Patricia O’Callaghan is a classically trained and multi-genre singer who has established herself as an incredibly versatile musician. She received her first Juno Awards nomination for Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral this year. Read more about her creative inspiration and how music has always been a part of her life.

Congratulations on your JUNO nomination, Patricia! How did it feel to be nominated for the first time?

It felt really exciting actually. It feels great to receive acknowledgement from the industry. Plus friends and family get very excited about it and it’s so nice to share that with them! 

Director Katrina Saville with Producer Gurjeet Kaur Bassi collaborated on I Beat Up My Rapist, a short film based on a true story from xoJane (titled “My Friends and I Beat Up My Rapist, And I Will Never Apologize for Getting Revenge”). The two women chat about the motivation behind the project and what moved them.

Tell us about I Beat Up My Rapist and what was the inspiration behind the story. What drew you to this particular narrative and why?

Katrina: I read the memoir essay online when it went viral 3 years ago. Leif’s (the author) writing is so vivid and compelling, I immediately began imagining it on the screen. It’s almost like I could see certain scenes pop off the page right away. I sent the essay to Gurjeet (my good friend, and producing partner) and asked her what she thought. She replied pretty quickly, saying– we have to make this. I contacted Leif personally, and asked her if we could option her essay to adapt it into a short film. Thankfully, she was open to working with us, and trusted us to tell her story.

Veronika Slowikoska began acting at a young age, trained in improv with Second City Conservatory, and has been seen in Degrassi: Next Class and See No Evil. You can soon watch her in What We Do in the Shadows is one of the most anticipated comedy-horror series which premieres March 27th on FX. Find out more below!

I have to say, I am excited to watch the What We Do In The Shadows television series! Tell us about your character Shanice, and what kind of role will she be playing along the vampire shenanigans.

Shanice is an insecure, sassy, LARPer (Live Action Roleplayer). She’s the nerd-ier side, but so am I! 

As an Asian-Canadian, Samantha Wan is forging a path to inspire creatives within the entertainment industry and advocating for the importance of representation in television and movies. Her show, Second Jen, is a buddy comedy about two second-generation millennials who are trying to make it on their own in the big city. Find out more about her work below!

Hi Samantha, congratulations on your nomination for Best Comedy Series in 2019 Canadian Screen Awards for your sitcom, Second Jen! Tell us about your show and how you came about creating it.

Thank you! Second Jen is a sitcom about Second Generation kids and their crazy immigrant families. Two Asian Canadian girls moving away from home and experiencing all their adult-ing firsts together. It’s based around the lives and neighborhoods of my co-creator, Amanda Joy, and myself. We created the show because at the time we found there weren’t many developed roles for us as Asian actors. We created what we thought was a pilot (later we realized it was more 22 min short films) and then used it to pitch at the Banff World Media Festival. There we got the show optioned by Don Ferguson Productions and some interest from broadcasters. Skip over three years of stuff that is less exciting to hear about, numerous bible rewrites, pitches, and LOTS of waiting ( maybe a bit of crying, thinking the show was over, then it wasn’t, then it was…), Rogers Media picked us up for development and then series! We finished our second season last year and are super proud of the work. The nomination is the icing on the cake!

Medea Kalantar is the author of Honeycake: A Family of Spices, the first installment of her brand-new children’s book series which is currently available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Medea infuses valuable lessons on love and acceptance into her writing, celebrating diversity within families. Find out more below!

Thank you so much for answering our questions, Medea! Your children’s book, Honeycake: A Family of Spices, looks adorable! What is it about and what inspired you to create this book?

Firstly, I would like to say thank you for featuring me on Defective Geeks. I’m so honored and grateful to be given this platform to discuss the importance and the valuable lessons my books will give families around the world. I was inspired to write these books when I learnt that I was about to become a grandmother. My stories are all based on my own family, whose members come from diverse ethnic backgrounds. This unique mix is a perfect recipe, and it’s the reason why I call my grandchildren my little Honeycakes.

Sarah Abbott is a young and rising star who will be starring in Lifetime’s television-movie, Mommy’s Little Princess, which will air on March 17th. She can also be seen in Netflix’s Black Mirror and the upcoming vampire series, V-Wars, alongside Ian Somerhalder. Get to know her below!

Hi Sarah! Thank you for doing this interview with us. You’ve had such a very full career at such a young age already! Tell us how you got into acting and who or what inspired you to pursue this creative journey?

When I was younger, I loved Disney channel and it sparked my interest in acting. My mom then spotted an ad in our local newspaper saying an agency was holding open call auditions. My parents and I discussed it and we decided it was worth a try. A short amount time later, I was signed with the agency! My first jobs were commercials, but I built my way up to bigger roles from there. 

Devery Jacobs will be starring in season 2 of American Gods and will play the character, Sam Black Crow, who she feels a close connection to because of her own background as an Indigenous woman. Besides acting, Devery is also a director and is standing up for representation through her art. Read more about it below!

How exciting is it for you to be a part of the new season of American Gods! We love the show. Tell us about your role as Sam Black Crow. Do you relate to your character?

I recognize how rarely audiences have seen a character like Sam on screen, so I don’t take playing her lightly. I have been such a fangirl of Neil Gaiman’s novel, American Gods, for years, and I completely connected with Sam Black Crow. As an actual sarcastic, queer Indigenous woman, I thoroughly related to Sam’s experiences and hounded my agent to make sure I auditioned for her. Sam Black Crow is such a fun, meddlesome character whose beliefs are complex. While she’s sarcastic and opinionated, she’s also deeply curious about life, and about Shadow, who she is introduced to and encounters in this upcoming season!

The lovely Arista Arhin is best known for her role as the young Michael Burnham on Star Trek: Discovery, where she delivers a strong and emotional performance. She spoke to Defective Geeks about the challenges and inspiration for her work, as well as her upcoming show, Bajillionaires. Read all about it below!

Thank you so much for answering our questions, Arista. It is so exciting that you get to portray Young Burnham in Star Trek: Discovery! Can you tell us what it’s like working on this series and knowing that it’s part of this huge, sci-fi universe? 

It felt unreal and a little startling when I first got cast for the show knowing that I was now part of one of the most iconic TV shows of all time. When I first started filming, I felt under pressure to deliver a great performance knowing how huge the franchise was and not wanting to disappoint any of the fans. Yet, after a lot of positive feedback, it really meant a lot to me to know that people enjoyed watching me on the show. I was very happy to have been invited back to Season 2.