By Chris Strikes
It’s been a while since I last wrote a…blog post?...news update, whatever you want to call it. Pretty much a year and a half to be exact. And a lot has happened in that time so here’s quick recap:
My CBC Short Doc PATTY vs. PATTY garnered over a million views online and won several awards including, the DC Shorts Audience Award, Best Original Screenplay at GATFFEST in Jamaica, Viewers Choice Award at the Toronto Food Film Festival all in 2022.
The most notable award win was Best Short Documentary at the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards (Canada’s Emmy’s and Oscars rolled into one). This was an incredible honour and the best part was sharing the stage with my co-producers Kate Fraser and Maya Annik Bedward.
L-R Maya Annik Bedward, Chris Strikes and Kate Fraser pose with 2023 Canadian Screen Award for Best Short Documentary. Photo by Jeremy Chan - Getty Images.
Since then, I was accepted into the 2024 Doc Institute Breakthrough Program which is really exciting for me and my career development. It’s been a program I’ve learned so much in, from just a few sessions thus far.
Most excitingly, however, in late 2022 I was contacted by Lesley Birchard at the CBC and was asked if I would be interested in making a The Nature of Things documentary as part of a new mentorship initiative to get new fresh voices into The Nature of Things. Now, for those who aren’t familiar, CBC’s The Nature of Things (TNOT) is the network’s longest running show in its 64th year on the air as of writing this article. TNOT was made famous by environmental activist and science communicator David Suzuki who hosted the show for 43 years between 1979 and 2022. Suzuki is to Canada what David Attenborough is to the UK for context.
Since David’s (Suzuki that is) retirement from the show, TNOT alternated between guest hosts and some episodes being entirely hostless. However, in late 2023, CBC announced two new permanent co-hosts for the 64th season, casting Anthony Morgan and Sarika Cullis-Suzuki (daughter of David).
Now that you’re all caught up, let’s back to the opportunity I was presented with. Lesley had connected me to seasoned TNOT producer, director Leora Eisen who took me under her wing where I would co-direct an episode she was developing about the science of hair called Hairy Tales. The episode sounded really entertaining and I was so grateful for the opportunity to learn and participate in a type project I never really imagined myself in.
In the words of Leora to describe Hairy Tales:
In this entertaining, informative documentary, our hosts (Anthony and Sarika) take us on a hair-raising journey from the salon to the lab to the circus to explore the fascinating science at the root of it all. Along the way, they reveal their own personal hair dilemmas and untangle some surprising new research that suggests the science is anything but cut and dry.
Featuring a diverse cast of experts, Hairy Tales delves beneath the scalp to examine everything from how hair grows and why we lose it to why we even have hair on our heads in the first place.
Our hosts also go back to their roots, exploring their family histories to learn more about how genetics influence hair growth, texture and colour. Sarika tags along for a haircut with her scientist dad David Suzuki while Anthony hosts a family barbecue and seeks the advice of his childhood barber.
As one dermatologist notes, “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have hair issues.” Tune in to find out if this must-watch hairy tale has a happy ending.
Co-directing with Leora was a really enjoyable and insightful experience. Seeing how someone so experienced operated right from development through to post production. I picked up some new tips and tricks from her and from our incredible team core, which included producers Jackie Carlos and Diana Warmé, director of photography Mike Grippo and editor Ken Yan, among many other talent crew members. Co-hosts, Anthony and Sarika were both such a joy to work with and I’m excited for their future with TNOT and to see the new directions they help to bring the series to. I have no doubt they will give the show a fresh feel, while following in the footsteps of David Suzuki in keeping science accessible, digestible and very entertaining.
L-R: James Kinistino, Mike Grippo, Anthony Morgan, Leora Eisen, Chris Strikes, Sarika Cullis-Suzuki, Jackie Carlos. Photo by Lauren Reine Newman
This past Thursday, March 7th after over a year of a spread out production schedule Hairy Tales made its broadcast debut on CBC’s main channel as well as on CBC Gem. The response so far has been very positive and I couldn’t be happier to have played a significant role on this project and work with and learn so much from industry veterans.
I even got the opportunity to write a First Person essay about my own hair journey about what having long hair and locs mean to me, which was featured on CBC’s website and received glowing reviews.
I thank everyone who was a part of making of Hairy Tales, I thank everyone who has watched the episode so far and those who will watch it. I thank Lesley Birchard and the entire CBC TNOT and CBC Docs team. I thank everyone who has read and will read my First Person essay. And thank you to Vanessa Caldwell and Tamara Baluja who to shape and edit the piece.
With much love, yours truly, Chris Strikes.
Enjoy!
