Arts and Entertainment
WATCH ‘Welcome to Surrey’ — a show about real people
You can now watch all episodes of ‘Welcome to Surrey’ Season One (above) online.
‘Welcome to Surrey’ is a TV show launched this summer on Storyhive with the premiere held in August at Surrey City Hall. Two friends – Kashif Pasta and Shyam Valera originally pitched the pilot for a competition organized by TELUS Storyhive but didn’t win. Yet, it didn’t stop them from developing a full 5-episode season which was noticed by TELUS Optic local arm. As Kashif states, ” Storyhive and TELUS Optic since merged into one program, which is why we’re proud to still have that Storyhive logo on all our episodes.”
It all started from realizing that there were not so many (sometimes not at all) TV shows about people living in suburbs. With Surrey having mostly South Asians there such series had a big potential to be adored – they are so relatable “to the extent that a few of Kashif’s and Shyam’s friends thought they made a show about them!”
The show tells a story about a young lady Suneet who grew up in Surrey but moved to Toronto to study in a medical school. Her instructor sends her back to Surrey to be a doctor in the very first episode. As she arrives, she notices a lot of changes, but also reunites with her family and friends. Kashif worked with Suneet (that’s the actress’s real name) on a film Zoya in 2013 and as he recalls, “Her role in Zoya was small, but I loved how she brought so much to even just a couple of lines and knew we had to have her lead a project.” Overall, for the most of the roles, Kashif and Shyam had cast in mind while working on a script so it wasn’t an issue finding the right people.
Kashif worked with Suneet (that’s the actress’s real name) on a film Zoya in 2013 and as he recalls, “Her role in Zoya was small, but I loved how she brought so much to even just a couple of lines and knew we had to have her lead a project.” Overall, for the most of the roles, Kashif and Shyam had cast in mind while working on a script so it wasn’t an issue finding the right people.
Young filmmakers reached unbelievable success with series being watched by 100,000 people. It even inspired them to start working on the second season much sooner! So their advice to all individuals who wish to enter Storyhive or launch their own video series is simple – “do it, but do it incredibly well.”
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.0.76″ src=”https://omgsurrey604.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/surrey604/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/WTS_stills_watermark_v1-09.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” border_style=”solid” force_fullwidth=”off” show_bottom_space=”on” /][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.76″ background_layout=”light” border_style=”solid”]Read our full Q & A with ‘Welcome to Surrey’ Co-Creator, Kashif Pasta
1. What inspired you to start filming ‘Welcome to Surrey’?
It came out of growing up here. With over 80,000 students in the Surrey School District and so many parks, recreation, and arts-and-culture related things to do, it’s really a great place to be a kid. And because of that, it’s a great place to raise your kids. But if you’re anywhere in between those two things, it’s not really designed for you.
So the idea is that you’re supposed to leave at a certain point. Find yourself. But less and less young people are doing that, and many are moving TO Surrey. We were in that stage ourselves when we thought of the show in university, and thought that the mismatch was a great setting for comedy. Add the fact that there are millions of people living in the Canadian suburbs with literally no shows about them on TV or the Internet, and we knew we had to make something happen.
2. We understand the show was a runner up for Storyhive, tell us the story of how the full series came about.
So TELUS Storyhive runs various “editions” for things like short films, music videos, and webseries, that involve getting public votes to earn funding for a pilot episode. We were fortunate enough to be one of the teams that made a pilot in 2016, but it didn’t get picked up for series. We had ambitions to get a five-episode season off the ground, and in the process of starting to pitch it around, it ended up coming full circle when we talked to TELUS’ Optik Local arm, which produces shows outside of Storyhive. They’ve since merged in to one program, which is why we’re proud to still have that Storyhive logo on all our episodes, and to have had them support an emerging filmmakers panel at our big premiere at Surrey City Hall in August!
3. How did you choose the cast?
Welcome to Surrey was mostly written with the cast in mind. Shyam (my co-writer and producer) and I are easy to schedule since we have to be on set, but Suneet was someone we had worked with on a short film called Zoya in 2013 and just couldn’t get enough of. Her role in Zoya was small, but I loved how she brought so much to even just a couple of lines and knew we had to have her lead a project. Welcome to Surrey was the perfect fit.
One of the most exciting people was cast was Manoj Sood. Manoj plays Suneet’s dad and his role wasn’t written for him. He played Babar on CBC’s Little Mosque in the Prairie, and he was so great on that that we just assumed he would be out of the question. Luckily he’s an incredibly great guy and was happy to read our script and ultimately do the show, which I still almost can’t believe. He brings so much to it and I can’t imagine any of it working with someone else in his role.
4. How was the response of the public to the first episode?
Incredible. Of course we did the best we could with it, but ultimately you never know how people are going to take it. I think the fact that we have this massive demographic of suburban Canadians and then many South Asians on top of that, neither of whom have seen their lives reflected back to them, has had a significant impact. It takes so long to make these things and you’ve seen it so much by the time you’re done that you lose some objectivity about the whole thing. People’s responses have made us realize we may need to get on a second season sooner than we thought!
5. Why do you think people watch your show? (what makes it unique?) What is your audience like?
There’s a couple of things. One, it’s super accessible and that can’t be ignored— YouTube, Facebook, TELUS Optik on Demand— it’s free and really not that long when it comes down to it. That might get people to click but I think what they’re identifying with is their own stories, and it’s so rare to see. Every South Asian woman in her early- to mid-twenties that’s talked to us about the show relates to it in a very real way. To the extent that a few of our friends thought we made a show about them! We didn’t base it on anyone in particular, but that sort of response means a lot and tells us we managed to create something relatable..
6. How do you advertise the series?
Honestly, we’re just getting started with that. Right now it’s been a quiet launch on our personal networks, with which we’ve reached around 100,000 people. But articles like this are hopefully going to help a ton, so thank you! There’s a challenge right now in figuring out what our “hook” is to a general audience. There’s obviously a diversity angle, as nearly our entire cast is South Asian and our lead is a woman, but it’s not really a show about that, so it poses an interesting challenge.
7. How many episodes/seasons are you planning to produce?
At the moment, we want to get this first season of five short episodes out to as many people as possible. Beyond that, the show is really designed to play out in longer, TV-length episodes across a full season, so that’s where we want to take it. Welcome to Surrey on TV!
8. Do you have any more projects like this in mind?
For sure! Can’t talk about them at the moment because we like to take our time on the writing stage, but you’ll definitely be hearing about bigger things from us soon!
9. How does this whole experience feel like? What did you learn?
It feels immensely satisfying to take an idea that started in 2009 and went through a lot of different versions since then, and actually see it as a tangible thing. It also feels like levelling up, because we were blessed with the best executives at TELUS, who pushed us out of our comfort zone and in to much higher ambitions. Their belief in us was a lot to live up to, and I hope they feel like it paid off!
10. Do you have any advice for others who wish to enter Storyhive or launch their own video series?
I think the common refrain would be to “do it!” or “go for it!” and you absolutely should. But I would also say aspire to more than just doing it. Try to do it incredibly well. I’m not saying we’d win the webseries equivalent of the Oscars, but with this show and every new project we do, we’re really striving to be the best we can be and comparing ourselves to work that IS Oscar-worthy. They’re lofty goals that we don’t reach, but it helps to move us past what we expect we can do at the outset. I guess that applies to any career, but don’t settle for being “Surrey” good, or good when whatever limitations you have are taken in to account. Try to make it g-o-o-d enough that you can be proud of it it beyond your demographic. Especially if you are or are representing a minority group, you’re going to have to work twice as hard anyways, so might as well double up and be twice the quality of anyone else at the same time.
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The city has been a prime location for many famous TV shows. Here is a list of some of our favourite shows filmed in Surrey.
Riverdale
You’ll be surprised to know that the hit Netflix series Riverdale has filmed some scenes in Surrey, along with other famous places across BC like Rocko’s Diner and the Twilight Drive-In Theatre. The most notable place in Surrey is Bear Creek Park where in Season 5 the football workout scene was filmed.
The Flash
Not to be confused with the movie featuring Ezra Miller (who knows what’s happening with the DC movies anyway?), CW’s The Flash has also filmed around Surrey and the Lower Mainland. You can see many familiar places like Surrey City Hall and Central City Mall.
Turner & Hooch (2021)
While this show may claim to take place in San Francisco, and it’ll do everything it can to convince you it was filmed there, this remake starring Josh Peck was filmed right here in BC. Specifically, the exterior of the police station that Turner works at is Surrey City Hall. You can even see the evidence of the Take Five afe right outside.
Peacemaker
The DC movie universe just seems to love filming in Surrey. Peacemaker, starring everyone’s favourite John Cena, filmed scenes in Surrey.
The Good Doctor
Surrey’s City Hall can be seen in The Good Doctor as the exterior of the San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. Now why they wouldn’t use the actual Surrey Memorial Hospital as a hospital is beyond us.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has used a couple of different locations in Surrey for filler shots like in Redwood Park for scenes in the woods. But it also converted a closed storefront into Cerberus Books, a bookstore from the series. Without the signs, it may be difficult to locate, but you can find the building used for this bookstore at 5657 176 St.
The Stand
Based on the book of the same name by Steven King, The Stand was also filmed in Surrey. Starring Whoopi Goldberg, Alexander Skarsgård, and James Marsden (yes, this is the guy from Sonic the Hedgehog), this story takes place “After the world is in ruins, due to a man-made plague,” and “a battle of biblical proportions ensues between the survivors.” It shot scenes throughout BC, but most notably is the Pacific Inn Resort, which was used to film interior shots for the Flagg Hotel in the show.
John Tenta ‘Earthquake’ memorabilia now on display at Museum of Surrey
Surrey, BC – The legacy of WWF wrestler John Tenta, known worldwide as ‘Earthquake’ is being celebrated with a display of memorabilia in the Museum of Surrey’s latest feature exhibition ‘Shake Up: Preserving What We Value.’
Visitors will have the opportunity to see the former Surrey resident’s iconic 1991 action figure, “The Wrestler” Magazine, featuring Earthquake vs. Hulk Hogan from 1990, a deck of trading cards and more in the exhibit’s pop culture section.
“Earthquakes are some of nature’s most powerful forces, and John Tenta certainly evokes that energy with the persona he created, which makes his legacy a perfect fit for the exhibit,” said Curator of Exhibits, Colleen Sharpe.
‘Shake Up: Preserving What We Value’ was originally developed by the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. Using cultural objects, art, and multimedia displays, the exhibit tells the story of earthquakes—and other natural disasters—through Indigenous knowledge passed down through oral histories.
To complement the multi-media installations, MOS added Surrey-specific content from the Heritage Surrey Collection, including the recent acquisition of Tenta’s memorabilia.
Kristin Hardie, Curator of Collections, says the memorabilia acquired for the Surrey Artifact Collection is one example of how objects can serve as a connection point with our community’s memory.
“We are thrilled to be able to preserve the amazing story of a ‘Surreyite’ who rose to the highest levels of his sport and who became famous on a global scale.
We hope that these items both preserve John Tenta’s legacy in his hometown and encourage his neighbours and fans to share their memories and stories about him.”
Hardie recently reached out to Tenta’s son, Jeff Tenta, who resides in Florida with his wife and two children. When asked how he felt about his father being included in the exhibit and his story being preserved and shared at the museum, he responded that it was a proud moment for the family.
“We’re happy that his community appreciates it – it’s good to know people care,” he said. Preserving and Sharing Surrey’s Stories. Heritage Services administers a large civic artifact collection, which consists of over 20,000 objects.
Already a world junior wrestling champion by age 20, Tenta first rose to fame in Japan, where he spent eight months as a sumo wrestler. He and his family returned to his hometown of Surrey from approximately 1989 to 1996, where he was affectionally known as ‘Big John’ to local media.
By 1989, Tenta was a full-time member in the WWF with the name, Earthquake. In 1993, Tenta headlined a West Coast wrestling competition at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds.
In 2006, Tenta passed away from bladder cancer at the age of 42. His sister, Brenda, currently resides in Langley.
‘Shake Up: Preserving What We Value’ runs until June. Visitors must pre-register for one hour long self-guided visits, which are available from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. from Wednesday to Saturday. Visitors can register by visiting emailing or by calling 604-592-6956.
The museum follows all citywide COVID- 19 safety protocols as per Health BC, City of Surrey and Worksafe BC. Masks are mandatory. Registration required for every person in your family group, including infants. For more information, visit us.
For more information about the Surrey Artifact Collections, visit our site. The City’s artifact collection can also be viewed virtually using the Surrey Archives & Museums free Online Access (SAMOA).
The Rivers that Connect Us by kʼwyʼiʼyʼe Spring Salmon Studio
Surrey, BC – A new public artwork has been installed at Museum of Surrey, the final component of the Museum expansion. The artwork is easily viewed by those travelling along Highway 10. Designed and fabricated locally by kʼwyʼiʼyʼe Spring Salmon Studio (Drew Atkins, Phyllis Atkins, and Aaron Jordan),
The Rivers that Connect Us is a monumental sculpture that makes an important contribution to the Cloverdale Historic District by acknowledging and reflecting the longstanding presence of First Nations peoples.
The artwork’s five-metre-tall, illuminated paddles are raised to the sky recalling a traditional Coast Salish gesture indicating peace and respect made when a canoe traveller approached a village.
The artwork’s welcoming gesture is intended to honour the diversity of newcomers arriving in Surrey and the traditional lands of the Coast Salish peoples.
The sculpture’s four paddles encircle a 3.5-metre round base that features a design inspired by the traditional form of a Coast Salish spindle whorl, a tool used by Coast Salish women to spin wool for weaving.
The base also references a compass and the four directions. The Salish Eye designs around the base of the paddles represent the seven traditional teachings of the Kwantlen peoples: health, happiness, generations, generosity, humility, forgiveness, and understanding.
While referencing the deep history of the land and the traditional territory of the Coast Salish peoples including the q̓ʷɑ:n̓ƛ̓ən̓, q̓ic̓əy̓, and səmyəmɑʔɬ (Kwantlen, Katzie, and Semiahmoo First Nations) and traditional Coast Salish design, the sculpture also incorporates innovative technology with its steel and polycarbonate materials and programmable LED lighting.
Community consultation guided this public art opportunity from the outset. Multiple community engagement sessions were held, culminating in a group of Cloverdale residents serving on a panel to select the artists and artwork concept.
One of the key recommendations from the community was that the sculpture serve as a gateway feature for travellers to Cloverdale and the City of Surrey. The lighting will ensure the artwork is visible at night and fulfills the expectation of the Cloverdale community.
The artwork also offers an invitation to learn more about Surrey’s history, located beside Museum of Surrey (17710 56A Avenue) and Surrey Archives (located in the 1912 Municipal Hall).
For the artists, The Rivers that Connect Us provided an important opportunity to mark the traditional territories on which Surrey is built.
They say, “The Fraser River and its local tributaries—the Salmon, Serpentine, and Nicomekl Rivers—formed a transportation network that connected First Nations people in the area since time immemorial. Relied upon for resource gathering, travel, and trade, these rivers were traversed by canoes from many nations. Presently, the Highway 10 corridor, and its many connecting roads, is today’s river.”
The artwork’s title, The Rivers That Connect Us, is a reminder and an invitation to a shared human connection regardless of cultural or ethnic backgrounds.
About the Artists
Drew Atkins (Nəq̓ɑɬc̓i) is a member of the Kwantlen First Nation community by marriage to his wife and fellow artist, Phyllis Atkins (q̓ʷɑt̓ic̓ɑ’s). He works in many mediums including painting, drawing, carving, and sculpture.
He was trained in the Coast Salish carving tradition while apprenticing with his dear friend and mentor Xwa-lack-tun (Rick Harry). Atkins owns and operates K’wy’iye’ Spring Salmon Studio and Gallery in unceded Fort Langley, BC with Phyllis Atkins. springsalmonstudio.com
Phyllis (Qwoy’tic’a) Atkins is an artist of the Kwantlen First Nation whose name means “I wear the clouds like a blanket” or “Shrouded in clouds.” Her name comes from the Nɬeʔkepmx language and it was given to her by her maternal grandfather Hereditary Chief Anthony Joe of the Shakan Band (Thompson River People).
Phyllis is also part Sto:lo (People of the river). Phyllis has taken oil painting lessons from Barbara Boldt and hand-carved silver jewelry lessons by Master Carver Derek Wilson. She is a renowned painter and jeweler at their home on Kwantlen First Nation in Fort Langley. springsalmonstudio.com
Aaron Jordan grew up surrounded by artists and craftsmen of all mediums. Working for a few years in art galleries and museums led Aaron to attend Langara College to study fine arts. He went on to discover the world of film and was swept up by the creativity and diversity of the industry while working as a sculptor and carpenter building sets and props. ajordancreation.com
About Surrey’s Public Art Program
Established in 1998, Surrey’s Public Art Program contributes to the creation of a lively, beautiful, inclusive, and complete community. The City’s art collection reflects community identity, cultural diversity, and Indigenous heritage.
Public art contributes to placemaking across the City and its sustainable socio-economic development. Among the 100+ artworks in Surrey’s public art collection are mosaics, paintings, and interactive sculptures that remember Surrey’s history, enhance infrastructure, and honour the surrounding natural environment.
From subtle to iconic, public art can be found in the City’s parks, on pathways, streets, SkyTrain pillars, and civic buildings throughout the City of Surrey. For more information about the Public Art Program and the collection, visit surrey.ca/publicart
Arts and Entertainment
Recent Past Meets Speculative Future In Mark Soo’s Video Installation (Apr 17)
April 17−June 6, 2021
Artist Talk: Saturday, April 17 | 1:00 p.m. –2:00 p.m. PST on Surrey Art Gallery’s Facebook page and YouTube channel
Surrey, BC – Surrey Art Gallery launches their spring exhibit Mark Soo: Twilight on the Edge of Town on Facebook Live and YouTube on Saturday, April 17 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. PST with a talk by the artist that will be available for replay afterwards.
Drawing from an archive that evokes the history of science fiction film, 3D animation, documentary photography, and literature, Mark Soo’s newest video artwork explores the nature of perception and the limits of storytelling.
Through his juxtapositions of visual and experiential phenomena, this project stimulates poetic associations to place, reality, and imagination.
Across multiple screens, the artist creates an immersive choreography of visual elements over twenty-five minutes. Holographic images depict objects and events of the seemingly everyday where surreal log jams and raindrops mingle with flickering streetlights and backyard scenes.
An ambient soundtrack includes the voices of a child and adult simultaneously narrating the images, one in a speculation on the future and the other in a recollection of the past. Experienced in an ambiguous present, remembrance slips into projection and past and future are intertwined.
Mark Soo says, “I’ve tried to make a work that speaks to a complicated relationship to where we are, and of how we perceive that in terms of time and the relation to space.”
The result is part theatre, experimental cinema, and art installation. “By experimenting with the relationship between image and sound, fact and fiction,” says curator Jordan Strom, “Soo’s large-scale environment is a compelling meditation on the nature of individual and collective memory.”
Twilight on the Edge of Town builds on Soo’s work of the past decade and a half, including his interests in photography and film, the history of social movements, and experiments with the technological image. Surrey Art Gallery and Wirklichkeit Books, Berlin, will be co-publishing a catalogue about Mark Soo: Twilight on the Edge of Town in the fall of 2021.
Twilight on the Edge of Town is one of the 200 exceptional projects funded in part through the Canada Council for the Arts’ New Chapter program. With this $35M investment, the Council supports the creation and sharing of the arts in communities across Canada.
Other exhibitions at Surrey Art Gallery include Art by Surrey Secondary Students, a display of collages, drawings, and paintings from local youth (closes April 30) and the artist video Yam Lau: Hutong House. At UrbanScreen, Surrey Art Gallery’s offsite art venue, the Flavourcel collective presents I Spy a City, a series of animations that capture different sights in Surrey (closes May 2).
About Mark Soo
Mark Soo was born in Singapore. He graduated from Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design in 2001 and currently lives and works in Vancouver and Berlin. He works in a variety of media including photography, sound, and video, which he uses to investigate notions of perception, modes of representation, and considerations of social space.
Soo draws on diverse sources ranging from art history to popular and social histories. He has had solo exhibitions in Vancouver, Berlin, and London and has participated in numerous group exhibitions.
About Surrey Art Gallery
Internationally recognized for its award-winning programs, Surrey Art Gallery, located at 13750 88 Avenue in Surrey on the unceded territories of the Salish Peoples, including the q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie), q̓ʷɑ:n̓ƛ̓ən̓ (Kwantlen), and Semiahma (Semiahmoo) nations, is the second largest public art museum in Metro Vancouver.
Founded in 1975, the Gallery presents contemporary art by local, national, and international artists, including digital and audio art. Its extensive public programs for children through to adults aim to engage the public in an ongoing conversation about issues and ideas that affect our communities and to provide opportunities to interact with artists and the artistic process.
Admission is free. Surrey Art Gallery gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of the City of Surrey, Province of BC through BC Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, and the Surrey Art Gallery Association.
Surrey Art Gallery will continue to present Art Together, a series of online programs that began in March 2020 and explore art and artists in the community, spark the imagination, and celebrate the ways that art can impact our lives.
Visit our website, follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube channel. surrey.ca/artgallery
Indigenous knowledge, science and pop culture unite to address ‘the Big One’
Surrey, BC – Museum of Surrey announces its latest feature exhibition, Shake Up: Preserving What We Value, coming March 11 to June 6. Through multimedia installations, art, and cultural objects, Shake Up examines the knowledge of earthquakes and natural disasters that has been passed down for generations through First Nations oral histories.
“It’s about reflecting on what we value, and how we ensure we keep our loved ones and stories safe,” said Museum of Surrey manager, Lynn Saffery, of the exhibit that was originally developed by Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia.
As part of the immersive exhibit, visitors will have the opportunity board an electric car and take a simulated drive down a San Francisco street, featuring never-before-seen footage of the big 1906 quake aftermath. Visitors can get up close to an earthquake-proof yurt, built locally in Langley.
The theme of earthquakes in pop culture is explored through movie posters, cards, earthquake toys and the famous WWF wrestler, ‘Earthquake.’ Surrey-specific content and artifacts from the Heritage Surrey collection will also be on display.
Free pre-registered, one-hour self-guided visits of the museum are available from Wednesday to Saturday. The museum follows all citywide COVID-19 safety protocols as per Health BC, City of Surrey and WorkSafe BC. Masks are mandatory. Registration required for every person in your family group, including infants. Call 604-592-6956 or email museum@surrey.ca to register.
Museum of Surrey is a dynamic and accessible community hub and cultural space that reflects the City of Surrey’s innovation and creativity.
It is a people museum, with a mission to connect people and stories through engaging events, interactive award- winning exhibits, programs, textiles and local, national and international exhibitions, as well as public space for rentals. The site, located at 17710 56A Avenue in Surrey, is on the Heritage Campus, home to Veterans Square, Anderson Cabin, 1881 Town Hall and Anniedale School.
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