About Us
1994903 Ontario Corp.
SMJ Magazine is a diverse image, lifestyle, and business publication issued four times a year online, with limited printed editions. SMJ Magazine was launched in June 2013.
We publish original stories in the fields of arts & entertainment, beauty & fashion, as well as faith & community. We showcase inspiring and uplifting stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things; to dream bigger, reach higher and achieve greater.
We publish four regular issues seasonally to allow time during the remainder of the year to obtain contracts for special editions, which could cover anything from a fashion show to a concert, a trade show to a conference, or an opening to a production. Our regular issues act as marketing tools and are distributed in print at selected outlets throughout the Greater Toronto Area.
SMJ Magazine has an App, which can be downloaded via Apple Store and Google Play Store. The magazine was nominated in 2015 and again in 2016 for Mississauga’s MARTY Awards in Literary Arts and Media Arts, and in 2017 for Fashion Media of the Year at the African Fashion Week Toronto Industry Awards. SMJ Magazine content is copyrighted through Seventh House Publishing Arts.
Our website is www.smjmag.com, and you can find us on all social media platforms.
SMJ Live evolved out of the magazine in 2015 to provide for on-the-spot reporting, such as wherever in the GTA the Publisher appears or has been asked to speak. Content from Special Editions such as the Canada Glass Awards and a number of feature stories such as concerts or film festival reviews have originated from SMJ Live involvement in the said event.
Shelland House of Films was created in 2018 from a major re-branding of the magazine in 2016, and takes a detailed look at the story behind the story. Initially, we wanted to transform published articles that had more to say into full length documentary projects, focusing on visible minorities and marginalized communities. Since then we have broadened our topical interest to any issue which impacts on the greater general public. Our admittedly ambitious reach is captured in our vision for Shelland House of Films.
- Authenticity. Shelland House of Films tells originally researched stories.
- Integrity. Shelland House of Films’ topics look at the social justice aspect of an issue, often involving visible minorities and marginalized communities.
- Transparency. Shelland House of Films’ projects distill the issue to its root causes.
- Responsibility. Shelland House of Films aims to bring awareness and educate the public as to the various aspects of these root causes.
- Legacy. Shelland House of Films’ goal is to address solutions from the issue’s root causes, change the societal or cultural view, and focus on future positive impact.
In 2019, all the above registered businesses became divisions of the for profit company 1994903 Ontario Corp. By re-organizing our business network in this manner, we have been able to expand our opportunities for funding and other financial support to a broad base in both the public and private sector.
Shelley jarrett
Shelley Jarrett Multiple Award-Winning Entrepreneur Filmmaker Women’s Advocate
Shelley Jarrett brings a wide range of expertise to the table, having a degree in Social Work and advocacy work over the past two decades; on gender-based violence and supporting survivors of domestic violence.
Shelley believes strongly in the responsibility to define our culture and how things should be processed in our community. Shelley feels it is her responsibility to support women in marginalized and racialized communities by providing a platform and allowing them to tell their stories through film.
Why Film?
"I believe film is visible; it’s believable because you see the subject right in front of you. You feel the emotions" As oppose to reading about a story. And when it is told through diverse voices it is believable and it connected with community and culture. Art is the core of stories that need to be told. I believe film is the loudest megaphone. It allows the voices to rewrite the wrongs that are being done. Art moves people to action and this is where policy and systemic change can occur. Media arts are essential to activism.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us the devastation of families and what women and children have experienced with the rise of domestic violence and economic abuse, as women were in lockdown at home with their abusers. Creative storytelling provides tools and accessible formats for communities. My goal is to continue to tell diverse stories to affect societal change.
“Women Rights are Human Rights”
Shelley is the founder and Publisher of SMJ Magazine, an image, lifestyle, and business online publication, with limited printed editions. Over the course of seven years and 32 issues, she has overseen the publication of original stories on arts & entertainment, beauty & fashion, health & wellness, faith & community, as well as giving entrepreneurs a platform to tell stories about their business.
Shelley has been featured on several print media outlets and mainstream TV Including CHCH-TV to talk about her journey of producing W’at Abowt Us documentary and most recent SHIFTNOW E-course.
In 2019 Shelley produced her debut film, the award-winning documentary W’AT ABOWT US. Eight women from all five major cultural backgrounds tell their stories of truth from #MeToo and beyond, gender-based harassment and abuse in diverse locations.
Through her position as Advisory to the Board of Canadian Centre for Women’s Empowerment, Shelley has merged her passion for community development and the arts
Shelley also serves as a current Board Member for the Art Gallery of Mississauga.
Shelley has won numerous awards over the past nine years including a few recent ones below.
- In 2015 one of the 100 Black Women to Watch in Canada by CIBWE
- In 2016 and 2017 nominated for a MARTY award as Publisher of SMJ Magazine
- In 2019 the Women Entrepreneur Award in Celebration of “Small Business Week” RPA
- In 2019 the Woman Achievement Award in recognition for outstanding contribution to the community re: International Women’s Day
- In 2019 the Excellence Achievement Award for film and media from Glorious Women of Wonders
- In 2020 Vigor Unsung Heroes Achievements International Award (In Times of Crisis)
- In 2021 Nominated The MARTY Award (Mississauga Ontario)
andrew terry pasieka
Born in Toronto but raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Mr. Pasieka has post-secondary degrees at both the University of Alberta and the University of Toronto. He first showed an avid interest in the arts as a teenager. After he moved back to Ontario he became involved in theatre in the early1980s.
During the 1990s, Mr. Pasieka moved to semi-professional (non-Equity) theater, became a member of SOCAN and Theatre Ontario. By 2001, Mr. Pasieka had over 90 productions to his credit. He was a participant in two acclaimed juried festivals in Toronto, He formed his first company, Seventh House Performing Arts Company, in 1997.
Mr. Pasieka became involved in freelance writing in the 1990s in the field of arts and entertainment. Prominent among publications were Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe & Mail, and Canada’s national music trade magazine during that decade, The Record. Mr. Pasieka moved to Mississauga in 2002, forming a new company, Eleventh House Performing Arts in 2009. Several more theatre productions followed over the next three years.
Seventh House was transformed in 2013 to become Seventh House Publishing Arts. It holds all the published work of SMJ Magazine, an image-lifestyle-business publication formed in mid-2013. Mr. Pasieka is editor-in-chief, and has also edited several manuscripts for book publication by various authors under Seventh House.
SMJ Live evolved out of the magazine in 2015 to provide for on-the-spot reporting, such as wherever in the GTA the Publisher appears or has been asked to speak. Content from Special Editions such as the Canada Glass Awards and a number of feature stories such as concerts or film festival reviews have originated from SMJ Live involvement in the said event.
Shelland House of Filmswas created in 2018 from a major re-branding of the magazine in 2016, and takes a detailed look at the story behind the story. Initially, we wanted to transform published articles that had more to say into full length documentary projects, focusing on visible minorities and marginalized communities. Since then we have broadened our topical interest to any issue which impacts on the greater general public
The first project was W’AT ABOWT US, which was nominated for best poster and best movie trailer. Mr. Pasieka won the award for Best Writing/Screenplay of W’AT ABOWT US at the Barcelona Planet Film Festival.