Growing with Carolin Taubensee, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network

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Carolin Taubensee is a strategic, results-oriented marketing, communication and sponsorship professional with a sharp eye and an unwavering work ethic, and is currently the Executive Director of Marketing & Communications at Aboriginal Peoples Television Network — the first Indigenous broadcaster in the world. She studied commerce at the University of Manitoba and completed the Executive Development Program from the University of Nevada, Reno. She has a wealth of experience in strategic marketing campaign programs, budget planning and oversight, and a knack for building strong partnerships.

Carolin is a member of the Canadian Marketing Association Not-for-Profit Council, and has spent a significant proportion of her career as the Executive Director of Marketing and Community Support at Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Corporation the Director of Marketing Communication at MTS and more.

Episode Transcript

Daniel
Thanks for joining us, remotely. Where are you today?

Carolin  

I'm actually in Winnipeg, which is Treaty One territory. It's the home of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis nation.

Daniel

Amazing, thank you so much for joining us. So we'll start off with you giving an elevator pitch to the organization.

Carolin
Certainly, so I am Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at APTN, which is a television network. APTN has been around for over 23 years. And it's the world's first national Indigenous television broadcaster. So and obviously, as I mentioned, that's across the world. So we're quite proud of what we've been able to achieve in terms of broadcasting to audiences from coast to coast to coast. We have programs that are commissioned to that we produce as well as we acquire content that is by for and about Indigenous peoples, and basically building the capacity in terms of providing the platform for storytellers to tell their stories from a wide range of wide range of genres.

Daniel 

Incredible. So I'd love to know a little bit about how you ended up in the role that you're currently in at APTN.

Carolin
I have been in the marketing and communications industry for 30 plus years, and started with university at the University of Manitoba and got my business degree. And I started in the advertising agency, one of the preeminent agencies, back in the 90s was Palmer Jarvis communications. I was a media buyer planner and ended up as a media director there. And then I went client side. So I've had a host of always in marketing, communications, but from Telecom, to gambling. And then I really feel like I've come back full circle, in terms of media industry, and I'm now working on the broadcast side of things. 

Daniel
Amazing. It's great how things come together and evolve over the course of your career. And I'm sure a lot of things as they do in marketing and advertising have continued to evolve since then, as well. Now, a lot of people work in organizations in the nonprofit sector because you’re passionate about what you do, or about some causes or initiatives. What is one of the things that you're passionate about?

Carolin  

Well, as a senior leader, I find that my role is much more about working with the team and the people and I have a group of staff that are specialists in campaigns, promotions, in terms of producers of commercials, and communications, PR  specialists as well. And really, a big part of my role is is helping to build that capacity of that team. And they're learning and experience. So I do a lot of mentoring with different team members as well and really giving them the platform to be the best communicators that they can be in the industry. And so to me, very selfishly, I get to learn all sorts of things that I haven't necessarily experienced in other positions in terms of working for an Indigenous led organization. Which is amazing, but it really is about building that capacity of people. And, and that's what I really enjoy in terms of of the work that I do.

Daniel 

That's, that's great. Now, when it comes to APTN, you're an organization, but you're a media company as well. So attention and viewership is definitely core to what you do. I was curious to know if you had any tips or advice or organizations on what they can do to stand out in a very crowded online space, as there's tons of content out there to compete with.

Carolin
Yeah, very much. I've been in the industry for a long time, but the principles are always the same in terms of finding the audience and being able to deliver your message to them. And so whether that's traditional media, like APTN, as a broadcaster, or even the online and digital platforms that we use, it really is about connecting people with your message and being able to sort of break through with the creative that you have, and communicate, you know, clearly, to fill a need, whatever that need happens to be. And so you know, the way that I look at it is that multimedia has always been a very important part, of a media strategy. And so to not look at just sort of one thing, being able to deliver your message, you can always expand your reach, the more that you have different aspects of media that you're in. And so looking, whether that's online and digital campaigns, or traditional, trying to be able to do a variety of things, that you can reach people, where and when they're, you know, ready to hear the messages. And then also really considering editorial environment. I mean, I think, you know, the things that we're hearing about certain social media platforms, and where they're going, I mean, I think you always have to also not only follow the audience, but also follow the editorial environment that you're in, and is that a fit with your brand. So there's so many aspects that you need to look at. But it really is sort of trying to think about your audience or your consumer, and where they are, and in what environment or headspace they're in to receive your messages. So trying, that's an age old thing in terms of marketing, but it just is there's new media to to, you know, to consider and how you find that fit.

Daniel
Right? There's more places and platforms for for that to take place, but ultimately, yes, it's about reaching people where they're at, right? Absolutely. So Carolyn, over the course of your career, you've obviously developed a lot of connections, you've been in different industries, you've had you know, you have a personal brand, right, whether or not people like to say that they have a personal brand, it exists. And so I know we first got connected through the Not-for-Profit Council through the Canadian Marketing Association, which is another great way organization to be part of. So what would you say the role of your own personal brand has played, when it comes to your success in the sector?

Carolin 

It kind of comes back to the sort of an earlier comment about, you know, working with with the teams of people. And really, I would say from my own personal brand, it really is about you know, being a supporter, being a teacher providing information to make people you know better at what they do in terms of their work and building their skill set. And also just looking at opportunities for their own personal growth, but then how that all feeds back into, you know, capacity building for the brands that you happen to be working for. And so I really find that to me, that's what I tried to nurture and and teach and share and I learned myself and I take you know, the lessons that others teach me and and pour that back into really helping our team members in terms of their careers and their growth.

Daniel
So it's kind of this cycle right of continuing to support each other love that. Now in the nonprofit space, it's so important to celebrate our success and showcase our impact. I know that APTN has been operating for over two decades, and you kind of have a very distinct mission about, you know, celebrating our cultures, inspiring the future generations and honoring wisdom of the elders. What are one or two recent wins or successes that that you could share?

Carolin

We definitely have a cycle in terms of, of seasons and schedules and programs. And it basically is, you're sort of continuing — as soon as you finish one project, you're on to the next, keep going. But a big part in terms of success is partnership and working, especially in the not-for-profit sector, and how this can extend to others —not necessarily in the broadcasting industry like I'm in, but in terms of finding partnerships where you can collaborate and work together. So one such example, this past September 30, which is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We actually partnered with the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation, which is located in Winnipeg, and that came out of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. That is an organization that is storing the stories of survivors from Indian residential schools. And so we really wanted to work with them in partnership, and we produced a commemorative gathering that was held live in Ottawa in September. And basically, to recognize with all Canadians in terms of the, the trauma, the hardships that we have, as our history as a country, and basically, you know, provide those opportunities to tell those stories and, and provide the truth so that we can move forward in reconciliation. So that's a really important, you know, endeavor for for all of us as, as citizens here in the country. And so working in partnership with organizations like the National Center for truth and reconciliation, just helped us in terms of provide meaningful programming and certainly an opportunity to pause, and, and reflect. So that was one example that we have in terms of how you work with partnerships.

Daniel 

That's incredible. I think it's really important to bring more attention, as you mentioned, it's only something that's been given greater attention the last few years. I spoke this year about how a lot of brands were getting involved, and which ones were actually making meaningful contributions and ultimately raising more awareness, which is what we need all across the country.

Carolin
Yes, very much so. And so well, September might be about commemoration, the other bookend to it is in June, it's the National Indigenous Peoples Day, not a stat holiday, for the country. But still on the summer solstice, it's an important part for us to sort of take that day and celebrate Indigenous cultures, and all the wonderful contributions that they make in terms of music and poetry and, and all sorts of talents that are there. So it's much, much more of a celebratory aspect. And, and when we're looking at partnerships, and again, how we can help grow APTN has been doing Indigenous Day Live, we're going to be heading into our 17th year out actually, and we, you know, look at partners in terms of other organizations and corporations to support us. Canadian Heritage has been been a big supporter of us in terms of, being able to hold that day of celebrations, and and really showcase all the different talents that Indigenous peoples have. So that's again another way doing partnerships that helps us facilitate and communicate our message.

Daniel 

Amazing. I saw it for Indigenous Day Live, there was a separate website as well where people can engage. And also you can stream some of the content from that as well. But just seeing some of the some of the partners, you know, it's great to see, I think, two of Canada's big national banks sponsoring, for example. So, you know, hopefully they can help to amplify and share that content out as well, for the work that you're doing. So that's great. Yeah. Thank you, when it comes to online platforms that have kind of, you know, worked well, for you and the organization at APTN, where is APTN? Most active and and what would you say the platforms that are working best for you?

Carolin
Well, being a traditional television network, I mean, I'm sure you can appreciate and your audience can appreciate the fact that we tend to cater to older people. So I'm gonna say 35 Plus is sort of more of the core of watching traditional television. And the older you get, the more inherent people have their TV subscriptions, and are watching television. And so what we use in terms of the platforms that are reaching those audiences, certainly Facebook is, is a big platform for us, as well as Instagram. And then where we've moved in because of audiences and behaviors and changing in terms of broadcast, we have a streaming service that we launched in 2019, called APTN. Me, yeah, I took it out. And that's a subscription video on demand service. So it doesn't have advertising as part of it. It's all subscription based. But in terms of audiences that are younger, and I'll say the under 35, in terms of reaching them, how they view videos, and an environment there, that's really where our focus is for the growth of our Lumi platform. And then we're trialing different online platforms all the time. So whether or not we're using Snapchat or Tik Tok are finding ways to reach again, the audience where they are, will always try to experiment and see what's working. So we'll always give ourselves a little bit of that budget allowance to try things, see what works, and then just keep improving on it in terms of whether it's targeting and finding people with our interests in our program, and those sorts of things, and just really refining our marketing campaigns as we go.

Daniel  

Amazing. Yeah. And I guess as a TV network, you have a lot of content to work with that exists, you don't have the challenge of creating too much content just for social right, but but do you find that a lot of viewers are able to discover content from social and then kind of move over to the online platform or to TV to tune in?

Carolin
Yeah, as part of as part of my department and our focus of what we're to do trying to do is really about discovery of programs. So on one aspect in terms of looking at the platform where people watch TV and giving them that opportunity, whether it's through our on air promotions, or US ad avails or connected TV, those sorts of things, they're watching TV and so you we can deliver our marketing message in terms of discovery that way, but then very much supplementing that with digital and online platforms in terms of, of sharing information of what our shows are, and reaching different audiences for example, we for a couple of years, and we're going to be launching it again, if I can say that without it, the announcements coming out in about a week, but Hockey Night in Canada in Cree and and so you have a sports oriented audience. So looking at social media platforms based on some of the key aspects of programs, whether that's sports, whether that's Indigenous languages, whether that's people interested in drama, types of shows or variety shows, those sorts of things. You can use digital platforms in such a way that our interest base that really help to say, hey, there is this show here and who might enjoy it and be entertained or informed or educated.

Daniel

That's amazing. Yeah, there's such a wide kind of range of, of content and benefits there. So it's kind of stepping back looking at your career and your role. You know, I'm sure that you've learned and adopted along the way, are there any principles or best practices that you could share? When it comes to marketing and communications? to other organizations?

Carolin 

this was one of those questions. Go, you could go anywhere with it. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think again, it comes back to best practices in terms of of where you're going to reach audiences with your messages. And knowing that there's always an evolution of change in terms of how people are consuming, where they get information. And so, for example, we've talked about traditional media, we've talked about online platforms, but even just looking at the changing industry, in terms of, even where the Netflix are going, where it was no commercials, and now they're going to have an advertising model. So it's AVOD advertising video on demand. And there's going to be opportunities to advertise in that platform, there are other AVOD models that are going to be coming out that, as advertisers we wouldn't have necessarily had access to, because they were subscription based models. And so we're going to be able to reach in new media in different ways. Another sort of delivery aspect of content, video content that's coming up is called Fast. And it's free advertising, supported television models. And so TV is evolving in itself. And so there are always going to be new and different media that is out there for advertisers to utilize in terms of delivering their reach. And so I would say from a best practices perspective, it's always sort of, being aware of what's out there, how to adapt, how to change and how to evolve, and find your audiences for your products and services.

Daniel
Amazing, I think that's, that's a great kind of way to sum it up. And some good advice to consider no matter what stage or what size, right, your organization is, at APTN, have you noticed a change? Or have your marketing efforts changed at all, since the pandemic, I know that, you know, you are a network, so it's not like you're doing a ton of in person programming and operations, but of course, you still have to be able to produce the content. So how have things changed? Since the pandemic?

Carolin
Yeah, with the pandemic, of course, lots of people stayed at home, and we're watching TV or programs or those sorts of things. So we certainly benefited from the audiences that were tuning in. But, like the rest of the industry, there were definitely challenges in terms of the production, of programming content, but there were ways that our programming team adapted in terms of format of programs and, and, and those sorts of things in terms of, how you could do remote or digital, and different types of things. But it definitely slowed that whole production process. But we also looked at different models of delivering content so that we could adapt that way. But from a marketing perspective, we were still really able to sort of keep everything going, that our team always has been doing in terms of, of presenting programs for people to discover and watch on whichever platform that happened to be. So we didn't get affected nearly as much as some other industries, let's say restaurants so that they were just shut down and there was no business to be had other than if they were able to pivot and do delivery and those sorts of things. So for us, it didn't affect us as much in terms of what my marketing and communications team was responsible for doing. We just kept things going but at home.

Daniel

Exactly that's great. So, just to wrap up here, I'd love to know APTN has of course, none have different resources, programming, you have your online platform streaming service. So what would you recommend if someone's looking to really engage and learn more about your content? You're the first national Indigenous broadcaster in the world? Where would you recommend people start if they're new to APTN?

Carolin
Well, the fact that as part of the CRTC, we're regulated service and AP 10 is actually on everybody's basic TV subscription plan. So we're available to almost 10 million households across the country as part of your basic service. And so really finding AP tn on the schedule, and just just discover a show. And, obviously, we have on our website, a description at all the different types of shows. So if there's something in terms of a genre that you're interested in a documentary, a comedy that certainly is a is a good foray into into the network. If you like cooking, there's, we have cooking shows supernatural shows are super popular with our audiences. And so we have a number of supernatural shows as well. So really just tuning into the network and trying a show and seeing if it's something that you're entertained, or by or, or even informed, which is, which is a great opportunity, and really being able to provide those stories that are produced by Indigenous people, and really their voices speak volumes in terms of the different stories that they have to tell and share.

Daniel 

Exactly. Well, I do look forward to engaging in some more of the content. I do love the look and feel of the online platform. Thank you so much, Carolin for spending some time sharing what you do and offering some advice.

Carolin
Thanks so much, Daniel. I really appreciate being invited to be here with you today.