Sean Spenrath

November Entrepreneurs of the Month

Meet Sean Spenrath, one of the co-founders of the Wake

The Giant (WTG) music festival, owner of Spen Films, and one of Oriental Garden’s top delivery drivers. Being an active community member, Sean is passionate about Thunder Bay and northern Ontario. In his spare time, you can catch him training for a 100 km ultra marathon or being the El Fuego in men’s league soccer. Through his career in education, Sean spent lots of time in Fort Hope, where he developed a deep appreciation for the meaning of community. While working in schools, Sean started a side project, Spen Films. Through this company, Sean was able to lean on his creative abilities by producing high-end commercials and developing his advertising knowledge. More recently, in 2019, Sean got together with a group of like-minded individuals to bring one of the largest music

festivals to northern Ontario. The WTG music festival is a celebration of cultures, with a spotlight on Indigenous culture and music. The festival features a mix of Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists. The goal is to bring together different races, age groups, music lovers, and festival goers to one big event that brings the community closer together.

What drew you to entrepreneurship?

The first thing would be taking an idea and bringing it to life. This year at Wake The Giant was especially exciting, as there were a bunch of ideas floating around about having a Coachella vibestyle festival in Thunder Bay. I think we did really well in bringing that type of festival environment to our northern city. Entrepreneurship provides such a sense of adventure. The sense of grinding to achieve your goals is very rewarding when you see the big picture come together. I truly enjoy establishing mutually beneficial relationships. The ability to help one another achieve goals is so satisfying. With Spen Films, allowing my creative side to shine is something I value. I have been very lucky to utilize skills that I have developed through Spen Films on larger projects like Wake The Giant. In-house advertising for video has been very beneficial.

What is your most memorable moment being an entrepreneur?

Perhaps my fondest memory was putting on school events in Eabametoong First Nation. That was the first big event that I organized. It was a Tough Mudderstyle race for the entire community. My most memorable moment as an entrepreneur is seeing all of my acquired skills, relationships developed, and years of experience come together to create something special in Wake The Giant. I relied on a lot of relationships I've established over the years to help grow it into the event it was. Wake The Giant is probably the most rewarding because it really was a culmination of years of developing different skill sets (grant writing, filming, advertising, building partnerships, and enjoying music festivals with the buds) and bringing all of those together to put on one of the largest music festivals in northern Ontario in just two years. Events like this provide such gratification, as they represent years of hard work and grinding. At Wake The Giant, there is always one moment throughout the day and night where I will pause at the back of the grounds and just reflect on how awesome it is that I helped create one of the most forward-thinking festivals in Canada. WTG is blazing a path for the rest of Canada and I am super proud about that.

Who was your biggest inspiration/mentor?

My biggest inspiration and mentor is constantly evolving. I am always adding people to the list of people I admire. I do my best to emulate everyone on the list. The first would be my parents. They indirectly taught me a sense of patience by dealing with all of my energy. When I was teenager, I admired the filming of local legends Matt Popowich and Damien Gilbert. The boss, Que Bird, at Oriental Garden, is another. She’s taught me the importance of family and what it means to be a great boss. Living and working in Fort Hope, I was inspired by Luka Brkljacic and his teaching ability and his connection to students. Working at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School, I find inspiration in the programming built by Ken Liddicoat, Greg Chomut, and Aaron Guthrie.

Terry Fox is just a legend. Guy ran across Canada for something he believed in and ended up with a legacy so much bigger than what he initially thought was possible. My number one inspiration has to be my wife Samantha, though. She has taught me the importance of empathy and she's also just an absolute beauty.

If you could go back in time what piece of advice would you give yourself?

Work out and become the professional wrestler that you were born to be. Grind hard, build relationships, and always give back to the relationships that you establish. A thank you or something in return to someone helping you goes a long way. If you have a passion, follow it even if it’s hard because more people will jump on to help you along the way. Enjoy the little things. There was a cool moment behind the scenes at Wake The Giant this year where I was able to take pause with a good friend, who also needed a mental pause. We sat on the hilltop behind the stage and there was an artist playing his top three hit songs on a guitar for a camera. We managed to score a private three-person show of the lead singer of Third Eye Blind. It’s a moment that was super special and something we won’t soon forget. Enjoy the little things.