Tag Archives: Postcards From

AMI hits the road for new, immersive, accessible Canadian adventures on Season 6 of Postcards From

From a media release:

Accessible Media Inc. (AMI), in partnership with award-winning filmmakers Ryan Mah and Danny Berish of Black Rhino Creative, invites audiences to reimagine travel through the five senses—smell, touch, sight, taste and sound—with a brand-new season of the Golden Sheaf Award-nominated Postcards From.

Returning on Wednesday, May 14, at 8 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv and AMI+, join host Christa Couture as she journeys across the country to meet up with “in-the-know” local guides as they explore eight unique Canadian locations: Frelighsburg, Calgary, Gros Morne, Victoria, Ottawa, Prince Edward County, Osoyoos and Saskatoon.

“Postcards From is the kind of show that makes you want to pack your bags and rethink how we all travel,” say filmmakers Ryan Mah and Danny Berish. “With our host Christa leading the way, this is an invitation to see, taste and feel the world in new ways.”

“Season 6 is even more adventurous than last season,” Christa Couture says. “I try more things for the first time, share more of my past and experience more transformation in the present. I have so many unforgettable encounters exploring Canada with Postcards From. The people! The food! The being strapped into race cars! I can’t wait for audiences to feel as transformed and inspired as I do.”

The eight Season 6 episodes of Postcards From include:

Postcards from Frelighsburg – Wednesday, May 14 at 8 p.m. ET
What do you get when you mix two best friends, an alpaca, molten glass and an ATV? A perfect day in Frelighsburg, obviously. Host Christa Couture kicks off her travel adventures in Quebec’s Eastern townships by hitting the road with her ride-or-die Susan, her best friend of 40 years. From cuddling fuzzy alpacas to crashing a pop-up concert, the duo dives headfirst into the region’s small-town charm as they reflect on their lifetime of friendship.

Postcards from Calgary – Wednesday, May 21 at 8 p.m. ET
Edmonton-born Christa Couture heads into the “enemy” territory of Calgary to explore the rivalry between Alberta’s two biggest cities. From a DIY Caesar showdown in a cowboy bar (complete with mechanical bull) to roping lessons with comedy legend Bud Edgar, Christa gets into Calgary’s western spirit. She tours the city on an adaptive bike, tries her hand at goalball and remixes city sounds into a surprising tribute song at Studio Bell. Even an Edmontonian can admit it: Calgary’s kind of cool.

Postcards from Gros Morne – Wednesday, May 28 at 8 p.m. ET
Cod tongues, underwater robots, and screech—it’s a wild welcome to Newfoundland. Host Christa Couture explores what it really means to “own it” in Gros Morne, a small town on the edge of the Atlantic brimming with big pride and bigger personality. Christa connects with a local 10-year-old amputee and her family who are finding their own way in a landscape that isn’t built for access. From shed jams to Mi’kmaq flutes, Gros Morne sings its own song.

Postcards from Victoria – Wednesday, June 4, at 8 p.m. ET
What do bugs, queens, and aunties have in common? They all rule in Victoria, B.C., where our host Christa Couture travels to answer the question: what makes a matriarch? From queen impersonators to spider wranglers, Indigenous artists to Chinese historians, Christa gathers her strength in this coastal city shaped by feminine power.

Postcards from Ottawa – Wednesday, June 11, at 8 p.m. ET
Is Ottawa more than a government town? Host Christa Couture heads to the capital for a wintery reset in the snow-covered heart of Canada. From ice skating for the first time in 30 years to a crash course with sledge hockey champs, Christa finds a warm welcome in the world of accessible winter sports. The journey heats up with rabbit stew over an open fire, a lesson in maple syrup traditions and a joyful dance party led by a local Somali rapper Hawa Haji.

Postcards from Prince Edward County – Wednesday, June 18, at 8 p.m. ET
Who needs the city when there’s a drag show in a barn and local wine in your glass? Host Christa Couture finds a sweet escape in Prince Edward County, just a few scenic hours from Toronto. After smashing away stress in a rage room, Christa cruises to wineries in a vintage car and sets sail in the sunshine with the wind in her hair. Rustic charm never looked so fabulous.

Postcards from Osoyoos – Wednesday, June 25, at 8 p.m. ET
Host Christa Couture finally stops to explore Osoyoos, B.C., a desert town she used to drive past as a touring musician. She joins local rodeo kids for barrel racing, takes her first swing at golf, cools off with Indigenous soapberry “ice cream” and pushes her limits on an off-road truck course. With a sunset paddle on Canada’s warmest lake and laughs along the way, Christa discovers Osoyoos is more than a pit stop.

Postcards from Saskatoon – Wednesday, July 2, at 8 p.m. ET
Summer in Saskatoon doesn’t last long, but host Christa Couture is making it count. Join her to bask in the heat with stock car racing, wheelchair basketball, outdoor pottery burns, and perogies on the go. Christa soars above the prairie in a Second World War open cockpit plane at sunset. It’s the season finale, and Saskatoon says go big or wait ‘til next summer.

Postcards From airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv. Stream episodes and past seasons of the show anytime, for free, on AMI+.

About Christa Couture
Christa Couture is an award-winning multi-hyphenate who talks with her hands a lot. A writer, filmmaker, singer-songwriter and broadcaster, she is also proudly Indigenous (mixed Cree and Scandinavian), queer, disabled, and a mom.

As a songwriter, Couture has released seven albums and toured across Canada and Europe; as a non-fiction writer, she’s appeared in multiple magazines and anthologies, in 2018, her CBC article and photos on disability and pregnancy went viral, and her debut memoir, How to Lose Everything, was published by Douglas & McIntyre in 2020. Inspired by her book, Christa produced an award-winning series of five short, animated films by Indigenous artists, also called “How to Lose Everything” for CBC Arts.

Raised in Alberta, formed as a young adult in B.C., she currently lives in Toronto with her daughter and cat.

About Black Rhino Creative
Black Rhino Creative (BRC) is a Canadian-based documentary film production collective that focuses on creating meaningful and engaging films. We tell stories about passionate people. Stories that connect us through our shared experiences. Interdisciplinary nomads searching for meaning, directors without ego and compelled to inspire. With a passion for finding the human spirit in every piece, we have created and screened award-winning content for broadcasters such as CBC, Telus Optik, Knowledge Network, AMI, SBS Australia, and Air Canada.

About AMI
AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services—AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French—and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.

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Preview: Christa Couture ups the adventure on AMI-tv’s Postcards From…

Christa Couture is no stranger to AMI or storytelling.

She hosted AMI-audio’s Live from Studio 5 and has been featured on an episode of AMI-tv’s Fashion Dis. On the storytelling side, she has written, sung and spoken of her life, including the childhood cancer that led to the amputation of her left leg, abortion, divorce and the tragic deaths of two infant sons.

Couture’s way of weaving a story is what makes the newest season of Postcards From… so engaging.

Returning for Season 5, Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET on AMI-tv and AMI+, Couture is the newest host to take over for the channel’s veteran series. The program, which was previously hosted by AMI talent in Alex Smyth, Laura Bain, Beth Deer, Shelby Travers and Dave Brown—and Season 4 by poet Therese Estacion—features Couture visiting eight communities across Canada. Focusing on the senses, Postcards From… spends equal time presenting the locales as Couture witnesses them via taste, touch, smell, hearing and sight like never before.

Couture’s enthusiasm, curiosity and wit make for a winning production. In Wednesday’s return, she heads to Drumheller, Alberta, where she gets hands-on with dinosaur bones, hops on the back of a motorbike for a ride into town and scarfs down a local delicacy called “prairie oysters.” An emotional scene features Couture recalling visiting Drumheller as a child with her mother—and showing off a smiling photo of herself, then unaware of the cancer in her left leg that had returned and would ultimately take it below the knee—before she gets a tour of the area and gets up close with some dinos.

What sets Postcards From… apart from other travel series is that time is spent focusing on accessibility. Couture, for instance, describes and utilizes the paved path and wheelchair the Tyrell Museum offers guests to traverse the rocky terrain. And her description of what it was like to swing her prosthetic leg over a motorcycle before going on her first-ever ride was as fun as watching the smile on her face.

Future destinations in this season include Fredericton, Dawson City, Salt Spring Island, Niagara Falls, Montreal, Edmonton and Whistler.

Postcards From… airs Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv.

Image courtesy of AMI.

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Summer is heating up! AMI-tv announces new and returning original series and documentaries to celebrate the season

From a media release:

Summer at Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) is hotter than ever! Today, AMI-tv unveiled new and returning original series and documentary programming to entertain and inform Canadians of all abilities in the coming months.

It all begins with the Season 3 return of the Canadian Screen Award-nominated By Hook or By Cook, as Bruce Cook (above) and his friend, Christian Bagg, tackle their biggest adventure yet.

The new AMI-tv series Blind Trust: A Guide Dog’s Journey tells the story of the CNIB Guide Dog program. Returning programs to AMI-tv include new seasons of Postcards From, Blind Adventures with Ron Walsh, Our Community and Adaptable Animals and the all-new documentary Everyone Belongs in Nature.

Highlights of AMI-tv’s upcoming summer programming include:

Blind Adventures with Ron Walsh

June

By Hook or By Cook returns Wednesday, June 14, at 8 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv

Bruce Cook, a stunt motocross rider who is disabled, wants to help others with disabilities enjoy life’s possibilities with unique innovations that he and his friend, Christian, create. In Season 3, Bruce and Christian have spent many years facilitating adrenaline adventures for others. Whether racing on top of mountains or bungee jumping off the highest bridge in British Columbia, they know no fear and no boundaries. What will happen when two people whose passion lies in helping others get an opportunity to do something remarkable for themselves? In addition to this season’s eight episodes are two special instalments. Filmed live in front of a studio audience and moderated by AMI’s Dave Brown, the episodes feature in-depth discussion about representation, responsibility and being a role model when you are a member of the disability community, as well as never-before-seen footage and surprises. Season 4 of By Hook or By Cook is currently in production. By Hook or By Cook is produced by Render Digital Media.

Our Community returns Thursday, June 15, at 8 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv

An all-new season of Our Community once again highlights the people, places, organizations, or things that have made life more enjoyable for Canadians with a disability. Upcoming episodes follow young adults who are partially sighted as they participate in a fashion show, Canada’s first medical daycare for children and The Capital City Condors, a hockey team Canadians of all abilities can play for. Our Community episodes are produced by such companies as Ascent Films, Honey Cut Studios and Bamboo Shoots.

Everyone Belongs in Nature debuts Friday, June 16, at 7 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv

Everyone Belongs in Nature takes a look at the creation of Power To Be’s new world-leading accessible facility through the perspective of Marnie and Adam, two of its participants. Everyone Belongs in Nature is produced by M1 Films.

Blind Trust: A Guide Dog’s Journey

July

Blind Adventures with Ron Walsh returns Monday, July 17, at 8 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv

Join outdoors enthusiast Ron Walsh, who is blind, as he and his friends explore Saskatchewan and all of the exciting locations the province has to offer. Blind Adventures with Ron Walsh is produced by Thomega Entertainment.

Blind Trust: A Guide Dog’s Journey debuts Tuesday, July 25, at 8 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv

Blind Trust: A Guide Dog’s Journey tells the story of the CNIB Guide Dog program. From being raised on a farm in rural Manitoba, to training in Carleton Place near Ottawa, a guide dog’s journey is quite an adventure! Blind Trust: A Guide Dog’s Journey is produced by HalterMedia.

Adaptable Animals returns Tuesday, July 25, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv

Adaptable Animals looks at the world of animals with disabilities, and the advances in veterinary medicine that provide them with prosthetics, thanks to the specialized work of Janice Olynich. Adaptable Animals is produced by Mountain Road Productions.

Postcards From

Postcards From returns Thursday, July 27, at 7 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv

New host, new adventures! Join Therese Estacion, poet and member of the disability community, as she embarks on a multisensory journey, revealing a secret side to Canada we taste, touch, smell, see and hear for the first time. Postcards From is produced by Black Rhino Creative.

All AMI-tv originals are available post-broadcast on demand at AMI.ca or the AMI-tv App.

About Accessible Media Inc.
AMI is a not-for-profit media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians who are blind or partially sighted. Operating three broadcast services, AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French, AMI’s vision is to establish and support a voice for Canadians with disabilities, representing their interests, concerns and values through accessible media, reflection and portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.

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Summer at AMI is heating up! AMI-tv announces exciting original series and documentaries

From a media release:

Summer at Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) is hotter than ever! Today, AMI-tv unveiled new original and documentary programming to entertain and inform Canadians of all abilities in the coming months.

Returning programs to AMI-tv include new seasons of sports documentary series Level Playing Field and Beyond the Field, travel series Postcards FromDish with Mary, special Town Hall episodes of Double Tap TV and Employable Me: Where Are They Now?

New series include We Are One—meeting Canadian families that include members of the disability community—and Mind Your Own Business, where mentors offer business owners that are members of the disability community advice on taking their company to the next level of success.

AMI programming features Integrated Described Video (IDV), making it accessible to individuals who are blind or partially sighted. 

Highlights of AMI-tv’s upcoming summer programming include:

We Are One
Debuts Thursday, June 2, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern

Every family is unique. Meet Canadian families—that include members of the disability community—as they share stories of adapting, growing and supporting each other. In the debut episode, meet the family of Ollie Acosta-Pickering, a young boy who was diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma and who is now legally blind.

Seven Feet Over
Debuts Wednesday, June 15, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern

In the first season of Seven Feet Over, viewers follow the lives of Vincent, Pascal, Martin and David, four men who stand head and shoulders above the crowd, literally, because of their height.

By Hook or By Cook
Returns Thursday, June 16, at 10 p.m. Eastern

Bruce Cook, a stunt motocross rider who is disabled, wants to help others with disabilities enjoy life’s possibilities with unique innovations that he and his friend, Christian Bagg, create. Bruce has been depressed since COVID-19 shut down most activities which, in turn, has given him a lot of time to think about the reality of the injuries he sustained eight years ago. When given an opportunity to make a remote lake lodge more accessible for those with disabilities he jumps at the chance.

Postcards from the Rockies
Debuts Friday, June 24, at 7 p.m. Eastern

Go on exciting adventures from the comfort of your own home and join AMI Bureau Reporter Alex Smyth as he travels across Canada, celebrating our country’s diverse cultures and experiences. Upcoming destinations this summer include the Rocky Mountains, Winnipeg (Friday, July 29, at 7 p.m. Eastern) and Northwest Territories (Friday, August 26, at 7 p.m. Eastern). No passport needed!

Seeing Music
Debuts Wednesday, June 29, at 10:30 p.m. Eastern

Go on a musical journey across Canada and around the world, meeting blind and partially sighted musicians for whom music is not only a passion, but a way of living.

Our Community
Returns Thursday, June 30, at 8 p.m. Eastern

An all-new season of Our Community once again highlights the people, places, organizations or things that have made life more enjoyable for Canadians living with a disability. Upcoming episodes explore why children with disabilities aren’t being properly represented in children’s literature in Canada; the W. Ross Macdonald School’s renowned music program in Brantford, Ont.; and the cast of characters at Real Wheels Acting Academy, a one-of-a-kind program focusing on professional training and empowerment for local actors in the disability community in Vancouver.

Mind Your Own Business
Debuts Wednesday, July 6, at 8 p.m. Eastern

Hosted by entrepreneur Kevin Shaw, who is blind, each episode of Mind Your Own Business takes viewers into the life of a business owner in the disability community as they share their journey of how they came to run their own company. And, with the help of a mentor, they’ll aim to take their business take to the next level.

Dish with Mary
Returns Tuesday, July 12, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern

Mary Mammoliti—a home cook and food blogger who is blind—knows her way around the kitchen, but can she navigate her way through an at home cook-along with Canadian chefs? Each Season two episode of Dish with Mary will focus on one chef, one dish, and one star ingredient, PLUS a lot of laughs, a bunch of tips, and tons to dish about!

Double Tap TV Town Halls
Friday, July 8 and Friday, July 15, at 7 p.m. Eastern

Steven Scott, Marc Aflalo and special guests are hitting the road! Filmed in front of a live audience in Regina, the team discusses the state of tech and accessibility when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit. What was it like as a student, in the workplace and at home, and what role did tech play in easing the pain? Then, the team discusses the return to work and school, and what role accessibility and tech have in making that return as smooth as possible.

Level Playing Field
Returns Monday, July 11, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern

Paralympian Greg Westlake returns as host, introducing viewers to the athletes, community groups, healthcare professionals and grassroots innovators who demonstrate a desire to help drive positive social change through sport. Sports and individuals featured in Season 2 of Level Playing Field include para surfing, pickleball, VOLT Hockey, ParaGolf Canada founder Todd Keirstead and Canadian biathlete and para-Nordic skier Mark Arendz.

Behind the Lens
Returns Thursday, July 14, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern

The documentary Behind the Lens takes an intimate look at Angela Waldick, a photographer who overcame setbacks—including legal blindness—to land her dream job.

DJ Hunnicutt
Debuts Thursday, July 21, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern

In this documentary, viewers are introduced to DJ Hunnicutt (a.k.a. Tyler Sneesby). For over 20 years, DJ Hunnicutt has mixed music for the masses. After losing his vision, Tyler is trying to find new ways to create music, even if it means going head-to-head with a software giant to convince them to program an accessible interface.

Employable Me: Where Are They Now?
Debuts Friday, August 5 and Friday, August 12, at 7 p.m. Eastern

In this follow-up to the award-winning AMI-tv series, viewers catch up with job seekers from past seasons for an update on their employment and personal lives.

Beyond the Field
Returns Monday, August 8, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern

Beyond the Field, hosted by Paralympians Greg Westlake and Travis Murao, examines important issues impacting the world of parasport. Topics covered in the second season of Beyond the Field include Paralympic funding in Canada versus Olympic funding, training and competing during a global pandemic and myths and misconceptions of making it to the Paralympic Games.

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