How Jimmy Rai found his creative voice through real-world storytelling
The media production grad used an Experience Ventures placement as a filmmaking launchpad
Jimmy Rai’s Experience Ventures placement came during a time of transition. He was nearing the end of his studies at Toronto Metropolitan University, preparing to graduate from a four-year Media Production program, and looking for opportunities that went beyond classroom theory.
Experience Ventures is a program powered by the Hunter Hub of Entrepreneurial Thinking at the University of Calgary and funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Innovative Work-Integrated Learning Initiative (I-WIL). The program’s goal is to enable college and university students to practice entrepreneurial thinking alongside real-world innovators.
“It was right before my last year during the summer,” Rai explains. “Through that I got partnered with a non-profit organization for an internship.”
Music Share for Seniors is dedicated to reducing senior social isolation through personalized music-based programs and meaningful social interactions.
“They needed someone to help with their marketing,” Rai says. “To help them figure out their social media platform and the types of posts they want to do.”
The result of that early work was a year-long social media calendar designed to support both donor outreach and student recruitment. It also opened the door to something unexpected.
“A couple of months later, they reached out because they had some more funding and wanted to give me another opportunity to help them out,” he explains.
This time, the focus shifted from strategy to storytelling, and Rai was able to get back to what he loves most: filmmaking.
“At first I was working on some graphic design, but over the course of some months it shifted toward video making,” he says. “I’ve gotten documentary footage of the interactions they have in the homes, as well as a bunch of interview footage with the founder, some people who work for them, people who work at the homes, and different donors.”
The one-on-one music sessions he documented were often deeply personal, with the seniors looking forward not just to the music, but to seeing a familiar face, every week. The authenticity of those relationships became central to the organization’s storytelling — and to Rai’s growing portfolio.
“When we do interviews with previous donors, we ask what drew them to this organization and hear their story,” he says. “We want to highlight the impact you’re having. We want to highlight that senior isolation is an issue that is persistent and something that a lot of people don’t necessarily consider or know about.”
The Experience Ventures experience reinforced the value of real, human-centered media.
“There is value in this because it’s a real person from your organization that’s talking and this is an authentic experience that you can’t duplicate with AI,” he says. “That’s something I didn’t consider would be so valuable, but it’s fun for me to do and intriguing because of that authentic experience.”
Professionally, Rai learned the importance of communication and relationships.
“I definitely learned how important communication is in a setting like this,” he reflects. “Just building a relationship with who you’re working with and making sure you two are on the same page.”
That trust, he says, is part of why his collaboration with Music Share for Seniors continues.
Since graduating in June, Rai has been balancing freelance client work with personal creative projects to build a portfolio across lifestyle brands, sports organizations, and music videos.
“I’ve been figuring out where I want my career trajectory to go and trying to balance that,” he says. “I do want to go into the narrative field of things, but at the same time fulfill myself financially by doing more freelance work.”
Looking ahead, Rai’s long-term ambitions remain rooted in storytelling. “My dream project is to work on feature narrative films and direct and write my own,” he says. Drawing from his background as the son of immigrant parents from Punjab, India, he hopes to explore those experiences through a surrealist lens.
With that goal in mind, Experience Ventures was a proving ground for Rai. One that connected purpose-driven work, professional growth, and the kind of storytelling that can’t be faked.