By: Andrea Stewart, Executive Producer of SESQUI

SESQUI started with a simple idea: we wanted to find a way to bring people together in their communities and to discover Canada in a new way.

Joanne and I had worked together for years in documentary production, and our exploration of Canada’s natural history had renewed our passion for this country’s landscape and the people we met in our travels. We were too young to have experienced the Centennial in 1967, but maybe a little too old to wait for the 200th anniversary of Canada in 2067. We saw Canada 150 as our chance to contribute a phrase to the story of our nation.

At the same time, immersive media and 360° filmmaking were developing at an accelerated rate. A traveling immersive experience — was that something we could get people excited about? We began reaching out to people we knew to be creative thinkers and passionate Canadians. We soon found that desire to create a gift for Canada’s 150th was strong, and the ideas on how we could do that through the evolving technology of immersive media, even stronger. So many people were eager to use their skills in media, the arts, technology and business to create something that would bring Canadians together in celebration within their communities.

The team grew in size and expertise, and so did SESQUI. A dedicated team of volunteers and advisors gave countless hours turning a basic idea into a fully developed concept, ready to be brought to life.

There were many meetings, much spirited discussion, and lots of ups and downs. There were times when we weren’t sure what our next steps should be, or if we should continue on at all. But a funny thing happens when you start to work as a team: your goal becomes bigger than any one person or any bad day. Someone was always willing to give a little more, or had looked at a problem in a different way, or a new person coming aboard brought fresh energy and perspective.

SESQUI had ‘legs,’ as we say in film parlance, and with so many people willing to dig deep to keep it going, we knew this was an idea whose time had come.