Three questions to Nile

Before we dive in Nile, tell us a little bit about you

Originally from Ottawa and now living in Toronto, I’m a writer, actor and stand-up comedian. I’ve written for shows such as The Hardy Boys, The Beaverton and Killjoys, and performed at festivals including Just for Laughs, San Francisco Sketchfest and the Winnipeg Comedy Festival. These days I value flexibility in my work and the freedom it gives me to be creative. I’m very much an early bird, although it keeps getting earlier with age and I suspect I’ll eventually come full circle and become a night owl again. Filling my cup often means deliberately taking time off. It once felt uncomfortable after years of telling myself I should be working six days a week, but I now find it genuinely restorative.

What’s something you’ve changed your mind about recently?

Something I've changed my mind about recently is the idea that when people say they want to hear good news or they're tired of all the bad news, they actually often don't mean it. And the other thing I've learned is that that is totally okay. I might not be able to understand why some people seem to prefer doom scrolling although it looks like it upsets them a great deal but I really enjoy watching basketball which I'm sure seems very strange to someone who doesn't share my passion. To each their own.

Who is someone you admire, and why?

Someone I admire is Hannah Ritchie. I think most people on this mailing list might already know about her through Fix the News but she is someone who backs her optimism with actual hard data which not only provides a much needed (for people like me :) ) relief from all the bad news but also gives people a fuller view of the world. For example she calculated that if you were to take all the calories we produce as a planet and divide them equally across humanity everyone would have 5,000 calories. So food security isn't a matter of production which is a huge relief. Her book "Not the End of the World: How We Can be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet" was an amazing read and I'm very much looking forward to reading her follow up "Clearing the Air."

If you had to give a TED talk tomorrow, what topic would you choose and why?

If I had to give a TED talk tomorrow I would make it about the importance of keeping up on good news because of how narrative deeply influences how we see and interact with the world. The common belief now is that the right thing to do is to keep up on current events but we don't include good news items as "news" which aside from having terrible effects on our physical and mental health (in addition to shortening our lifespans) makes no sense. If sports were covered the same way we cover mainstream news it would make no sense because all that would be mentioned is how such and such a player missed a shot or made a mistake but we wouldn't have any idea of who was actually winning the game.

What's something exciting you're working on?

Something exciting that I'm working on right now that I'd love to share is my podcast Total Nileation. It has a lot of crossover with Fix the News as that is one of the sources I use frequently but essentially I try to talk about good news items in a way that is entertaining and encourages listeners to see the possible ripple effects of each news story which is something people do automatically (and with great enthusiasm) for bad news stories but never for good news stories it seems.