Gill was named CEO in 2015 and brings over 20 years experience from the arts and communications sector with a diverse career background that lends to her current role at Creative BC.
From the CW’s Arrow and The Flash to Netflix’s Lemony Snicket, British Columbia is a hot spot for the television and film industry with 300 productions shooting in the province last year. Moreover, BC is now recognized as a centre of excellence for visual effects, animation and full-service motion picture work. A large part of the creative sector’s success can be attributed to Prem Gill, the Chief Executive Officer of Creative BC, an organization that is “responsible for promoting the development of creative industries in BC.”
Gill was named CEO in 2015 and brings over 20 years experience from the arts and communications sector with a diverse career background that lends to her current role at Creative BC. Gill goes on to explain her vision for the organization, “We are here to unite creators and the creative industry. We like to refer to ourselves as a catalyst – we are fostering, growing and building the creative industry as a critical part of the economic development of BC and really the country.”
For the last decade or so, the creative sector has been booming in the province, and Creative BC has been integral to this growth, as the organization is the “single point of access for industry programming, production support services, tax credit administration, international marketing and policy development.” Creative BC also promotes the services and talent that British Columbia has to offer across Canada and the world.
Gill explains Creative BC is here to serve the industry, “We are here to help position BC’s creative industries; support the creation of a culture that grows those industries; make sure that we’re telling the stories of the industries; and continuing to attract and build the talent here – our strongest proposition here in BC is the talent base.”
Before Creative BC, Gill has had a multi-faced career spanning a few decades. She started off at Rim Jhim Radio, where she not only gained television experience from veterans like Shushma Datt, but was also one of the hosts for the English language show ‘Youth Raap.’ The goal of the show was to engage youth, who would then call in to discuss topics.
“We didn’t see people of colour on mainstream TV that much, this was still the cornerstone of multicultural radio and television with people like Shushma, who’d been doing it for a long time, really helped a lot of people start their careers where I couldn’t get opportunities at mainstream television or radio stations, but I could go and learn at a place like Rim Jhim,” says Gill.
She went on to work as a host and producer for CityTV, which was owned by CHUM at that time. Gill says CHUM was an “interesting broadcaster, where if you had an interest in something and the ability to do it, they really encouraged you to go for it.” As senior management, she helped shaped the programming and was the supervising producer for non-news programming. The focus of the shows was diverse individuals and subjects that wasn’t on multicultural television, from the cooking show CityCooks and Iconoclasts hosted by Monika Deol to Colour TV, which Gill hosted.
To gain a greater business and corporate perspective, Gill moved to Toronto to work as CHUM’s Director of Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs. She focused less on content, and her main priority was the regulatory side of the business in Canadian broadcasting.
An opportunity arose at Telus, and Gill moved back to Vancouver where she spent 8 years as Telus’ Director of Production and Original Programming. In this role, she raised funds to support the creation of content, in addition to producing programming. She launched the program STORYHIVE, a “community-powered funding program” that provides “production grants and distribution opportunities for local creative talent in Western Canada.”
It’s important for Gill to give back and she holds multiple, volunteer positions with different organizations. She is the Vice-Chair of the board of directors for the National Screen Institute; she was a founding board member for Women in View, and is now on the advisory committee; she is on the board of Advantage BC; and she
previously held a board of director position with the Vancouver International Film Festival.
“We come from a culture of seva, of service. If you’re part of a community, I feel like its essential to participate, whether you’re in a position like I am now or not, I’ve always volunteered, I’ve always wanted to see growth and opportunity not just for myself, but for other people and to be a voice at that table,” adds Gill.
Over the years, Gill has advocated for diversity on different mediums of broadcast and explains it’s important for youth to see individuals like themselves reflected in mass media, not just the stereotypical roles, but a multitude of varying roles.
“I don’t necessarily think everything we see on screen is reflective of the communities we’re living in,” says Gill. “I think it makes it better and richer for everyone, the more diverse and broader perspectives and different points of views that you see in storytelling. How can that not be good for the greater cultural community at large? It inspires and spurs further creativity for everyone.”
As for the future of the creative sector in BC, Gill says it “looks pretty dynamic, is a bright spark in the province’s story” and the industries, such as film, television, visual effects, animation and music, continue to employ a large number of part-time and full-time employees. She also adds, “It’s a time of growth – we are well positioned internationally and in North America as a global centre of excellence for creative industries and that comes from investments that the province continues to make across these sectors.”