The Firecracker Department with Naomi Snieckus

Ingrid's credits include: The World or Nothing (2019), Porcupine Lake (2017), He Hated Pigeons (2015), The Animal Project (2013), I Am a Good Person/I Am a Bad Person (2011), Modra (2010), Only (2008), Friday the 13th The Series (1987-1990), & Airwaves (1986-87). Welcome back all you firecrackers! In this episode, Naomi and Ingrid sit down during the Toronto International Film Festival and talk ab...

Hi Firecrackers! Join me, Naomi Snieckus, as I dive deep into conversation with Tamara Podemski (Coroner/CBC, Never Saw It Coming/Crave) into what it took for her to become the amazing, multi-dimensional artist that she is today. We sat down and talked about her early days doing "Annie" with her sisters (Jennifer and Sarah) and her keen snow shoveling skills she is teaching her husband (Jamie King...

Hey Firecrackers! Join Jackie Harris (Second City, As Told By Ginger, Jenny McCarthy's Bad Habits) and I for lunch, seriously. Jackie invited me over to her home for food and conversation about stepping in and stepping up in Los Angeles. I've been a fan of Jackie's since seeing her fierceness on the stage at the Old Firehall Second City in Toronto and I have to say that my fandom is reaffirmed aft...

Hi-ho! Hi-ho! Does everyone start their acting careers as one of Snow White's assorted dwarves? Naomi and Arwen Humphreys (Saving Hope, Murdoch Mysteries) discover this about each other, as well as being an "Arwen" or a "Naomi" in schools filled with Megans, Ashleys and Jennifers is not always easy.  Arwen was discovered at a very young age and put right to work. She has enjoyed playing Margaret B...

Join Firecracker host, Naomi Snieckus, as she chats with Kat Barrell! You know and love Kat from Wynonna Earp, Workin' Moms, Girls Night Out, Murdoch Mysteries and so much more. Listen as Naomi and Kat talk about acting, directing, mental health, and general life advice. Follow Kat on Twitter and Instagram @katbarrell. For more awesome inspiring Firecracker episodes don't forget to subscribe on iT...

Firecrackers! What are you up to lately? Whatcha reading, listening to, watching? For me, I recently watched the Garry Shandling documentary on Netflix and it really stuck with me. Garry was one of the funniest, smartest minds of our time and watching the way he did things made me go back and take a look at my own process. It was so inspiring, but also a bit daunting, because to get to the level o...

Hey Firecrackers, welcome to Second City! We're here at my old stomping grounds for a LIVE podcast panel with some real comedic geniuses! Joining us on stage for this chat is Ayaka Kinugawa , Musical Director for Second City Theatrical,  Carly Heffernan , current Director of the main stage show 'The Best Is Yet To Come Undone',  Teresa Pavlinek , writer, producer, and star of her own show called '...

Hey Firecrackers! This episode we are talking to one of my favourite people, Rebecca Kohler. Now if you don't know her, you need to go online right now to check out her stand up. She is just so funny and so ballsy. Now recently (we talk about this in the interview) she has been writing a lot for tv. She's writing for "Working Moms", "Kim's Convenience" on CBC, and also "Schitt's Creek". And now, s...

BONUS EPISODE! Hey firecrackers! Every month we're asking you a new question, what we're calling the Spark Question  of the month! We want to continue to inspire you and everyone in our community, so please tell us your answers so we can all share our experiences! In April we asked you: What makes you feel powerful? The feedback you gave us was amazing, so much so that Naomi recorded and commented...

Hey Firecrackers! This episode I got to speak with the incredible Jean Yoon! Right now you might know her from Kim's Convenience , but she is an artist on so many different levels; she has been a creator, a producer, a writer, a poet – she's done it all! I remember watching her from shows like The Yoko Ono Project way back when I was in theatre school, and being just astounded with her commitment...

Hey Firecrackers! This week I got to have an incredible discussion with none other than Dani Kind! Now you might know Dani from her role on CBC's 'Workin' Moms' or perhaps as Mercedes Gardner on 'Wynonna Earp', or maybe you just know her for being a kick-ass woman? Well, I first met Dani through the CBC, since we're both on the network we would see each other at parties and what not, but I never r...

Hey Firecrackers! Welcome back to the department, this week we have none other than the amazing Anusree Roy as our guest! Anusree is a Dora Mavor Moore award winning playwright and actress. Her stage work includes the plays 'Breathlessness', 'Sultans of the Street','Brothel #9', and 'Little Pretty and The Exceptional', amongst many more. Her television work includes the shows 'Saving Hope' and 'Re...

BONUS EPISODE! Hey firecrackers! Every month we're asking you a new question, what we're calling the Spark Question  of the month! We want to continue to inspire you and everyone in our community, so please tell us your answers so we can all share our experiences! In March, we asked you: IF NEITHER SUCCESS NOR FAILURE WERE AN OPTION, WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU'D PURSUE?  The feedback you gave us was am...

Hey firecrackers! If you've been following us on social media, you might recall that a few weeks ago we hosted our very first LIVE podcast!! The event was in conjunction with The Canadian Academy of Cinema and Television, and as a part of Canadian Screen Week, we assembled a panel of firecrackers at The Bell Media House and had an incredible chat. Oh and to top it off, we did this on International...

BONUS EPISODE! Hey firecrackers! Every month we're asking you a new question, what we're calling the Spark Question  of the month! We want to continue to inspire you and everyone in our community, so please tell us your answers so we can all share our experiences! In February, we asked you: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUR YOUNGER SELF?    The feedback you gave us was amazing, so much so that Na...

Hey Firecrackers! First of all, I want to talk about our 'Spark of the Month' question. At the beginning of every month, during our Facebook and Instagram Live we're going to ask a question that we want all of you to answer! This month, we're asking "If neither success nor failure were an option, what is something you would pursue?" Tell us your answers on social media or by e-mailing firecrackerd...

Hey Firecrackers! I hope you're all doing well! What have you all been up too? This week I'm starting out by talking a bit about comedy. Now, I (obviously) love comedy and recently we went to see some stand up at the Hollywood Improv with our new friends Mark and Carla, and the line up was crazy! We got to see some incredible comedians, dare I say comedy legends, like Margaret Cho, Bobby Lee, Kevi...

Hey firecrackers! What an amazing time we're living in. Every time I hop onto social media, (which lets face it, is where I get my news), I'm seeing all of the courageous and powerful stories from these incredible women coming forward about their experiences. Their bravery is so inspiring and I just want to say it again, to all of these women, you are supported and keep speaking your truth! Keep s...

Firecrackers, It's been a big week for the Toronto theatre community. For those of you that don't know, Albert Schultz, who was the AD at one of the countries largest theatre companies, Soulpepper, was accused of sexual harassment in the theatre. Four amazingly bold, brave women; Diana Bentley, Patricia Fagan, Kristin Booth, and Hannah Miller came forward with their stories. It's been an intense,...

Hey firecrackers! Where in the world are YOU!? Are you also in a freezing cold climate like I am? 'Cause it's pretty chilly up here in Toronto and I'm doing whatever I can to stay warm until I'm back in LA! Let me know what you do to stay warm over social media! Speaking of cold climates (yes, we're using this as a transition, haha!) here's the second episode from my trip to New York City! I sat d...

Hey firecrackers! First of all, I want to thank everyone who has been writing, tweeting, or commenting on our posts talking about the show and about the guests that have inspired you! We're so happy that you are connecting with this podcast, our team works very hard to bring it to life and it means the world to us that you're tuning in! Next up, we have Astrid Van Wieren from the Broadway musical...

Hey firecrackers! We're back after a bit of hiatus and we missed you guys! But believe me, a lot has been going on, both in my personal life and in general. So, I wanted to touch on what's happening right now in our industry, and as much as I want to stay totally positive, I think its important to talk about the #metoo campaign. When this all started, I found myself thinking back on my experiences...

Hey firecrackers! I'm coming at you from Toronto this week where we're in the middle of the Toronto International Film Festival. This time of year is always crazy and exhausting but most definitely exciting! My highlight so far this year was being a part of a charity event for Rainbow Camp with Colin Mochrie, Deb McGrath, and their daughter, Kinley. Rainbow Camp is a one-week camp for LGBTQ2+ and...

Hey firecrackers! This week I found myself confined to my hotel room in Halifax and the more time I spent in there, I realized how easily hotels can make you feel shut in. So, I decided to get out there and do something creative, something away from the computer, something outdoors! I went out, got some paints, a canvas, and taught myself to paint. I'm definitely no artist, haha, but it helped wit...

Hey firecrackers! I'm coming at you from Halifax this week where I'm shooting 'Mr. D' and I want to give a huge shout out to our crew for the show! Our transport department, who gets me where I need to be, because lets face it, I don't know where I'm going without them, our hair and make up team, our camera team, our production team, our writers and directors…there's just too many to list but all...