The Firecracker Department

Jennifer Liao’s journey from actor to writer and director is fueled by her passion for storytelling. Growing up dreaming of being a sitcom writer, she credits her love of Shakespeare and poetry for teaching her how to dig into text and find its layers. She shares with Naomi how her experience as an actor shaped the way she approaches directing, helping her connect with performers and bring out the best in their work. She talks about directing her first short films with the help of friends who believed in her vision, showing how collaboration and community played a big part in her early success. Jennifer opens up about the challenges of the industry — balancing ambition with flexibility, learning to advocate for herself, and staying energized for the work she loves. While she still values producing her own projects, directing has become her main focus, giving her the chance to tell stories that matter and amplify new voices. Her journey is full of determination, creativity, and a commitment to always keep learning and growing.

In this special episode of The Firecracker Department Podcast, actor, writer, and director Melanie Scrofano (Letterkenny, Wynonna Earp) sits down with Naomi for a candid chat about their careers, the value of community, and trusting their instincts. Melanie talks openly about her ongoing struggle to balance everything at once and her passion for creating characters that feel real. Together, they share their experiences of learning to trust their gut, with Melanie reflecting on the power of finding joy and pride in the work she’s done. Naomi also opens up about her goals for The Firecracker Department—a place where artists can connect, collaborate, and feel empowered. She’s learned to let go of control, allowing others to take charge of different aspects of the community. Both Melanie and Naomi agree on the importance of finding strength both behind and in front of the camera and making space for more voices in the writing process to create authentic characters. They’ve learned to follow their instincts, stick with their choices, and own it along the way.

This interview was conducted by SheDoesTheCity in Fall of 2023, in support of the Firecracker Department. We’ve been given permission to share this podcast with our listeners.

SheDoesTheCity is a community-minded arts and entertainment media outlet that amplifies the stories about and from women, trans women and non-binary people. Follow them on their socials @shedoesthecity

At 15, actress and singer Mia Bella is carving a solid path for herself in the entertainment industry. Fueled by her passion for her craft and her parents’ unconditional support, Mia’s love of music at a young age has helped her pursue her dreams and she tells Naomi how much she looks forward to exploring more of her interests as her career progresses. Throughout her career, she’s learned to recognize when she’s about to burn out, how to deal with rejection and how to manage her expectations when auditioning. She shares how she’s learning to find the balance between going after her dreams and making time for her community, including her fellow castmates from the hit TV show The Popularity Papers, whom she loves collaborating with. Mia tells Naomi about her hopes to mentor younger generations of women and non-binary actors as she ages, to continue paving the way for up-and-coming talent. Although her career is just beginning, Mia is a remarkable talent with big dreams, big plans, and an even bigger future ahead.

Robin Duke is a comedy powerhouse whose talent spans all mediums. After getting her start on SCTV and transitioning to SNL as the first female cast member hired as a writer, Robin tells Naomi about her mission to write sketches that painted women in different lights and showed their strengths. She talks about how much she loved writing for other people, showing that comedy by women isn’t all about boobs, and the pressure she felt to perform. Though her tenacity landed her the job, she also talks about the downfall after being replaced on the show and how that affected her confidence. She tells Naomi that her passion was reignited after teaching a course where a speaker claimed comedy was only for young people and not for women, and how she was determined to prove them wrong, creating comedy troupe Women Fully Clothed. Though open about her journey, Robin explains her decision to keep her cancer diagnosis private until she was ready to explore it in her writing, finding humor in the experience. Throughout her illustrious career, she vows to keep learning, growing, and working on projects that inspire her and keep her laughing.

Adeline Bird is the true definition of a multi-hyphenate, unapologetic artist. As an actor, storyteller, director, author, podcaster and social worker (just to name a few), Adeline has taken all of her experiences in her various disciplines and used them to fuel her creativity and find her voice. She tells Naomi and Jennifer how important her Afro-Indigenous identity is, and leads them into a riveting conversation about the importance of rest amidst the hustle. While working on her current project, a sleep podcast called “Rest and Resurge”, Adeline creates decolonial stories, worlds without police and patriarchy, and encourages her listeners to rest through the constant struggle of having to explain themselves. She also shares how she strongly believes that as artists, we need to hold our stories in our heart, how our characters are spirits that live inside us, and that the world will conspire to make them come to life. And through practiced rest and relaxation, Adeline believes we can rise up stronger and be as unapologetic as we desire.

Documentary filmmaker Tasha Hubbard (We Will Stand Up, Two Worlds Colliding) always knew she wanted to be in the arts to help amplify and uplift Indigenous experiences. Although initially she was unsure where she fit in, when she met fellow Indigenous filmmakers Gil Cardinal and Doug Cuthand, her journey truly began under their mentorship. Throughout her career making documentaries, Tasha tells Naomi and Jennifer how she learned to give not only herself the space to heal and be supported, but also the brave subjects she features in her work. She’s also a seasoned academic, and shares the resiliency she developed as a single mom when she began teaching, and the village of people that helped raise her child. Tasha is embarking on a new journey as a narrative feature filmmaker with her upcoming project Birth of a Family (based on the documentary of the same name), and is reeling off of the success of her recent documentary film Singing Back the Buffalo. Even though Tasha has self-admittedly chosen to play the long game in her career, she shares insights on how the buffalo have inspired her to keep going, deal with hardship, find moments of joy, and always keep looking ahead.

For more information on the buffaloes, visit buffalosong.com.

To sign the buffalo treaty, visit buffalotreaty.com.

From a young age, actress and producer Jessica Matten (Dark Winds) has been focused on creating Indigenous communities to support and be of service to. From her first group Positive Beauty at the age of 13, supporting young Indigenous models with an undercurrent of mental health and wellness, to running programs with the Indigenous Film School and her own company 7 Forward Entertainment, Jessica is focused on consistently pushing others forward towards their goals and healing people through the arts. She tells Jennifer and Naomi about how coming from a multicultural background has given her the capacity to hold so much space for others, and how she’s learned to create discipline in doing so. As she’s grown older and gained more life experience, she also shares how her intuitive guidance and connection to her culture has helped her to better understand and identify the “silences” and traumas affecting Indigenous youth, and her hopes to affect change through action. Her commitment, grace, and intention to heal and be of service to others through the arts is admirable, and her philanthropic work has been able to guide her and trust that this is her purpose for being on this earth.

The extraordinary Keilani Rose (Shoresy) is embracing the lifelong journey of self-discovery to find her voice as an artist. Born and raised in Lheidli (The Place Where the Two Rivers Flow Together - also colonially known as Prince George, BC), she tells Naomi and Jennifer how her roots in dance gave her a safe space to find herself and morphed into other areas of artistry she’s used to tell powerful stories. She also shares how her Indigenous cultural values serve as a reminder that all areas of creativity are interconnected, and how we can honour different parts of ourselves and allow them to inform each other through art. Keilani also shares her personal process into discovery and reclaiming her spirit after she experienced a traumatic incident, and how the healing process informed her work moving forward. In this enlightening conversation, Keilani, Naomi and Jennifer connect on the discipline, focus, and freedom we can find in our creative work and look towards the various “rivers” of possibility that open up once we connect with our true selves.

In our kickoff episode for the second season of The Blaze Sessions, Naomi sits down with this season's curator, Jennifer Podemski. As a multi-hyphenate artist, Jennifer’s creativity knows no bounds, and she’s committed to highlighting the importance of cultural sensitivity when it comes to Indigenous content and shining lights on aspects of the industry that still make her angry in an effort to force change.

In this discussion with Naomi, Jennifer shares her views on the importance of grieving, how both grief and comedy exist next to each other, and her desire to bring people together in moments big and small. She also shares her hopes for this new season of The Blaze Sessions, where she hopes to introduce us to incredible Indigenous creatives that are “doing the coolest shit” to change the landscape of our industry and the world.

Welcome back to The Blaze Sessions brought to you by the Firecracker Department! Season two is here, and we're thrilled! Hosts Naomi Snieckus (Mr.D, The Madness, The Social, Second City Toronto) and the incredible Jennifer Podemski, ("Little Bird", "Reservation Dogs" and founder of Red Cloud Productions and The Shine Network) have curated inspiring, engaging, and refreshingly honest conversations with women and non-binary individuals at the top of their game in the industry. From sharing insights on their creative journeys to discussing how they're changing the world through their art, these talks are the perfect blend of real, raw, and fun. Get ready to ignite your passion, and join us for a blazing good time. Starting May 15th, you’ll get a new episode every 2 weeks! Find us at www.firecrackerdepartment.com and all your favourite podcast platforms.