Dunia Tozy talks passion for storytelling, videography
October 8, 2020
Leo award-nominated TV host, video journalist, filmmaker and photographer Dunia Tozy is a born story-teller. Raised in Baghdad, Iraq, she studied biology at UBC and broadcast journalism at BCIT.
How did your UBC Science experience help you become the person you are?
Science teaches you to keep asking questions. Critical thinking, problem solving and working together—all these skills are vital for my work as a journalist, a filmmaker and a business owner. I can ask better questions when I do interviews, and delve deeper into the stories I'm covering. Being at UBC taught me how to have a strong work ethic, always striving to do my best and persevere and work hard to achieve my goals and dreams.
How did you become interested in photography and videography?
I was always the one who took the photos and videos in the family. While watching films, I paid attention to the cinematography and how they shot particular angles to convey a storyline. When I studied at UBC, I was originally interested in going to med school, but eventually I switched my focus. I got into the BCIT broadcast journalism program and I took a few photo and video classes where I learned the basics, then borrowed the school camera to shoot my own video stories and taught myself how to edit.
How did you transition into video journalism work?
After BCIT, I applied to several TV stations and got a job with Shaw TV in Duncan, covering the Cowichan Valley and the Gulf Islands. From there I worked in Nanaimo and finally at Vancouver's Shaw TV office. I worked on hundreds of video stories for eight years. Nowadays, I run my own company, Love 2 Media, specializing in shooting small business and family photos and videos, in addition to media consulting and running videography and photography workshops.
What do you like about this field?
It's very independent work where you're pretty much a 'jill of all trades.' Depending on the angles, lighting, clips and images you use, you can present ideas and showcase people in new and interesting ways. It’s a way to document people's stories, our history and experiences. I love how creative you can be. Storytelling is my passion.
