Meet Debbie Deer

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Debbie Deer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Debbie below.

Debbie , we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

Most people I meet assume I am a naturally charismatic and confident person. This generally comes with the territory of being Jamaican born! Jamaica is a nation full of proud and gifted people. It’s one of the few places I know where a toothless, dishevelled, street vendor will try his luck at a well dressed, beautiful young woman without thinking twice about his actual chances. We don’t really know what the term ‘imposter syndrome’ (thinking you’re unworthy of your professional position based on a persistent perceived inability) really is or means. We ‘cut and go tru’ to demonstrate confidence and self-esteem no matter what challenging or daunting position presents itself to us.

How I develop my confidence and self-esteem is an ongoing process. I say it is ongoing because I do not think you can successfully have a finite tool box for self-esteem and confidence building. As life changes and evolves, I believe so must I. Becoming confident and having a robust self-esteem has taken a lot of work, vulnerability, introspection and discipline.

The tools and barometers I used to develop confidence as a young adult are quite different now in seasoned adulthood. For example, when I was a teenager and in my early 20’s modelling as 1st Runner Up Ms. Jamaica Universe and hosting several television and Youtube shows, I placed a lot of emphasis on the feedback I received from other people. If people complimented me on my appearance or charisma I felt validated. Conversely, if someone was disparaging or critical of me, especially my physical appearance, I would often be profoundly bothered by this commentary. Being at the whims of other peoples perceptions of me became increasingly tiring. Especially when I have maintained a public presence for over 15 years. With the advent of social media, people have 24/7 access to my life via various platforms and the ability to comment on me and my loved ones anonymously.

I had to sharpen a tool of resilience from within. Learning to develop my inner strength and to ‘know thy self’ (the first principle of Maat in ancient Egypt and many of the ancient European philosophers ) has revolutionized my life. Once I was able to look within myself for the solutions and even to address the root of problems such as low self-esteem, I no longer placed such emphasis on others opinions. The byproduct of this is I naturally increased my confidence as I knew I could depend on my inner strength to solve any problem. I knew I could also really on myself to heal any emotional turmoil and triumph over obstacles. This is not to say that I have not sought out help through mentors and self help ‘guru’s. Some of the people I have learned a lot of confidence and self esteem building tools from are Jay Shetty and Ralph Smart. These podcasters and other mentors go deeper than the superficial trappings of ‘confidence building’. They emphasize the importance of self-actualization and development as the cornerstone of confidence and self-esteem building which has been key in my personal and professional development.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a Creative Technologist and Digital Media Creator. I absolutely love what I do! My parent company is Debbie Deer Productions (DDP) which I started 12 years ago. At DDP, we create ‘breakthrough’ media in video production, graphic design and web design. Specifically, DDP started out of a necessity to create diversity, equity and inclusion for marginalized people in the media in Toronto, Canada. The fact that I have made it an integral part of my business to amplify the endeavours of BIPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+, At Risk Communities, Neurodivergent and other underrepresented voices.

Currently, we are working on an exciting dance film project with Indigenous artist Jera Wolfe called ‘The Reconnection Project’. The Reconnection Project aims to deepen Jera and his dancers collective knowledge of indigenous spirituality and
teachings. Many Indigenous artists working in dance feel distanced from their cultural teachings through
centuries of forced assimilation. This project aims to contribute to healing this phenomenon. It’s been an honour working with Jera as video producers and collaborators with Director of Photography Jon B. Elliot. Jon and I have worked together on various projects including the ‘What We Leave Behind Film’ where I was a lead dancer, choreographer and co-producer.

We are also working with The Enchanté Network / Le réseau Enchanté on a series of toolkits that promote awareness and education on anti-racist and anti-oppressive systemic biases. Our toolkits are circulated nationwide and have been very instrumental in educating the Canadian business sector on DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity) practices. The ability to learn, teach, and create is an exciting opportunity for the Debbie Deer Productions team. I work closely with our Creative Lead Dee Hundal who also has a personal goal of making empowering and meaningful content.

I branched out into being a Creative Technologist 3 years ago with my company Orion Digital Innovations and Creations Inc. When the pandemic happened, it was evident that there was a significant increase in technological dependence and savvy. I thought this was a great opportunity to get into the business of creative technology. To get started, I enrolled in several incubator programs such as the Scale Up Immersive Program (OYA Black Arts Coalition) and Baby Ghost programs to get foundational mentorship in Extended Reality (XR) production. After making my first VR prototype ‘Stories from the Desert Sky’ I decided to found our incorporation, Orion Digital Innovations and Creations Inc. (Orion Digital Inc.). Applying a similar ethos of creating equity for marginalized people, Orion Digital Inc’s mission is to facilitate the production of virtual, augmented and mixed reality content for education, entertainment and training.

Since founding Orion Digital Inc. we have had the honour of co-creating curriculum with higher educational institutions such as York University and Georgian College. I was also the Fellowship Director for the Indigenous, Black and People of Colour XR Incubator with the Performance and XR Conference. This PXR and DDP incubator provided a 2 year mentorship program for 8 emerging fellows in XR. Directing a mentorship program while being mentored myself was definitely an ambitious endeavour! I am grateful that we were able to facilitate the program for fellows who could leverage their connections via mentorship and knowledge to pursue their goals in XR.

Currently, we are working with Conestoga College in Ontario, one of Canada’s leading schools in technology on a series of ventures. These ventures have the objective to create an accreditation program in XR production within the next 1-3 years. As this program develops, we are excited to share more about these exciting partnerships! In July 2024, Virtual Reality Toronto (VRTO) invited me to be a special guest speaker at their annual conference. My topic of discussion was why we need diverse voices in XR production as we approach the singularity (time in which artificial intelligence surpasses human or natural intelligence via speed). This was an exciting talk on not only the logistical reasons why we need diverse voices and equity in XR but also a candid look at the glaring disparities in technology today.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Have you ever heard of the saying, ‘How you do anything is how you do everything?’

I’m a big believer and practitioner of this saying. You name a job and I have done it. I’ve been a bartender, server, call centre rep, delivery person and cleaning person. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, I strived to do each of those jobs to my best ability because I knew there were known and unknown payoffs. You never know who you will meet or who is observing your work ethic and character. I can proudly say that most places where I was employed, I excelled and was recognized for my unwavering work ethic.

The number one skill that impacted my journey was therefore:

1) Having a solid work ethic

2) The second skill of significant value is that of discipline. As someone who is primarily self taught in the technology space, ranging from game design, to storyboarding, to augmented reality coding, I’ve learned that discipline is the key ingredient to being successful. Let’s face it, for most entrepreneurs, the journey to success and self sufficiency is a rocky one. You do not have cheerleaders on the sideline lines inspiring you to go on when you make a mistake, cant make a bill or have defaulted on any other commitment. You do not have a boss who can give you a pep talk or even measure your performance. My success as an entrepreneur therefore has to come from a drive within. I had to make a habit of being disciplined in every way. I still make it a priority to wake up early, meditate, exercise, eat well, show up on time, honour my commitments, follow up and grow overall. Discipline to me is the fuel that keeps the engine of success moving, even if you are on E.

3) The third attribute I’ve cultivated for success is an open-mind attuned to evolution. Being in the technology and digital media industries means that I am in a sector that is constantly evolving. This inherent quality keeps me and my team engaged in looking for trends and forecasts for business opportunities and growth. There are some industries that thrive best from sticking to a one size fits all formula. However, even those industries as time rolls on have to find ways to incorporate innovation commensurate with the time we live in. Being open-minded means there is a certain flexibility to change that allows us to bend with out breaking. Open-mindedness allows us to expand with ease instead of friction.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

Yes, we are looking for amazing folks to collaborate with! At the core of both Debbie Deer Productions (debbiedeerproductions.com) and Orion Digital Inc. (oriondigitalinc.com) is a focus on expansive collaborations. We have worked with numerous arts, educational and technological organizations such as Luminato Festival, Dance Umbrella of Ontario, Toronto International Film Festival, Performance and XR Conference, The Toronto District School Board and York University.

Debbie Deer Productions prides itself on creating breakthrough digital content for advertising, entertainment and education. Our clients work with us on creating campaigns and content that engages, grows and teaches audiences. We work really well with arts organizations looking for video production or design work as well as educational institutions and companies seeking interesting and effective ways to grow their audiences.

You can contact us at [email protected].

At Orion Digital Inc. we have collaborated really well with start up gaming studios, XR creators and educational institutions. As XR creators in virtual, augmented and mixed reality. We love working on projects such as the Everything Makes Me Laugh Immersive with Governor General Award winning artist Bruce Eves on content that pushes the innovation envelop. We love creating hybrid immersive experiences that engage audiences in person for example in a gallery or via gaming such as Virtual or augmented reality.

You can contact us at oriondigitalinc.com

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