On-set with filmmaker Mike Regis
“The thing about Canada,” Mike Regis says with a chuckle, “is that we have the industry resources. The problem is that they’re hidden. You can find someone who can change your life, but they’ll be hidden on the fourth page of a government site.”
If there’s anyone who can speak to the hoops you need to jump through in the Canadian film industry, it’s Regis. Since graduating from Ted Rogers School of Management’s Entrepreneurship program in 2018, he has worked as a filmmaker creating short films, commercials and music videos. With a focus on the everyday Black experience, Regis’ work is centered around authenticity. Nuance permeates his filmography, ranging from short films such as 18th Birthday (external link) (2020) and Joy (external link) (2021), to commercials (external link) for the Toronto Youth Jobs Corps (2020).
“I see myself getting into digital series next — it’s a natural extension,” says Regis. “Along with series and short films, I’m interested in creative direction. Multi-hyphenates are going to be a big part of the future.”
Regis has been a multi-hyphenate since his days at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University), where he developed the “cross-disciplinary” skills needed to thrive in the film industry. Core courses in entrepreneurship and strategy taught Regis problem solving, while electives in sociology cultivated his critical thinking. These core competencies are championed by the university, and Regis views them as essential to his success as a growing filmmaker.
Regis credits mentors like Dr. Steve Gedeon, Associate Professor in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy, for investing in his success as a once-aspiring filmmaker. “He was very honest about the walls outside the university,” says Regis of his former professor.
“Building your own film business is a startup,” explains Dr. Gedeon. “Entrepreneurship isn't just about running a business, it is about taking charge of your own life and career, building a portfolio of experiences. Mike is right at the core of what we are teaching.”
Forever a filmmaker, Regis managed to capture some of his trip to Europe whilst on Canada's fifth creative industries trade mission.
A recent trip to Europe points to Regis broadening his horizons. As part of the 2022 Canadian Creative Industries Trade Mission to Europe (external link) , he got to visit Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands as part of the federal government’s mission to promote Canadian creatives in the international market. Through the Ted Rogers Alunni Office, he was connected with Devan Brennan (Business Technology Management ‘20), an alumnus based in Amsterdam, to discuss their post-graduation experiences. Supported by Heritage Canada, Regis met with film commissioners, producers and other key players in the creative industries, including the Minister for Culture in Sweden. Never one to miss an opportunity for content creation, Regis captured some of his trip in a video for Ted Rogers Alumni’s Instagram (external link) (see above).
“When we reach that global stage, we go very far,” says Regis. “For us, we have to understand Canada’s relationship with the world through arts and culture.”
Film as a vehicle for meaning led to Regis joining both the Social Ventures Zone (SVZ) and Transmedia Zone (TMZ), two community-focused business incubators that are part of Toronto Met’s Zone Learning network of incubators. Regis may be tight-lipped about what project he has coming up that combines the social impact-driven focus of the SVZ with the content and storytelling-driven TMZ, but his aim has never been higher.
“It’s really about changing my thought process, it’s very theoretical, and it will make you think differently. I'm leveraging technology [the zones] have access to so I can tell the story I want in the format I want.”
It’s hard to talk about Regis’ journey telling stories without praising Promotion (external link) (2021), his biggest film so far. Selected as part of the CBC’s Short Film Face Off (external link) (available on CBC Gem), Promotion deals with the microaggression Black people face in professional spaces. Released in the midst of the pandemic, Promotion stands out by funneling social ills through the lens of a soon-to-be-father. In interviews with HOLR (external link) and View the Vibe (external link) , Regis spoke about the importance of conveying the subtlety of racism in Canada.
Although the telling of these stories is a cause to celebrate, the Canadian film industry and related sectors continue to fall short in the realms of representation and inclusion. A 51-page (PDF file) report (external link) issued in February 2022 from Canada’s Black Screen Office (external link) confirmed the glaring diversity gaps both on-screen and on-set. Still, Regis maintains that the conversation has shifted for the better compared to just a few years ago when he was a student — a sense of industry engagement with the Black community that feels more authentic.
“Promotion taught me the power of support. We shot during COVID, and I wish I could have leaned more on my existing network. But learning from that experience,” adds Regis, “anybody that’s helped me along the way, I’m now engaging with on new projects.”