Robyn Hood At Fan Expo Canada 2023

Executive Producer: Julien Christian Lutz Professionally Known As Director X, Journalist: Brittnee Blair, Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

On Saturday, August 26, 2023, I attended an exclusive screening of the new scripted television series Robyn Hood at Fan Expo Canada before the show’s debut on September 27th via Global TV and Stack TV, and it was simultaneously my first time experiencing a TV’s show’s screening and the popular expo.

The series follows the young activist rapper Robyn and her anti-authoritarian masked hip-hop band, the Hood, living in a working-class area in the fictional city of New Nottingham as they battle with "the corrupt elite," including a property developer and the Sheriff. Through Global News, Corus Entertainment executive Troy Reeb described the series as a "dark and gritty take" featuring "a heroine challenging the status quo and fighting oppression.”

After acquiring my media pass, navigating vast seas of elaborately costumed sci-fi and fantasy fans throughout the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, finding out that Star Wars’ R2-D2 is taller in person, and enjoying the sights and sounds of an expo I would cover the following day, I got to the entrance of the screening theatre at around 4:15 PM EST.

A year ago, I was exhausted, concentrating intensely on the set of Robyn Hood. I was excited to see the production come together after a monumental effort by a cast and crew that I was fortunate to contribute to as a unit still photographer.

I was very happy for my friend, colleague, and mentor Julien Christian Lutz, professionally known as Director X, as he is Robyn Hood’s showrunner and executive producer, and what he, executive producer, showrunner, and writer Chris Roberts, executive producer Kerry Appleyard, Boat Rocker Media, Global TV, Corus Entertainment, and the small army of people involved created is a significant accomplishment.

Only a tiny percentage of the human population, far less than 1%, can galvanize hundreds of people (or more) to bring a vision to fruition in the way that a TV series or a startup comes to life, not to mention the fact that Robyn Hood’s cast and crew were incredibly diverse and included some of the best Black talent in Canada on and off camera. In contrast, about 4.3% of Canada’s population consists of Black people, and I do not doubt that less than 4.3% of the people depicted on Canadian TV are Black.

Robyn Hood First Look Trailer

So, the opportunity that Julien and others created for a plethora of talented Black professionals and other talented professionals that are rarely shown through Canadian television was, and still is, meaningful and a reflection of the cultural tapestry that is Canada and that I see when I walk through my downtown Toronto neighbourhood.

Robyn Hood changed me for the better; it expanded my mind and led me to acquire many new skills. Many new doors are now open to me, and I know that many, if not most, of the cast and crew had similar experiences during the summer of 2022.

Walking into the dark theatre, I noticed a small Entertainment Tonight Canada (ET Canada) crew was set up in the primary aisle, including reporter Brittnee Blair, about ten meters in front of the screen.

Julien was recording the crew’s activity, and in the front row, close to stage right, sat Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, who plays Much in Robyn Hood, Nykeem Provo, who plays Little John, and Idrissa Sanogo, who plays Alan A. Dale.

I had not seen Daniela, Nykeem, and Idrissa in about eleven months, but it was as if we were on the set of Robyn Hood as recently as a few weeks ago.

Everything was different, yet in many ways, nothing had changed, and everyone was understandably far more relaxed compared to last summer.

Actor: Nykeem Provo, Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

It was great to see everyone who was there, but many people were not at the screening, including but not limited to Jessye Romeo, who plays Robyn and is the show’s main protagonist.

Kira Guloien, who plays the Sheriff; Meher Pavri, who plays Udai; Lisa Michelle Cornelius, who plays Tressie Loxley; Sydney Kuhne, who plays Marian Fitzwalter; Kayla Hutton, who plays Jill Scarlet; Emily Piggford, who plays Mayor Lee; Matias Garrido, who plays Chet Prince; Ian Matthews, who plays John Prince; Manuel Rodriguez-Saenz, who plays Guy Gilsbourne, super publicist Adrienne Kakoullis, whom I worked very closely with throughout the production of Robyn Hood; our excellent camera operators Antony Ellis and Brent Robinson; our fantastic director of photography Jordan Oram, our talented and dedicated supervising stunt coordinator Angelica Lisk-Hann, Julien’s assistant Ivan D. Ossa, costumer designer Charlene Akuamoah, our production manager Karen Doble, and many other key players that contributed to Robyn Hood were missing.

However, many of the previously mentioned people will have more than enough opportunities to address the press regarding the series following its televised debut via Global TV and Stack TV on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, wherein the first of eight episodes will be available to the general public.

Contributing to Robyn Hood was educational, transformative, and valuable. The camaraderie created amongst the cast and crew was and continues to be so powerful that the result, how the public domain interprets the series, is almost inconsequential to me. The journey was worth it, and I invest in people more than projects.

I am grateful for the countless insights and encouragement from Jessye, Daniela, Nykeem, Idrissa, Sydney, Julien, Adrienne, Antony, Jordan, and others on set. I am also grateful for the support of Yasmine Perez-Achig and the rest of the Canon Canada team, who provided me with the Canon EOS R3, which remains the best camera I have used for photography to this day, and a plethora of excellent lenses for the entirety of last summer. I am also thankful to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (Local 667) for issuing me a permit to work on Robyn Hood and for the union-based unit still photographers who graciously trained me.

Nykeem, in particular, was a constant source of optimism, focused on building the morale of everyone around him, especially during difficult moments; every film and television production needs someone like that, as at a certain point, given enough fatigue and hours on set, it becomes nearly impossible to cultivate optimism internally.

Executive Producer: Julien Christian Lutz Professionally Known As Director X, Actor: Nykeem Provo, Actor: Idrissa Sanogo, Actress: Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Journalist: Brittnee Blair, Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

Film and television production is not for the faint of heart and is not nearly as glamorous as the general public believes. Nor do most film and television professionals reap outstanding financial benefits from their work; hence, the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes in America have profoundly impacted the Canadian film and television industries and film festivals like TIFF. Most film and television professionals, at least 80%, are seasonal workers at best; they are usually on sets for 2 to 6 months per year at most and have side gigs.

As I reminisced with my colleagues, I noticed that Julien was wearing a custom Robyn Hood jacket made for the show’s primary crew members by the company Market, and soon after, Chris Roberts entered the theatre wearing the same jacket.

It was great to see Chris, as I had not seen him for nearly a year, and Daniela, Nykeem, and Idrissa’s ET Canada interview promptly commenced.

There was a lot of laughter during the interview, and Brittnee Blair had researched the show and seemed to know about some of the cast’s inside jokes and on-set pranks before the interview.

According to a recent Yahoo article on the screening, Nykeem stated, "It was really cool because X and Chris, they gave us character profiles, and they were really in-depth..You don't really get that with most projects.”

"Then working with Chris, X and the writers... it's a collaborative effort. So they allowed us to play, and we got to also improvise some lines and stuff like that. If something was working or wasn't working for us, they were super open to allowing us to play and find what worked, and I think for all of us, that was really cool."

After Julien jokingly handed Idrissa some money for praising him on-camera, his ET Canada interview began, and through it, he described the process of working with the diverse and good-looking cast and crew, the gratification that stems from bringing a compelling story and vision to life, and more.

Actor: Nykeem Provo, Actor: Idrissa Sanogo, Actress: Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Journalist: Brittnee Blair, Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

After the interview, I documented Chris and Julien meeting Matt Salvatore, vice president of corporate communications at Boat Rocker Media, for the first time. It was my first time meeting him in person, too, and it was great to meet him, as he has been instrumental in educating me on the marketing and publicity that goes into a TV series like Robyn Hood.

In Robyn Hood’s case, the episodic images I shot (as if I were another camera operator on set) will be used to promote the show in various capacities, and I look forward to sharing them. I also shot an absurd amount of behind-the-scenes footage, which went far beyond the scope of the work I was hired to create.

I would shoot no less than 5,000 photographs (and many videos) per day while on the set of Robyn Hood, and contractually, I cannot share any of those images until the show airs.

My initial impression of Robyn Hood was that it is incredibly fast-paced; I could barely believe how many different sets were used for the first episode. I wanted to learn more about each character. I was curious about their character development following the show’s first episode. The action scenes reminded me of some of my favourite shows growing up, including but not limited to Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, which used to air via Fox 29 WUTV Buffalo. However, I found Robyn Hood’s action scenes to be more advanced in comparison.

I also thought that the editing and cinematography were excellent and embodied the comic book feel that Julien was going for. Although I attempted to view the show’s first episode with fresh eyes as if I was far removed from its production, it was impossible; I was far too attached, far too involved.

Every shot reminded me of where I was standing, who I was with, and what I did on set when each scene was produced, and I am sure that I will have several constructive criticisms once I watch all of the show’s episodes.

Actor: Idrissa Sanogo, Actress: Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Journalist: Brittnee Blair, Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

I also reminisced on my life’s circumstances last summer, which involved very few days off, frequent burnouts, long hours shooting on the set of Robyn Hood, many hours travelling to and from the set of Robyn Hood, promoting my solo Project T-Dot photography exhibit at Toronto’s City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square (which was one of the largest art exhibits in Canada last year) in much the same way that the cast and crew of Robyn Hood are now promoting the show, mentoring 20 talented youth through Canon Canada’s FUTURES program, shooting a handful of commercial projects, and far more.

Professionally, my career improved significantly last summer, but I did not nourish my mind and body nearly enough despite knowing better and teaching better.

Some mornings before heading to Robyn Hood’s set in Pickering, Ontario or Hamilton, Ontario, I required as much, if not more, willpower than my max flat bench press.

I worked investment banker or ER doctor hours last summer, like many others who worked on Robyn Hood.

Before Robyn Hood, I had seen exhaustion’s impact on Julien before. Still, I saw him in an exhausted state on the set of Robyn Hood more so than at any other point since 2018, and numerous people fell asleep in their chairs on set daily; it was a regular thing (that I documented extensively).

Julien is the most prolific music video director in Canadian history, but producing and directing a music video, regardless of the budget, is probably relatively easy for him at this point, and being the showrunner of a television series while also directing many of the episodes and wearing many other hats for months is orders of magnitude more complicated and stressful than producing and directing a music video.

Executive Producer: Julien Christian Lutz Professionally Known As Director X, Executive Producer, Writer: Chris Roberts, Vice President, Corporate Communications: Matt Salvatore, Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

While shooting for Robyn Hood, I learned much about unit still photography, the film and television industry, and human nature. I also took every opportunity to learn about the filmmaking departments and positions that I am most interested in and that are most relevant to my career, including but not limited to different aspects of production, cinematography, camera operations, acting, writing, marketing, public relations, and what it takes to be a great director and showrunner.

All of the previously-mentioned positions and departments are interrelated, so I thought that it would be foolish of me to focus solely on unit stills and my department, especially since it took me a month or so to get the gist of unit stills while being conscious of the fact that I will always have room for improvement as a unit still photographer and human being.

I look forward to writing more and speaking more about what I learned through Robyn Hood. In the meantime, some of the most salient lessons that I have retained through memory and journaling include but are not limited to the fact that everyone on a film and television production set is like a cell in a body and, consequently, part of a much larger, cohesive whole, time and energy management before, during, and after being on set are essential as is self-care during any production, frequently eating processed food via the craft truck is a bad long-term strategy, many people on set will inevitably reach their breaking point, I can shoot for far longer than I thought was possible years ago, a TV series is a corporation with may shareholders that want to see a return on their investments, filmmaking involves many politics and it is a team sport and a spiritual journey.

In addition to the show’s preview, the brief Q&A session that followed undoubtedly created some new Robyn Hood fans. Through it, Chris and Julien discussed many Easter eggs and different forms of symbolism in the show, emphasizing the comprehensive research on the Robin Hood mythology they engaged in leading up to its production.

Afterwards, everyone in attendance who worked on the show and their supporters walked to a Robyn Hood activation wherein all Fan Expo Canada patrons could shoot a toy bow and arrow at a target.

It was a lot of fun, even though most of us failed to hit the mark. We are professional artists and not professional archers, after all.

Actor: Nykeem Provo, Actress: Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Actor: Idrissa Sanogo, Executive Producer, Writer: Chris Roberts, Executive Producer: Julien Christian Lutz Professionally Known As Director X, Journalist: Brittnee Blair, Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

I left the activation early, as I had less than an hour to get to a boat for Mark Gagnon, professionally known as DJ Starting From Scratch’s Get On Up 90s boat cruise, before it departed. Given the absurd traffic in Toronto's downtown core, I barely got there due to Fan Expo Canada, a Toronto Blue Jays game, and countless other events. So, shout out to my Lyft driver, Muhammed.

Scratch’s boat cruise, produced by SFS Entertainment and on a ship known as the River Gambler, was one of the best parties I attended this year, and I was primarily there to document it for Project T-Dot, my documentary project on Toronto’s hip-hop culture, community, and history. It was my second time documenting the Get On Up event series this year.

It featured arguably the best mix of 90s hip-hop, R&B, soul, and house music I have ever heard, a great crowd, delicious Jamaican food, and beautiful people and scenery, including Lake Ontario and the Toronto skyline.

Furthermore, in my opinion, it was my unofficial Robyn Hood wrap party. It was also Sydney’s birthday party, and she was there with Nykeem, Kayla, and Angelica, among others, and we had a blast.

Seeing many of the wonderful people that I worked with through Robyn Hood last summer led me to realize that many of the people involved, especially the Black cast and crew members who may have been overlooked to certain degrees throughout the Canadian and American markets, would be presented with many new opportunities following RobynHood'ss televised debut, much like Top Boy led many of its British cast members to a plethora of new, life-altering opportunities on a global scale.

Actor: Idrissa Sanogo, Executive Producer, Writer: Chris Roberts, Executive Producer: Julien Christian Lutz Professionally Known As Director X, Journalist: Brittnee Blair, Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

Executive Producer: Julien Christian Lutz Professionally Known As Director X, Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

Entrepreneur: Danell Adams, Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

Actress: Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

Actress: Sydney Kuhne, Location: The River Gambler, Lake Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

Actor: Nykeem Provo, Location: The River Gambler, Lake Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

Stunt Coordinator: Angelica Lisk-Hann, DJ, Producer, Event Planner: Mark Gagnon Professionally Known As Starting From Scratch, Location: The River Gambler, Lake Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

Actress: Humberly González, Actress: Kayla Hutton, Actress: Sydney Kuhne, Location: The River Gambler, Lake Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2023, Photographer: Ajani Charles

Robyn Hood At Fan Expo Canada 2023

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