The Forum and Uber Canada joined forces to create a short film celebrating entrepreneurship and the power of community. The Forum x Uber: Driving Entrepreneurs Forward features Windfall Cider Co-Founder Nathaly Nairn and rideshare driver Yasmin Siso. It follows a day in the life of Nathaly as she does business on her terms, and shows why she’s chosen to carve a path of her own.

You can learn more about the exciting project and watch it in full here, and get a sneak peek of The Forum x Uber: Driving Entrepreneurs Forward below:

Sunny Days and Creative Solutions

The production for the film took place in Vancouver, B.C., over two busy days, where we got unbelievably lucky with the weather—providing the perfect sunny backdrop to share Nathaly and Yasmin’s stories.

Shooting locations included a restaurant, an orchard, Nathaly’s home, and of course, Windfall Cider. However, the most challenging part was getting the footage that was filmed in the vehicle driven by Yasmin, with the close quarters requiring the production team to get extra creative.

The Production Team Who Made Magic Happen

In Vancouver, the production for The Forum x Uber: Driving Entrepreneurs Forward was made possible by the self-identifying women, non-binary, and trans-femme folks who steered the film’s production.

The team includes Director Jamila Pomeroy, Director of Photography Belen Garcia, 2nd Assistant Camera Sydney Bunning, Gaffer Lisa Ouabbache, Key Grip Sahar Khalaji, and Production Assistant Rryla McIntosh.

We’d also like to recognize Executive Producer Trevor Lang, Line Producer Nicolas La Traverse, 1st Assistant Camera Jamie Mitri, Best Person/Driver Corey Jacques, Producer Rich Murray, and Sound Mixer David Daoud.

We had the chance to chat with Director Jamilla Pomeroy about her role in the film and her inspiring journey in the industry:

What was your role in this project, and what was your experience being a part of it?

“I was the director for the short film and worked with the agency, Rich&Jay, to develop Nathaly and Yasmin's stories. Having the opportunity to be part of bringing a women-centred story to life is always such a pleasure, and it was so inspiring to learn more about their entrepreneurial journeys.

Having a women production team tell women-centred stories is so important as we come with the lived experience and lens that is essential in crafting authentic narratives. With this in mind, I really appreciated seeing more women on set than I usually do, and it was so beautiful to be able to work with an incredible editor, like Coline Debray, and a cinematographer like Belen Garcia—who is actually the first woman cinematographer I've ever worked with!

As an entrepreneur whose life is most certainly powered by Uber and an amazing community of women, this project was very fitting.”

Tell us a little about your experience and what’s led you to your current role.

“I work as a writer, director and producer; and am the Founder of RUCKUS Machine Pictures INC, which is a BIPOC-owned production company with a focus on BIPOC and women-centred stories. There is a serious lack of diverse and women-led film and television. As a Kenyan-Canadian woman, I feel very passionate about creating works that center and are crafted by underrepresented communities. Working in film and television allows me to be a part of that change and it's so incredibly rewarding!

I have been a writer for 11 years, spanning print, media and film. I first started out as a journalist, writing for globally-recognized outlets like BBC, CBC, Red Bull, Hypebae, and many more. After being internationally published by many of my dream publications, and being scouted to work in a TV writers' room, I sought out to expand my craft into the film industry.

I worked in development on a few documentary and scripted productions, before also becoming a director and producer in 2021. Soon after I wrote, directed, hosted and produced my first series, A Happier Planet With Jamila Pomeroy, on CBC, and wrote and directed my first scripted television pilot. My debut feature film, Union Street, came out this February after being an official selection of VIFF, winning "Best Documentary" at the Milan Independent Film Festival and "Best Director for a Feature Film" at Toronto Reelworld Film Festival.

Currently, I’m really excited to be producing/story producing a feature film this summer and going to camera on a feature I wrote and will be directing this September.”

Driving Forward with Uber Canada

Thank you to Uber Canada, Nathaly Nairn, Yasmin Siso, Rich&Jay, Jamila Pomeroy and every member of our amazing production team for making this possible.

If you’d like to learn more about working with Uber and how it can help you drive your business forward, you can find all the resources and support needed to get started on its website.