Celebrating Family Day with creative talent

In Steve Sloan’s household, two generations represent the present and future of Canada’s creative industries. And the ties that bind go beyond the family connection: four out of five Sloans are alumni or soon-to-be alumni of Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) RTA School of Media.

Sloan graduated from the Radio and Television Arts (RTA) program in 1993 and has worked steadily in television ever since. A freelance showrunner and producer, he now works principally in youth programming with companies like Toronto’s Marblemedia on shows such as Splatalot and All-Round Champion.

In December 2023, Sloan joined the Marblemedia team in Los Angeles for the Children’s and Family Emmy Award ceremonies, where All-Round Champion was nominated in the categories of Non-Fiction Program and Casting for a Live Action Program. The series, which recently aired its fifth season, has been honoured with several Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Children’s or Youth Non-Fiction Program. 

“The series takes elite athletes, all representing a different sport, and they compete to see who is the all-around champion,” said Sloan. “The twist being they don’t compete in their own sport; they compete in everybody else’s sport.” Season five featured para-athletes, which Sloan thinks may be the first time in North America that a prime-time reality competition show exclusively featured para-athletes.

Artistic pursuits are all in the family

Sloan’s wife, Carol, is also an alumna of TMU, graduating from the RTA program in 1994, followed by a degree in education from the University of Toronto, OISE. Carol balances freelance writing with teaching in the Peel District School Board. Her blog, myselfthink.com (external link, opens in new window)  has been named in several top Toronto blog lists. 

Their three sons also lean towards creative pursuits. Dexter and Kirby are both third-year students in the RTA program, with Dexter focusing on audio production and Kirby pursuing the writing and production side. The youngest son, Isaac, still in high school, has expressed interest in acting, though soccer is another passion.

“Maybe that’s a product of us. The TV is always on in this house. If the TV is not on, music’s always playing, so I guess just being exposed to pop culture and content probably has its effects,” Sloan noted.

A self-taught musician and singer, Dexter has a youtube channel (external link, opens in new window)  and has released two albums. Kirby wrote, co-produced and co-directed a short comedy called Bake Sale (external link, opens in new window) , which has played on the festival circuit. Both will graduate from TMU in 2025.

Next-generation challenges and opportunities

Sloan credits his time at TMU with helping him to learn what it takes to be in the business of television, and his professors for instilling the importance of having confidence to network.

Sloan’s recommendation for future graduates is to put yourself out there. “That’s the key: perseverance. There’s going to be a lot of NOs before there’s a YES, but that’s okay. It’s all a numbers game, and the more people you reach out to, eventually somebody is going to get back to you. And the one person that does is probably the person you’re going to want to work with, because they took the time to respond.” 

Sloan marvels at the resolve of the young athletes who participate in All-Round Champion, but also at the tenacity of sons Dexter and Kirby as they pursue creative projects outside of their TMU studies. “What’s amazing is you can see the progression and the determination and the perseverance, and really at the end of the day, they’re pushing themselves beyond what they thought possible. They’re so hard-working and dedicated.”