We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ani Kyd Wolf a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ani , appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Everything I have done, whether it’s music or visual media I have learned on my own through research, development, trial and error. Failure is learning. It’s a true chance to look at things from a different angle, pivot and either try again or try something new but with the same end goal in mind.
I have had many obstacles stand in my way, along my path.. I was raised in an underprivileged family and suffered from dyslexia, ADHD and anxiety. At 15 years old I gave birth to my son and instantly became a single parent. I still worked on creative endeavours while caring for my child. Life has been a hard road for me but I never gave up. Even if I just move a little bit forward to my goals each day, That means I am still moving toward those goals. Not every day I can push through like a steam engine. Some days the best I can do is a little bit of self care. These are the tools that I needed to learn before I could absorb the logistics and operations of my creative career. I needed to be reflexible and learn balance in my life before I could learn it in my career. I needed to harness my weaknesses and understand them. Not beat myself up about what I could not do. I needed to build on my strengths without a huge ego attached. Balance is key for me. Because of the many obstacles that I have smashed through, I have a hard time listening to people complain and explain to me why they can’t do something.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I came from a very creative family with a big love of the Arts.
I started out as a musician in the 1990s and continue to be a musician today. I have released five albums on Jello Biafra’s record label Alternative Tentacles and have a new project/group/band called Royal Strays with Juno award-winning musician, Don Binns and Don Short from the Canadian band Sons of Freedom. We are releasing our debut, self titled album on October 10th 2025.

Along with music I have created visual media since the early 2000’s. Making music videos, short films pilots, and producing feature films. I started the Canadian film production company Sugar Skull Films in 2010 and have produced multiple projects through that company.

2026 is going to be a very exciting time for me. I will be directing two well written horror films produced by Nuala Barton and Mania Entertainment. Organism 46B written by Ted Lazaris and Spawn of the Living Dead written by John Russo ( Night of the living Dead). I am also working on a SciFi Comedy called Left In Space that I am writing, directing and producing along with acting side by side with my BFF Ligaya Fatima. It’s a pretty fun half hour series that pokes fun at The Canadian Space Agency.
My goals have changed in the past few years. I love creating writing, producing but directing has always been my main focus . I love seeing the big picture and piecing together the tone and look of a project. So in 2026 my concentration will be mainly on that.

I am Canadian but have always found way more support in the US. I find that American filmmakers and production companies are more receptive to new and interesting “out of the box” Ideas and plans. Sadly Canada, Canadian production companies and networks have been much more rigid with very tight perimeters for the content that they are willing to produce.
That being said, I will continue to go where people “get me” and my creative skills and ideas. No matter where that is.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I feel that in these times it is essential to support creative people and artists. With the scary political landscape, a focus on survival breeds depression and divides us as a society. We need to stick together. Art embraces everyone from all walks of life. Art is emotion and we need positivity in the world right now.
I think it’s important to buy art and music directly from the artist. For example, go to platforms like BandCamp for music. This is a platform where most of the money goes directly to that musician.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I think we are either born an artist or not. Some people don’t understand what it means to create. Some people live to create. Creating a film or writing and recording a piece of music brings me a joy that I can’t explain. It’s a piece of who I am and who I will always be. When my music of visual media creates a reaction in someone, that is rewarding. It means that I myself have felt the feeling, created the art and shared that feeling with others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://anikydwolf.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anikyd/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ani.kyd.3/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anikyd
• Other: sugarskullfilms.com
  royalstrays.com

Image Credits

Joe Koonz 111
Cat Ashbee
Ligaya Fatima

Spawn of The Living Dead poster by Ani Kyd Wolf
Organism 46B poster by Ani Kyd Wolf