Salt + Light Family   Kris Dmytrenko, Producer

Now a producer at Salt + Light Television, Kris Dmytrenko draws daily from his previous work as a campus lay missionary. The Ottawa-born journalist credits his experience with a university student movement for instilling in him a deeper awareness of the human condition. From his daily conversations with youth, he learned the hopes of an emerging generation of Catholic leaders.

A convert to Catholicism at the age of 18, Dmytrenko approaches the faith with fresh eyes. Ten years and one Queen’s Religious Studies BA later, he remains fascinated by the redemptive power of the Gospel to renew both individual lives and broader society.

Dmytrenko’s projects are marked by these stories of transformation, often in the midst of questioning and struggle. He witnessed such changes first-hand in the filming of 64 Days with the Ark, S+L’s first reality series. Joining a diverse group of pilgrims in far-northern Quebec, he shared part of their physically and emotionally arduous nine-week walking pilgrimage.

With a keen interest in public policy, Dmytrenko also brings a Catholic perspective to political and military issues. Church-state relations were at the fore of Mission to the UN, his first documentary co-written with Matthew Harrison. This examination of the Church’s diplomatic relationships enjoyed a broad American viewership during the Papal Visit to New York and Washington. Dmytrenko also frequently investigates the role of faith in public life in episode of Catholic Focus, S+L’s current affairs series.

In October 2008, Dmytrenko spent one month on assignment at the Vatican covering the Synod of Bishops. Reporting for S+L’s Zoom and other Catholic media outlets, he gained a new, broader perspective of issues affecting the Universal Church.

Dmytrenko’s writing has been published in ZENIT, The Catholic Register, and Columbia Magazine. Having now called Toronto home for two years, he enjoys running along the city’s lakeshore boardwalk and dining at the many vegetarian restaurants.