Jesse Wente was born in Toronto and graduated from the University of Toronto in cinema studies in 1996. He broadcast for CBC Radio’s Metro Morning on films and pop culture for 20 years, and was appointed to the Canada Council for the Arts 2017-2021. Wente identifies himself as Ojibwe and is an outspoken advocate for Indigenous rights and First Nations, Metis and Inuit art. He is a member of the Serpent River First Nation and a director of the Toronto Arts Council.