PodSask

PodSask

What is PodSask?

The mission of PodSask is a simple one: to promote and support the thriving arts and culture scene (and more!) in Saskatchewan through multimedia journalism and storytelling. 

That’s a very wordy way of saying there’s a lot happening in in this province, especially in the arts, and we think it all deserves a little more love! 

PodSask is a website founded to be a hub for written articles, podcasts (hence the name), videos, and more that focus primarily on that aforementioned arts and culture community. Now, you might be asking yourself…

What do you mean, "arts and culture"?

And you know, that’s a great question, curious hypothetical figment of my imagination! Here at PodSask, we believe the term is broad in scope and interpretation. Is the latest play at your local theatre arts and culture? Yes! How about the bands playing at the bar down the street? Absolutely! Your favourite movies and TV shows and books? For sure! The delectable dishes served up at your local cafe? Sounds like it to us!

The point is, arts and culture can mean a lot of things to a lot of people – and we hope you’ll come by to check out the variety of content we’ll be creating for you!

What is PodSask?

The mission of PodSask is a simple one: to promote and support the incredible and diverse arts and culture scene in Saskatchewan through various multimedia formats. That’s a very wordy way of saying there’s a lot happening in the arts in this province, and we think it all deserves a little more love ( <3 ).  PodSask is a website founded to be a hub for written articles, podcasts (hence the name), videos, and more that all focus on that aforementioned arts and culture scene in the province. Now, you might be asking yourself…

What do you mean, "arts and culture"?

And you know, that’s a great question, curious hypothetical figment of my imagination! Here at PodSask, we believe the term is broad in scope and interpretation. Is the latest play at your local theatre arts and culture? Yes! How about the bands playing at the bar down the street? Absolutely! Your favourite movies and TV shows and books? For sure! The delectable dishes served up at your local cafe? Sounds like it to us!

The point is, arts and culture can mean a lot of things to a lot of people – and we hope you’ll come by to check out the variety of content we’ll be creating for you!

Our Contributors

Matt “Mo” Olson is a reporter-turned-communications-director that likes storytelling too much to completely leave the journalism sphere. Matt earned his Bachelor of Music from the University of Saskatchewan and his Master of Journalism from Carleton University in Ottawa.

During his time with the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Matt (along with a team of colleagues) earned a National Newspaper Award and a Canadian Association of Journalism Award as a writer and a podcast producer, respectively. Considering neither of those were for arts and culture projects — kind of his specialty — Matt is excited to pursue new ideas with PodSask!

Matt is a big fan of Broadway musicals, Star Wars, football, and board games. Somehow, he’ll do a story on all of them for this website.
Matt “Mo” Olson is a reporter-turned-communications-director that likes storytelling too much to completely leave the journalism sphere. Matt earned his Bachelor of Music from the University of Saskatchewan and his Master of Journalism from Carleton University in Ottawa.

During his time with the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Matt (along with a team of colleagues) earned a National Newspaper Award and a Canadian Association of Journalism Award as a writer and a podcast producer, respectively. Considering neither of those were for arts and culture projects — kind of his specialty — Matt is excited to pursue new ideas with PodSask!

Matt is a big fan of Broadway musicals, Star Wars, football, and board games. Somehow, he’ll do a story on all of them for this website.
Tara Oliver is a project manager, producer, and theatre artist with a passion for art, community, feminism, and scary movies.

She has experience with various theatre and production companies around Saskatoon and Saskatchewan, including Saskatoon Summer Players, 25th Street Theatre, and Ferre Play Theatre. In 2021, Tara helped crowdfund and produce a short horror film titled The Druid’s Hand alongside her brother using entirely Saskatchewan talent.

Bobby Williston (he/him) is a high school English Language Arts teacher with Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools. He works in the Advanced Placement English Program which specializes in preparing high school students to study university level English Language Arts. In this role, he is most passionate about anti-oppressive education; he is working with his division and his English department to select literature from authentic and diverse voices.

Bobby has also worked in the community theatre scene as both an actor and director. His directing credits include Little Women, Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Saskatoon Summer Players), and Next to Normal (Cornerstone Theatre). Acting credits include Shrek: The Musical, RENT, Cabaret, Monty Python’s Spamalot, Into the Woods (Saskatoon Summer Players), Next to Normal (Cornerstone Theatre), and {title of show} (Ppl r Ppl).

Bobby loves storytelling in various forms, and he is excited to travel the world with his wife, Heather.

Bobby Williston (he/him) is a high school English Language Arts teacher with Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools. He works in the Advanced Placement English Program which specializes in preparing high school students to study university level English Language Arts. In this role, he is most passionate about anti-oppressive education; he is working with his division and his English department to select literature from authentic and diverse voices.

Bobby has also worked in the community theatre scene as both an actor and director. His directing credits include Little Women, Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Saskatoon Summer Players), and Next to Normal (Cornerstone Theatre). Acting credits include Shrek: The Musical, RENT, Cabaret, Monty Python’s Spamalot, Into the Woods (Saskatoon Summer Players), Next to Normal (Cornerstone Theatre), and {title of show} (Ppl r Ppl).

Bobby loves storytelling in various forms, and he is excited to travel the world with his wife, Heather.

Aditya Menon is a software developer by day, gamer (both board and video) by night. He earned a degree in computer engineering from the University of Saskatchewan and jumped immediately into work for various local tech companies.

A huge fan of storytelling in many forms, Aditya is an avid reader and movie-goer — just ask him about all the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — and dabbles in more than one game of Dungeons and Dragons. He also enjoys drawing and dabbling in graphic design.

Aditya loves to travel, and hopes to be able to do more of that in the very near future. For now, he’s at home in Saskatoon with his wife Shannon and their dog Jameson, ready to delve into podcasts for PodSask!