Learning how to fly with the punches has never been a problem for Devin Wall as he’s always adapted to the situations around him.
Living in Kitimat for the past six years, Devin was born and raised in Terrace.
Always having a love for radio broadcasting and production, Devin moved to Burnaby and enrolled himself in Broadcast Communications at BCIT. Being a quick learner and already having knowledge in broadcasting Devin was always ahead of the pack in school.
“I’ve always been super interested in radio production; because of the type of person I am with technology, going into [school] I already had a really firm grasp on the class material because I already knew what I wanted to do,” said Wall.
“But you know that piece of paper does help you get the job.”
During his time at BCIT, Devin interned for a local Vancouver radio station based out of Richmond. Admitting he doesn’t like driving in the cities, Devin would commute by transit to get to his job which he dreaded.
Adapting and creating new skills for himself, Devin obtained work experience in a new field doing photography for a fundraiser a classmate was part of.
“Photography has always been a hobby of mine and I never considered making it into a career. But once I got asked to take pictures at an event back in Vancouver and got paid for it, I thought to myself, oh okay maybe I can actually make some money off this.”
With the wheels turning in his head about photography becoming more of a serious employment opportunity, Devin still had a job lined up for him in radio production before he finished school.
However, just before Devin’s last semester, he found out his mom was diagnosed with cancer. Feeling obligated to come home and be with her, Devin moved to Kitimat where she resided and finished his final semester closer to home base.
“They had this program where you can take your last semester abroad. You have to do some distance education stuff, but basically [BCIT] allowed you to leave early but you have to get a job close to your industry and luckily I ended up getting a job out in Terrace.”
He began a new career outside of his radio broadcasting schooling he took at BCIT and worked for Astral Media as a Master Control Operator for four months.
“The video stuff kind of just happened by complete mistake,” Wall said.
“I got a job with CFNR-FM as a multi-media coordinator where I handled their website, news columns, and their live streaming on Facebook. […] I was actually the first one to live stream the all-native basketball tournament and I helped the radio station develop that need of technology.”
After working there for four years Devin was offered a job by CityWest as head of the community television department.
“I kind of monitored that department and helped them make their SD videos to HD and created a live on-location broadcast for them. We were actually the only TV station at the time that had the capability of doing the live broadcast.”
Now working for JFJV at LNG Canada as a video documenter and safety video producer, Devin and his partner have taken their experience and started a side hustle known as Spruce Tree Media.
Devin was able to create a small network for himself through volunteering for the Kitimat Rotary Club and the Kitimat Humane Society.
“Growing up I’ve always been part of extracurricular activities which helped me not be so bored because I don’t like to just sit around,” said Wall.
“I’m always out or wanting to do something, but those opportunities volunteering [for the Kitimat Rotary Club and the Kitimat Humane Society] led me to the position I’m in today.”
With long hours and double shifts becoming a common trend for Devin, he jokes about getting back into the radio industry.
“Sometimes it’s really late nights, […] there’s still a part of me that wants to find a cushy radio producer job and kind of just do that, but at the same time the adventure [of owning a business] is fun.”
Not planning on leaving Kitimat anytime soon, Devin plans on buying a house in town and committing to small-town life. He also hopes to make Spruce Tree Media a full-time commitment but just wants to get his “ducks in a row” before making a leap towards his long-term goals and aspirations.
READ MORE: In Our Valley - Ray Hepting