Sonya Lee is a Korean-Canadian producer, director and science communicator who focuses on impactful stories that intersect nature, science, culture and people.

She strives to work on stories with a social justice lens that amplifies historically marginalized voices and communities.

Film and TV

As an independent filmmaker she was a Director, Co-producer, Co-writer on Jawsome: Canada’s Great White Sharks, a 44 min Canadian broadcast film for the CBC Nature of Things with Jeff Turner and Chelsea Turner at River Road Films.

She is currently co-directing and hosting a 3-part documentary series called Our Ocean Table for TELUS originals with Jugaad Sisters. The series is an adventure into the sustainability of seafood in iconic Korean cultural dishes and connecting ocean conservation to cultural conservation.

Previously, she was the Science Producer for Ocean School, an ocean education media project of the National Film Board of Canada, and has produced over 100 media pieces including short documentary videos, 360 videos, web-based interactives, and AR/VR experiences from Canada's Atlantic coast (Fogo Island, NL; Malpeque Bay, PEI), Pacific coast (Haíɫzaqv Nation), Townsville (Australia) and Raja Ampat (Indonesia).

Science Communication

Sonya has been a science communicator for over ten years, and facilitates Science Communication Workshops nationally and internationally. She was part of the Media Faculty for OceanX’s Young Explorer Program on board RV OceanXplorer, a program for young scientists and filmmakers from predominantly historically marginalized and excluded communities.

She also works with scientists and researchers to produce science outreach material to share research outcomes with a wide range of target audiences through her company, Plankton Productions.

Workshops and Panels

2024 | NEWF Fellows Summit and Congress | Mentor

2023 | Jackson Wild Summit | Community Co-Creation Panel | Producer and Moderator

2023 | IMPAC 5 | Ocean Literacy Dialogues Reaching mass Audiences | Panelist

2022 | OceanX | Young Explorers Program | Media Faculty

2021 | Canadian Ocean Literacy Coalition | Ocean Decade Campaign Workshop | Presenter

Fellowships

2023 | Documentary Organization of Canada Northwest - Breakthrough Program

2023 | Story Money Impact - Pod Fellow

2022 | World Congress of Science and Factual Producers- Tier 1 Emerging Producer

2021 | 2021 Jackson Wild Media Lab Fellow

2021 | Reelworld Producer Accelerator Program

Education and Certifications

Marine Biology and International Development Studies from Dalhousie University

Diver Certification Board of Canada- Commercial SCUBA diver

PADI - Divemaster

PFI - Freediver

Fun Facts

You will often find her in the ocean as a director, storyteller, and fish nerd.

Calls both east and west coast Canada home.

Sonya is currently living on what is now Vancouver Island and is a guest on the unceded lək̓ʷəŋən Traditional Territory of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.