The world is plagued with depressing news broadcasts, statistics, and ill fated futures. Yet despite the bleakness, more and more stories of ‘light’ are coming to the forefront. Luckily for those who still have a cable hookup or are diligently checking the provincial government telecasts, residents in British Columbia don’t have to look far for their daily dose of ‘light’.

Nigel Howard is a classically trained American Sign Language (ASL) translator and has worked with various educational institutions and the UN for twenty years. In Canada, Nigel’s face has been seen on national television every time Adrian Dix or Dr. Bonnie Henry have taken the podium to update the province with COVID-related news.

Unbeknownst to him, Nigel has become an overnight internet sensation, with unofficial fan pages sharing memes and other GIFs from his press briefings. While some have found his style of interpretation distracting, most people find him quite entertaining during a time when information can be less favourable. Like most meme-celebrities, Nigel never asked for this fame. He hopes that it will give more people an understanding as to why interpretation is important to the Deaf community and raise awareness for the need for greater acceptance of ASL.

[Poster image description: A film poster for the film “Who the Hell is Nigel?“ In the left middle, white text: “Who the hell is Nigel?” On the right, a shadow figure of a person holding two index fingers up on either side of the word “Nigel?” On the top, white text: a Telus original with production credits underneath. On the bottom are two logos for CreativeBC and Windowbox Media.]

[Movie still image description: A woman wearing a black top and glasses sits with a mug on a table in front of her. Behind her is a blurred restaurant setting.]