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JEANIE KEOGH

Most of what’s on TV these days isn’t worth the muscles it takes your thumb to tune it in on the remote. But Sean Kravetsky, host of The Big Picture, a new talk show airing on Joy TV, is intent on changing that by providing audience-driven educational programming.

“There’s some good stuff on TV, but the intentions aren’t as lovely or as encouraging. The Big Picture is unique in its own way because it actually delivers – through a talk show environment – tools and resources about current affairs for our community to go out and make the mental shift to ultimately make a difference,” Kravetsky said.

The show, which first aired on March 17, uses social media as a forum to generate discussion and fuel audience participation. The show’s collaborators rely heavily on viewers’ feedback and content suggestions for their 52-week series about the challenges that Canadians face.

“We interact with our viewers about what type of topic they want to see and then we make sure our guests are really vibrant so people are going to want to tune in to see that. So, you can keep watching CSI, but I think [The Big Picture is] an outlet for audiences to watch quality TV with some great guests.”

The goal isn’t to sedate the audience with a feel-good message but to motivate the audience to take action, if not to change the world, then to consider the idea that the possibility for change is within their reach. The show’s website says the show will address any topic without fear, leaving no question unanswered.

“It brings real questions to the table that people should be asking generation-wide. The marketplace is ready for it. There is no time. I say that, not to put fear into the communities, it’s just that it’s our turn to lead a new type of life and to create a shift, so timing is everything,” Kravetsky told the Independent.

Kravetsky himself is a testament to having made a mental shift in his life. He has a background in marketing and only recently made the switch to television. “I thrive because I love it and I want to reach out to the community and I feel like I’ve got this message I’ve got to get out of me,” he said.

Kravetsky recognizes that the general public might be cynical or apathetic about the show’s message, especially since it seems that most don’t believe that individual efforts can make a difference around the world, let alone their local neighborhoods. The show’s message is to turn off the TV – after they have finished watching The Big Picture, of course – and go out and do something that they’ve always wanted to do but haven’t.

“A lot of this show, you could say, ‘Hey, it’s a lot of fluff! You’re just telling us things.’ So, we have to be results-oriented. Even with the criticism that’s out there, [like] ‘It’s too late,’ or ‘People aren’t ready for this change.’ There’s only one way to find out; we’re just going to try.”

Kravetsky introduced religion near the start of the series, which makes sense since Joy TV bills itself as “offering inspirational multi-faith programming and family-friendly comedy and drama for a spiritually and culturally diverse audience.” The first episode, “Losing My Religion,” explored different ways of approaching religion, including the perspective that human beings are all “in this thing together,” he explained.

“You say the word religion and people will almost cringe and say, ‘I don’t want to talk about that.’ Even in schools now, they can hardly talk about religion in classrooms. I mean, they have to say ‘Happy holidays,’ not ‘Merry Christmas.’ People are afraid of it, there’s no question.”

Kravetsky, who spoke highly of his Jewish upbringing, nonetheless said that the messages behind the world’s religions have become tainted by what is done “in the supposed name of God” and that these distortions need to be collectively addressed.

“It’s tough,” he said. “We do get a lot of kickback about it, but these are things we need to speak [about]. I was always so open to other religions, not because I wanted to convert, but because they have wonderful stories and the meaning behind religion is incredible, and that’s what needs to shine through and that’s why we need to do this.”

Upcoming guests include Aleksandra Nasteska of the Canadian Earth Summit Coalition, Severn and David Suzuki, and Sherry Strong of the World Wellness Project. The Big Picture airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. in Vancouver, Victoria and the Fraser Valley.

Jeanie Keogh is a Vancouver freelance writer.

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