Keavan J. Yazdani is a JUNO & GRAMMY-nominated multidisciplinary visual artist from Toronto, Canada. Born to a Persian father and Filipino mother, influence from both of these cultures was prevalent in his youth, which left a lasting impact on his approach to creativity and art. He has done creative direction for GRAMMY award-winning artist, Daniel Caesar & has also worked with such artists as Koffee, H.E.R, Brandy, Sean Leon, River Tiber & Justin Bieber. As of late, he has started expanding his brand, JOAQUINA (named after his Lola - grandmother in Tagalog) as a creative outlet for his design endeavors. Keavan has recently opened a new studio in Toronto, dubbed Toy Store Studio, that will soon be open for people to utilize for their own creative projects. See Keavan’s story and get an inside look into his journey as a creative and artist through the lens of his mother and himself on this episode of “Making it in Canada.”
Keavan just walked the red carpet at the 2022 GRAMMYS as he was nominated alongside Justin Bieber for his work on the hit single, "Peaches," that was nominated for "Song of the Year." JB performed a special slowed down version that night with his co-songwriters in the crowd and on stage with him.
Make sure to keep up with Keavan on his Instagram @keavanx and follow his affiliate accounts, @toystorestudio, and @joaquina.world to keep in touch with what he is working on. Watch the FULL episode below:
See the trailer below:
About The “Making It In” Series:
The “Making It” series is a new MYX original series that follows the multigenerational, challenging journey of successful Filipino entrepreneurs, artists & community leaders globally. The story documents the sacrifice and immigration of their parents & friends from the Philippines, that worked hard to help raise them and kickstart their careers.
Kayla Sanchez is one of those most prominent Filipina-Canadian athletes. She’s represented Canada on the Olympic and World Championship levels. She’s a two-time Olympic Medalist, bringing home a silver and bronze medal from the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Her first major international competition was in 2017 when she competed in the World Junior Swimming Championships in Indianapolis, representing Canada. At that first major international competition, Kayla took home two individual medals and a slew of gold medals with her team. Kayla then went on to compete with Canada’s 2018 Commonwealth Games team, and in 2019 she was a member of the inaugural International Swimming League.
Follow as Kayla, and her parents reminisce on her incredible journey and see how her parent’s sacrifices helped her achieve these dreams on this episode of “Making it in Canada.” You can catch the full episode of Kayla’s story premiering on MYX 1/30/22 at 7 pm PST.
About The “Making It” Series:
The “Making It” series is a new MYX original series that follows the multigenerational, challenging journey of successful Filipino entrepreneurs, artists & community leaders globally. The story documents the sacrifice and immigration of their parents & friends from the Philippines, that worked hard to help raise them and kickstart their careers.
M. Cynthia Goh is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Toronto. She is the founder of the Impact Centre, an institute that aims to bring science to society, and was the inaugural Academic Director of the University of Toronto Entrepreneurship. Her research interest centers on the interactions and properties of very large molecules, which impact nanotechnology, biomaterials, and bio diagnostics. Her other passions are the translation of scientific discovery to technology/products that benefit society, the training of scientist-entrepreneurs, and technology development for low resource settings. Her research has led to 8 science-based companies, which she has co-founded with her students, including Axela (medical diagnostics based on diffractive optics), Vive Crop Protection (nanotechnology in agriculture), Pueblo Science (non-profit for science literacy in low resource communities worldwide) and Phantin (nanomaterials coatings for environmental issues). In 2003 she originated Entrepreneurship101, an introduction for students who want to be entrepreneurs, which expanded to thousands registered annually.
In 2010 she founded Techno, an intensive training program for scientists/engineers who wish to create science-based companies; in its 10 years, this program nucleated and nurtured 150+ student-led start-ups based on university research. Her current work involves applications of nanomaterials to health and environmental issues and building community-based innovation systems in Canada and the Philippines. Follow Cynthia and her colleague and co-founder of Pueblo Science, Mayrose Sandoval, as they walk us through Cynthia’s journey. See how Cynthia's passions and skills have led her to head a project on lighting up remote villages and developing a virtual library system for remote communities on this episode of “Making it in Canada.”
About The “Making It” Series:
The “Making It” series is a new MYX original series that follows the multigenerational, challenging journey of successful Filipino entrepreneurs, artists & community leaders globally. The story documents the sacrifice and immigration of their parents & friends from the Philippines, that worked hard to help raise them and kickstart their careers.
Josephine Yam is an AI lawyer, AI ethicist, and the CEO & Co-Founder of Skills4Good. She is a passionate advocate of equity, diversity & inclusion to advance fairness, accountability, and sustainability in this AI-driven world. She is also an equity, diversity, and inclusion specialist and climate change advocate. She migrated to the Philippines to Canada to pursue a new career that came with its own challenges. See how she overcame them alongside her husband and children, inspired by her Grandfather in her "Making it in Canada" episode.
About The “Making It” Series:
The “Making It” series is a new MYX original series that follows the multigenerational, challenging journey of successful Filipino entrepreneurs, artists & community leaders globally. The story documents the sacrifice and immigration of their parents & friends from the Philippines, that worked hard to help raise them and kickstart their careers.
Belle Baldoza is a creative brand storyteller with over 15 years in the PR and Communications industry. She’s worked for leading and innovative companies such as Spotify, Netflix, Airbnb, Uber, and TikTok. A graduate of the University of the Philippines, her career has led her to Thailand, Singapore, and Canada as the Director of Global Consumer and Brand Communications at TikTok. Belle takes us through her journey, finding her way in the industry as she took chances on her career and herself, making sacrifices as a single mom with help and support from her loving family. Belle and her Daughter Clair re-call the years of being separated as Belle moved abroad and began to make her stamp in the industry. Follow along as Belle talks about taking these chances and leaps of faith and how she got to where is she is today on this episode of “Making it in Canada.”
About The “Making It” Series:
The “Making It” series is a new MYX original series that follows the multigenerational, challenging journey of successful Filipino entrepreneurs, artists & community leaders globally. The story documents the sacrifice and immigration of their parents & friends from the Philippines, that worked hard to help raise them and kickstart their careers.
Daniel Cancino is a Filipino-Canadian Chef and Owner of Mineral Restaurant in Toronto, Canada. He was born in Hong Kong, moved back to the Philippines, and eventually migrated to Canada with his family in search of better education and better life. Daniel takes us through his migration story alongside his brother, Richard. They give us insights into the challenges of settling in new environments and having to battle with their cultural identities growing up. See how Daniel’s high school job as a dishwasher led him to realize that he wanted to venture into the world of culinary arts and become a Chef, eventually also becoming an entrepreneur and opening up his restaurant in Toronto. Follow his story of taking a chance and trusting his talents and passion on this episode of “Making it in Canada.”
About The “Making It” Series:
The “Making It” series is a new MYX original series that follows the multigenerational, challenging journey of successful Filipino entrepreneurs, artists & community leaders globally. The story documents the sacrifice and immigration of their parents & friends from the Philippines, that worked hard to help raise them and kickstart their careers.
The comedian Keith Pedro is one of Canada's most known comedians. He has been featured on Kevin Hart's new Laugh Out Loud Network and Russell Peters' Roast Battle Canada. Keith has been headlining legendary Yuk Yuks and touring all across the globe from Montreal's Just For Laughs comedy festival to CBC's Halifax Comedy Festival & the Filipino Kings of Comedy Tour alongside Jo Koy.
Watch his "Making it in Canada" journey that included being featured on the E-Talk Sketch Crew "THE BOOM," acting on Degrassi The Next Generation, being on Sirius XM, and his comedy albums "Grindecology" & "Trillipino." Keith's mom sought a better life in Canada for her children early on as a migrant RN from the Philippines. Although it took some time for her to understand her son's career path, she can now enjoy seeing Keith and her grandchildren grow up with endless opportunities.
About The “Making It” Series:
The “Making It” series is a new MYX original series that follows the multigenerational, challenging journey of successful Filipino entrepreneurs, artists & community leaders globally. The story documents the sacrifice and immigration of their parents & friends from the Philippines, that worked hard to help raise them and kickstart their careers.
