Edward Anassah is a Canadian content creator, storyteller, and founder of Humble Beginning Stories (HBS), an inclusive platform dedicated to sharing the journeys of entrepreneurs, leaders, changemakers, and community builders. Since founding HBS, he has interviewed and featured hundreds of people whose stories highlight resilience, creativity, leadership, and impact. Alongside his work with HBS, Edward has experience in user experience research, digital transformation, and the Government of Canada. He is passionate about creating platforms where people and their stories can be seen, heard, and celebrated.
How many years have you been a judge?
1-3
What are your responsibilities in your current role and what do you love most about your job?
As the founder and content creator behind HBS, I oversee storytelling, interviews, editorial direction, partnerships, publishing, and promoting the people we feature. What I love most is discovering the human story behind someone’s accomplishments and giving people a platform to share experiences that might otherwise go unnoticed.
What inspired you to pursue your career path?
I have always been curious about people, their experiences, and what motivates them to keep going when things don’t go according to plan. That curiosity eventually became HBS, where I could combine storytelling, creativity, research, and community building to highlight the people and ideas making a difference.
What do you look for to determine excellence in video?
For me, great video begins with a story that makes people feel something or see something differently. I look for authenticity, strong storytelling, thoughtful creative choices, clear communication, and whether the visual and audio elements work together to serve the story rather than distract from it.
What initiatives or projects are you working on now that excite you?
I continue to grow HBS and expand the stories we share across entrepreneurship, leadership, community impact, and inclusion. I am especially excited about creating more opportunities to recognize people whose accomplishments may not always receive mainstream attention and connecting their experiences with audiences who can learn from them.
Tell us about a moment of recognition that had an effect on you – whether personal or official? What does recognition mean to you and why is it important in our industry?
Being recognized through the Canadian Volunteer Awards as a regional Business Leader was particularly meaningful to me because it connected recognition with the community work I have tried to build through HBS and beyond. Recognition, when done thoughtfully, can give people encouragement, visibility, and momentum—and in creative industries, it can also help shine a light on work that deserves to be discovered.
Do you have any specific practices you lean on to spark creativity?
I stay curious and pay attention to people, conversations, ideas, and experiences around me. I also like asking simple questions such as, “What am I missing?” or “Is there another way to tell this story?” Sometimes the best creative ideas come from listening before trying to create.
In your experience, what is a significant change you are seeing happen in the video, television, and/or film industry, and what insight can you share about how to navigate it?
One significant change is how technology and AI are lowering the barriers to creating and distributing content. That creates tremendous opportunities, but it also makes authenticity, originality, and human storytelling even more important. My advice is to learn the new tools without losing the perspective, voice, and human connection that make a story worth watching.
What excites you about judging for the Telly Awards?
I am excited to see the creativity and storytelling happening across the industry and to learn from creators working in different formats and disciplines. Having spent years telling stories myself, I appreciate how much thought, effort, and vulnerability can go into creating something for an audience, and I look forward to recognizing work that connects with people in meaningful ways.
