REMIX PROJECT OPENS DOORS
The son of a writer and an artist, Gavin Sheppard always had an itch to create. Thus, his visits to the closest community centre as a child, where the focus was on recreation, weren’t thrilling, he says. “Our public spaces need to be more about engagement and propelling young people forward,” says the co-founder and CEO of the Remix Project, which helps youth from marginalized communities break into the creative industries. Sheppard’s resume includes everything from selling mixtapes for DJs in high school to managing artists. His deep industry connections have helped launch the Remix Project.
What was it about Remix and giving back that appealed to you more than staying in the music business?
When you’re getting established, you’re operating at a loss for a long, long time — you’re operating off credit, off passion, off belief. This (project) offered me a way to stay in the industry and work with young, talented people, but also have a steady income and some stability . . . That’s something people in Toronto are facing all the time, and I think we lose a lot of brilliant ideas to the instability of people’s lives. It was also just recognizing who I am and what my strengths are — I’m a connector and someone who’s constantly interested in what’s next and what’s happening. To be able to work with 45 young creative (people) across a spectrum of mediums — that’s my dream scenario and perfect playground.
What makes Remix different from other youth programs?
What makes us different is that we’re an intermediary. There are a lot of phenomenal entry-level programs, but not a lot of now-whats, meaning, “I’ve discovered a passion and figured out what I want to do, so now what?” Remix is . . . that place between the discovery of a passion and the professionalization of skills. We’re also focused on creative industries, whereas others focus on entrepreneurship and other things . . . And of course, at our core, we’re participant-led and youth-led.
What’s your leadership style?
I’m a subscriber to the belief that leadership comes from the expert in the room. If you’re the CEO of a company, you have the responsibility at the end of the day in terms of the final decisions that are made, but in terms of leadership, it comes from whoever the expert is at the time . . . I try to listen when other people are the experts . . . and let them lead unless something feels wrong.
What’s the biggest challenge of running an organization like yours in Toronto?
As with any youth organization, it’s core funding. We’re not selling a product or service — we’re selling a vision for the city. It takes time to manifest, and when it does, it doesn’t necessarily lead dollars back into our program . . . Of course, we’ll have little victories along the way, where we see someone get a job or a placement or housing. And while these victories are important, what we’re selling is a vision for what our city is going to look like when (youth) come into their own.
What do business leaders and politicians need to understand about how to reach Toronto’s youth?
Reaching young people is about understanding where they’re at, and not necessarily asking them to come to us . . . You have to go to where the people are . . . It’s also about understanding the dialects they’re speaking. The best example of that is Councillor Norm Kelly . . . He has this rabid following of young people now, and it’s ironic because many of them probably don’t believe in his policies. A lot of people think people should listen to them because their cause is just. While that’s true in a perfectworld scenario, it’s just not the reality when you’re constantly being bombarded with images and loud sounds calling for your attention.