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The next few weeks will mark the culmination of months of work for Kim Wheeler. Wheeler, who previously won a 2025 Canadian Screen Award for Best Live Entertainment Special for her work writing the show, has returned to the gig this year. April 6, will also see the launch of season 3 of Words and Culture, a show that Wheeler serves as executive producer on that airs on nearly 100 campus and community radio stations and Sirius XM. Words and Culture features five different Indigenous languages of six episodes each, hosted by speakers and learners of the language. The first two seasons focused on languages like Cree, Michif, and Anishinaabe. “Our first series is going to be the Blackfoot. Our host is Eugene Brave Rock, who is a well-known actor. He’s in Dark Winds, he’s in That Dirty Black Bag, you may remember him from Wonder Woman,” says Wheeler on the latest episode of Face to Face. “Eugene is very, very passionate about his language and he has his own project called the Oki Language Project, so I knew he was really passionate about the language and I thought wow he would make a good host, plus he has a huge following, so that helps a lot,” says Wheeler who is Anishinaabe and Mohawk. In addition to Words and Culture, Wheeler is also a host and producer of a number of shows, including, of course, The Kim Wheeler Show on Sirius XM, Turtle Island Talks and the Auntie Up! Podcast. She started out in journalism decades ago at the Edmonton Journal and the Canadian Press. Wheeler recalls a major turning point in her career came following her coverage at the Edmonton airport on 9/11. She returned to the newsroom later in the day to the applause of her colleagues. Wheeler says she didn’t feel good about being recognized for her work on a day when thousands of people died. It was then that Wheeler knew hard news was not for her. She went on to have a lengthy career at the public broadcaster before stepping away from the mainstream media in 2017. Over the years, she has seen a major shift in the representation of Indigenous peoples in journalism and in the entertainment industry. Much of Wheeler’s family works in the film and television industry, including daughter Katarina Ziervogel, who appeared in the Marvel series, Echo. Her daughter Maggie Ziervogel works behind the scenes doing props for film and television. “Talking with her, I can see the need for people behind the scenes, people on the other side of the camera, people who don’t want to be actors, writers or directors,” says Wheeler. “Those people, like Maggie who’s working in props, if they’re working on Indigenous shows, they need people who know the culture and they have that sensitivity.” While working as a writer and producer for The Juno Awards, producing for the Downie Wenjack Fund’s A Day to Listen, and having her own Sirius XM show are pretty big accomplishments, Wheeler still gets choked up when she thinks about getting the call to write for Remembering the Children, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. “It’s such a huge responsibility and such an honour to be able to bring those stories and those voices to a national audience,” says Wheeler. “I didn’t know how big the show was until after the first year was done and then when we were meeting and talking about it. I don’t want to get the numbers wrong but I think something like 8-milliion plus people tune in, 25 different broadcasters are on board to broadcast it across the country and I was like ok. That’s a huge responsibility and I take it very seriously,” says Wheeler. The Juno Awards of 2026 will be held on March 29 in Halifax. Report an Error Tell us your Story Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Your Name *Your Email Address *Details *NameSubmit Report Tags: face to face, Kim Wheeler, Manitoba, National, Winnipeg, Word and Culture Author(s) Dennis Ward [email protected] More Stories Why it could take years to trace the Indigenous artifacts ... 2 hours ago By The Canadian Press Indigenous identity researcher ordered to pay $70K to Sask... 5 hours ago By Jesse Staniforth Kashechewan evacuees told water repairs still 2 months awa... 24 hours ago By Annette Francis Young offender handed 3 year sentence in Saskatoon for lig... 1 day ago By Leanne Sanders Family, focus and tradition: Arctic Winter Games the Olymp... 1 day ago By Charlotte Morritt-Jacobs Nunavut premier says Inuit stakeholders must be part of Ar... 4 days ago By Fraser Needham
Kim Wheeler talks Words and Culture and having family in the biz
March 17, 2026 4 views
EntertainmentLifestyle
The next few weeks will mark the culmination of months of work for Kim Wheeler. Wheeler, who previously won a 2025 Canadian Screen Award for Best Live Entertainment Special for her work writing the show, has returned to the gig this year. April 6, will also see the launch of season 3 of Words and Culture, a show that Wheeler serves as executive producer on that airs on nearly 100 campus and community radio stations and Sirius XM. Words and Culture features five different Indigenous languages of six episodes each, hosted by speakers and learners of the language. The first two seasons focused on languages like Cree, Michif, and Anishinaabe. “Our first series is going to be the Blackfoot. Our host is Eugene Brave Rock, who is a well-known actor. He’s in Dark Winds, he’s in That Dirty Black Bag, you may remember him from Wonder Woman,” says Wheeler on the latest episode of Face to Face. “Eugene is very, very passionate about his language and he has his own project called the Oki Language Project, so I knew he was really passionate about the language and I thought wow he would make a good host, plus he has a huge following, so that helps a lot,” says Wheeler who is Anishinaabe and Mohawk. In addition to Words and Culture, Wheeler is also a host and producer of a number of shows, including, of course, The Kim Wheeler Show on Sirius XM, Turtle Island Talks and the Auntie Up! Podcast. She started out in journalism decades ago at the Edmonton Journal and the Canadian Press. Wheeler recalls a major turning point in her career came following her coverage at the Edmonton airport on 9/11. She returned to the newsroom later in the day to the applause of her colleagues. Wheeler says she didn’t feel good about being recognized for her work on a day when thousands of people died. It was then that Wheeler knew hard news was not for her. She went on to have a lengthy career at the public broadcaster before stepping away from the mainstream media in 2017. Over the years, she has seen a major shift in the representation of Indigenous peoples in journalism and in the entertainment industry. Much of Wheeler’s family works in the film and television industry, including daughter Katarina Ziervogel, who appeared in the Marvel series, Echo. Her daughter Maggie Ziervogel works behind the scenes doing props for film and television. “Talking with her, I can see the need for people behind the scenes, people on the other side of the camera, people who don’t want to be actors, writers or directors,” says Wheeler. “Those people, like Maggie who’s working in props, if they’re working on Indigenous shows, they need people who know the culture and they have that sensitivity.” While working as a writer and producer for The Juno Awards, producing for the Downie Wenjack Fund’s A Day to Listen, and having her own Sirius XM show are pretty big accomplishments, Wheeler still gets choked up when she thinks about getting the call to write for Remembering the Children, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. “It’s such a huge responsibility and such an honour to be able to bring those stories and those voices to a national audience,” says Wheeler. “I didn’t know how big the show was until after the first year was done and then when we were meeting and talking about it. I don’t want to get the numbers wrong but I think something like 8-milliion plus people tune in, 25 different broadcasters are on board to broadcast it across the country and I was like ok. That’s a huge responsibility and I take it very seriously,” says Wheeler. The Juno Awards of 2026 will be held on March 29 in Halifax. Report an Error Tell us your Story Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Your Name *Your Email Address *Details *NameSubmit Report Tags: face to face, Kim Wheeler, Manitoba, National, Winnipeg, Word and Culture Author(s) Dennis Ward [email protected] More Stories Why it could take years to trace the Indigenous artifacts ... 2 hours ago By The Canadian Press Indigenous identity researcher ordered to pay $70K to Sask... 5 hours ago By Jesse Staniforth Kashechewan evacuees told water repairs still 2 months awa... 24 hours ago By Annette Francis Young offender handed 3 year sentence in Saskatoon for lig... 1 day ago By Leanne Sanders Family, focus and tradition: Arctic Winter Games the Olymp... 1 day ago By Charlotte Morritt-Jacobs Nunavut premier says Inuit stakeholders must be part of Ar... 4 days ago By Fraser Needham
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