Behind the scenes with Birch Spark Creative
Diverse background and strong network could take your event to the next level
Walter Strong
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, April 23 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Yellowknife's Johanna Tiemessen has a strong track record of putting together well-organized, well-run events in Yellowknife, across the territory and internationally.
Yellowknife's Johanna Tiemessen produced the 2014 NWT wild fur and fashion show for visiting dignitaries of the Arctic Council last month. Her business, Birch Spark Creative, is one year old this month. - Walter Strong/NNSL |
A little more than a year ago Tiemessen branched out from her usual freelance and contract work to start Birch Spark Creative.
Birch Spark focuses on event and marketing planning, coordination, and deployment, a niche Tiemessen sees a growing need in Yellowknife as it matures.
Since moving to town 14 years ago she's worked behind the scenes with the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines, the GNWT, and as a freelance contractor with Kellett Communications.
Her most recent high profile event was producing last March's NWT Winter Reception and wild fur fashion show for the GNWT. The event showcased NWT and Nunavut fur, designers, and fur sales boutiques for gathered international dignitaries of the Arctic Council.
Hosting the event in Yellowknife's SnowKing snow castle offered several challenges.
"The venue wasn't fully built before March," Tiemessen said. "That was a planning challenge."
"The stage had to be modified for the event, so we didn't know what we would be dealing with until days before the show. We brought in many garments from (showrooms) in Montreal and Banff, so we didn't know what the models would be wearing."
But the show went off without a hitch. Many Arctic Council delegates told Yellowknifer they had never experienced anything like that evening anywhere in the world.
"Fashion shows bring the element of theatre," Tiemessen said. "Our wild fur traditional economy is unique and mysterious on its own. We wanted to bring the two together."
As for self-promotion, Tiemessen chose to make a simple entry on an event flier listing herself as the evening's producer.
"As the contractor, I try to stand in the background," she said. "I credit the GNWT for thinking outside the box and hosting this very cool experience for its visitors."
Showcasing traditional culture, and connecting others to that culture is a perfect fit for Tiemessen. She not only has the experience, having worked as an event and information coordinator for the former department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, she also has the passion and training for it.
She studied genetics and anthropology at the University of Alberta. That ability to research and glean understanding of other cultures has been an asset for Tiemessen and the projects she's been involved with, like the recently completed www.ntarts.com project.
The four-year, GNWT-funded project showcases artists and artists across the NWT. Tiemessen worked on the project under contract with Yellowknife's Kellett Communication, leaving the website with an anthropologist's touch.
"There were several goals associated with it (the website), mainly increasing sales and art," Tiemessen said. "But there's also the awareness of the value of art that goes along with that. The website is essentially a portal to the artist's work. We've collected amazing documentation of artists in the NWT. I'm not sure many jurisdictions can claim to have this kind of documentation of their artists."
Although Tiemessen has been involved with major events, like Canada's Northern House at the 2010 winter Olympics in Vancouver, and international trade shows with the GNWT, that shouldn't discourage someone from contacting her about smaller scale events, like conferences, weddings or parties.
"Sometimes it's a simple as having a conference put together where things happen when they're supposed to happen, people are fed when they're supposed to be fed, and where signage and branding are consistent," Tiemessen said.
"All these individual elements need to come together to make a great event."
Fourteen years in the industry in Yellowknife and the NWT means she has a broad network of specialists to work with, just as that network calls upon her to help out with large projects.
"I find I'm working on some very creative projects which allow me to really showcase the North, its artists, and their culture," Tiemessen said of her often collaborative work.
"If a client is looking to offer their delegates or their guests a unique Northern experience, that's something I can deliver."
