1. Can you share your journey from CMTC to where you are today? 

I first attended CMTC when I was 15, around the age I wanted to start modelling. I had already been acting since age 12 but as I got older I wanted to start modelling professionally. At 15, I entered every category. From acting to modelling to singing and dancing. I was never a dancer but I stepped outside of my comfort zone and learned something new just for CMTC. I placed 2nd in the singing competition and I received 15 callbacks from the world’s top agents. 

My experiences, learning, training, and networking at CMTC taught me invaluable skills that I’ve been able to apply to all aspects of my life. I grew in ways that helped me excel in my career while learning more  about myself, the industry, and the work it required to make it. 

After CMTC, I stuck to modelling. Booking various campaigns and walking in fashion weeks across Canada and around the world. At age 18, I was asked to audition to host a television series called The Other Side and I booked it. Hosting was never something that had crossed my mind before.  I had never hosted before and with a background in acting, being off script scared me. I hosted The Other Side for 3 seasons and had I not pushed myself to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new, I would have never learned that being a television host was my true passion. After 3 seasons, I quit. I felt I had learned what I needed to and gained enough experience to explore new facets of hosting. This is when I made it my goal to be the first Indigenous person to host Etalk. 

Shortly after I quit The Other Side, I booked a national campaign for Nordstrom which landed me on the biggest billboard in Canada in Dundas Square Toronto – I was the first Indigenous person to be on a billboard in Dundas Square and that was only in 2019. Because of this, it garnered a ton of media attention. I used the media interviews and coverage as an opportunity to use my voice. Again, I stepped outside of my comfort zone and used my voice to advocate for the need for Indigenous representation in this industry. More specially, the media, news, and broadcasting industries. 

I called out mainstream media outlets and broadcasters for having zero Indigenous representation. If you watch sports news, entertainment news, or even the news, you will see no television hosts, anchors, or visible representation of people on the television who are Indigenous. It is sports and entertainment that our youth are watching and unfortunately, they don’t see themselves in those spaces. 

Even to this day, there is only myself working in the entertainment media industry. There is still nobody working in sports media. And I can count on one hand the amount of Indigenous on camera reporters working for mainstream news outlets. 

Today, I work for Etalk as both a host and producer. I am a freelance journalist and writer, working occasionally for CBC Life. I am working on writing and producing my own content. I still model and working on music has been at the back of my mind for a very long time.

2. What has been the most rewarding part of your journey in the modelling and entertainment/media industry?

The most rewarding part of my journey is being in a position to open doors for the next generation to pursue a career in modelling or the entertainment/media industry. As someone who has been the first Indigenous person to achieve various opportunities, I try to ensure that I am not the last or the only. I am the first person to win Miss Teen Saskatchewan in 2015, I am the first Indigenous person to be on the largest billboard in Canada in Dundas Square, Toronto for a Nordstrom campaign, and I am the first person to be a host on Canada’s number one entertainment news show, Etalk. Moments like these have generated a lot of media coverage and I’ve always used those moments to advocate the need and necessity for more Indigenous representation in the media industry.

3. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in the industry, and how did you overcome them?

Some of the biggest challenges that I’ve faced in the past are still, unfortunately, the same challenges that I face today. That is being the only Indigenous person working in mainstream film and television. While I have worked very hard to earn my place in this industry and achieve my dream on being a television host – and don’t get me wrong, I am also very grateful – it is difficult to work in a space where I see nobody else that looks like me. It can be exhausting to be the only Indigenous person. On the contrary, it motivates me to keep going because I am in a position to advocate for others and hopefully, create space for others to join me. But that is the challenge and if it is to be overcome, I will need a great amount of allies to help.

4. How did CMTC help shape your career and open doors for you?

CMTC gave me access to education, training, and workshops with the industry’s top facilitators, agents, and professionals. It provided competition experiences that pushed me outside of my comfort zone, allowing me to grow, learn, and discover both my strengths and what I was most passionate about. It gave me the tools and confidence needed to step inside the audition room and attend casting calls. 

5. As an advocate for Indigenous representation in media, what changes have you seen in the industry, and what more needs to be done?

Throughout my career, I have seen a drastic change in the amount in Indigenous stories being told in the media. While it is incredible to see greater coverage of Indigenous people doing amazing things, there is still a deficit in the amount of Indigenous people telling those stories. There needs to be more Indigenous people covering, telling, producing these stories. There needs to be Indigenous reporters, journalists, producers, television hosts, and anchors working in MAINSTREAM media spaces like sports, entertainment, and news. As of today, there is no one in sports. There is one (myself) in entertainment news. And there is one person in national news.

6. What keeps you motivated and passionate about your work?

The first and foremost thing that has always kept me motivated and passionate is the pursuit to prove them that I can. That Indigenous people can. What I mean by that is, as an Indigenous person who grew up in rural Saskatchewan facing both passive and overt racism, it is engrained in me to prove those people and the many people who still stereotype and discriminate against us Indigenous people, wrong.

The second most important thing that keeps me motivated and passionate about my work is my community. As you can see with the greater coverage of Indigenous stories, there are more  actors/actresses, models, and musicians who are Indigenous then there ever has been before. As one of the only Indigenous people working in entertainment news, I do everything I can to cover and highlight as many of their stories that I can. I am fiercely passionate about uplifting others, making them feel heard and seen.

 7. Is there a particular moment in your career that stands out as especially meaningful?

Like most Indigenous people in this industry, there are a lot of firsts. Which means there are a lot of moments that are especially meaningful. If I had to pick just one, it would be the moment my goal and dream came true to be the first Indigenous person to be a host on Etalk – And I’ve won a Canadian Screen Award for both hosting and providing on Etalk!

8. Who has been your biggest inspiration or mentor in your journey?

Someone who I hold dear to my heart, as both a mentor and second Mom you could say, producer and actress, Jennifer Podemski. She has been in my life since I landed my very first acting gig at the age of 12 and she has always been someone I could turn to for guidance, mentorship, and strength.

9. What projects or initiatives are you currently working on or excited about?

I am currently working on a YouTube series called, ‘Behind the Seams with Michaella Montana.’ I sit down with Canadian and International designers from various Indigenous backgrounds to uncover the story behind their work, providing deeper insight into the beauty, magic, and misconceptions surrounding their cultures.

10. How do you balance pursuing your professional goals while staying connected to your roots at home?

 It’s not about how, it’s just about doing. It’s important to remember that you are the very thing that makes your money and makes your career. If you do not take care of yourself and prioritize your health, mental health, wellbeing, and happiness then you will not be able to build the career that you want. You might be able to, but you won’t be doing it to the best of your ability nor will you be staying true to yourself. You must show up for yourself before showing up for others.

“You can’t pour from an empty cup.”

So prioritize the balance, whatever that may look like to you. I know that my cup can never be full if I don’t make time to relax, sleep, recharge, move my body, spend quality time with friends and family, be outdoors, attend cultural events, give back to my community, or do the things that make me FEEL good. You have to feel good to do good. You just have to schedule it in and make it a priority.

11. If you could go back and give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?

Everyone is going to tell you who you should be, what you should change, or what you should do with your hair, your body, and your image. Don’t listen. Especially if you don’t agree or don’t want to do it.

The most important thing in this industry is to stay true to yourself and be yourself. Authenticity and originality based upon your own personal expression is what sets you apart.

12. What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received in your career?

You are allowed to say no. You don’t have to do every job that comes your way, especially if you feel like it’s not for you. Always listen to your gut and follow your intuition. You are allowed to quit something you’ve started if you find that it does not align with who you are or where you want to be. Don’t be afraid to let others down if it means staying true to YOU.

13. What is your top piece of advice for aspiring models and talent who are just starting in the industry?

Capitalize on every opportunity possible, even if you’ve never done it before, even if it scares you, even if it’s completely outside of your comfort zone because you never know, you might surprise yourself and end up finding a new passion. Better yet, yourself.