Edify Unfiltered

By Edify MagazineSociety & Culture Personal Journals

Edify Unfiltered episodes

April 22The Work of Writing
How do authors make time for their creative process? How do they decide what to write about? And what is it like to actually sit down and write? Three local authors, David Berry, Lisa Martin and Zeina Sleiman, speak with contributor and guest host Zachary Ayotte about their recent books, the process of writing and what inspires them to keep writing.

In this episode:
How Artists Make Money and How Money Makes Artists, by David Berry
A Story Can Be Told About Pain, by Lisa Martin
Where the Jasmine Blooms, by Zeina Sleiman

(00:36) - Introducing David Berry
(08:45) - The time to create
(19:01) - How artists make money
(24:40) - Introducing Lisa Martin
(30:44) - The structure of storytelling
(38:47) - Introducing Zeina Sleiman
(47:41) - Solving problems in fiction

--Credits--
Guest hosted by Zachary Ayotte
Produced by Odvod Media
Audio Engineering by Steve Glen
Production assistance by Caitlin Hart
Original music by Darrin Hagen
54 min
March 20A Healthy Culinary Scene Makes for a Healthy City
Publisher Trudy Callaghan chats with two Edmonton restaurateurs — Juju Paul of Golden Sparrow and Ed Donszelmann of Otto Food and Drink and the new Tulip Sandwich Shoppe.

Juju explains why he believes Edmonton diners are more sophisticated than ever, how collaboration between chefs makes the scene stronger and the meaning behind the name Golden Sparrow — a hidden gem with big ambitions.

Next, Trudy and Ed discuss the value of supporting local, what it takes to build something in this city and the vision that fuels Otto.

(01:12) - Golden Sparrow’s origins
(10:25) - A healthy culinary scene
(19:02) - Ed Donszelmann’s long career in Edmonton restaurants
(22:27) - Best Restaurants event
(29:50) - Why local matters

--Credits--
Hosted by Trudy Callaghan
Produced by Odvod Media
Audio Engineering by Steve Glen
Production assistance by Caitlin Hart
Original music by Darrin Hagen
38 min
November 26, 2025Mr. Nenshi Goes to Edmonton
How is former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi faring in Edmonton? The Alberta NDP leader sits down with host Omar Mouallem to discuss his new role, the issues facing Alberta’s big cities and whether he’ll start cheering for the Oilers.
(02:21) - Introducing Naheed Nenshi
(10:40) - Filling Rachel Notley’s shoes
(18:52) - Addressing Edmonton’s local issues
(26:50) - Changing the way cities respond to mental health

--Credits--
Hosted by Omar Mouallem
Produced by Odvod Media
Audio Engineering by Steve Glen
Production assistance by Caitlin Hart
Original music by Darrin Hagen
35 min
November 04, 2025Edmonton At Its Best
Two Top 40 Under 40 honourees — artist and small business owner Michael Hingston and business consultant Raj Bhatti — sit down with the host to discuss what draws young professionals to Edmonton. Hingston, a Vancouver transplant, and Bhatti, born and raised in Mill Woods, share differing perspectives on why this city inspires devotion and passionate defense from lifelong residents and transplants alike.

Support local journalism in Edmonton — contribute to the Readers’ Trust.

Find Edify on Facebook, Instagram and X.

(02:05) - Introducing Michael Hingston
(08:22) - Why stay in Edmonton?
(14:24) - Edmonton’s literary scene
(21:14) - Introducing Raj Bhatti
(25:00) - What draws people to Edmonton?

--Credits--
Hosted by Omar Mouallem
Produced by Odvod Media
Audio Engineering by Steve Glen
Production assistance by Caitlin Hart
Original music by Darrin Hagen
34 min
October 21, 2025Unwrapping the Story of the U of A Mummy
A casual conversation at a run club turned into an epic tale — writers Russell Cobb and Sarah Brandvold join Omar Mouallem to pull back the curtain on the story behind the story. Along the way, they unravel the fascinating history of the University of Alberta’s storied and often mythologized Ancient Egyptian resident — a mummified person known as “Horus.”

Read “The Secret Life of Horus” by Russell Cobb and Sarah Brandvold in the October issue of Edify magazine.

Support local journalism in Edmonton — contribute to the Readers’ Trust.

Find Edify on Facebook, Instagram and X.
(01:16) - The writers behind the story
(06:31) - A mummy’s journey to Edmonton
(11:28) - Unwrapping parties and Victorian fascinations
(21:50) - Superstitions
(25:06) - How should mummies be treated?
(32:48) - Excavating the story

--Credits--
Hosted by Omar Mouallem
Produced by Odvod Media
Audio Engineering by Steve Glen
Production assistance by Caitlin Hart
Original music by Darrin Hagen
39 min
October 10, 2025Art is for Everyone
The arts have always relied on grants to create work and mount productions — but in recent years, that grant funding has stagnated, leaving organizations to get creative just to keep the lights on. Edmonton Opera’s Executive Director Robin Whiffen joins guest host Zachary Ayotte to discuss the state of arts funding in Edmonton, and what it’s going to take to attract new audiences and find new avenues of sustainable support.

Read Zachary Ayotte’s story in the October issue of Edify magazine.

Find Edify on Facebook, Instagram and X. Support local journalism in Edmonton — contribute to the Readers’ Trust.
(00:41) - Introducing Robin Whiffen and Edmonton Opera
(05:50) - The changing reality of funding
(11:29) - Developing emerging artists
(16:24) - Edmonton’s arts scene
(22:48) - The business of art
--Credits--
Guest hosted by Zachary Ayotte
Produced by Odvod Media
Audio Engineering by Steve Glen
Production assistance by Caitlin Hart
Original music by Darrin Hagen
28 min
September 16, 2025Design Something Here
Edmonton punches above its weight in industrial design — so why does the city fly under the radar? Onetwosix Design’s Nick Kazakoff joins Omar to discuss Edmonton’s design successes, challenges and what makes the city such fertile ground for designers and design companies to flourish.
Find Edify on Facebook, Instagram and X.
(00:42) - Introducing Nick Kazakoff
(05:54) - The Loop
(11:56) - Why stay in Edmonton?
(17:10) - Great cities are built on great design
(25:05) - Design Week marks 25 years
--Credits--
Hosted by Omar Mouallem
Produced by Odvod Media
Audio Engineering by Steve Glen
Production assistance by Caitlin Hart
Original music by Darrin Hagen
29 min
September 05, 2025Edmonton's Screen Scene
What does Edmonton’s film commissioner do? How is Edmonton’s film industry developing? And how does Edmonton Screen support emerging Edmonton filmmakers? Omar sits down with Dorian Rowe, Film Commissioner with Edmonton Screen, to discuss the art of filmmaking, supporting filmmakers and how the art form is growing in the city.

Learn more about Edmonton Screen.

Check out the Edmonton International Film Festival schedule.

Find Edify on Facebook, Instagram and X.
(01:07) - Introducing Edmonton’s film commissioner, Dorian Rowe
(04:00) - Momentum in Edmonton’s screen industries
(10:01) - The collaborative nature of film
(16:27) - Working with Calgary
(21:18) - What festivals mean to the film industry
--Credits--
Hosted by Omar Mouallem
Produced by Odvod Media
Audio Engineering by Steve Glen
Production assistance by Caitlin Hart
Original music by Darrin Hagen
27 min
August 19, 2025 Won’t You Be My Neighbour?
What does it mean to be a good neighbour? Omar is joined by Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues’ Executive Director Laura Cunningham-Shpeley to explore what Edmontonians look for in their communities, the unique history of Edmonton’s community leagues and how we can all be better neighbours.

Find Edify on Facebook, Instagram and X.
--Credits--
Hosted by Omar Mouallem
Produced by Odvod Media
Audio Engineering by Steve Glen
Production assistance by Caitlin Hart
Original music by Darrin Hagen
29 min
August 05, 2025The Race for the Mayor’s Office
Ahead of Edmonton’s municipal election in October, we’ve assembled a round table to discuss the upcoming mayoral race. Host Omar Mouallem is joined by podcaster Ryan Jespersen and writer and podcaster Dave Cournoyer look at the state of the city, who the candidates are and how the race is heating up (or not).

Find Edify on Facebook, Instagram and X.
(02:03) - Another candidate enters the race
(06:16) - How we got here
(15:50) - What’s animating voters?
(22:34) - Enter municipal parties
(27:19) - Defining moments
(33:49) - Anyone can run
(44:26) - Playing matchmaker
(52:04) - The election in one word
--Credits--
Hosted by Omar Mouallem
Produced by Odvod Media
Audio Engineering by Steve Glen
Production assistance by Caitlin Hart
Original music by Darrin Hagen
55 min

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Get behind the scenes of Edmonton’s award-winning, city magazine: Edify — which celebrates living in the dynamic city of Edmonton.

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Edify Unfiltered episodes

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