Conversations with the Inspiring Tanya Martineau

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tanya Martineau.

Tanya, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My humanitarian filmmaking started in 2010 while photographing pimps and trafficking victims in the red light districts of Seoul, South Korea. My zealous and naive 22-year-old self was eager to help a shelter that supported survivors of sex trafficking. I spent months mentoring and befriending girls that came out of sexual exploitation and I had a desire to do more. The images taken in the red light districts were published in a book that shared how Filipino women were trafficked from the Philippines to South Korea. The book was distributed to all the police stations, embassies and government officials.

After this experience, I realized that my gift of visual storytelling could empower non-profits that are doing great work but may not have the resources for their story to be told. I moved back to Fargo, ND and co-founded a non-profit called Unseen. Unseen exists to support organizations with fundraising training and visual marketing to eradicate human trafficking. I ran hard for three years growing Unseen and serving non-profits around the world. I passed the baton to the co-founder and moved to Colorado Springs where the mountains became my resting place and home.

During my time of transition, I worked at the Mona Lisa, a fondue restaurant in Manitou Springs. I did photography on the side and thru that met my now coworker, Jeff Arnold. He introduced me to the founder of Prospect Arts, Tim Neeves. Hearing the vision of this international film production company resonated with my desire to tell stories that had a lasting impact. For the past four and a half years, I’ve traveled the world with Prospect Arts telling stories for organizations doing incredible work. From undercover filming in the red light districts of South Korea and Mozambique to producing for National Geographic and NBC Sports, my heart is to capture stories that inspire and evoke change in the world. Last year I traveled to 27 cities, 11 states, and 9 countries. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to have so many beautiful culture exchanges with people around the world. Next week, I will head to Guatemala and Honduras to tell the story of Water for People.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
This journey has been filled with many challenges. Some expected and many unexpected. Embrace failure and stay curious. I have failed more times than succeeded. I tried launching a program after hearing several people interested. I only had two committed members when I needed 15. I learned much from that experience and what I needed to grow. I wouldn’t have learned unless I took that risk to try something new. Hold people loosely. On your course of building a vision, there are people that are sent your way for a reason, season or a lifetime. I would try to hold people tightly that were only meant for a season. It stifled our relationship along with the growth of the organizations I was growing. Normalize the uncomfortable. Whether addressing a conflict with a client, confronting an employee or having a self talk with your own truth, I’ve learned to lead with vulnerability and dance with chaos. Listen to your body. The travel lifestyle is highly sought after and seems exotic but it comes with a cost. I traveled 130 days for work last year and the adrenaline of the moment makes you feel invincible. I’m feeling it now the following year as the dust settles. Keep your boundaries and know when you’ve passed your limits. We’re not meant to do it all.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Prospect Arts story. Tell us more about it.
Prospect Arts is an award-winning international film production company. With 17 years of experience and over 375 overseas shoots around the world, our team of 12 have worked with some of the most well-respected non-profits, companies, and organizations to tell some incredible stories. We specialize in documentaries, promos, music videos, animation, drone filming, and photography. We’ve produced stories for National Geographic, United States Olympic Committee, World Vision, USAID, TIME, Food for the Hungry, Compassion International, Porsche, Out There Colorado, BBC and more. We are as much about the process as the end product. We pride ourselves in capturing each story with dignity and honor. Our UK team is located in Royal Tunbridge Wells. Our US team is in Colorado Springs CO, Austin Tx, and Phoenix AZ.

It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
Dare to Lead by Brene Brown (I’m a lover of all of Brene Brown’s books)
Leading with a Limp by Dan Allender
The Leadership Challenge by Barry Posner

Contact Info:

• Website: prospectarts.com / weareunseen.org
• Phone: 218-731-2276
• Email: tanya@prospectarts.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tanya.martineau/ https://www.instagram.com/prospectarts/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prospectarts/

Image Credit:
I took all 8 images; My profile picture was taken by Rhett Cutrell

Getting in touch: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.