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INUVIK
A new Inuvik resident wants to be the new face of MuchMusic.

Inuvik resident Emma Minigan wants to be the new face of MuchMusic. - photo courtesy of Tiffany Astle

Emma Minigan, 26, has cracked the top 40 in the hunt for a new video jockey (VJ) for the popular channel.

Minigan, who works at the Mackenzie Hotel and has lived in Inuvik since November of 2012, said she's been dreaming of an opportunity like this for "20 years."

"Being a VJ is something I've wanted to do since I was seven," she said. "I've wanted to do it but I didn't have the nerve."

Minigan explained it was her "advancing age" that finally prompted her to finally try out when the contest opened. At 26, she figures she's running out of time to be a VJ on such a national forum, which caters to a young demographic.

"So I did a demo tape from here," she said. "I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I just put in some shots from around town and the Mackenzie Hotel.

"I have mad nerves about being on camera but it is something I wanted to do, once I realized that I have slowly been training myself," she said. "It is brutal to watch myself learn sometimes but I have to."

Next thing she knew, MuchMusic had contacted her and the roller-coaster began.

Minigan is the only contestant from any of the Canadian territories to have made it into the top 40 finalists, and she is also one of the oldest.

"It could go either way. It could work to my advantage in that I have a greater grasp on who I am," she said. "That being said, who am I to say if a 19-year-old knows themselves or not? But what it definitely means is I won't have another chance at this.

"I have a big passion for music and artists ... and of course, I like the whole glamour and perks too," Minigan said with a laugh. "I'm sort of in the dark about the whole business of working as a VJ. I know there's lots of interviewing, long hours and a lot of hard work."

She said she a bit intimidated by the process.

"There's a lot of anxiety involved, as well as pure excitement. But this is my ultimate goal – my dream of 20 years. I've spent a lot of time figuring that out and getting to understand myself, and it's a narrow window of opportunity. It's where I want to go."

That same mixture of drive and free-spiritedness is what landed her in Inuvik to start with.

Minigan, who hails from the small town of Elmira, Ont., and was raised Deep River, said she was living in Toronto for some time and working in the service industry before coming to Inuvik.

After what she called a "difficult" personal year, Minigan found herself in a rut in the big city and needed a change.

"The last year I lived there (Toronto) was a hard one for me. I was feeling stale and like I didn't really know what to do. I decided in a span of two weeks to pack up and move."

She thought she would go to work in a resort in B.C. Instead, life intervened when she saw an advertisement for a job at the Mackenzie Hotel.

Minigan heard back from the hotel before any other job offers, and so she headed north.

If Minigan makes the top 20, she will be heading back down south as part of the selection process: a bus tour, scheduled to start April 1, which will be broadcast as a reality television series on MuchMusic. The winner will be announced when the bus arrives in Toronto on April 26.

"I believe they will be eliminating people along the way, which is nerve wracking," she said. "I might get stranded in Regina or something.

"If I win, I will be heading back to Toronto, which wouldn't be too bad. I feel fresh being in Inuvik, like I know what I want to do."

Residents can help Minigan by voting for her online.

The top 20 finalists were scheduled to start being announced on March 25, with four names being announced per day.

As of press deadline, Minigan had not been selected as one of the top 20. The top 20 does not completely depend on the choices of voters, however. A panel of judges will pick the VJ contestants based on interviewing and reporting skills, passion for music and creativity.

– with files from Nicole Garbutt

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