The nominations for the 2014 Yeggies are in, and it should come as no surprise to St. Albert residents that this city is well represented.
The nominations for the 2014 Yeggies are in, and it should come as no surprise to St. Albert residents that this city is well represented.
The Yeggies, also known as the Edmonton New Media Awards, recognize outstanding social-media content creators in Edmonton and area. This year's nominees include Dr. Kris Wells for Best in Public Service, the web series Dookie Squad featuring local actor S-Raj Kumar for Best in Film or Television, and Tiny Plastic Men featuring local comedian Matt Alden for Best in Humour.
Wells said his nomination came as a pleasant surprise; while he's not out to win awards it's nice to be recognized for the work he does putting together content related to LGBT issues in Alberta.
“The whole reason I share research and curate good information related to LGBT issues and social justice is to help stimulate a conversation, and help people examine their own beliefs and ultimately to call them to take action,” he said.
His social media feeds are a wealth of information about issues relating to sexual or gender identity and the politics surrounding those issues in Alberta in particular. These days, the hot topic is Gay-Straight Alliances in schools, and the provincial government's apparent indecisiveness on that issue has sparked significant public discussion about social justice.
“Social media is the new public commons. It's a place where everyone can have an opinion and everyone can have a voice, and engage in what we hope is constructive dialogue,” Wells said.
While social media can be a force for social change, it also boasts its fair share of levity, something St. Albert's Matt Alden knows first-hand from his work with Tiny Plastic Men.
The show is now airing its third season on Super Channel, giving it a wide distribution, but many people they speak to elsewhere in the country have a hard time believing the entire thing is produced on Mountain Standard Time.
“They just can't get their heads around it, but the crew, the people we have here in town are incredible,” Alden said. “Amazingly professional people. I like keeping it Alberta.”
Getting recognition in the Edmonton region, then, is a big boost to what they do.
“We like getting recognized within our own community, because we work really hard at it, and it's tough in this business,” Alden said.
St. Albert's S-Raj Kumar, who plays Hoolio on the web-series comedy Dookie Squad, said the whole crew is stoked about the nomination but what's more significant is the recognition of talent in the arts and culture scene in this province.
“Things like this are what's so amazing about the Alberta Arts Scene or the Edmonton scene, is there's so much talent we have out there,” he said.
While the often-improvised nature of his work on the show and its highly slapstick contents was a bit of an adjustment for him, Kumar said working with that crew has been a great experience.
“Nobody was afraid to look like an idiot or even look weird doing it. It made it much easier,” he said. “Everyone was on board and ready to get their hands dirty, no pun intended.”
