Strictly Creative!

In this episode of Strictly Creative, we speak with actor Cassel Miles, co-creator and performer of Josiah — the powerful one-person play that brings to life the story of Josiah Henson, a man who escaped slavery and helped build an Underground Railroad community in Canada.

Henson’s journey from bondage in Kentucky to freedom in Ontario in 1830 is one of courage, faith, and leadership. 

Cassel shares his creative path from dancer to actor, his rediscovery of artistic passion, and the deep emotional connection that led him to tell Henson’s story on stage. It’s a conversation about purpose, resilience, and the power of storytelling to reclaim forgotten history.

Josiah was originally co-created by Cassel Miles and Charles Robertson, and written by Charles Robertson.

Steve Zytveld is an ordained deacon serving as a community chaplain in Ottawa’s West End, where he walks alongside people from all backgrounds facing real challenges in daily life. His ministry has also taken him into parish and hospital settings, giving him a unique perspective on compassion, presence, and resilience.

In this follow-up interview, recorded in the summer of 2025, Steve reflects on : his journey, what it means to listen and why simply showing up and taking that first step can make the greatest difference.

This episode is about vocation, community, and the transformative power of being present for one another.

In this episode of Strictly Creative, we sit down with Captain — a community leader, hip-hop artist, filmmaker, and cultural entrepreneur who has been shaping Ottawa’s creative scene for over two decades. From founding Soul City, a one-stop urban shop and cultural hub since 1999, to co-founding The Origin Arts and Community Center, Captain has consistently built platforms for artists, storytellers, and businesses to thrive.

We explore his journey from MC and poet to filmmaker and festival organizer, his role in documenting Black culture through Northern Touch Films, and his ongoing mission to empower the next generation of artists through music, film, and grassroots activism. Captain’s story is one of creativity, resilience, and giving back to the community.

Join us for a conversation with Stephen 'Buddha' Leafloor, a legendary Canadian B-boy Elder, street dancer, youth outreach worker, and social worker. In this interview, we discuss the exciting debut of breaking at the Paris 2024 Olympics and Stephen's impactful social work using hip-hop culture.

FLASHTalks with Buddha (Episode 30)

BluePrintForLife: Social Work Through Hip Hop!

Ken Fukushima is a judoka, artist, and architect from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In this episode, we cover a range of topics, from the centennial of Judo in Canada and its impact on the community to Ken's training at the Kodokan in Japan.

In this interview with actor Adrian Walters, we discuss his role in the film ROADMARKS, which was featured at the 2023 Ottawa and Toronto Black Film Festivals. ROADMARKS follows the story of Kory, who turns to street-fighting to fund his daughter's music school, against his better judgement and the wishes of his loved ones. Adrian shares insights into his character, the themes of economic survival, love, parenting, responsibility, and redemption, and how he approached them in his performance. He also talks about his preparation for the role, including any specific techniques or methods he used to get into character. He shares memorable moments from the set and discusses how his experiences as a writer have influenced his acting. He also offers valuable advice for those pursuing a career in acting, emphasizing the importance of resilience, continuous learning, and networking with fellow artists in the industry. Adrian encourages aspiring actors to stay true to their craft, hone their skills, and be open to diverse opportunities that can help them grow as artists.

Strictly Creative hosted by Garmamie

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Karim Byron speaks about meditation, calming the mind and finding clarity and reverence, one breath at a time. Karim is the co-host of Oneness Radio, a podcast series that "brings attention to, inspires the pursuit of, promotes inner healing through, discuss the journey to, explore the concept of, share experiences of, encourage all minds towards and to be of service to .... Oneness."

Oneness Radio

This interviewed was conducted in April 2021.

Strictly Creative hosted by Garmamie

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Aaron Hill speaks about the performance art that is comedy and how he began his creative journey in writing and reciting jokes! Comedy ain’t no joke, it’s a dynamic and competitive art form! He also shares his opinions on content vs delivery, the writing process, practice, musical comedy and audience engagement and analysis. The learning never ends, stay creative!

This interviewed was conducted in April 2021.

Strictly Creative hosted by Garmamie

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Alexander Cruz speaks about storytelling and filmmaking and his creative process and approach in telling a story. He also shares his views on the challenges and opportunities in pursuing and executing creative projects along with the need for continuous learning and professional development, as a filmmaker and all around creative!

About the director, Alexander Cruz

Alexander was born and raised in Ottawa, but has worked and lived in Calgary, Toronto and Manila. He spent most of his twenties looking for greener pastures as a production assistant and videographer for different studios. Once he realized you have to be rich to be a starving artist, he returned to Ottawa a few years back and found inspiration telling local stories. He has made several short documentaries like “Mémoires sans frontières,” (2012),“Fiesta” (2013) and “68 années de l’hiver” (2014), and other experimental art house stuff that even he doesn’t quite understand. His films have been exhibited at art and film festivals across Canada, in the United States and in South East Asia. With “Pur Laine” (2018), he followed the advice of others and wrote about what he knows: the struggle of first and second-generation immigrants, and the lingering anxieties of les habitants. He lives in Hull.

For more information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZB3qYSRuE4

This interviewed was conducted in April 2021.

Strictly Creative hosted by Garmamie

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Rise Ashen has devoted his life to the study of sound and movement.

His record collection spans the 4 corners of the world with club music of all tempos as his primary focus. As a DJ, he blends it all in a worldy mash and is always the sweaty and dynamic life of the party.  He has played in clubs and festivals across the US, Canada, Europe and Asia and has licensed music for use in dozens of countries.

He believes music and dance are essential to human culture and that united, artists can lead humanity towards a more enlightened way of living.  He aspires to embody the wise words of Fela Kuti: "when the higher forces give you the gift of musicianship …it must be well used for the good of humanity”.

This interviewed was conducted in March 2021.

Strictly Creative hosted by Garmamie

Follow on Social:

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Email: [email protected]