Camille Lawrence, a 2016 Children's Media program graduate, has been deeply involved in the film and television industry for several years. Growing up as an avid reader, she aspired to be a writer and spent a lot of time making up dances, short stories, and plays, in addition to participating in arts-related activities in school.
“I am not exactly sure when I went from wanting to be a fiction writer to wanting to make TV and film, but my high grade 9 school yearbook career aspirations were Film and Television Production,” she explains.
It wasn't until university that her career interests changed direction to where she is today. “In university, I volunteered at the school radio station and started a show called The Basement on Radio Laurier," she explains. "I produced and directed that show for three years until I graduated, and that's where it clicked. I knew that this kind of creative leadership and collaboration was exactly where I needed to be.”
Camille has since taken on incredible opportunities ranging from working in the animation/VFX world for several years to live-action and more. She has worked on several popular shows, such as The Umbrella Academy as the Executive Producer's Associate and The Amazing Race Canada as a Story Producer, to name a few.
Her more recent work includes writing and directing episodes for a popular series called Sunny's Quest, which airs on TVO Kids. This series tells first-person stories told by Black children from across the country. She also took on the roles of Producer, Director, and Writer on the web series The Black Business Catalyst Project.
Reflecting on her time at the School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design
Starting as a teenager, Camille spent nine years as a summer camp counsellor and explained that programming for kids at different stages of development was always fascinating to her. “The children’s media program stood out to me because it merged two things that I really enjoyed: kid’s programming and multimedia. The program was multifaceted, from writing, child development, apps, games, UX, books, production and production management. It is a well-rounded program that drew my classmates from diverse professional backgrounds. I am still in touch with a handful of them, eight years after graduating.”
Looking back at the lessons she obtained that still stand out to her, Camille points to the marketing element of the program combined with being challenged to pitch and present to the class, teacher, and development executives. “It was the first time that I had taken an idea that I’d written and made it into an industry-ready project to submit,” she explains. “Pitching, presenting and preparing a deck still comes in handy, and I continue to use this foundation in my current work.”
Working on Sunny’s Quest
Camille’s journey working on the show began with her experience in the Bell Media Unscripted Producers Lab program, where she met the showrunner for Sunny’s Quest. Shortly after the program wrapped, there was a call for assistant directors for the show, and Camille worked on two episodes. Fast-forward to later in the year, and she was asked if she could write and direct episodes of her own.
Camille's day-to-day on the show involved diving into research and writing the script to ensure it matched each Sunny’s Quest kid’s voice. On the day of shooting, she explains how she reviewed the vocabulary of the script with them and made any changes where needed. “Finally, we make an agreement to have fun and make the episode something that they’d enjoy watching,” she adds. “Having a positive and trusting report with the kid, their family and the crew truly makes the day run smoothly, and it helps to get the best performance out of all involved!”
Watch the trailer for the show’s second season.
During this time, Camille reflected on her time in the Children’s Media program and the lessons she obtained. “At the forefront of my mind, whenever I start any creative project, is the memory of my good friend and creative partner, Amelia Ruthven-Nelson. She was a classmate of mine in the program, and she passed away in 2022 from cancer. Amelia came out the program and worked in animation as a coordinator for many years, and she also wrote and directed independent projects. She was a brilliant creative and would have loved to also write and direct Sunny’s Quest,” she shares.
The Children’s Media program was highly collaborative, and we worked together on many writing, production, and management projects where we learned about effective writing strategies, making media for kids at different stages of development, as well as the elements needed to run a production to ensure high production value. In the program, we were given the space to be imaginative, take creative risks, ask questions, and build camaraderie as our graduating class would become a network that still supports one another, even years later.” ~ Camille Lawrence
Working on The Black Business Catalyst Project
“Like many of my freelance jobs, I nurtured the role on The Black Business Catalyst Project through networking,” Camille shares. After connecting with the folks at geekspeak Commerce in late 2023 at a networking event, she was pitched the idea for the five-episode web series that would air over five weeks during Black History Month.
“I was immediately interested and began working with them to create the structure and flow of the series as well as a script and schedule. I most enjoyed capturing the personal growth arcs of the entrepreneurs over the series,” she explains.
“As a story producer, first, it was important to me that the web series is story-driven so that viewers can relate to the challenges that the entrepreneurs faced and so that there is a satisfying payoff by the end where we see what they've learned and achieved. As always, I loved connecting with the cast and telling the stories of their business journeys. I also enjoyed collaborating with the crew, learning from one another over time and getting into a collective flow.”
Advice for those seeking a similar career path
Learning how to network and build a network is one piece of advice Camille would give to someone seeking to be a producer, director, or writer. “My path is based on connecting with folks who are doing the same or similar work and expressing genuine interest. It took tremendous effort to establish myself as a freelancer, and I am grateful to those in my network that extend their time, contacts, and advice to me,” she says.
She adds how community-building and knowledge-sharing don't end but change with time and the experience you gain. "The subject matter of the shows that I work on are so different. The Amazing Race Canada is a high-stakes, action-packed, competition reality adventure, whereas Best in Miniature was extremely niche, where the fine details and precision in carpentry, painting, sewing, and out-of-the-box creativity were what mattered most. It is the responsibility of a producer to become a curious guest and instantly become well-versed in what makes that world tick," she says.
The projects that Camille has worked on are incredible and a testament to her talent and dedication in this industry. We can't wait to see where her journey takes her next!
Article by: Alexandra Few
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