Indspire Award for Arviat's Jordan Konek
Young video creator and CBC reporter receives national honour
Casey Lessard
Northern News Services
Published Monday, November 10, 2014
IQALUIT
His is a young career, but Jordan Konek has seen the world using his video skills, which are in demand by Inuit organizations and southern universities.
And now, he's being recognized with an Indspire Award.
"It's nice to be able to get recognized for something that started out as nothing," Konek said.
The former participant in the Nanisiniq: Arviat History Project now makes videos for universities, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Pauktuutit, and Inhabit Media, among others, on top of his day job at CBC North.
With the Nanisiniq project, he spent two years working with youth and elders, work that required him to travel the world.
"When the project was over, I still kept getting phone calls to see if we could do video production for them," Konek said. "We started getting phone calls from people at Inuit organizations or universities across Canada, and that's when I figured maybe that's what I can start as a team, and have a few people work with me on production video making."
His team at Konek Productions includes three friends, some of whom also took part in the Nanisiniq multi-media history project. He's proud to have Curtis Konek, Evano Jr. Aggark, and Patrick Pingushat on his team, and happy to employ them.
"I try to find the work for them, I pay them, and I get a little bit of profit and invest in the production, and hopefully grow it bigger."
The Indspire Award recognizes his success, which he attributes to remaining focused on doing work he wants to do.
"I've been lucky to travel pretty much all over the world doing what I'm doing, and being asked to do video production, which is what I like to do," he said.
"I like to wake up in the morning and go to work, and be able to do what I like. It's very nice to be called by universities asking if I want to travel with them and do video work.
"It's nice to have a group of guys who are paid to do what they want to do."
And as the North gains attention from the south, Konek says there are plenty of opportunities available for keen entrepreneurs.
"The North is becoming a place where a lot of researchers all over the world are coming," he said.
"And this is the time to think of ways to make money and keep the money in the territory by finding what you want to do, and ways you can help other people by helping them help you.
"I know a lot of researchers and they come from big cities, and (we need to) get them to understand what Inuit culture is, and work with them to make sure they get what they're looking for, and we also share what is the truth of Inuit."
Konek and others, including fellow Nunavummiut Madeleine Redfern and Peter Irniq, will receive their awards at a gala March 21
in Winnipeg.
