Jason Mackay
Founder, Executive Director
Connection, community and multiculturalism has always been important to me. Growing up in Vancouver in the early 80s as a mixed race kid with a black mother and white father was challenging. I remember on many occasions hearing the word ni**er and told to “go back to where we came from”.. I’m quite light skinned so perhaps it was my little afro that set them off. It wasn’t until people like Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan and eventually rap music slowly started making black culture “popular” that things got a bit easier. To overcome hate and ignorance, I subconsciously was always trying to connect people of different backgrounds to come together and learn from each other. This approach stuck with me throughout my early adult life which led me to gain experience in putting together different projects while negotiating budgets, resources and services within the marketing and advertising industry for the past 20 years.
I’ve always been acutely aware of how advertising and movies can be very stereotypical in the roles they cast and when I eventually became involved in the industry as a partner in a production company, I noticed how the film crews were not diverse at all. Now is the time to change that narrative.
Not only does more diversity and inclusivity contribute to a more aligned society, but there is also a strong business case for it as it allows companies to target new populations and increase response rates with relatable messaging, helping boost their bottom line.
I love the feeling of connecting on a deeper, more meaningful level, whether that’s in a discovery meeting or a creative session, or watching an audience connect with the work we create. I want to collaborate with professionals of the BIPOC community within the film and creative industry to elevate our diverse voices and role models. You don’t need to view diversity and inclusivity as a lofty goal or something you need to accomplish all at once. You should never be done with the topic, we should always keep an open and questioning mind to make sure the content we’re making and the people making it, reflect the ever evolving audience.
Collective Bunch Society is my brainchild and passion project. My personal mission is to showcase all the diverse talent in the Vancouver film and creative industry, help support each other and drive business to everyone involved. I’m also currently the executive producer for the Kid Carson Show on Z95.3FM and a partner in Rich&Jay Creative. If you’re committed to industry change and increasing crew diversity, then please reach out and let’s find ways to get the community involved in your next project.