RTA student and TVOkids host wins Kidscreen Award
Despite the pandemic Monica Brighton has learned to thrive over the past year. The fourth year RTA Media Production student hosts the TVOKids (external link) show Backyard Beats (external link) which recently won an International Kidscreen Award (external link) for best mixed-media series, and has also been greenlit for a second season. Moreover, Brighton will soon be joining TVOKids as one of its new on-air hosts. Quite a year indeed.
Backyard Beats, an 11-minute music-themed show for kids, invites professional musicians to drop by the “backyard” to demonstrate how to play their instruments for Monica, who plays a TV and kid-friendly version of herself on the show. Inspired, she then uses household items to show her young audience how to make their very own DIY version of the instrument. The musical guest then returns for a jam session with Monica, who is now fully equipped to play along with her home-made version of the instrument. The first season aired in May 2020 with a 26-episode run.
Monica Brighton in the studio
Promotional material for the first episode of ‘Backyard Beats'
The show goes beyond Western instrumentation (guitar, drums, etc.) to include a range of musical instruments and diverse guests such as musician Heran Zhao, who demonstrates a Chinese stringed instrument called the Guzheng, singer-songwriter iskwē, who visits the backyard with an Indigenous hand drum, and many more.
Unbeknownst to Brighton, the show was entered for consideration at the Kidscreen Awards, an industry awards show that celebrates children’s programming, which often honours shows from big budget networks such as Disney and Netflix. Despite other major contenders, Backyard Beats was selected in its category, Kids Programming, to beat out shows like Alien TV (Netflix) and win the award for Best Mixed-Media Series.
Drumming up her start
It all started in the summer of 2019 when Brighton answered an open casting call for a TVOKids host position that required the ability to play at least five instruments and rap. She noticed the audition script included instructions to make a craft guitar. Unsure about the expectations for the audition but eager to impress, Brighton gathered cardboard boxes from the Metro near RCC, then cut, glued, and crafted the pieces together at the RTA School of Media’s New Media Maker Space to create her own working cardboard guitar for the audition.
One of Brighton’s favourite episodes of the show. Singer-songwriter iskwē visits the backyard with her Indigenous hand drum which inspires Monica's ‘craft-strument’ project
“I went to the audition and they said, “Wow, you made the guitar?” and I was like, “I thought everybody had to do this?” I think I accidentally went above and beyond from my own naivety. And they thought it was cute, I guess,” she said with a laugh. Her first audition also became her most successful, as it soon landed her the role as host of ‘Backyard Beats.’
With an award in its hilt after just one season, it’s no surprise Backyard Beats was greenlit for a second season that is set to film in July, 2021.
Tuned for success
When producers from the network came looking for a new host to join That TVOkids Show, a daily live show with little margin for error (think Saturday Night Live for kids), Brighton and the diverse set of skills she acquired in RTA, like learning how to edit video and write scripts, seemed like a natural fit. After successful screen tests and additional auditions she landed the job.
Brighton’s skill set also allowed her to easily adapt and take on new challenges. The show was forced to drastically reduce its budget due to the pandemic with key staff, like hosts and producers, having to pick up the work. Having learned skills such as video editing on industry-standard programs like Adobe Premiere Pro, Brighton was well prepared. In fact, Brighton didn’t even require new logins for many of the programs because she already had existing accounts. “RTA spoon-fed me and taught me all these skills over the last four years,” she said.
“It really transforms you into this well-rounded person. You learn how to write, shoot, direct, design sound and lighting, and edit, and in my new job as on-air host that’s exactly what I’ll do,” she said. Like the other hosts, Brighton will be tasked with researching interesting topics for kids, like the popping of popcorn or reptile species, and writing an episode around that theme.
Despite the impending completion of her bachelor’s degree, Brighton is excited to transition from her educational career into a workplace that allows her to always try new things. “I’m still constantly learning new things and trying to encourage younger kids to learn new skills and activities; to have an open mind.”
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