Reflecting on Career Leadership with Dr. Emilia King

Dr. Emilia King reflects on what career leadership means to her: “When you spread opportunities, opportunities also have a way of coming back to you!”

Dr. Emilia King is an inspiration in career leadership, creativity, and community building. This article explains her impactful journey, highlighting her work with Pink Moon Studio and Catch Him If You Can which hit #1 on Apple Podcasts Canada as well as her contribution to creating a community for social change and creativity at Ontario Tech University with the Creators4Change Studio. 

Career leadership is when someone takes steps to better themselves in their professional journey. To me, that means setting clear goals, researching, taking feedback from others, and developing skills. Apart from that, career leadership can involve inspiring others, demonstrating teamwork, and taking risks for new opportunities. 

What Career Leadership Means to Dr. Emilia King

For Dr. Emilia King, career leadership means being in control of your career, making a plan, setting goals and milestones then following through. King explains that “It involves keeping a master plan for what I want to achieve and then doing it. It means collaborating with others with common goals and getting there together.” She shares that it also involves lifting others up, especially those who have faced similar challenges to hers. 

The Inspiration Behind Pink Moon Studio

King co-founded Pink Moon Studio to share unique stories and challenge the status quo in the Canadian media industry. “I was tired of the status quo in the Canadian media industry and wanted to shake things up. I was tired of seeing the same kinds of stories on screen. So many years later, I realize just how hard the goal of achieving transformational change is, but it makes our accomplishments all the more meaningful.” Over the years, King has been inspired by several creative mentors because of their incredible passion and dedication. 

Career Highlights

King says that Catch Him If You Can is a recent career highlight that allows her, “To make beautiful connections with so many smart, and brave women — the heroes of our story. And our show led to the arrest of the conman at the centre of it all. We’re really proud of the work we did on that series, and we’re not even done. My co-producer Maggie Reid and I were also super pregnant while in production, and I feel like the show’s impact is a testament to the strength and power of women in general.” King explains that she resonates with a quote from Beyonce, “We’re strong enough to bear the children, then get back to business.” 

Goals for Guest Talks and Workshops 

Dr. Emilia King teaches about the importance of storytelling and knowing your audience. She believes that powerful stories can be reverse-engineered to create a genuine impact and resonance. King also believes that storytelling should be authentic and inclusive. “Storytelling can be mindfully crafted in a way that is authentic and inclusive without being tokenistic and ticking boxes just to tick boxes.” 

Building a Creative Community at Ontario Tech University 

In her 2 years at Ontario Tech University, she has been energized by students and their creativity. By having this inspiration, she has been able to build the Creators4Change Studio, A hub that unites people who have a shared mission to make our world a better place through their creativity. Through its events, technical resources, mentorship, skills -building, and original content, the Studio cultivates a community of creators who are committed to driving positive social change in our society.” 

King explains that "A creator4change is someone who is consciously using their creativity to make positive change in the world. These creators strive to harness the power of storytelling and multimedia to challenge the status quo and inspire action. They are characterized by their commitment to ethical and impactful work that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries, leveraging their creativity to educate, expose, and prompt change.” King believes they are separate from what creative communities are doing, “We’re doing from most creative communities out there, and gives us even more to connect about — a passion for making positive change in our little corners of the world.”

Reflecting on King’s story, I have gained insight into the importance of leadership, perseverance, and challenging society’s norms. King’s determination shows people that you can achieve anything in life if you put your mind to it. As a student at Ontario Tech University, I am glad Dr. Emilia King has helped build a supportive and creative environment. Through Pink Moon Studio and Creators4Change Studio at Ontario Tech University, King tests the status quo, promotes diversity, and aims for positive change. Check out Catch Him If You Can, also stay tuned for the exceptional projects from Pink Moon Studio, and Creators4Change!

Career Leadership Reel