Tanner Isaac – Entertaining and Educating Today’s Youth

Listuguj’s Tanner Isaac is no stranger when it comes to the media and has a lot of experience with it at an educational level, and a personal level.   Isaac’s family has been in the media for over a decade, since Isaac’s brother, Chris Metallic went missing in November 2012 while attending Mount Alison University in Sackville, New Brunswick. Isaac graduated from Algonquin College in Ottawa for TV Broadcasting. He was employed at the Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government’s Communication department as a summer student, producing videos and articles for the Wi’gatign. He worked for APTN’s radio station 95.9 Elmnt FM in Ottawa. He has an impressive social media following with 31.0K followers on TikTok. Most recently, Isaac was a recipient of an Indigenous Journalist Fellowship with CJF and CBC, where he was sent to work with CBC Indigenous in Winnipeg for one month as an Associate Producer and Journalist.

Over the years, Isaac expressed his dissatisfaction with the media when it comes to twisting words for his missing brother’s case. When he applied for the fellowship, he spoke about his brother a lot. He stated a lot of information that went out to the public was not accurate. Some sources did not get the correct information or permission which caused his family great hardship. Originally when applying for the fellowship, Isaac expressed his intention of covering missing Indigenous person cases. Once he was accepted for the fellowship, he realized he had become a little more sensitive to these topics. Isaac said, “It makes me emotional to relive it with other families.” He decided to go in a new direction and cover the Indigenous entertainment industry.

“I’m trying to look into what is pulling our generation in the media, what attracts them. TikTok is a great start, and I did have a presence on TikTok before. I never thought making TikToks for fun would get me a job at CBC News,” said Isaac. Right away CBC Indigenous recognized that Isaac was a natural in front of the camera, and he was a great spokesperson for younger generations.

When Isaac started with CBC Indigenous in Winnipeg, it was during elections for the premiere of Manitoba. Wab Kinew was voted in as the first First Nation Premiere of the province at this time. It was a very monumental and hectic start with CBC Indigenous, but Isaac learned a lot from the experience. Going in, he wasn’t familiar with Indigenous politics, and CBC used this to their advantage in making relatable videos for young generations. Isaac incorporates humour in a lot of his videos but also provides facts and education on topics that the youth might not be familiar with.

A TikTok page had been in the works at CBC Indigenous for quite some time, but when Isaac arrived, this was a perfect opportunity to create an account. CBC Indigenous’s TikTok page consists of several Indigenous journalists from across the country sharing all kinds of Indigenous stories and topics, ranging from inside the AFN (Assembly of First Nations) in Ottawa, to a story about a “rez goat” named Bruce from Beaver Lake Cree Nation in Alberta. Isaac played a major part in accumulating followers and working with the journalists on trends, and tips and tricks when it comes to video editing on TikTok.

Once Isaac’s fellowship in Winnipeg was over, he continued working for CBC News in Ottawa. At this time, the company sent him to cover the AFN Elections, which Isaac refers to as his proudest moment.  At the AFN Elections, Isaac spoke with many politicians, councilors, and leadership across Canada, including former Interim National Chief, Joanna Bernard. Isaac also interviewed Listuguj’s Rosalie LaBillois. LaBillois is the Co-Chair of the AFN National Youth Council and spoke to Isaac about today’s youth becoming involved in politics. Isaac stated that he was inspired by LaBillois’s determination and mindset when it came to politics. There are several videos on CBC Indigenous’s TikTok page of Isaac covering the AFN Elections.

Isaac also spoke about his past collaboration and inspiration when it comes to Listuguj’s Nation Isaac. Nation is working as a journalist for CBC Quebec from right here in Listuguj. Isaac credited his interest in journalism to Nation after they worked together on an award-winning video, Mi’gwidelmag gnitjgamitj (Remembering Our Grandpa) about Nation’s grandfather and his experience of the 1981 raid in Listuguj.

Isaac was offered a permanent position with CBC in Winnipeg but declined the offer to move back to Listuguj. Ultimately, he would like to stay in the journalism/entertainment industry and could see himself with a future in politics. He laughed, and said, “I think I just like talking to people on a screen.” Isaac certainly made a name for himself whilst working for CBC and made several memorable videos.

Be sure to check out CBC Indigenous on TikTok to see Isaac’s videos, alongside many other talented Indigenous journalists.

By Ann Marie Jacques