RECOGNIZING EXCELLENCE NICOLE MCCORMICK
Nicole McCormick
Firstly introduce yourself and tell us where your home place is. Describe your job/jobs in just under four sentences. Please also provide your title and profession.
Shé:kon Sewakwé:kon. Nicole yónkyats. Kanyen’kehá:ka niwakonhwentsyò:ten. Ohswé:ken nithoné:non ne akhwá:tsire.
Greetings All. My name is Nicole McCormick. I am a proud Kanyen’kehà:ka (Mohawk) woman living in Hamilton, Ontario. My family is from Ohsweken, Six Nations of the Grand River Territory.
I am the Managing Assignment Editor at CityNews Toronto and Breakfast Television. I oversee the development of the daily news in collaboration with the editorial team. I also manage a team who is responsible for handling and delegating resources to news staff. This team monitors breaking news and develops a plan for a quick and efficient response in order to get the information out to the public, on a multitude of news platforms – television, digital and radio.
What sparked your interest to work in this industry?
From a young age, I was always interested in news. I always wanted to know what was happening in the world around me, even if I didn’t fully understand the gravity of what I was listening to or reading. The one thing that was very apparent to me growing up was that I didn’t see many people who looked like me reporting the news. Sadly, it seemed, Indigenous people were the news. Every story I saw involving Indigenous people had a negative connotation to it or was riddled with stereotypes. It was a time where imagery spoke of missing and murdered Indigenous women, intoxicated homeless people and incarcerated community members who shared my identity. I rarely saw anything positive about our people. I wanted to help change that narrative in my own way. I believe I have. Although I am not in front of the camera as a reporter, I have even more influence behind the camera, as the one of the editorial managers of my newsroom. Indigenous people are natural storytellers. Becoming a journalist felt natural for me.
What do you enjoy most about your profession?
The thing I enjoy and get the most satisfaction from is giving a voice to people who want to be heard – those who feel like they have nowhere else to turn. So, they call the media. I’ve heard so many stories over the years. Some people at their wit’s end. Some people want to highlight the good work of their community and don’t know how. So, I listen to them and see how I can help from a news perspective. I invest myself in their story. When I hear back from them that they got a resolution to their issue, or that just being heard made their situation a little bit more bearable, or that their friend is being celebrated for their contributions to society, it’s fulfilling.
As Indigenous people, we know what it feels like not to be heard or seen. I’ve made it my goal to not allow others to feel those feelings if I can help them.
What educational preparation would you recommend for someone who wants to advance in this field?
I would recommend attending a good journalism school. This was one of the best decisions I ever made. I researched 2-3 schools. I reached out to former students who attended the schools to hear what they thought of the program. I decided to attend the Television Broadcasting and Communications Media program at Mohawk College in Hamilton. The program has expanded since I attended school there. I learned the fundamentals of what is takes to be a good journalist. I was constantly learning about storytelling and the methods to tell the stories through video as a television journalist. It gave me the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded people. The professors at Mohawk College invested themselves in my learning and success. They didn’t just teach me. They got to know me as a person. A few of my professors are still my biggest champions twenty years later. I now sit as a board member on the Mohawk College Television Broadcasting Program Advisory Committee where program alumni shape the future of the program.
Regardless of your program, it’s imperative to network. If you have an interest in Indigenous issues or politics, for example, spend time making contacts in that area. Networking is vital to every story you tell. You need to build trust with people and create those personal connections, so that when you graduate from your program, you can begin telling those personal stories immediately and in the right way.
What does success look like to you for Indigenous youth?
In this new world, there is so much opportunity to re-calibrate, build your reputation and seize this tremendous change that we are seeing across the world. I want Indigenous youth to find true happiness within themselves I want our youth to love who they are fully and completely and love what they do every single day of their lives. I want them to remember that no matter how their lives began, that they can ascend to limitless heights. I believe, and I have seen that one person can make a difference. If you want to change the world, do it! Find your inner strength, courage, determination and work hard and you will move mountains!
How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?
I welcome failure. Failure teaches you something that you never would have learned if you had succeeded. I truly believe it’s what you learn from that failure the matters. It’s about how you rise after you fall.
Introspectively, my failures have typically involved me not sticking up for myself or situations where I should have fought harder for what I believed in – like stories about an Indigenous issue I was passionate about and gave up on when I had to defend why our audience would care. Often times throughout my career, I feel it has taken too much energy to explain the reasoning.
I’m done with that now. I won’t ‘fail’ again when it comes to fighting for those stories.
I believe I am where I supposed to be in my career, failure and all.
What are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?
When I was young, I was given ‘Tom Longboat’ by author Bruce Kidd. As I read this book, I was told a story of sheer will and determination by a man from Six Nations, my family’s home, who made history and who broke records as a long-distance runner. This book came into my life at a time when I needed role models who looked like me and Tom was one of them. I wanted to be like him. Not a runner, I’ve never been athletic, but I wanted to be strong and resilient like him.
Most recently I have read and admired ‘Beautiful Scars’ by Tom Wilson. It’s a book about reclaiming and reconnecting with your identity that has captured my mind and heart. I’ve been on my own journey of self-discovery for years as I work to heal from childhood traumas and make my mark on the world. Tom wrote that at age 53, he learned that he was adopted, and that he was Mohawk. Through his book, Tom revealed the power of vulnerability. He once told me that when you start telling the truth, when you start finding the truth, amazing things can happen. I’ve realized this to be true in my own life. It’s never too late to explore your truth and figure out who you are. I appreciate a book that tells a real story that I can relate too on an intimate level.
Do you volunteer? If so, where and why is that important to you?
Yes. Volunteering is very personal to me. This is how I give back to the Indigenous community.
I am the senior community advisor and spokesperson for the Rogers Indigenous Peoples Network.
I work with an amazing team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to promote truth and reconciliation on behalf of Rogers Communications. We work to challenge systematic barriers and promote the inclusion of Indigenous employees. I assist in facilitating and hosting employee events to promote Indigenous education and awareness, like our annual smudging ceremony, National Indigenous Month celebrations and Orange Shirt Day recognition.
The achievement I am most proud of is the creation of two Rogers Downie-Wenjack Indigenous Legacy Spaces. The first, located inside the Rogers Headquarters in Toronto and the second, on the West Coast, in our Kelowna Customers Solutions Centre. Legacy Spaces are safe, welcoming places dedicated to providing education and spreading awareness about Indigenous history, culture and our journey towards reconciliation. I find ways to turn my activism into action. I left my own legacy at Rogers.
I am also the Indigenous advisor to Rogers Hometown Hockey. I provide consultative support to the team when they broadcast from an Indigenous community for the purpose of fostering healthy and mutually beneficial partnerships with those communities. We have had successful broadcasts with Enoch Cree Nation in Alberta and Peguis First Nation in Manitoba.
My team and I created this brochure to celebrate some of our accomplishments. Read Brochure.
And lastly, I mentor Indigenous youth. I’ve met many Indigenous kids who didn’t have the best start to their young lives, that echoes my story, and I know the importance of lending an ear. Sometimes they just need to talk to someone they trust, someone who knows what they’ve gone through, and to know that someone is looking out for them. I’ve been that person to a few special kids. They bring as much joy to my life as I do to theirs.
In the last year, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life?
The last year of my life has been a year of personal transformation. I would say the most important thing I have come to believe is that there is power in sharing my story in all facets of my life, both personally and professionally. I used to be so afraid of judgement. Now, I’ve realized that when you share your story, that is how you impact people. It’s how you get them to really listen and relate to you when they think you have nothing in common. I can change a person’s perspective when they see and feel the emotions, passion and love I have for my culture and my Indigenous brothers, sisters and two-spirited people.
What are some challenges you think the next Indigenous generation will face in your industry/profession?
Don’t put your job (something you do just for a paycheck) ahead of your career, or your purpose.
Your job can be gone at a moment’s notice, your career can pivot, but your purpose is your journey, and it can’t be taken away.
Speaking directly to the next generation of journalists, I have an important message: Unless drastic change is made, most of the people who oversee Canadian newsrooms will not look like you. You will feel alone. You may even feel like your voice doesn’t matter and you will feel like giving up. I know these feelings very well.
You will get asked why your story is important to the general audience, or why they should care. And, you’ll have to defend your reasons, often times, more than once. Be intentional. Your audience will see the problems you define, and they will think of you as the solution.
You will face racism, criticism and ignorance when you share your stories with the public. Social media has opened doors for people to voice their opinions. As much as I urge you not to read every comment, you will. You will need to learn to not let those people impact how you do your job. You cannot let them silence you.
Please, I want you know that I am here for you. That so many other Indigenous, past and present, who are here cheering you on, and we want you to succeed. That is the one good thing social media provides – a sense of community. You’ll notice Indigenous voices are louder than ever.
We need you to keep telling our stories.
What advice would you give to a smart, driven student about to enter the “real world”? What advice should they ignore?
Stop playing smaller than your potential and diminishing your voice. The time to be seen and heard is now. There is no one else like you. Own that. DO NOT be afraid to speak your truth in your own unique way.
Ignore the notion that emotions do not belong in the workplace or in a corporate environment. Your emotions are your superpower and make you who you are!