COHORT 1 PARTICIPANT

Leena Minifie (Gitxaala/British ) is a digital strategist, impact and media producer based in Vancouver. She is the CEO of Stories First and a founding partner of Cool.World web app. Leena holds a BA in Indigenous Studies and BFA in New Media from the Institute of American Indian Arts. Leena’s experience producing media projects includes series, documentaries, webinars, radio broadcast, culture retention projects and news sites. She has worked as a journalist and ia a co-founder of Ricochet.Media. Leena has deep experience in film, television, but focuses primarily on online digital campaigns and digital media strategy for social impact. Before starting her consultancy, she worked at a digital agency in Minnesota. In 2019, she returned to the west coast to work with Screen Siren Pictures and Animikii for the #Next150 campaign for the film Indian Horse and implemented roll-out strategies for theatrical release; domestically, it broke the 2 M mark in box office sales. Additionally, she was a key member of The Grizzlies digital roll-out and lead strategy for theatrical launch for US distribution. Leena is currently the only First Nations woman to participate in the Aspen Institute and the U.S. Embassy’s Edward R. Murrow Journalism Program in Washington, DC.