Invested in the future of Canadian news, content creation, and storytelling? Marla Boltman explains how these are essential for Canadian cultural sovereignty.
Most Canadians don’t think twice about watching a Hollywood movie, binging a Netflix original series, or scrolling on a Meta social media platform, like Instagram or Facebook. Consuming American content has become second nature to us.
In our season two finale, we sit down with Marla Boltman, the Executive Director of Friends of Canadian Media to discuss the fight to protect Canadian media in an era dominated by U.S. tech giants. Marla shares her journey from working at a video store as a teenager to becoming a lawyer and policy advocate, explaining how her passion for Canadian content and cultural sovereignty led her to take on this critical role.
As we navigate a rapidly changing media landscape and export relationship with our southern neighbour this conversation is a must-listen for anyone invested in the future of Canadian news, content creation, and storytelling.
This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email media@emdashagency.ca with any questions.
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Caitlin Kealey: Welcome to Ampersand, the podcast helping good people be heard and comms people be better. I'm Caitlin Keeley, the CEO of EMDASH.
Megana Ramaswami: And I'm Meghana Ramaswamy, Senior Strategist at EMDASH. So on this episode, I got to speak with the incomparable Marla Boltman, Executive Director of Friends of Canadian Media.
Caitlin Kealey: I'm super jealous that you got to talk to Marla and I didn't. What did you talk about?
Megana Ramaswami: Marla, you know, has had an impressive career in the backrooms of Canadian broadcasting. And so in this episode, we talk about how she's now leading the fight to protect Canadian media.
Caitlin Kealey: Well, I love the CBC. I love Canadian media, and I definitely love Marla.
Megana Ramaswami: I couldn't help it. I did wear my CBC shirt when we recorded this, and I know you can't see the video, but just know that in spirit, that's how we always like to support this organization. So let's get into it.
Megana Ramaswami: So, we've got a fun little icebreaker question for you, which is, share a memory from your first computer or early days on the internet.
Marla Boltman: Ah, early days on the internet. Well, I was, I was really there because in 1996, I was just coming off a sociology degree and, uh, I don't think we even, we must've had computers, but we, we certainly didn't use them and, uh, nothing like today, obviously, and then I ended up going to Ryerson, which is now, uh, you know, TMU for their radio and television arts program.
And one of the first projects that I was assigned. Was to build what I think they called a web page for this thing called quote the internet and I think we had to include, like, a main graphic and then two side graphics with a couple live links. I have no idea what they would have done been live linking to, um, at the, at the time, I obviously had no idea where the internet was going.
I was extremely focused on the fact that I spelled a word in the title of my project incorrectly. That was my biggest focus when it came to the internet at that time. And then later that summer, I got my first, I'll call it my first adult job at a place called Atlantis films. And there we had what they called the intranet, but that allowed us to communicate, by email with people within the organization.
There were no, there was no internet surfing. There was no communicating with anyone else other than people, you know, who worked there. And to be perfectly clear about what time we're talking about here, we very much used fax machines. So that was my first experience with the internet.
Megana Ramaswami: I love that right from the start. That's pretty exciting, honestly. And it must be really exhilarating to kind of see and be along for the ride for everything since. Um, so let's go back to another starting point. How did you get started in media and communications? I mean, you kind of told us that you started with, it sounds like a film company, is that correct?
Marla Boltman: That is correct. It started, well, okay, if I'm going to go back to the real beginning, because I think this actually matters if you say people reveal their true selves at a very early age. Um, I started working at a video store when I was 14 years old. So I came through the content door, and if any one of your listeners is wondering whether working at a video store is the best job you can get in high school, the answer is yes, it is.
It is not just what they say in the movies, it's actually the best job, and it comes with free popcorn. Um, so I used to feed my customers Canadian content films all the time, things that they would never have found on their own, and they always came back for more.
And so I'd say that was sort of my introduction, to media, you know, I did a slight left turn when I went and got my sociology degree at Western and then came right back by going to, um, RTA, to you know, radio and television arts and, um. So I did that for about 8 years at Atlantis Films was where I was for a very long time. Some people may remember, known as Alliance Atlantis Films. Those were the two biggest Canadian production companies and they merged.
Uh, then I went on and did a few other jobs. And then at one point, I decided I wanted to go to law school. Um, so after law school, I assumed when I went to law school that I would become a, just an entertainment lawyer. That was a lot of the work that I did when I was in the production industry, that sort of business affairs, legal stuff.
So I just assumed I'll go to law school. I'll be an entertainment lawyer. But then I started getting very involved in cultural policy issues. With respect to Canadian content, so that's kind of like more macro-level things like funding incentives, intellectual property rights and ownership rights, contributions to the Canadian broadcasting ecosystem.
I started doing that while I was being an entertainment lawyer and what I saw was the growing dominance of US media giants, kind of hollowing out our broadcast and content industry, excuse me, industries. And that included news. So, you know, my work in content production led to my work in policy, which led to my current job at Friends of Canadian Media.
And the way I see it, you know, it's basically the perfect combination of my, my passion, my professional experience, and apparently an inexhaustible supply of energy when it comes to standing up to these big American companies who really don't, always, or dare I say often, have Canada's best interests at heart.
Megana Ramaswami: I love that. It kind of sounds like you've actually seen the media industry from a variety of different sides, which is very cool. And, you know, kind of leads you to where you are now. Would you say based on that, that it's easier or harder to work in the media space now compared to when you got started?
Marla Boltman: I think it's a bit of both. So I'm going to give you an example. Um, one of my best friends who, her family, family of four. Three of them work in the media space. Two of those three work in jobs that did not exist when I first started working out and they're working on platforms that did not exist when I first started out.
So, you know, media used to really mean one thing and now it means 1000 things, and the infinite possibilities and the lack of gatekeepers that we had when, you know, when we were first starting out, it makes it exciting. And I would say maybe easier to be in this, this space, but at the same time, I don't.
I doubt you've read it and I encourage people to read it, um, Justine Bateman just recently wrote a great article about the Death of Hollywood. And, um, you know, to quote her, she said the quote, “scaffolding”, that used to hold up a career in media, at least I'm talking here specifically about the content side, has been torn down.
And, you know, what she basically was saying, and I'm going to paraphrase her is that, you know, businesses aren't being built the same way. Newcomers don't have the same opportunities to flourish, to build a reputation and to earn respect. But then would pay dividends down the road. And what I have seen in my time is with big tech companies like Meta, like Google, like Netflix. You know, they're dominating the media and content marketplace, and they have really changed the stakes.
They have a much different culture. It's ruthless. It's hyper-competitive. There is not the same level of respect and collaboration or the same spirit of compromise and fairness. What I see is market domination, and shareholder value at all costs, and I think it's harder to grow and thrive and carve out a space for yourself in that kind of environment.
Megana Ramaswami: That makes sense. I mean, it sounds like you are kind of on the front lines of defense on a lot of different sides when it comes to protecting, you know, media and Canadian media specifically. Um, but what gets you excited about championing Canadian media? You know, what kind of gets you up and, and, you know, lights a fire under your belly to, to do it.
Marla Boltman: Well, I mean, I guess I'm a fighter by nature. You kind of have to be to take one of these jobs. But, you know, we share the longest international border with the most prolific and influential producers of media and content in the world, the Americans. For better or worse, that has an incredible influence over our culture.
So our ability to protect and promote Canadian culture and Canadian identity happens through the sharing of stories. And that, you know, film, TV, news, journalism, music, whatever you want to pick, you know, standing up for Canadian voices in Canadian media means standing up for our cultural sovereignty.
And everything about that is exciting to me because I'm, I'm very concerned that if we don't champion our own story, our own stories and how they are told, who gets to tell them and how Canadian audiences access these stories, that ALL of these decisions will be made by foreign tech giants south of the border.
And on a more personal level, in terms of the work that I've, you know, I've done and seen over the last decade, in particular, I've just come to see how these American companies, you know, they, they really, in my opinion, see Canada as a resource to be mined, rather than a country of excellence in its own right, where the players should be compensated properly for the work that they do.
And so, I am pretty fired up about making sure that Canadians stay in the driver's seat when it comes to telling our own stories to ourselves and to the rest of the world.
Megana Ramaswami: I think that's very admirable. And it's something that we absolutely need. And I want to touch on something that you talked about a little bit earlier, you know, about, you know, the, the, the shift that you've went, you, you, what you underwent, uh, going from content to news. And as we talk about giant tech companies like Meta, it's kind of hard not to talk about the proliferation of misinformation and how that's really affected, you know, Canadian news, Canadian content, Canadian media.
Um, what are some effective strategies that you and your team have used to combat misinformation, especially related to the work that you do in defending Canadian media?
Marla Boltman: Well, I think kind of in its own way, everything we do comes back to this. I'll be more specific here. So, two of our key priorities at Friends of Canadian Media are defending the CBC and advocating for long-term sustainable Canadian, long-term sustainable Canadian news media sector. So, I think at this point, there are certain facts that we are aware of. And one of those facts is that editory, rigorous, and verifiable news provided by people like the CBC and other Canadian news outlets are our best defence against misinformation and disinformation.
And, we continue to face many challenges on both these fronts, given the Conservatives call to defund the CBC and the closing of so many news outlets across the country, particularly at the local level. So our grassroots advocacy, which is what we do at Friends of Canadian Media, we speak for the average Canadian: you, me, your parents, your grandparents, who care about these issues.
Uh, we, you know, we don't get any government money. We don't get any corporate sponsorships. This is, we raise money, you know, one dollar at a time from, like I said, Canadians who care about these issues and that advocacy. A lot of it is, is designed around combating misinformation and disinformation through trying to support and protect local news, news, the CBC, and all those other sort of related things.
And so that means meeting with MPs appearing before parliamentary committees, you know, regulatory hearings and consultations, you know, all those things that impact Canadian news and the CBC. Of which there have been a lot of, particularly in the last couple years.
And, uh, one of the things that we've done very recently, which is, you know, smack, hits disinformation and misinformation right on the head is, uh, we've launched a campaign with some partners in the States called Check My Ads to inform and educate not just Canadians, but North Americans about how big tech companies, like Meta and Google, are using advertising dollars to fund harmful content online, including misinformation and disinformation.
And the whole point of this campaign is to try and put pressure on both the US government in the States and the Canadian government to come up with policies that will put a stop to this.
So, at the end of the day, when it comes to our work, we're trying to influence the shape and reach of regulatory changes arising from new federal legislation governing online media. And right now, a lot of that legislation has to do with, like I said, news, hopefully soon online safety, and both of these things tie directly to misinformation and disinformation.
Megana Ramaswami: I think that's really interesting because obviously the regulatory structure framework is a big part of how media in general tends to evolve and develop. I think given that and some of the other, you know, sort of both, uh, inside and outside forces, uh, when it comes to media, how do you see Canadian media changing over the next, you know, decade, maybe even two?
Marla Boltman: Well, I think if we're going to look at the future of media we have to look at the present of media right now. Um, the work that has been accomplished in the last three years with regard to the Online Streaming Act and the Online News Act are going to hopefully pay dividends in the years to come. Um, and also, of course, the work that we're doing to protect and preserve the CBC.
So, at a concrete level, if, if we can protect the CBC and if we can keep the online streaming act or, or keep it - it's been passed, but if it's implemented correctly then, you know, the combination of those two things, 10 years from now we will continue to see Canadian stories being told by Canadians; they will be available to us, we will easily find them.
We will have a thriving Canadian film and TV production sector owned and controlled by Canadian entrepreneurs, employing thousands of people right across the country. We'll also have Canadian broadcasters, not just the CBC, being partners in this sort of distribution of this content, as they always have been.
When it comes to the news media, we have the Online News Act, which was also passed recently, and it's a great start, you know, it's a hundred million dollars being directly injected into our news media ecosystem.
That's a lot of jobs and a lot of news content, but we know that the Conservatives have already threatened to undo both these acts, the Online Streaming Act and the Online News Act, and we all know that they want to defund the CBC.
So if any of these things happen, we'll see even fewer newspapers. Less TV and radio news, less Canadian content than we're currently seeing, and I think another point that has to be acknowledged is that the media plays an increasingly important role in the democratic discourse, the democratic process, and if we look at taking away our public broadcaster, that's going to have a significant impact you know, on all of that.
Megana Ramaswami: And I mean, I'm glad you laid out almost two futures for us, you know, in terms of what this could look like, whether we actually gird our loins and protect what we've got and make sure that we continue to strengthen Canadian media, or if we, you know, uh, kind of let that pass away.
And I think I'm curious about what you say to folks that you encounter who are on the fence, who are not really worried about the state of Canadian media right now.
Marla Boltman: Oh, I don't, I guess the circles I swim in, if that's the correct phrasing, I think everybody's worried about the state of Canadian media. So, you know, I, I always encourage people when it comes to disinformation and misinformation, check your sources, check them again.
Find alternative sources. Make sure you read both sides of the story. For the people who are frustrated, you know, I don't want to make this a partisan or political conversation, but for the people who are frustrated with the liberals right now and think that maybe the answer is Poilievre, I think they need to look very hard at what this country looks like without CBC.
There's been studies that show that countries with a well-funded public broadcaster have stronger democracies and people may have their opinions about CBC, based on various things that have gone on, you know, there's been a lot of talk about the executive payment bonus payments and the coverage of the, uh, you know, the war in Israel and all those things.
I think we kind of have to look beyond our key emotional triggers and really look at democracy and the sort of, as someone said to me, lift the hood on what it means to have sort of, what do Canadian values mean? And what does democracy mean? Like, like, what do all those things mean? And where do we get them from?
And news and media and storytelling all kind of come under the hood of that and really analyzing what's important to us and that we can't just turn a blind eye and say, oh, it'll figure itself out. It always does. We are at a very critical juncture when it comes to Canadian media, Canadian content, Canadian storytelling, and protecting our national public broadcaster.
And I think everybody needs to take a good, long, hard look at that as an election looms closer and closer every day.
Megana Ramaswami: I'm glad you talked about that because, uh, for our listeners, we're recording this, of course, three days after the election of Donald Trump. Somebody who has, you know, been, uh, very forthright in, uh, in demonizing media and news media, especially those that dare to challenge his views.
Um, so I'm really glad that you talked about that and, and what could potentially happen in Canada as well. Um, I'm wondering if we can maybe turn from sort of the overall state of media, uh, to you, Marla. You're a super inspirational person in Canadian media. I mean, going from video store clerk to your current position is a, is a pretty incredible journey.
And I'm wondering if you had one piece of advice for someone who wanted to excel in your field, what would you tell them?
Marla Boltman: Okay, I'm not going to limit this to one piece of advice. If there's one thing that I enjoy more than anything, it's helping people grow in their careers and mentoring them. And so I'm, I'm going to share a few pieces of advice. So the first two, actually, I learned from one of my professors back at RTA in 1996, and I believe they still stand.
So the first one being: always be nice to the assistants. They are the gatekeepers and they will one day be in charge. The second one is, and this one means a lot to me, accept responsibility. And defer praise. This, I think, will be more understandable to people who are a bit more senior in their careers.
If you are in a position to give credit where credit is due and to thank people publicly for their contributions, do it. Don't take all the credit. Practice using the word we more and the word I less. And that also means on the, you know, on the accepting responsibility piece of that.
If you're in charge of something, and it goes wrong and a mistake happens, you take responsibility for it, you don't blame someone on the team. You eat it, you apologize, and you move on.
And both those things together, you know, accepting responsibility and deferring praise. I think, will gain you a tremendous amount of respect and trust from your colleagues, and that goes a long way in the world that I come from.
The final piece of advice I would give is that networking and building a network are very different things. To me, networking is showing up at every event, schmoozing, making sure you see everyone and you shake hands with everyone you can; all the top dogs.
It's knowing, a lot of, it's, it's knowing a lot about a lot of things and about a lot of people that don't really matter. But building a network is about actually getting to know people, establishing relationships, trust and respect and making real meaningful connections. And to me, that has come with making friends.
And if you've built a strong network, then, your calls are going to get answered. And yes, I said calls, meaning telephone calls, because you cannot build relationships by text and email. You can only do that kicking it old school. There is no substitute for the telephone and in-person engagements.
And I guess we can extend that to Zoom now, but I still kind of prefer the telephone and, and meeting people in person. And I think that that is the most important thing you can do in any career is get to know people really well, understand them, understand where they're coming from and for meaningful relationships with them, and that will help you succeed and actually enjoy your career the most.
Megana Ramaswami: I got to tell you, it is phenomenal to hear the Executive Director of Friends of Canadian Media talk about how important it is to make friends. I really love that.
Before we wrap up, do you have any final thoughts for our listeners about the importance of protecting Canadian media?
Marla Boltman: At Friends of Canadian Media, we would argue that it's virtually impossible to place value on the importance of local news. You know, that which is credible, verifiable, and subjected to rigorous editorial oversight.
Local news connects us in our communities. It connects us between our communities. It keeps us informed and less vulnerable to those who frankly seek to disinform. It keeps us together. And local news also serves as a check on authority by challenging those in positions of power, creating accountability, and combating corruption.
For all of these reasons, we quite seriously feel that our democratic health very much relies upon the well-being of local news.
Caitlin Kealey: Well, that's it for this week's episode of Ampersand. Thanks for joining us.
For more comms and design tips, sign up for our newsletter at emdashagency.ca and follow us on your favourite podcasting app so that you don't miss our next episode. Ampersand is hosted by Megana Ramaswami and me, Caitlin Kealey, and it's produced by Elio Peterson. This podcast is a project of Emdash, the small agency focused on big impact helping progressives be heard.