By TYLER HANLEY
Filmmaker Korex shares his journey from Nigeria to New Brunswick, his passion for multicultural storytelling, and how projects like Groove are building new creative connections in Saint John.
Tyler: Can you share your journey into filmmaking and what first sparked your interest in visual storytelling?
Korex: I grew up immersed in cartoons, comics, anime, video games, and television, and very early on, I felt compelled not just to watch stories, but to recreate them. In high school, I hand-drew the entire 1994 Street Fighter animated movie as a comic book so I could share it with friends who hadn’t seen it. That was the first time I realized storytelling wasn’t just entertainment for me, it was a calling.
After university, while working as an assistant editor at the BBC World Service Trust and as an on-air personality at DAAR Communications in Nigeria, I spent 9 months creating a 3D-animated music video on my own. That project showed me how deeply I wanted to live in this craft. From radio to television, post-production to directing photography, I immersed myself in every part of media creation.
Today, that same passion drives my work on projects like Groove here in Saint John, where I use visual storytelling to explore culture, identity, and human connection. Filmmaking started as a curiosity, but it became my way of understanding myself, the world and bringing people together.
Tyler: How would you describe your artistic voice or creative identity as a filmmaker?
Korex: I see myself as a creative builder. A filmmaker driven to turn ideas into reality, even without big budgets or industry infrastructure. That mindset shaped projects like Groove, where I draw from my experience as a newcomer in Saint John to tell multicultural stories about identity, ambition, and belonging.
Initially, when I started filmmaking, the goal was to prove to myself that whatever creative idea I had could be made manifest. I was, and still am, a proof-of-concept creative. Now, in Saint John, I want to build a multicultural community of creatives whose goal is to creatively persuade their audience to adopt a different, shared worldview. I see myself as a culturally curious storyteller drawn to narratives that explore identity, emotion, ambition, and power.
I'd like my work to blend high-concept ideas with grounded, character-driven storytelling, while positioning the narrative strategically. As both filmmaker and strategist, I aim to build stories that are culturally relevant, economically meaningful, and capable of shaping conversations long after the credits roll.
Tyler: What themes or subject matter consistently draw you in, and why do those stories matter to you?
Korex: Honestly, almost every event in my daily life inspires a story that I feel may be compelling. The theme or subject matter is usually tied to a recent personal experience, juxtaposed with narratives or ideas that shaped me earlier in life. For example, Groove was inspired by my experience as a newcomer in Saint John from a cultural perspective, filtered through the ensemble energy of a sitcom I loved as a teenager, Friends, and visually by Apple's hit TV show, Severance. I’m consistently drawn to stories about identity, belonging, and power. Especially how people from different ideologies navigate spaces that weren’t originally designed for them.
As a Nigerian immigrant building a life in Saint John, I’ve experienced both the visible and invisible rules that shape opportunity, perception, and connection. Projects like Groove grew directly from that experience. Combining the ensemble energy of shows I loved growing up with the real cultural tensions, humour, and misunderstandings I encountered here in New Brunswick, I’m fascinated by how assumptions, biases, and shared experiences evolve over time, and how communities learn to build a common worldview. These stories matter to me because they’re rooted in lived experience, and they help audiences see themselves and each other, with more empathy, clarity, and possibility.
Tyler: Walk us through your creative process—how does a project move from idea to finished piece in your workflow?
It starts with intent. What am I proving to myself? What do I need to do to validate my idea? Once the idea comes, I write it down in its raw form, then let my lived experience nourish it. I build conversation compartments in my mind to discuss the idea, and rigorously test it for flaws (there will always be flaws). Then I look to the environment. What do I have in my environment that can bring this idea to life? Location, people and tools. These determine if this idea can be executed now or at a later time.
Tyler: What technical or stylistic elements (cinematography, editing, sound design, narrative structure) do you prioritize in your work?
Korex: Three things guide my work: composition, rhythm, and story. Visually, I prioritize framing and composition because the first thing an audience connects with is the image. Even the simplest shot should feel intentional and aesthetically engaging. Coming from a music video background, I learned early that strong visuals can immediately hook an audience and make them more receptive to the story being told. Once the audience is visually engaged, editing rhythm and pacing help guide their emotional experience. I pay close attention to how shots flow, how long a moment breathes, and how sound and silence support the scene. Ultimately, every technical choice, from cinematography to editing to sound, exists to serve the story. If the visuals are compelling and the rhythm is right, the audience becomes immersed, and the story's message can land more powerfully.
Tyler: What has been the most challenging production you’ve worked on, and what did it teach you?
Korex: One of the most challenging productions I worked on was a film shot over 13 days across four different towns. The schedule was extremely demanding, and the constant movement between locations meant we had to adapt quickly to new environments, crews, and logistical constraints.
What that experience taught me was patience and focus. On a production that intense, not everything goes according to plan, and you have to learn to let go of what isn’t working and redirect your energy toward solutions. I realized that leadership on set often means staying calm, keeping the team aligned with the vision, and focusing on the work rather than the obstacles.
It also reinforced something I believe strongly about filmmaking: meaningful projects require commitment and sacrifice. When people are truly invested in the story, they find a way to push through the challenges and bring the vision to life.
Tyler: What role does community play in your creative practice, and how do you approach collaboration on set?
Korex: Community plays a central role in my creative practice because most of the stories I’m drawn to right now are about people navigating shared spaces, shared emotions and shared ambitions. Whether that’s a university campus, a workplace, or a city like Saint John, as a newcomer myself, I’ve learned that storytelling can be a powerful way to build bridges. Projects like Groove are rooted in the community around me, and I see filmmaking as both a creative and social act that brings people together.
On set, I approach collaboration with the understanding that filmmaking is inherently a team effort. Everyone, from actors to crew, brings a perspective that can strengthen the story. My role as a director is to create a clear vision and build an environment where people feel respected, heard, and motivated to contribute their best work. I try to lead with clarity, calm and openness: establishing the creative direction early, while remaining flexible enough to adapt when someone brings a better idea to the table. There is always a better idea. When a set feels collaborative rather than hierarchical, the energy changes, and that’s usually when the most authentic performances and creative solutions emerge.
Tyler: What are you currently developing, and how does it reflect your growth as a filmmaker?
Right now, the project closest to me is Groove, which we recently produced with Bell Fibe TV1. The show explores the lives of a group of multicultural students as they navigate identity, ambition, and belonging in a university environment. The idea grew directly out of my own experience as a newcomer in Saint John and my interest in how people from different cultural backgrounds learn to coexist and understand each other.
What makes this project meaningful for my growth is that it pushed me beyond simply creating content to building an entire creative ecosystem around the work. I had to think not just as a filmmaker, but also as a producer, showrunner and strategist. Developing the concept, assembling a team, managing production, and building partnerships with organizations like the New Brunswick Film Co-op, University of New Brunswick and the local community.
As a filmmaker, I’m learning that storytelling doesn’t exist in isolation. The work is not just about directing scenes or crafting images, but about building the infrastructure that allows those stories to exist and reach an audience. That shift, from simply making projects to building sustainable creative platforms, is where I see my biggest growth right now.
Tyler: What advice would you offer to emerging filmmakers looking to establish themselves in the industry today?
Korex: Start with what you have and build from there. When I moved here, I had no resources to fund any project, let alone shoot a series on Bell Fibe. What I had was my skill and drive. I became a Film Co-op member, volunteered my time and skills with like-minded individuals, and also volunteered with the community, building relationships that solidified my credibility when I pitched ideas. This took time and effort; luckily, it paid off. There will be opportunities I miss, but those are stepping stones to the opportunities I capitalize on.
Second, develop your voice by telling stories rooted in your lived experience. Audiences respond to authenticity, and the industry is always looking for perspectives that feel real and distinct. Your background, your community, and the challenges you’ve experienced can become powerful storytelling material. Finally, understand that filmmaking today requires both creativity and strategy. It’s important to think about collaboration, audience, and distribution just as much as the creative process. The filmmakers who succeed are usually the ones who treat storytelling not just as an art form, but as something that exists within a larger ecosystem of people, partnerships, and platforms. If you stay curious, keep making work, and build strong relationships with the people around you, opportunities tend to follow.