Don’t want to commit to just one career path? Being flexible can lead you on some amazing adventures.

On today’s episode, Katy and Emma speak with Mark Leiren-Young who was UVic's second ever double major, in Theatre and Creative Writing and who currently works as a UVic professor in the Writing department, among many other roles.

We chat with Mark about:

• Working in creative fields as diverse as writing award-winning movies The Green Chain and the Hundred-Year-Old Whale
• Hosting the Skaana podcast, where he covers ocean-related environmental issues
• Touring Canada as half of the comedy duo, Local Anxiety
• Teaching classes on the Marvel and DC universes

…and much more!

Resources from this episode

• Skaana podcast
• UVic Writing Program
• The UVic Co-op Program
• Accessing career support 

Connect with us

• Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter
• Follow UVic Co-op and Career on social media

• (00:00 ) - Music intro
  


• (00:32 ) - Welcome and host intros
  


• (02:18 ) - All about Mark Leiren-Young
  


• (03:20 ) - Stumbling into a journalism job after graduating in the late 80's
  


• (05:42 ) - Why it's important to study something you love
  


• (06:56 ) - A cornucopia of all the jobs that Mark has done in the arts
  


• (09:17 ) - What's the common thread in careers by creative people?
  


• (11:02 ) - How Mark started writing tv scripts in the 90's, starting with an episode of The X Files
  


• (12:22 ) - How Mark landed the writing gig for the Orca Exhibit at the Royal BC Museum and became "the whale guy"
  


• (16:05 ) - How Mark became a podcaster focused on stories about Orcas
  


• (20:15 ) - How Mark helps students from all disciplines tap into their creative side in FA 101 "Creative Being"
  


• (23:43 ) - Mark's advice on how to translate your passion for the arts into a career you love
  


• (26:02 ) - Rapid fire: what's something on campus that's stayed the same since the 80s
  


• (26:51 ) - Rapid fire: best place to grab food on campus