Sydney Isaacs-Hulstine is a Craig-based Lingít and Haida artist. Raised in Klawock, Isaacs-Hulstine is an associate producer for children’s TV show “Molly of Denali.”
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She recently wrote an episode for another children’s show, “Work It Out Wombats!” It features an Alaska Native character that draws on Lingít and Haida culture.
Isaacs-Hulstine sat down with Jamie Diep to talk about the episode and the importance of representation in children’s media.
The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
Jamie Diep: I want to talk about this episode of “Work It Out Wombats!” that you wrote. Could you give a quick rundown of what you pitched? The process of producing this episode and watching it come together.
Sydney Isaacs-Hulstine: With “Work It Out Wombats!” the team really wanted me to pitch an idea that felt like Alaska, that felt like my culture. They wanted me to really embrace it, whatever it may be. And so I was thinking and thinking, ‘What could I do? And I kept thinking of this Raven character, because he plays such a significant role in all of our cultures, for Lingít, Haida, Tsimshian, and a lot more folks hold Raven in high regard.
So I kind of pitched this character in a way, this elder character named Chanáa, which is Haida for grandfather. And they really liked it. They were over the moon for this crazy, kooky, elder, with some mischief and jokes, and (he) kind of reminds me of Tigger a little bit from “Winnie the Pooh.”
And so from there, we were like, ‘Okay, we have this character. What is he going to do?’ And again, thinking of my culture, that Raven is this trickster, the mischief. He’s smart and quick, and there’s tons of wit everywhere. And so I thought riddles, and that kind of spurred on this whole thing.
So it was like a really neat kind of balance of how tricky of a riddle is too tricky, and how is it too easy? And where’s the balance there? We spent a lot of time together trying to figure out that balance, and then from there, once the story was solid, it was design time.
And I had asked at the very beginning, like even before I started writing, if it would be okay if I were to see Chanáa’s design, because I feel very strongly to make sure that we’re represented authentically and accurately. The wombats has a very unique style. So it was like, how much of my culture and balance it with their world, so that it doesn’t pop out in a weird way, but it feels natural.
And so his hat, his necklace, shirt, his vest, all of that is very much based on the culture, with references and working hand in hand. And then same with some of the props in there too, near the end of the episode that was all worked out together – and the dance movements and the drum beats – they worked with me on it to make sure it was accurate.
Jamie Diep: What’s something that stood out to you or something that surprised you about working in children’s media?
Sydney Isaacs-Hulstine: GBH Kids and the children’s media department was really thoughtful, and I was astonished by how much they cared and how much they crafted all of our series, all of our episodes. And every single show was just very carefully done to make sure that kids were not only entertained, but they’re also getting some education. And I don’t think that exists everywhere.
Jamie Diep: What’s particularly important about having a broad spectrum of representation in children’s media and the projects that you’ve worked on, whether that’s Alaskan Native representation, Lingít and Haida representation, or just other forms of representation. Why is this important in children’s media?
Sydney Isaacs-Hulstine: The early exposure that kids can get to different cultures and diversity and underrepresented voices, the better off that they’re going to be. They’re going to grow up knowing this and just be more well rounded individuals for it, with a broader experience and lens. And it’s really important to have that, because it’s just a part of growth and life, and it’s for everybody. The more voices that you have and different perspectives that come to play their part in how these shows are made. It just gives you a deeper and richer experience and a really great quality show.
And I think it’s really good for kids to absorb that, because they can feel that through the screen and take in that information that they’re hearing and that representation and grow up knowing, ‘oh, oh, the I know exactly who these folks are. I’ve learned about this. I’ve seen it on TV.’ And then it just continues. It just spreads. It’s very infectious.
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