Gerard Keledjian | Grit and Resilience Turns Hope to Reality
Durham columnist Neil Gonsalves unpacks the tumultuous journey of immigrant journalist Gerard Keledjian
Written by Neil Gonsalves | Originally published on October 15th, 2023 | For Metroland Media Group | Durham Division | You can view the original article HERE to read it in it’s original format.
“Life in Canada sometimes feels like a board game. For new immigrants, just learning the rules can be a challenge that prevents them from playing,” said Gerard Keledjian.
The Pickering resident shared his early experiences as a new immigrant. His story, like so many others trying to forge a new beginning, was filled with struggle, disappointment, doubt and fear. But resilience and perseverance allowed Keledjian to parlay those early lessons into a successful life and business in the media communication sector.
Today, Keledjian is the founder and managing director of New Canadians TV network (a division of New Horizons Media Inc.), a social enterprise organization that employs a diverse team of internationally trained media professionals. Their flagship national TV show has been airing weekly on OMNI Television since 2015.
New Canadians is the only immigrant-focused television program in Canada featuring “immigrant success stories, news, resources for pre-arrival preparation and settlement” as well as insights on employment, entrepreneurship and skills training, easing new immigrant integration into the workforce and Canadian society.
This November, they begin their ninth season, an accomplishment of significance for anyone in the media and communication industry, but particularly sweet for someone who began his media journey in Canada as a volunteer at a local community TV channel because his international education and experience was undervalued.
His journey to Canada followed an eight-year stay in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he worked in broadcast news as an executive producer for a large multinational news network.
By the time he moved to Canada, he had more than 13 years’ experience at a senior level within the news industry. He believed his education and experience would be readily transferable to productive employment in Toronto, but it took several years and a great deal of grit to make his dreams a reality. Here the lived experience of new immigrants rarely matches the glib rhetoric often espoused about valuing the economic contributions of diverse newcomers.
Finding himself at the intersection of media and immigration, he eventually carved out his own niche. Motivated by a sense of social responsibility, Keledjian was determined to help other new immigrants, especially media professionals, learn the rules of the Canadian labour market “board game.”
In slightly more than a decade in Ontario, Keledjian established a professional immigrant network for media professionals through TRIEC (Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council); he works with non-profits helping them develop cost-effective content solutions while recognizing their financial constraints.
A proud Durham resident himself, he gives back to the community through his commitment to developing the next generation of media professionals in Durham region. His company hires student interns from the broadcasting — radio and contemporary media program in the faculty of media, art and design at Durham College in Oshawa, a partnership that has been in place since 2017.
When I asked Keledjian what he is most proud of, he looked like he was cycling past the memories of his last 13 years here, then simply stated he was grateful to find his place in Canada, his work in Toronto that allows him to make a living, his home in Durham and the opportunity to make a positive impact in the lives of others. Now that is taking hard lessons and positively paying it forward.
About the Author:
Neil Gonsalves is an Indian-born Canadian immigrant who grew up in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and moved to Canada in 1995. He is an Ontario college educator, TEDx speaker, author, and an advocate for new immigrant integration and viewpoint diversity.
Thanks Neil for this look into the struggle that so many immigrants go through in searching to find their place in Canadian society. Yes, despite all the rhetoric espoused about the diverse perspectives and economic contributions that newcomers bring to the table, Canadians still have a long way to go before aligning their walk with their talk.