FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January, 2003

Breaking stereotype, breaking ground;
New documentary series on aboriginal business goes to air in February

VANCOUVER-Six months in the making, Venturing Forth is a compelling 13-part documentary series by Vancouver aboriginal filmmaker Brenda Chambers. Set for a February 9th release, the series features a group of remarkable aboriginal people making it on their own terms-and changing the landscape of Canadian business in the process.

Now in its third season, Venturing Forth travels the country to document the trials, and triumphs, of a growing number of aboriginal entrepreneurs and forward thinkers who are balancing the demands of the marketplace with their culture and language. In fact, many are starting up businesses that showcase traditional arts and culture.

Experts say the start-up rate for aboriginal businesses is more than twice the national average. And aboriginal youth are leading the way. They are two and one half times more likely to start their own businesses than Canadian youth in general. From a single trap line in Fort Chipewyan in Northern Alberta to a mega project like the Voisey's Bay nickel mine in Labrador, increasing numbers of aboriginal people see business as a way to make a better life for themselves and their families.

"In this series we focus on First Nations who are making it, rather than those falling through the cracks," says Chambers. "These are real people, in real-world situations trying to meet the bottom line, while at the same time trying to stay true to their traditional values, culture and language. This makes for real tension. And dramatic tension in our filmmaking."

The series will air on APTN-Aboriginal Peoples Television Network on Sunday, February 9, 2003. Negotiations are also underway with a New Zealand broadcaster and with the Northwest Territories Ministry of Education, interested in making Venturing
Forth part of the elementary and high school curriculum.

Chambers, 39, is a member of the Yukon Champagne and Aishihik First Nation, and president of Vancouver-based Brenco Media Inc., an independent video and television production company. "These are dramatic, compelling stories," she says. "They are about people fighting extraordinary odds to become successful on their own terms-breaking stereotype and new ground for others in the process."

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Read about Venturing Forth in The Province Newspaper

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