For more than three decades, award-winning filmmaker Mike Downie has explored a simple truth: the stories we tell shape who we are. From documentaries on music, nature, hidden histories, and his acclaimed film No Dress Rehearsal about The Tragically Hip, he has seen how authentic storytelling connects people, inspires action, and preserves hard-won wisdom.

In Telling Our Story, Downie shifts the focus from Canada’s broader narrative to the personal stories each of us carries.

Drawing on a lifetime of filmmaking and adventure — from small-town beginnings to northern mines and travels around the world — he reveals what makes a story powerful, how to find your voice, and why sharing your story matters now more than ever.

Blending humour, authenticity, and practical insight, this keynote inspires audiences to embrace the stories we carry and the stories we are eager to share — using storytelling as a means of connection, change, and cultural identity, and passing on the wisdom that shapes us all.

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