Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Oliver Darrius Merrick King- formally Ken Burns, is proudly from James Smith Cree Nation. From his very early upbringing it was clear Olly was a storyteller. Upon being asked the question, “what are you going to be when you grow up?” there was never a real answer until one day in high school when he was asked by friends to “come help make a movie” since then it was his goal to be behind keyboard or camera to do so.

From those formative years to now and beyond the goal is to tell stories, create and learn. From working on YouTube as a teen, blogging and navigating new media to learning how to use industry standard tools and techniques Olly has done projects for himself as well as collaborated with others. In 2014 Olly took the next steps and went to film program after film program and is still learning with the most recent being the Toronto Queer Film Festivals

‘Queer Animation Workshop’ where Olly made his first fully animated short film ‘E P H E M E R A’.

Being two-spirit and Cree has always been an important part of who he is and his approach to storytelling. Utilizing his innate abilities to teach himself and push the barriers of what is possible Olly continues to move forward in life with curious eyes and a creative mind.