SHIFTER had the opportunity to profile fashion designer, artist and The Indi founder, Elsa Ebada, about his creative expression and who inspires him to create. Name: Elsa Ebada Home Base: Nowhere in particular I’d call home, but Ottawa is where I live and work. Biggest accomplishment: Thus far it’s been teaching design to the apprentices on my team. It’s an incredible thing to realize that the ideas and techniques you developed are getting through to another creative, that your leaving a real impression that might outlive you, and that they might design something incredible with those ideas. I was taught…
Author: Kevin Bourne
Kevin Bourne
Kevin Bourne is the co-founder and editor of SHIFTER magazine. Born and raised in Toronto, Kevin currently resides in Ottawa with his wife Koliah and their three children. He's a big fan of hip-hop, pop culture, and urbanism and spends most of his time keeping up with the Kardashians.
Directed by JJ Abrams, written by Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, starring John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Harrison Ford. “The Force Awakens is the newest installment into the beloved Star Wars franchise, and follows the adventures of Finn, a disheartened Stormtrooper and Rey, a scavenger living on the desert planet Jakku, as they try to stop an evil unleashed by the powerful and mighty First Order. This review contains NO SPOILERS, so don’t worry.” Star Wars. Is. Back. The Force Awakens boasts incredible lead performances, stunning visuals, incredible fight scenes, and although the story isn’t anything special, it was well worth…
Collaboration. It’s a theme I’ve been hearing about a lot lately; in podcasts, blogs and other articles. It’s something I’ve grown to value more and more in my own life. It’s also something a lot of creatives suck at. So why do a lot of creative people find it hard to create with others? Because most creatives know exactly what they want to see; when they have a clear vision it’s hard to talk them out of it. Collaboration, on the other hard, requires that you surrender your vision to the greater vision. It means that someone might actually hate…
Our very first INDI spotlight interview was with Ottawa musician/rapper, Eddie Quotez. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Eddie for a couple years but this was my first in depth conversation with him about music. I begin the interview by asking Eddie about the spelling of his stage name, why the “z”? Eddie Quotez: I was really into Trey Songz at the time that I came up with the name. He spelled his last name with a z and I just thought that was the shit. HRP: So then what is your real name? EQ: It’s Edgar Piol. HRP: Do…
Directed and written by Marina Bruno, starring Carlo Bruno, Dave Campbell and Renato Vettore “Cotton String follows two down on their luck businessmen, who invest in an electric classic-car invention created by an eccentric hippie, and the consequences that follow.” Cotton String is the debut feature film by the young Ottawa-based filmmaker, Marina Bruno. Although she has previously written, directed and starred in short films, Cotton String is her first full length film. As we see every year in Hollywood, the transition from short films to feature length films can be difficult and sometimes can turn into a disaster, but…
Following the premiere of her first feature film Cotton String, our Lisa Martel and Mathieu Chin-Quee had the chance to sit down with film director, Marina Bruno, to talk about her latest project and inspirations as a filmmaker. Lisa Martel: How did you start? What was the beginning process for you as a filmmaker? Marina Bruno: My father is a filmmaker. I’ve basically been doing this my entire life. Ever since I could sit up I was doing my first movie when I was three years old with my dinosaur toys. I’ve been doing short films, more official projects starting…
Name: Myrlande Julien Home Base: Nassau, Bahamas Biggest accomplishment: The first thing that comes to mind is my most recent accomplishment. I entered a competition that was held by the Miss Bahamas Organization. With very little time to prepare I created a three piece outfit with a hand beaded bodice. Although I had less time to prepare than the other participants, I took home the third place prize. Past and present creative icons: I look to past eras more than actual people for inspiration. I love the look and feel of 1920’s-1950’s fashion. Place where I feel the most creative:…
Directed by Tom Hooper, starring Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Amber Heard, and Ben Whishaw “The extraordinary journey of the first transgender man in history, Einar Wegener, as he tried to balance his life, work, marriage, and find a courage to be himself.” From Tom Hooper, the director of The King’s Speech and Les Misérables, comes an extraordinary true story of the first transgender man, Lili Elbe (played by Academy Awards Winner Eddie Redmayne) in The Danish Girl. Upon the realization that the main highlight here is Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything), people may be wondering if he’s…
Since the 1980’s, hip hop has gone through many waves. There have been different times when the conscious rappers, from KRS to Nas, ruled. There were times when the thug rappers like 50 cent were more popular. And who can forget when unorthodox rappers, like Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes, and producers like Timbaland were hot? There were also times in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s when the record labels ruled- Bad Boy, Death Row, Roc-A-Fella, No Limit and Cash Money. It was all about who had the hottest roster of artists. Today hip-hop belongs to the creatives- Kanye…
Directed by Francis Lawrence, Written by Suzanne Collins, Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth Katniss Everdeen leads the final battle against the malevolent President Snow, with the assistance of her friends Peeta and Gale in order to attain freedom for all citizens of Panem and the 13 districts. With all eyes on Katniss, it’s not an easy road ahead in the midst of a war, as she faces many dangerous obstacles and decisions including matters of the heart. The anticipated final installment of the Hunger Games trilogy has emerged with a bang. The film doesn’t take too long…
What is a creative voice? How do I discover it? I’ve been pondering it for quite a bit. I thought about what it would look like to others and perhaps what the dictionary definition would be. When I think about our voice I think about our freedom of speech and self-expression. I see it as an opportunity to share our values and beliefs, cares and hurts to the world. So where does the creative part fall into this? It’s a way of expressing our voice through our own art form. Having a voice doesn’t necessarily mean being a politician or…
Directed and written by Ryan Coogler, starring Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone and Tessa Thompson. “Creed is the latest installment into the Rocky franchise and follows Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), the son of the late world famous boxer Apollo Creed. With the help of his father’s friend, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), Adonis will try to overcome the legacy that his father has left behind and make it in the boxing world.” Rocky is arguably the world’s most famous sports film franchise ever, so when Creed was announced there was apprehension. Could this film, not helmed by Stallone and not…
