’re doing that. We get recognized at festivals. We’ve made that impact.”  I’m just gonna be blunt here, this interview with Ben was amazing! From Sam Roberts DMing him about a remix Ben made for one of his songs, to being recognized at festivals I just had a blast. I know I say this in every post but really I felt like this one was even better than the last. You have to hear it!
NOW AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY, APPLE PODCASTS, AND ALL OTHER MAJOR STREAMING PLATFORMS!  INSTAGRAM
  @FortheCultureCanada 
 @StundMusic

“We’re really trying to push this culture. Our entire thing is to build this culture. I think there is the climate (for house music) to pop off. We’ve done a lot of shows and people honestly are surprised at how much they enjoy themselves.”  One major thing I learned about Broken Future in this interview is they know they’re sitting on top of something major right now. Almost like an untapped gold mine just waiting to be harvested. These guys have a clear vision of promoting their own culture and being in the forefront of the house music scene. They’re about to drop their first album, a 1+ hour house music epic designed to be shared amongst other DJs in their budding community. It doesn’t hurt that this was one the best interviews I’ve had yet! Very personable and great speakers. Enjoy! INSTAGRAM @FortheCultureCanada @BrokenFutureOfficial

“I don’t view either one of them (Wedding Photography & DJing) as work. I’d probably just do both for fun.”  The beauty of what Nikita said right here is he managed to find a way to get paid good money to do what he loves. He’s been revered by many couples across the Okanagan for his wonderfully expressive photography & contributed to the legendary atmosphere of downtown Kelowna Cactus Club for many memorable nights. It’s been one of the most fun and engaging interviews I’ve ever had. Enjoy! Instagram @FortheCultureCanada @n.k.t.a

“My whole goal with this is to constantly be improving... and an artist that stagnates doesn’t stay an artist very long.” Graham is a wonderfully quirky visual artist who graduated from Simon Fraser University with a Visual Arts degree. He practices pointillism with a really strong sense of depth and character. Meaning have you ever seen an octopus tentacle come out of a banana peel? I haven’t either until I stumbled upon Graham’s work. I really hope you like this interview as much as I did. Enjoy! INSTAGRAM @FortheCultureCanada @graham.s.white

“My dad brought me into it. He was a wedding photographer back in the 70’s, 80’s.”  If you’ve ever seen pictures taken in Sapphire or Level of your friends or famous artists in Kelowna in the last 5 years you’ve definitely seen the prolific work of Justin Hill. He’s captured photos of Ghostface Killah, 88GLAM, ScHoolboy Q and tens of thousands of other people. He’s got the hours in to make it count. This mans not just a gripping photographer, he’s also started an e-commerce website with his partner called Crafted Canada to showcase Canada’s artisans in a new innovative way to shop! Enjoy!  Instagram  @FortheCultureCanada  @jjustinhilll  @craftedcanada

"I can see lots of different people's tastes on things and what they like. You can adapt and learn. I learn from every client, I use that to go forward." Cameron Kipp is the founder of CKGraphX which is a logo design/graphics design agency. He's done work with a wide variety of clients ranging from a sushi house, to cafe's and even root beer labels! This man's understated personality displays a very strong sense of tact in his way of speaking and a very clean, less is more philosophy in his work. Enjoy! Instagram @FortheCultureCanada @ckgraphx

“The confidence has allowed me to get to this point and it’s not been going to school, studying marketing, or studying what makes the instagram algorithm help me more. It’s been the fact that I’ve worked with people and they’re like ‘you’re real good’ or ‘you’re good at this, charge more’ and they’ve helped shape who I am.”  Shayne Massy and Paige Vendittelli are on the rise as the Kelowna’s hottest film making duo having worked with the likes of Danny Gets Fit, Patty Lifts, various musicians and multi-million dollar companies. To date this has honestly been one of my favourite interviews I’ve ever done. The combo of Shayne’s insight & down to earth character with Paige’s bubbly & charming personality made them a very endearing couple to speak to. Enjoy!  INSTAGRAM  @FortheCultureCanada  @shaynemassy  @paige.vendittelli

“The worst case scenario is having a pretty good job, doing something that I don’t mind doing, making money that way and paying my bills. If thats the worst it’s gonna get then why not go for it?” That quote by Steve pulled from our interview together really resonated with me because of how many people are in this very position but are too afraid to jump into the void by pursuing their passions. Literally two days after telling me this he left Kelowna to tour the country and paint. If that isn’t jumping into the void then I don’t know what is. This mans optimism and perspective on life is completely infectious. Enjoy! INSTAGRAM @FortheCultureCanada @creativisteve

“I’m very much a believer and liver of that quote ‘if you pick something you enjoy doing you’ll never work a day in your life.’ That’s 100% my life.” Shelby Leanne is the founder of Tantalizing Talons which is a private in home custom gel nail enhancement studio. She started this company all on her own in high school and has been building her brand and reputation for the last 10 years. I left the interview feeling completely in aw by her passion and insane attention to detail. We need more people like her. You gotta hear this. INSTAGRAM @FortheCultureCanada @tantalizingtalons

“We had 700 people come and we were open from 12-4. There was a lineup out the door at 11:50. The SPCA has never seen so many people.” When I first started For the Culture I’ve always had Nicole as a person I knew I needed to interview for the podcast and I’m THRILLED to have her and incredibly personable business partner Jesse as featured guests in my fourth episode of the For the Culture Canada Podcast. In this episode we talk about their cat cafe, The Scratching post, its wild success as a popup shop and where it’s future is headed. INSTAGRAM @FortheCultureCanada @scratchingpost_kelowna @nicoleebarron @jess9

“I really am passionate about people following their dreams and doing what they want; living their own life.” Austin is a friend of mine who speaks to exactly why I do these interviews in the first place. He combines his passion for fashion and his natural entrepreneurial spirit to harbour an aesthetic designed to inspire those around him. http://ownlife.ca INSTAGRAM @FortheCultureCanada @austinthiemann @ownlife.clothing

"You can't listen to everybody else's opinions really when you're doing your own thing because it starts to cloud your opinion and change who you really are and what you built." Rashaun is the embodiment of a true entrepreneur in every sense of the word. He uses his creativity to fuel his successful clothing line Kosher Apparel, run his YouTube channel and build a media company. He took time out of his busy schedule exclusively for this interview. https://www.kosherapl.com https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClnG0SHgQJm9CcZWIEgRnMw INSTAGRAM @FortheCultureCanada @rashaun_r @KosherApparel

“We’re a trans-media multi platform storytelling project...” Today we feature the hugely insightful Quinn McGraw of Living Machines who talks about his intense grind of getting his passion off the ground and into the global market. https://livingmachines.bandcamp.com https://www.lvmcofficial.com INSTAGRAM @FortheCulureCanada @livingmachinesinitiative @strayvessel

Grey Hearts Denim is a Kelowna, BC based fashion brand specializing in reworking in locally sourced denim and workwear. I spoke to owners Sean and Paul about a myriad of different things such as how they survived 2020 as a new company, what they did to support Black Lives Matter, and much more! They're a very smart couple of guys with excellent business sense, a strong eye for fashion and great ethics backing their brand which is why I wanted to spotlight them here. Enjoy! Follow us YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOMo... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forthecultu... Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FortheCultur... Twitter: https://twitter.com/4theCultureCA   Follow them  Website: https://greyheartsdenim.ca/   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greyheartsd...