Andrew Chin Writes Good

Andrew Chin's Portfolio

2008-10-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

2007 to present

Popping & locking will seem tame
National Post. October 11, 2008.

This is a look at COBA's Africanist drumming and dance classes put on in the Bloor and Jane area. Through this class, I learned how to do the Willie Bounce.

Arts Profile: Rick Mercer
Post City Magazines. October 2008.

This profile on Rick Mercer (Canada's most popular overtly Canadian comic) examines his past record of election comedy and the results equal a majority victory.

Cover story: Maryam Sanati
Richmond Hill Post. October 2008.

This is a profile on Chatelaine editor-in-chief, Maryam Sanati, who has helped stabilize a workplace, had her first child and tuned me on Chatelaine's progressive past.

They're sambaing in the rain
National Post. September 13, 2008.

Last year's Brazilfest drew 8,000 people to Toronto Islands for an award-winning party. This year, rain conspired against it. Can they pull it together on Brazilian independence day?

Now Featuring Girls in Glasses!
National Post. September 6, 2008.

Back for its second year, queer lit festival Outside the Margins took over Church Village. While John Cameron Mitchell headlined, one glasses adorning (and loving) local stole the show.

School's In
Canadian Immigrant. September 2008.

This is a look at Canada's school system and attempts to break it down for immigrant parents and children who will be encountering it for the first time.

Toronto's Hip Hop Prince Ain't No Gangsta
UR. September 2008.

This is a 300-word introductory artist profile on Luu Breeze, a rapper from Scarborough who has a hot song ("Break 'em Off") and plenty of swag. He has been the subject of three other stories I've done, so I guess you can say I'm a fan.

A do-over for wallflowers
National Post. August 23, 2008.

Fake Prom was great and undeniably prom-my. Slow dancing to Richard Marx made me think about how emotional the song "Right Here Waiting" is. Good times.

Cartooning world tips its hat
National Post. August 16, 2008.

This is a story on the 4th annual Doug Wright awards for excellent work in comics that was co-founded by Seth. Chester Brown was there and I complained about being tired to Lynn Johnston mid-interview.

Pushing their buttons
National Post. August 16, 2008.

This One Inch Punch button art/trade show at the Lennox Contemporary Gallery was one of the coolest nights I've had around Ossington. I also scored a wicked Abe Lincoln button out of this.

The First Caribana
Sway. Summer 2008.

This is a first hand account of the first Caribana in 1967 as told by Charles Roach, one of the founding chairmen of the event and a prominent Canadian civil rights lawyer.

A Different Kind of Point and Shoot
National Post. July 19, 2008.

Casa Loma: Toronto's 20th century castle, Hollywood set piece and home to Sir Shawn Adams' archery drop-in program in the castle's stables. This was an extremely fun story to do.

A function for construction
National Post. July 19, 2008.

Streets are for People do the monthly Pedestrian Sundays in Kensington and they also take over an unusable street strip and turn it into an impromptu picnic (this year - Bathurst and Dupont).

Power suits and ties that bind
National Post. July 5, 2008.

For three days, I got to hang out with millionaires from around the world at literally, the Million Dollar Round Table's annual conference. A group made up solely of members of the top 1% financial service providers in the world and one that knows how to throw a wicked convention.

50 Great Summer Dates
Post City Magazines. July 2008.

It's the annual summer guide for Post City Magazines and it's a good one. It was also predominantly written by Sam Toman, whose headline writing abilities is as smooth as Hakeem Olajouwan's Dream Shake.

He's spun his last record
National Post. June 28, 2008.

For a decade, Davy Love ran THE Britpop night in Toronto. Blow-up was a blast but all good things must come to an end. Before skipping out of town, Davy threw himself a retirement party at Sneeky Dee's. Here's how it went.

The naked and the tread
National Post. June 21, 2008.

The funniest part about this story was that I had the girl from Dayton, Ohio's clothes in my backpack and was trying to track her down to return them to her. Have to be hospitable.

Serving up flair, on the rocks
National Post. June 7, 2008.

The people behind Bartender One specialize in flair-tending and each month in the summer, give people a chance to get their Tom Cruise-in-Cocktail on at the Beaches.

We'll call it the Tour de Front
National Post. June 7, 2008.

This is my coverage of the first Toronto Criterium, the city's first competitive bike race downtown in ages. It drew a huge crowd and inspired one man to ring his bell.

Jessica Simpson and Kate Hudson covet their coats
North Toronto Post. June 2008.

A graduates profile on Christie Smythe and Andrea Lenczner; two highschool friends that actually made their dream of starting a business together come true: their popular jacket company, Smythe.

The urban defender
North York Post. June 2008.

This is a profile on public space magazine, Spacing's publisher Matthew Blackett. In addition to self-publishing his independent comic m@b, he also taught me Quark at Humber College.

Cheeseblaster extreme?
National Post. May 17, 2008.

A video game jam is a three day convergance of programmers and artists who have to create a video game from scratch in three days. This is how TO Jam 3 went.

He met 'the Walrus'
North York Post. May 2008.

When Jerry Levitan was 14, he snuck into John Lennon's hotel and talked about peace with him. Since then, he made it constitutional for Canadians to shop on Sundays; bossed Jesse Ventura around in "Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe," and has shut down Orilia's school system with an appearance by his alter-ego, Sir Jerry, psychedelic children's entertainer extraordinaire.

Artist Profile: Plants and Animals
UR. May 2008.

UR is Rogers music and technology magazine that is given to Rogers cellphone subscribers for free. As I am with Telus, I have never seen this article in my life. I don't even know what the headline is.

Making light of sport
Grand. May-June 2008.

This is a 1500-word profile on sports personality, Cabral "Cabbie" Richards. One of The Score's biggest stars, Cabbie is the host of three shows on the network. He also grew up in Cambridge, which is my hometown.

'Just write it down and it's good'
National Post. April 26, 2008.

Emily Pohl-Weary is an independent author in Toronto. A proud Parkdale resident, she started the Parkdale Street Writers program that invited local artists to lead a writing workshop. There's plans for a video making offshoot of this program for the winter.

Tall Poppy: Chris Turner
Torontoist. April 19, 2008.

This is an extensive interview with The Geography of Hope writer, Chris Turner. He also wrote a bunch of fantastic articles for Shift, including one that turned into his first book, The Simpsons Generation. We talked about some of the reasons why things aren't so bleak in the world.

These podcasters are a slam dunk
The Globe and Mail. April 18, 2008.
co-written with Sam Toman

It's crazy to get a story published in The Globe and Mail, but to get one profiling your favourite basketball podcasters is just ridiculous. Also getting to hear those podcasters talk about your story is pretty ego-stroking. Thank God they liked it.

Tall Poppy: Wes "Maestro" Williams
Torontoist. March 22, 2008.

Wes Williams is a respected actor but for most Canadians of a certain generation, he will always live on as Maestro Fresh Wes: the brash rapper that made it cool to let your backbone slide. It was a thrill meeting Wes in person and one of these photos will be appearing in a textbook soon.

Tall Poppy: Boozy Suzy
Torontoist. March 8, 2008.

Hail Boozy Suzy - Pillow Fight League champion. Shortly after this interview, Suzy retired from the sport but during this interview she was at her swaggering best. Special thanks to Ian Munroe for taking the pics.

Neighbourhood must-see TV
National Post. February 9, 2008.

Regent Park Focus is a wonderful media arts organization that runs out of Regent Park, the first social housing project in Canada that's currently in the midst of a drastic reconstruction. Their emphasis on free media training for youths has been replicated throughout the city.

Chris Bosh, Thespian
Torontoist. February 6, 2008.

This is a blog post I did on Chris Bosh's awesome introduction of Blaine Harrington. It's one of my favourite stories because it somehow ended up on Hoops Hype and I noticed a suspicious use of the word "thespian" on The Score. Crazy how cocky you can be when you made it on Hoops Hype.

A nose for news
Richmond Hill Post. January 2008.

This is a profile on CBC video journalist, Steven D'Souza - a thorougly nice person who is doubly cool for admitting that his journalistic ambitions in college was to be an anchorman on TSN.

The Rump Shaker
Torontoist. December 2007 to June 2008.

For a few months, I did a weekly dance column for Torontoist profiling funky shows that were happening that week in the city. PS: Click on the links - they go to cool videos like Stevie Wonder performing on Sesame Street or an episode of Yacht Rock.

Local grad gives peace a chance with urban magazine
Bayview Post. December 2007.

Last year, urban magazine Peace celebrated its 15th anniversary. Here, I talk to its founder and publisher Harris Rosen about the magazine's story.

Just like they do it in the movies!
National Post. November 24, 2007.

This is a profile of the XSD performance martial arts program offered by Team Ryouko: a performance crew made up of professional stuntmen including John Cho's stunt double in the Harold and Kumar movies.

Cover story: Elliotte Friedman
North York Post. August 2007

Here is my first paid cover story profiling CBC sports broadcaster Elliotte Friedman. On top of being a good interviewer, he now does a fantastic job doing Raptors basketball for the CBC.

The art of the deal
Bayview Post. July 2007

This is a profile of successful real estate developer Bob Zamani. A bit of an anomoly considering that he went to Earl Haig, a prominent Toronto arts school.

The rolling stone
North Toronto Post. June 2007

This is a profile of Claire Cameron, a first-time novelist who isn't above visiting truck stops to sell her book.

Set to tackle CFL
Village Post. June 2007

Here is a profile of CFL commissioner Mark Cohon, who on-top of running the league is also the chairman of the Ontario Science Centre. What was cut from the story was the summer he spent on an Indonesian island observing primates.

A fusion reaction
North York Post. June 2007

This is a profile of autorickshaw singer Suba Sankaran, who also sings in Audioacity an all acapella 80's cover group. We did this interview at her home on the east end.

Standing Engagement: COBA Dance and Drumming Studio

2008-10-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

Popping & locking will seem tame
Published in National Post. [Toronto magazine, Oct. 11, 2008]

Every August, Caribana rolls into town giving the city an undeniable island feel. However, the Collective of Black Artists (COBA) dance trouple is dedicated to spreading that feeling into the winter. As Charmaine Headley, its co-founder notes, "Caribana is the season, but we want to spread it past the season."

Founded in 1993 by Headley, Junia Mason, Bakari E. Lindsay and Mosa Neshama, COBA is an acclaimed dance company dedicated to preserving African and Caribbean arts. It began as "four dancers looking to perform," Headley explains, but the collective soon discovered it would have to take on an educational role in order to get dance opportunities.

"We found that, for us to get more work, we need to educate people about what Caribbean dance is all about," she says, "because it's not perceived in the same way as ballet or modern."

Now at 14 members and one apprentice, COBA continues to put on award-winning perfromances while running a dance and drumming school. While its children's program is its mainstay, COBA offers adult and teen drop-in classes, such as beginner Caribbean dance, West African drumming and Raga funk.

At the first Raga funk class of the season, COBA member and instructor Teisha Smith leads students through dance moves including the Willie Bounce and the butterfly (plant your feet outward, bend your knees in to each other and then out in a semi-circle). With soca and dancehall-tinged reggae providing the soundtrack, Smith breaks down each move into its isolated parts, stretching students' hips and abs.

Although Smith courteously slows down and works with students individually during this 1 1/2-class, she explains that it's a different story by the end of the 12-week program. "By the end, students are able to remember the terminology," she says. "So if I call them out, they can just do it. They're also putting these dance moves together by then."

For 10- to 15-minute stretches, students dance continously learning new dance moves while giving their bodies an intense workout. It's all part of the A-feeree training mechanism developed by COBA co-founder Lindsay, which Smith says is "in everything we do."

"[Lindsay] developed it because he found there was a training method lacking that was suitable for traditional African and Caribbean dance," Headley explains. "Before, dancers used to train in ballet or modern dance before moving into Africanist dance, but for someone with no training, you're asking them to be physically schizophrenic."

Despite her dance background in ballet, tap and jazz, first time participant Leslie Stahl admits, "There were certain things I had to shake that I've never had to shake before." While she cops to feeling un-coordinated for stretches, Stahl got some new dance moves out of the class and notes, "It's a completely different type of skilled dance and a good way to jump into a different culture."

COBA offers evening dance and drumming classes Mondays through Thursdays until Dec. 15. Cost is $20 for one-class drop-in or $110 for a 10 class pass. Call 416-658-3111 for more details or visit cobainc.com.

Link to story in National Post here.

Cover Story: Maryam Sanati

2008-10-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

Published in Richmond Hill Post. [October 2008]

Chatelaine's new editor, on the magazine's fresh direction, the joys of modern motherhood and her love of all things Richmond Hill.

In the crowded realm of Canadian consumer magazines, Chatelaine sits alone at the top. With a circulation of over 550,000 and a total readership of 4.2 million, it has been the country's most profitable magazine since 2001, generating $59.2 million in revenue last year alone. As Marco Ursi, editor of the magazine industry bible Masthead says, "They are the cash cow for Rogers. They are the big money machine." And since February of this year, the person steering this monolith has been Richmond Hill's Maryam Sanati.

While being editor-in-chief of Chatelaine is notoriously demanding (Sanati is the third editor in four years), Sanati showed no strains during a phone conversation in April. "It's quiet thrilling," she said merrily. "For me, this is probably the best job in Canadian journalism and maybe the best job in North American journalism."

The buzz resonating from the magazine in the past three years would run counter to that. Staff turnover was amongst the highest in the industry and as Ursi explains, "the story for a long time has been the disorder and turmoil there."

However, it's easy to understand Sanati's optimism. Since its first issue in 1928, Chatelaine has become a staple in Canadian women's lives and has a fiery progressive past. Its first story on the birth control pill appeared on its pages sixteen years before the pill became legal in the country. Cahtelaine's stories in the 1960s and '70s on the legalization of abortion and the plight of Native Canadians made it a relevant magazine to an increasingly restless generation.

Stepping in as the magazine's eleventh editor-in-chief, Sanati admits that she feels "this pull between tradition and moving forward." However, revisiting the magazine's extensive back catalogue has made her confident that she will be able to put her own unique stamp on a Canadian institution.

"Every generation of women has issues that they deal with, and right now we are at a unique time in history because Canadian women have all the advantages of the generations that came before them," she explains. "There's nothing really holding us back from our ambitions, but the unique issue is that Canadian women are also very busy. Women are juggling so many duties and that's where we come in now - we want to explore how those pressures and challenges affect women's lives."

Her life would seem to be the definition of the unique challenges that women have to face.

Sanati describes herself as "extraordinarily lucky," and says that Chatelaine is "more interested in the lives of our readers, women who have to balance and deal with a lot of challenges that I don't directly face. My hat goes off to women who have challenges with accessibility and affordability of daycare."

If Sanati seems a bit too cool about balancing work and family, it's probably because she has spent a lifetime preparing for her current position. Describing herself as "always having my nose in a book," Sanati caught the attention of her Grade 4 teacher, in her native Iran, following a creative writing assignment.

"In a parent-teacher conference my teacher informed my mother that she thought that I was going to be a journalist," she remembers. "My mother who was determined that I should go to medical school said, 'No, she's going to be a doctor.'"

As Sanati developed her love of language, her mother quickly came around to her dream of becoming a writer. "She's so delighted with what I chose to be," she says. However, the family would soon have to deal with more pressing issues. The country was being transformed by the Ayatollah Khomeini-led Islamic Revolution of 1979.

"I remember that one night my sister and I were in the back seat of the car with our parents driving to the airport," she says. "It was a very turbulent time and people were leaving very quickly. It was just the precursor to the revolution and there were months and months of unrest and protests in the street. My parents were very concerned for their kids so they decided that we would just go awhile for a little while, and then a little while turned into forever."

The family would first move to Germany and then England. Admitting that the family "faced a lot of difficulty in Europe during the time because it wasn't a great time to be Iranian during the hostage crisis," Sanati remembers how trying her first Iranian New Year away from home was.

"It was extraordinarily difficult because there were images on TV of all this turmoil in Iran and we felt disconnected," she says. "There were certain things and food that you couldn't even get and it was a bit lonely. Kids are extraordinarily resilient but looking back, that loneliness was especially poignant to my parents."

In 1980, the Sanatis moved to Richmond Hill where they faced a completely different environment. While isolated in Europe, the Sanatis discovered that their story was just one of many multicultural stories.

"People were very welcoming and there was already a small Iranian community here so it was a sharp contrast," Sanati says. "Toronto and Canada for my parents and us was quiet heavenly."

A self-described "joiner of things," Sanati flourished in her highschool. The editor of her school's newspaper and literature collection, Sanati collected her graduating year's English prize.

After graduating from the University of Toronto, she got her start as a lowly intern at Toronto Life. By the time she left the magazine five years later, she was a senior editor about to embrace a unique challenge - becoming the deputy editor of a technology and culture magazine Shift, a Canadian publication hoping to reverse an industry convention by attempting to break into the American market with an American edition. While she says the experience of working on the redesign and launch in New York "was a fabulous experience," she soon received yet another amazing opportunity: to become Deputy Editor of the Globe and Mail's flagship Report on Business magazine.

In 2005, she took on a Deputy Editor position at Chatelaine where in the midst of internal chaos she kept her cool and was groomed for an editor position.

Although she's currently on maternity leave and spends most of her days taking her baby son to the park, where the trees monopolize his attention ("I'm not looking forward to this winter," she quips), she oversaw an ambitious redesign of Chatelaine that debuted with the magazine's April 80th anniversary issue.

"It's the biggest issue that we've ever published - well over 360 pages, which is quiet formidable in Canadian publishing," she says. "We've redesigned the magazine and it's really more of what people have come to love about Chatelaine."

In addition to bolstering the magazine's food, health, style and beauty and décor sections, Chatelaine has redesigned its logo, something that Ursi has noticed. "The logo looks a little bit more classic," he says. "It's closer to what they had in the '60s and '70s."

It's not just the look of that era that Sanati wants to echo with the redesigned Chatelaine. That period under editor-in-chief Doris Anderson, who ran the magazine from 1957 to 1977, is considered the magazine's golden age and is a legacy that Sanati is mindful of.

"If you look at the magazine in the 1950s to the '70s it was breaking ground and talking about things well before it became acceptable to discuss them in polite company," she says. "It was hugely ahead of its time and that's what we want to do now with this. We have 4 million readers and that just speaks to how connected people feel to the magazine. How relevant it is."

Link to story in Post City Magazines here.

Arts Profile: Rick Mercer

2008-10-01T15:22:00.000-07:00

Published in Post City Magazines. [October 2008]

When Stephen Harper announced the upcoming election set for Oct. 14, many politically aware Torontonians cynically wondered about its curious timing.

As the election south of the border shapes up to be a historic one full of titillating twists (Obama's reverend is crazy!) and turns (Palin's teen daughter is pregnant!), Canada's election is a little less inspiring - but one rife with comic gold.

The fall is shaping up to be a ripe time for comedic political satire, and if you are Toronto comedian Rick Mercer, host of CBC's political satire show, The Rick Mercer Report, there has never been a better time to give Torontonians exactly what they want: jokes about the people we choose to decide our fate.

"Political satire is a huge genre," Mercer says. "(Stephen) Colbert and (Jon) Stewart are on the covers of every magazine across America, but (the genre) is still bigger in Canada. It's more mainstream here; I think that's just our sensibility - Canadians are just a little bit more of political junkies."

The numbers prove it. During this election The Rick Mercer Report is expected to draw more than one million viewers.

It's not quite the audience that rockstars of satire Stewart of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report's Colbert draw. A recent poll shows they are the primary news source for over 20 per cent of North Americans between the ages of 18 and 29. But, if those guys are rockstars, Mercer is more like Rush - a longstanding, critically and commercially acclaimed Canadian entity respected around the world.

Since coming to national attention with his 1991 one-man stage show Show Me The Button, I'll Push It, (Or, Charles Lynch Must Die), Canadians have turned to Mercer for his irreverent take on the nation's politics.

In 1993, the St. Johns born Mercer, teamed up with fellow Newfoundlanders Cathy Jones, Mary Walsh and Greg Tomey to create This Hour Has 22 Minutes. The pioneering mock news program was met with shock and controversy; reactions that seem quaint in a society that now loves its fake news.

"It's hard to believe but it was actually considered really radical when we started This Hour Has 22 MInutes," the 38-year-old says. "There was even discussions on whether the CBC should even have this show because of what we were doing to news footage."

Those early critics would lose out. The show became a hit that continues to this day and it turned Mercer into a Canadian institution. A cast member until 2001, he provided many of the show's funniest moments.

Who can forget the way he rallied the country on Nov. 13, 2000, when he launched his online petition calling for a federal referendum that would force then-Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day to change his first name to Doris (a petition that had over 600,000 signatures within a week).

He also breakfasted with Jean Chrétien at Harvey's and his recurring "Talking to Americans" skit was retooled into a 2001 comedy special that drew in 2.7 million Canadian viewers. It remains the highest rated comedy special in CBC history.

With The Rick Mercer Report entering its sixth season, Mercer gets to enjoy a few perks. While headset-adorned public relations flacks scurry around dodging Alex Trebek autograph-seekers at the CBC's glitzy Fall Preview for the media this summer, Mercer is free from the chaos in his private interview room.

It's precious real estate - one reserved for him and David Suzuki. "I'm not being coy," he says. "But I really don't know what we will be doing for this year. The exciting aspect of the show, and also the terrifying aspect, is that every week, it's TV without a net. So much of it is a reaction to current events and much of it is contingent on the guest's schedule. I didn't know I was going to be swimming naked with Bob Rae until an hour before it happened."

Coming off its highest rated season (one that took him diving in a mini-submarine and competing against Chrétien in Nintendo Wii boxing), Mercer is clearly relaxed. It could be his confidence in his fellow Report writers, a group he describes as "the best comedy writers in the country for this type of work that we do."

While he may not know the details of the upcoming season of the CBC's Tuesday night staple, he understands the basic blueprint of The Rick Mercer Report.

"Our show is an amalgam of so many different genres: physical comedy, political satire and there's a sketch element," he says. "At the same time, I'm also going out and visiting a demolition derby or jumping out a plane with (former Chief of the Defense Staff) General (Rick) Hillier, so you have to be able to write from a lot of different comedy styles."

One part of the show that remains solely his is his popular segment "Streeters," which are essentially two-minute rants. Explaining that he comes "from a place where a lot of people ranters, I just do it in shorter bursts than most people in Newfoundland." Mercer's rants are what gives him that common touch.

However, his enduring popularity as a political comedian has spread to other mediums: books (Mercer's 1998 collection of rants in Streeters was a national bestseller) and sitcoms (he starred for five years in the critically acclaimed Made in Canada). This political provocateur has turned into a figure as large as the ones he's satirizing.

That change means that he's able to lure some of the biggest names in the country into his goofy world of comedy. From convincing Conrad Black to tell viewers that, "you can call me Connie," before giving detailed instructions on pressing maple leafs with wax paper ("It's a very uplifting activity," Connie explains), to playing floor hockey with Stephen Harper's kids during a sleepover at 24 Sussex Avenue, The Rick Mercer Report has become a viabe forum for these larger than life figures to counter public perception and showcase a different side of their personalities.

"I think it's more of a challenge to make Stephen Harper look good," he explains. "I think anyone can make him look like an (jerk). He can do that on his own, too. But I would have regrets if I felt someone regretted doing the show. If I'm going to have someone on the show and convince them to do something out of their comfort zone like going repelling, I have a responsibility to make sure that works out for them moreso than me."

Happy to say that "nobody has regretted doingthe show," Mercer is aware of the paradox of working with these sacred cows that he slays so often. However, he recognizes the mutual benefits.

"People always learn something new about the person on my show," he says. "They get their opportunity to talk about whatever they want, but at the same time we are doing something unique, which allows the public to learn something that quite often, the subject matter wasn't even aware of themselves."

While some bemoan a generation that reveres its class clowns, Mercer has consistently shown that he's a man with a code. He requested that the multiple Gemini Award nominations for Talking to Americans be pulled, feeling it would be insensitive to be awarded for a program poking fun at Americans so often after the September 11 attacks. He also filmed a successful Christmas special in 2003, Christmas in Kabul, which detailed his visit to Canadian troops stationed in Afghanistan

"Coming from Newfoundland, it's hard to not know a lot of people in the Canadian Forces," he says. "They're doing a dangerous job so it's nice to do a show for them or hang out. Since the special, I've been to Afghanistan twice. I've managed to travel to various operating bases outside the main base and hang out all day. They're happy to see anybody coming in and it's one of the most personally satisfying things I've done."

News story: Brazilfest

2008-09-13T13:20:00.000-07:00

Published in National Post. [Toronto magazine: Sep. 13, 2008]

They're sambaing in the rain
Brazil defeats Chile, bad weather on same day

The early rain couldn't damper the spirit of the thousands of attendees at Brazilfest last Sunday. Performers showcased the fifth-largest country in the world's rich cultural heritage by performing samba, maracatu and axe rhythms on Brazilian Independence Day hours before the national soccer team kicked up the celebratory mood by defeating Chile 3-0 in a World Cup qualifying game.

"It's nice to bring our culture together," said Aline Morales, minutes before taking the stage to sing and play the xequere with Maracatu Nunca Antes, her Afro-Brazilian percussion group.

Although last year's event drew 8,000 people to Toronto Island, this year's festivities were marred by the constant inclement weather. An original July date on the island was cancelled due to heavy rain, and the early Sunday showers didn't help.

"We did lose because of the rain," admitted festival director Arilda De Oliveria. "But it's much harder to have this many people here today than having [a festival] in July."

In addition to music performances, the fest featured a capoeira showcase, Brazilian food vendors and a workshop showcasing Brazilian-Canadian art by artists such as Sandra Liberato.

"It's a great cultural exchange to show Canada what Brazilians do best," Liberato said. "Because, at the same time, Brazilians feel that Canada is great in that there are so many cultures that people are interested in learning about.

Although everybody agreed that the event was a success, dancer Chris Balthasar hopes there is more Brazilian culture imported to the city.

"The community needs more sponsors to get bigger stars from Brazil to play here like [they have done] in New York," he said before noting that this is starting to happen - bossa nova icon Milton Nascimento performs at Massey Hall next month. Good tickets for the Oct. 24 concert are still available.

Link to story in National Post here.

News Story: Writing Outside the Margins Literary Festival

2008-09-06T13:33:00.000-07:00

Published in National Post. [Toronto magazine, Sep. 6, 2008]

Now featuring girls in glasses!
Queer writing festival about more than just words

The early Sunday drizzle on Aug. 24 couldn't keep hundreds of attendees off Church Street and acclaimed writer/director John Cameron Mitchell rewarded those at the Writing Outside the Margins festival with his take on the slippery nature of attraction.

"The kiss is the gateway drug," the Hedwig and the Angry Inch star told the crowd. "It usually tells you what's going to follow."

Hosted by Xtra magazine, the second annual literary fest took over Church Street from Alexander to Gloucester. Authors ranging from San Francisco-based memoirist Michelle Tea to musician/first-time author Kinnie Starr graced the two stages and answered questions from the crowd after their readings.

"It's great to see the city shut down city blocks for gay people," Starr said.

With a mandate that organizer Brandon Sawh described as "celebrating and supporting the local queer artists and the arts community," the event featured the Pink Ink Open Mic stage, which provided amateur writers 15 minutes of stage time to read their works. Da Kink In My Hair scribe trey anthony participated in a roundtable discussion that explored the challenges of being a queer writer of colour.

"When you reach a certain level of success, it's always great to give back to people who are just starting up," anthony said. "It's also great to be a part of community events because, a lot of times, you're divided from what's actually happening on the ground level."

Amy Clarke was one of those people on the ground level seizing the spotlight. Performing for the first time at last year's inaugural fest, Clarke wowed the open mic stage and won the slam poetry contest.

"There are three things that I love about this festival," Clarke said between events. "Writers, queer people and all the girls in glasses who are so cute."

Link to story in National Post here.

Education Feature: Understanding Canada's School System

2008-09-01T05:12:00.000-07:00

Published in Canadian Immigrant [September Issue]

School's in!
Starting school in Canada can be intimidating for immigrant kids and parents - here are some tips to help

It's back-to-school time, and for young Canadian students it's a time to replenish their school wardrobe and get ready to see some old friends. However, for newcomers to Canada, starting a new school year can mean much more stress than just figuring out what to wear on the first day. While a majority of newcomers say they chose to immigrate to Canada in order to give their children a better education, many don't understand exactly how Canada's public school system works.

As disctrict placement administrator for the Vancouver School District, William Wong says: "A lot of the misunderstanding that immigrant parents have about Canada's school system is based on what they've gone through themselves, but Canada's system is very different."

And there is also a lot of variety between different schools and school districts within Canada, at both the elementary and secondary levels. Some high schools, for example, may follow a two-semester system, while other schools offer their programs on a September to June basis. "Even in the middle grades of elementary school, there are many different teachers, and timetables are different everyday," says Peter Dorfman, Ontario's provincial co-ordinator of the Settlement Workers in Schools program. "A student may have been very successful and confident in school in their first country, but can become discouraged and vulnerable when coming to school in Canada because the systems are very different."

Methods of teaching also differ. While many school systems around the world place a huge emphasis on memorizing information, Canada's school system values communication and analytical skills. This is important for parents who are wondering why their child is trying to analyze symbolism in Lord of the Flies instead of memorizing multiplication tables.

As a way to ease the transition for immigrant students and parents to their new school system, many cities across the country offer the Settlement Workers in Schools program. Through this government-funded program, settlement workers from local immigrant service agencies are available onsite at the school to provide parents with information that will help them integrate quickly into the school and community and to provide emotional support to new students. "Parents need to be aware that their child is often very vulnerable because some kids thing they can take advantage of new immigrant students," Dorfman says. "By talking to their child about school, parents will have a better understanding of what's going well and it helps the kid think through what's happening at school."

For high school students, one of the biggest concerns they face is paving the road to university. Many times immigrant parents tap into their own experience and expectations, and guide their child to focus on academic subjects such as science or math. In some cases, parents also feel there is a stigma about enrolling their child in an ESL course and worry that it will prevent their child's chances from getting into a good university. As Wong explains, the opposite is actually true.

"Parents often tell me that their goal is for their son or daughter to graduate from high school and go to university, but they should take it further and say they want their child to finish university," he says. "That's when you realize the importance of ESL and good English. We've had many students who are extremely strong in maths and sciences but weak in English at high school. In university, they continue to do exceptionally well in sciences and math, but if they fail first-year English twice, the university will not let them go into third year."

Of course, ESL and English classes aren't the only places for immigrant students to improve and practise their English. While courses like art, gym, woodworking and music may not be seen as highly important to immigrant parents, Wong says that these courses build communication skills.

"The best language learning is acquired when students are having fun," he says. "Sometimes I ask ESL kids in high school how much they speak English in one day and it's common to hear, 'Two minutes a day.' But if students were to involve themselves in these more participatory classes, they would enhance their opportunity to speak English tenfold."

Link to story on Canadian Immigrant here.

Artist Profile: Luu Breeze

2008-08-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

Published in UR [September 2008]

Toronto's Hip Hop Prince Ain't No Gangsta

Regal titles are nothing new in hip-hop - Jay-Z and Nas famously fought for the "King of New York" crown a few years back - but it's rare for a Canadian to hold such a prestigious honorific. So, when a young rapper from Scarborough was christened "The Prince of the Dot," people took notice.

He now shies away from the moniker, but Luu Breeze still carries large expectations on his shoulders. He first gained attention rapping on the underground Rap Sheets DVD, and now he's topping urban radio charts with "Million Dollar Dreams" and "Break 'em Off." He's currently wrapping up his third mixtape, Topic of Discussion. He chose the title, "because I'm literally wondering what's next."

While Canadian rappers like Kardinal and k-os have shied away from the guns-and-bling sound that permeates American radio, Breeze has instead followed in the street rap tradition created by the likes of Ice Cube, Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur. Although some would classify the genre as gangsta rap, it's a term Breeze rejects. "I like to say that I'm a real person," he says. "You don't have to be a gangsta to be real. It's a matter of how you live and certain things that you live by."

And one of those codes that Breeze lives by is that of hard work, which is starting to pay off. Rumours have linked the independent Breeze with Ludacris' acclaimed label, Disturbing Tha Peace.

Although his Rolodex is filling up, Breeze had a few guest spots to fill on Topic of Discussion, so he asked fellow Torontonian Richie Sosa and other members of his Champagne Gang crew to help. "I like working with guys who are as hungry as I am," he says. "I feel like I can make a song as good as the next artist, and I'm not going to throw money at big artists just for a verse."

Link to copy of story in UR here.

News Story: Fake Prom VI

2008-08-23T14:06:00.000-07:00

Published in National Post [Toronto magazine, Aug. 23, 2008]

A do-over for wallflowers
Thwarted valedictorians vindicated by Fake Prom

Palais Royale was transformed into a futuristic high school dance for the sixth edition of Fake Prom on Aug. 15. The theme of the night was "Out of This World," and most of the 800 attendees came adorned in their best formal wear with futuristic touches. Others, particularly the person dressed as Astro Boy, fully embraced the theme.

"To research for Fake Prom themes, I actually researched real proms and I stumbled on a prom with a similar theme," explained Dylan Reibling, Fake Prom's superintendant. "It's the perfect mix of nerdiness and costume dress-up."

With flashy getups, numerous slow jams and a glowing full moon (which was real), Fake Prom provided people such as Katie Sawatsky, an opportunity to experience prom night the way that they wanted to be.

"My original prom sucked," said Sawatsky, who has attended three Fake Proms. "I was a valedictorian and I felt like a loser. This event is more sociable, especially since everyone is more comfortable with their lives compared to when they were 18."

Attracting attendees predominantly in their twenties and thirties, the night didn't bring back bad high school memories for everybody. "Most people had a bad prom experience but I actually had a good experience," said Val Heimpel, "so I'm trying to relive it."

Like a traditional prom, Fake Prom held an election for Fake Prom King and Queen, which was won by Adam Jackson and Naomi Yasui. The couple had their big dance as the night ended with a shortened version of G'N'R's "November Rain."

"We had no idea that we would," said Jackson. "But we're both super hot and we have a lot of friends that know we are super hot."

Although there can only be one Fake Prom King and Queen, Reibling sees the event as being free of the angst that often comes with real proms. "We always seem to get people with good vibes," he said.

Link to story in National Post here.

News story: The Doug Wright Awards

2008-08-16T15:02:00.000-07:00

Published in National Post [Toronto magazine, Aug. 16, 2008]

Cartooning world tips its hat
Lynn Johnston inducted into Hall of Fame

Canadian cartooning was feted last week at the fourth annual Doug Wright Awards. Held at the Metro Toronto Reference Library, the ceremony included the induction of For Better or For Worse cartoonist Lynn Johnston into the Canadian Cartooning Hall of Fame and a new award celebrating unorthodox work with an unorthodox prize - a bowler hat.

"In a way, I ripped it off," admitted awards co-founder, cartoonist Seth. "Years ago, I was at an awards ceremony in Finland and they had a very funny hat they gave to someone."

In this case, the hat has a direct connection with Canadian cartooning history - it was the staple accessory of Jim Frise's unflappable Pigskin Peters. That type of attention to detail impressed Anne-Marie Fleming, who won the best book award for The Amazing Life of Long Tack Sam, a biography of her grandfather.

"So much thought, love and care went into the show, which is exactly like comics," Fleming said. "So much love and care goes into every frame."

Named after Doug Wright whose Doug Wright's Family was syndicated in newspapers throughout the world from the 1940s to the 1980s, the ceremony included an appearance from Wright's widow and two of his sons. "We're very grateful [that] Dad's name [is being kept] alive," said Jim Wright. "We tend to forget talented people when they're not in the limelight."

Although Johnston remains in the limelight, during a 30-minute question-and-answer period, she gamely answered questions that touched on her 35-year career.

"This is the beginning of something that's going to grow," she said as she signed books following the ceremony. "The Reuben Awards [the premier American cartooning awards] started with this group of guys in New York who wanted to get together, socialize - and then they said, 'Let's give ourselves a few awards.' Now it's really international."

Link to story in National Post here.

News Story: One Inch Punch button art/swap show

2008-08-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

Published in National Post. [Toronto magazine, Aug. 16, 2008],

Pushing their buttons
The art world was all about getting pinned

The art world met the trading world at Lennox Contemporary Gallery on Aug. 8 at the third annual One Inch Punch show. With 50 original one-inch button designs, ranging from a portrait of Abraham Lincoln to Stephen Harper shooting lasers from his eyes, the show provided attendees with the opportunity to buy a random set of five original buttons and then trade their favourite buttons with each other.

"It makes art accessible for everyone because you can spend $5 for art on a button," said Christine Mullen, one of the 50 artists in the show. "And with these buttons you have an excuse to talk. You get to meet people in the art world, which is really hard to do otherwise."

Curated by the four-person Les Robots collective, the show was inspired by a similar event that happens annually in Vancouver. Initially skeptical about the show's potential for success in Toronto, this year, Les Robots received between 175 and 200 original button design submissions from places as far away as Australia and Dubai. Having whittle down the submission to 50, the group made 4o copies of each button available for sale.

"Last year, we sold out by 11," said Stephanie Dacosta of Les Robots. "So we bumped it up a little bit this year."

With DJ Coco Bryce supplying the tunes, attendees and artists were unable to resist trading fever. For Daniela Syrovy, who had her Sesame Street-inspired button design accepted, the show provided instant gratification for her work.

"Every artist starts with five, but my button happens to be really hot," she said. "Everyone wants the Bert and Ernie, so I traded it up instantly. People were offering me two or three buttons for one; it was fierce."

Although there were more than a few attendees who were unable to make a trade for their favourite buttons, it was impossible to escape the jocular atmosphere of the show. As Syrovy said, "It's so much fun. It brings you back to being a kid trading stickers or marbles. It's a great icebreaker."

Link to story in National Post here.

First Person Narrative: Charles Roach

2008-07-21T05:34:00.000-07:00

Published in Sway: Summer issue

The First Caribana
Charles Roach, one of the founding chairmen of Caribana, has been a part of the festival since its earliest days. Here the prominent Canadian civil rights lawyer reflects on the unity, perseverance and passion behind the creation of the first Caribana celebration.

The first Caribana meeting took place in the fall of 1966. My role was to call to the meeting various people in the community who would form the Caribbean Centennial Committee in December that year.

The reason that the whole thing came about was because we were asked by the federal government to be involved in Canada's Centennial celebrations, but to celebrate in our own cultural way. People from other groups were invited too, and the first Caribana was designed to coincide with the World Expo Festival in Montreal.

People were excited about Caribana because it was a little bit different from what was going on at the time. In those days, Toronto was a quiet place in the summertime, in terms of outward demonstrations. We had Caribbean stars come from time to time to play at Massey Hall and there were some clubs along Yonge Street, but back then Toronto was very conservative as far as alcohol [and events] was concerned.

There was a men's temperance movement in play, and it was a bit of a troubling time. Martin Luther King was still alive and this was the Civil Rights era. There were a lot of demonstrations throughout the United States and Canada, including those produced by the women's suffrage groups and the Quebec separatist movement. The year 1967 was a year of progression, and the celebration of Canada's Centennial was an encouraging occasion for the city.

Everyone welcomed Caribana, but there was definitely some apprehension about the large numbers of people of African heritage on the streets during the Civil Rights years. To have people taking over the street where you would normally have vehicles was pretty dramatic at the time; they would close the streets for the Santa Claus parade, but it was amazing to see Yonge closed from Bloor to Queen for a party. Something that many people don't know is that police officers on horseback led the first two Caribana parades. However, because it's more of a street dance party instead of a marching parade, we had to stop leading with horses.

Back then, the carnival wasn't so dominant as it is now. For commercial reasons, Caribana has emphasized the carnival part, but back then it was more of a festival of arts: storytelling, music, culinary displays and other artistic disciplines were given the focus.

However, we never received any arts funding; that was the biggest issue, so there was the question of how it was going to be funded. We were not seen as an arts festival, but as a multicultural show. So, especially in the early years, people like myself and the other organizers put money from our own pockets into Caribana. We weren't rich, but there were many professionals in that first group that put up their money, especially Dr. Al Liverpool.

One of my favourite moments from that first Caribana was going to Olympic Island and having that entire island set up like a place in the Caribbean. We brought in palm trees and the festival lasted a whole week after the parade. The Caribbean came to Canada, and that made a lot of people from the Islands who were homesick feel good. The first festival changed a lot of lives because it showed all of Canada that our culture was positive and impacted part of this nation's growth.

Today, I'm so proud of the progress that our festival has made and how it has spurred other festivals to grow larger. I think it inspired a lot of the street festivals that we've become accustomed to over the last few years. You could say that Caribana served as a model for many of the street festivals in Toronto.

We've always been innovative; I think now, everyone would agree that Caribana set the bar and the trend of festivals in this city.

Link to story in Sway here.

Standing Engagement: Casa Loma Archery

2008-07-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

Published in National Post. [Toronto magazine, July 19, 2008.]

A different kind of point & shoot

Throughout its existence, Casa Loma has been one of the city's stranger sights. A majestic castle built in 1914, its stables alone have been home to everything from regal horses to Second World War-era sonar research. That the stables are now currently home to an archery program seems normal.

Casa Loma's resident archer is Sir Shawn Adams, a self-appointed knight and an aspiring stuntman, who offsets his regal title with a relaxed attitude and beach shorts. A former medieval dinner theatre actor, Adams fell into archery after sustaining a competitive jousting injury in Alberta. Forsaking horse and lance for bow and arrows, Adams first brought his archery skills to Casa Loma four years ago during its Renaissance fair. Last year, he struck a deal to operate a drop-in archery range for interested visitors.

"I take pride in what I do here because the customer really leaves getting some knowledge out of it," he says.

On the days that he's around the stables, Adams offers what he describes as "a five minute introductory lesson to archery." For $7, a participant receives a lesson and 10 arrows. Within minutes, participants learn proper archery form and how to load a bow.

"It doesn't take very long to show someone the basics and get them shooting relatively effectively," Adams says. "It's a good introductory lesson and for people visiting out of town that are interested, I always refer them to a club in their area."

Although lessons are short, Adams doesn't skim over details. Participants shoot at 60 cm targets from a distance of approximately 10 metres using lightweight arrows with reverse curve bows, the same type used in the Olympics. While he admits that he intentionally uses larger than necessary targets, Adams feels that it adds to the workshop's appeal.

"It's that feeling of learning something and succeeding," he says. "When people start, they're really not that good but by the end of those 10 shots, they've really achieved something."

As part of the lesson, Adams uses his training from South Nation Archery, an archery school outside of Ottawa, to provide hands-on tips on proper form. "Your form comes first," he explains. "I do a lot of exercises with t archer having his or her eyes closed. It sounds crazy, but in the beginning you're not worried about aiming. And when te form tightens up, we start working a lot more on the aiming."

Due to the popularity of the drop-in lessons, Adams offers specialized three-hour archery workshops throughout the summer for $30. Groups of up to 18 students shoot at balloons that cover the range. The workshop includes extensive instruction on form, but as Adams says, "I try to have a little more fun and incorporate games."

As Lou Seiler, Casa Loma's director of marketing, knows, the fun seems to be contagious. "The program has been so popular we had requests to expand it," he says. "We introduced an adult class that just sold out, so we may look at adding another adult program."

Shawn Adams' archery program runs throughout the summer. Visit casaloma.org/seasonal for dates he's available, or call 416-923-1171 ext. 215 or 205 for details.

News story: Streets Are For Picnics

2008-07-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

Published in National Post. [Toronto magazine, July 19, 2008.]

A function for construction
Take the space over for a street party!

For the past three weeks, residents along Bathurst Street south of Dupont have been dealing with road construction. Last Sunday, the three lanes of construction were taken over by Street are for People, a public space advocacy group that provided a gigantic Scrabble board, bands and a croquet course in the middle of a dug-out street car track as part of its fifth annual Streets are for Picnics event.

Neighbourhood resident Anne Birnie-Lefcovitch, who's "frustrated" with the construction, appreciated the event. "I think this is great," she said. "Usually Bathurst is an eyesore."

Shamez Amlani, co-founder of Streets are for People, also responsible for the popular Pedestrian Sundays in Kensington Market, said the event began as "a small, little fun afternoon goof-off," but it has become an annual tradition.

Among the attractions during the party was Adrian Rockman, a budding rapper named Mayo, who joined the New Kings for a spontaneous performance.

"That's the best way to do a concert because everyone's driving by and can see you," he said. "You just have the sky above and it's just dope."

The day brought Scott Macdougall back to his childhood. Playing a game of gigantic Scrabble, Macdougall got some help from an unexpected source. "People were driving by, reading my letters and giving suggestions," he said.

While local residents had a brief respite from construction that will continue until the end of August, Amlani hopes events such as this will inspire Toronto to follow the leads of other international cities.

"Bogota, Colombia, is a shining example," he said. "They invented this thing called Ciclovia, where on Sundays they make huge swaths of the downtown core car-free. The mayor's philosophy is, 'We're a poor country, but we can do things that will raise people's quality of life.' It's a mentality shift. It didn't cost them anything."

News Story: Million Dollar Round Table

2008-07-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

Published in National Post. [Toronto magazine, July 5, 2008.]

Power suits and ties that bind
Why financial planners were spotted on a playground

For four days last week, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre was full of members of the top 1% of financial service providers from around the world. The Million Dollar Round Table's (MDRT) annual meeting brought out an eclectic crowd. In addition to thousands of life insurance providers from around the world, the meeting imported an Olympic gold medalist, a former child soldier from Sierra Leone, a survivor of the 1972 Andes plane crash that was turned into the movie Alive and Stephen Lewis.

"This is our annual crown jewel event," said James Rogers, MDRT president and Vancouver native.

Although professionally themed workshops such as Redefining Wealth Transfer: Planning That Goes Beyond the Estate Tax and the Role of Life INsurance in Business Succession Planning were well-received, it was the inspirational talks given by gold medalist gymnast Mary Lou Retton and ex-child soldier turned human-rights activist Ishmael Beath that inspired member Mukeshkumar Ratilal Sharma to give a thumbs up.

For Jerry Setton, another MDRT member, the meeting is about relaxing. Musically inclined MDRT members performed sets as part of the meeting's entertainment, and some, like Sletton acted as roadies.

"It's like one of the speakers said today: MDRT is an oasis," Sletton said. "It's a place in the desert where you can refuel."

This was the first MDRT meeting held in Toronto since 2001 (that event was rated the No. 1 meeting in the organization's 81-year history). While members spent the evenings riding on rickshaws and exploring the city, the organization had already left its mark in Regent Park.

"We spent a week building a playground at Lower Dufferin Public School and had financial service professionals building structures and using power tools," explained Nick Falco, MDRT Foundation executive director. "It's a sight to see."

Link to National Post story here.

2008 Summer Guide: 50 Great Summer Dates

2008-07-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

Published in Post City Magazines: July 2008.

50 Great Summer Dates

This summer guide ran in all of the editions of Post City Magazines. It was co-written and co-compiled with Sam Toman, the magazine's Features editor, who wrote most of this thing. It's actually much better that way. However, due to page layout design issues, there was only enough room for one name in the author's role and that was me. I will also say that "Spachina!" is mine. Spachina!

To download a .pdf of this article, click here.

Personality: Davy Love

2008-06-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

Published in National Post. [Toronto magazine, June 28, 2008]

He's spun his last record

Brit pop impresario, College Street icon and polarizing indie scenester Davy Love (born Dave Lovell) is a lot of things to a lot of people. Sober isn't usually one of those things, but that's what he was as he sat upstairs at Sneaky Dee's preparing for his last DJ set at his retirement party on June 21.

"This is the first time I'm going to DJ sober," he says with a laugh. "I figure it's going to be my last time, so I want to remember everything."

Most retirement parties are sombre affairs but the gregarious Lovell doesn't do somber. The owner of the 45 rpm record label Magnificent Sevens is best known as the force behind Blow Up, the weekly Brit pop party that ran from 1995 to 2005. It was the biggest accomplishment in his DJing career, which began in his teenage years.

"When I was 13, I worked at a biker bar and one day the DJ didn't show up," Lovell said. "The bar owner asked if anyone was a DJ and I said I could do it. The bikers thought I played great music. The owners fired the DJ and I worked there for the whole summer."

After doing the Orillia teen club circuit, Lovell moved to Toronto where he tired launching a number of nights to little success. Faced with a club scene that was still under the sway of grunge, he saw the possibilities of a niche Brit pop night.

"You'd go to the Dance Cave back in '94 and throughout the night, they would play a three-song set of all this good stuff like Ride and Happy Mondays in the middle of all this crap," he said. "This whole crowd of people would come out from the woodwork and fill the dancefloor and then you wouldn't see them the whole night. That's when I knew that if you did a club night that played that type of music all night, you would get all those people."

A trip to England that year gave Lovell a glimpse of what could be. When he returned to Toronto, he and some friends handed out flyers to the first Blowup party at The Red Raven (now The Pour House) at St. George and Dupont. "Lo and behold, it was packed - 150 the first night," he said. "It never did less than 150 people ever."

Initially a monthly event that moved to different clubs, popular demand caused Lovell to change Blowup to a weekly party; a decision he described as "liver killing." The party eventually found a home at the El Mocambo and led to a few excessive moments.

"We were standing in the DJ booth at the El Mo and we brought a blender in," he recounted. "We were smoking Cuban cigars and we started making margaritas in the DJ booth. We were looking out at this sea of people and realized that this is huge. It was a really great feeling."

Things changed for Lovell and Blow Up when the El Mocambo temporarily closed in 2001. Scrambling for a new home, the party would spend two years at Lee's Palace before winding down at Swallow Lounge. While he's cut down on his DJing duties in the past few years, a major life change forced him to give up DJing at 40.

"The lifestyle of a DJ will just wear you out," he admitted. "Most DJs I know don't even last until 40. They've had enough booze, drugs or whatever. And whether you do them or not when you start DJing, you end up becoming a part of that lifestyle. I had a baby and the lifestyle that goes along with DJing isn't conducive with being a father."

While Blow Up regulars have been increasingly telling how much they miss the night, Lovell has given up that fight. "It's like, 'Start your own club,'" he said with a shrug. "It was basically what we did with Blow Up at the beginning. I think it's definitely up for an uprising."

In addition to leaving DJing behind him, Lovell is leaving Toronto and moving "to a village of like 300 people" south of North Bay. Whether the country life will suit him or not, Lovell got surprisingly modest about he and DJ skills will be missed.

"It's flattering," he said. "I'm just happy to be part of it."

Link to story in National Post here.

News Story: World Nude Bike Ride

2008-06-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

Published in National Post. [Toronto magazine, June 21, 2008.]

The naked and the tread
Nude cyclists say you too can do without pants

Over 50 used their bare bodies to protest petroleum dependency, body consciousness and the tyranny of pants last Saturday, as part of Toronto's sixth edition of the World Naked Bike Ride.

"The goal is to make awareness of the use of petroleum and try to convince people to go on a bicycle to save petroleum," said long-time rider Bob (who withheld his last name along with his clothing).

Riding a bike adorned with a sign stating, "This naked body burns calories not oil," Bob acted as a surrogate leader for a ride whose organizer was absent due to his daughter's wedding. The four bike cops that accompanied the official protest had no problems with the group. It was an eclectic crowd that included a cycle adorned with a surfboard instead of a set, an oddly large Ohio contingent and a rider dressed as a nude Ferengi, a Star Trek species.

"We came here on vacation, heard about it and thought, 'Let's live it up,'" explained Lauryn Campanell. "Trust me, this kind of thing would never happen in Dayton, Ohio."

The group departed from Coronation Park and as riders zipped past the Harbourfront Centre more than a few jaws dropped.

"This is a very strange thing," said David Umerah from the Harbourfront Community Centre's outdoor basketball courts. "But it's also a nice thing because it's good weather."

Although there were some yells of opposition, the riders were mainly greeted by cheers, honks and flashes from camera phones. Zipping up Yonge with detours through Church and Wellesley and Yorkville, the group caused a stir riding past the Four Seasons Hotel.

The near 10 kilometre bike ride ended as the riders rode down Spadina before stopping at Java House on Queen Street. For Campanell, who lost one of her friends from Ohio early in the bike ride when his rented bicycle fell apart on Bay Street, the experience was excellent.

"I turned around and it was a sea of nude," she reflected. "It was awesome."

Link to the National Post here.

Standing Engagement: Teach at the Beach flair bartending class

2008-06-07T15:45:00.000-07:00

Published in National Post. [Toronto magazine, June 7, 2008.]

Serving up flair, on the rocks

It's not unusual for objects to be flying around at Woodbine Beach Park on a weekend afternoon. Stray Frisbees, volleyballs and footballs were just a few of the objects whizzing through the air last Saturday. However, once a month, you can add weighted bottles to that list of items.

The popular Teach at the Beach flair bartending course kicked off its summer session last Saturday. Now in its fourth year, the free program is run by Bartender One, a private bartending school co-founded by Gavin MacMillan.

"I'm not under the any illusion that if you stop giving back to the community that the community will continue to give to you," says MacMillan, who was anointed Top Canadian bartender in 2005 at the Legends of Bartending championships. "If we really want to grow the sport of flair, we have to give people an easy way to get started."

Displaying moves that Tom Cruise could only dream of in Cocktail, Teach at the Beach provides participants with an opportunity to learn nifty bar tricks, such as tossing a bottle behind your back, over your shoulder and into a mixer, or tossing a bottle, catching it on the top of your hand and then flipping the bottle to your arm.

Typically, between 20 and 50 participants attend each session. "We have about four or five instructors that go around," instructor David Jennings says. "We can't do much one-on-one but we do a little bit with everybody. You learn something new and the next time you come, we'll build on what you learned the first time."

The class is unstructured with participants learning a new trick from an instructor and then taking to practise the moves individually. It leads to a lot of dropped bottles, laughs and shouts of encouragement among participants.

"Basically you start off one trick at a time and then combine them," explains instructor Dimitri Kobrin. "Anybody can pick up one of these tricks if they put in a little bit of effort and like 15 minutes. The reward does come rather quickly and a lot of bartenders are missing that 15 minutes of patience."

Participant Ming Lee was happy for the chance to "enjoy the sun and learn how to flair-tend." Lee passed by the class two summers ago, and has returned for every session. He sagely warns: "Don't go bare feet because when you throw those bottles and they drop, it's not a good thing."

Watching MacMillan, Jennings and the other teachers, it's hard to imagine that they have dropped many bottles in their training. The instructors often freestyle a variety of movies in five-minute bursts that display a grace more related to Tai Chi than bartending. However, MacMillan says, "The biggest thrill I get is seeing how fast people pick up on the stuff we teach them. We went through way more frustration learning the stuff ourselves than we ever do teaching somebody new."

Teach at the Beach runs on the first Saturday afternoon of each month at Woodbine Beach Park. E-mail info@bartenderone.com to sign up for a session.

News story: Toronto Criterium

2008-06-07T15:34:00.000-07:00

Published in National Post. [Toronto magazine, June 7, 2008.]

We'll call it the Tour de Front!
For a day, competitive bike racing returns to T.O.

After a 17-year absence, competitive bike racing returned to Toronto last Friday. The Toronto Criterium was a short circuit race that attracted thousands of spectators to the Esplanade and St. Lawrence Market on a rainy day.

"I think this shows that Toronto can put on global events and it doesn't detract from what we do as a city," said Scarborough Southwest councillor Adrian Heaps, who also chairs the Toronto Cycling Committee. "It adds value to us."

In the works for more than six months, the Criterium is an attempt to reconnect with the city's long bike racing heritage. (The Dunlop Trophy Race, which attracted North America's top cyclists, was held here from 1894 to 1927.)

Heaps admitted that it was designed to encourage cycling as transportation. "You need a spectacle to sometimes raise the profile of an activity just at a moderate level."

While the racers who participated in the three events (a kids' race, an adult amateur race and a pro race) worked up a sweat, they weren't alone. Patios along Front Street East and the Esplanade were packed and one of the servers at Flat Iron and Firkin's patio, located near the finish line, conveniently remarked that while "it's usually busy here because it's patio season, this is crazy."

One person watching from that patio was Ian Howes, who sporadically rang a bell he brought from home whenever the racers past.

"I think it's awesome," Howes said. "I'd be very happy to trade the Indy for this race. If we lost the Indy, a bike race in the middle of the city is a wicked pick up."

The participants would agree. The 100 spots available for the pro and adult races filled quickly.

Prior to winning pro race, North Vancouver's Andrew Pinfold remarked, "It's amazing the turnout that you get with downtown races.

"In B.C. we have the Tour de Gastown and this looks on par with that kind of race. For us, you're racing in front of people and that's what we live to do."

Graduates: Christie Smythe and Andrea Lenczner

2008-06-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

Published in North Toronto Post: June 2008.

Jessica Simpson and Kate Hudson covet their coats
High school friends join forces with jacket business

Report Card
Students: Christie Smythe and Andrea Lenczner
Graduated: Branksome Hall, 1990
Best Subject: Smythe, English; Lenczner, History
Worst Subject: Smythe and Lenczner, Math
Current Job: Clothing Designers

Since its 2004 launch, the clothing line Smythe has been a major success. Working exclusively in jackets and coats, its designers, Christie Smythe and Andrea Lenczner, have seen their products adorn such celebrities as Kate Hudson and Jessica Simpson.

Although their clothes have gone Hollywood, the women behind Smythe trace the company's roots to the hallways of Branksome Hall high school in North Toronto.

"We bonded a lot over our love of fashion," says Lenczner. "We always dreamed of working together."

Although the school had a uniform policy, it didn't stop the two budding fashionistas from exploring their style. As Symthe says with authority, "Even though we wore a uniform, there's a way to wear it."

In those early years, the two would dream big about running their own store. However, after school, the two went on seperate paths in the fashion world. Smythe moved to New York where she worked as a designer at Gap. Lenczner stayed in Toronto where she worked as a buyer at Holt Renfrew. Over the years, they would catch up, and talk eventually turned back to their high school dream. One day that dream became a reality.

"Christie called me up in January 2004 to say that she was moving back," recounts Lenczner. "She said, 'Let's start a business,' and she had the idea of just doing jackets." Over five months, the two put together a sample collection that they sold immediately to Holt Renfrew.

However, there was a catch. "We sold it to them for that September, so we only had six weeks to do it," Lenczner explains. "It was a tight deadline."

The hard work and fast pace schedule paid immediate dividends as Smythe jackets quickly developed a buzz. Even though they were doing their own press, Smythe immediately found a home in the top Canadian fashion magazines. "The Canadian press were amazing," says Smythe. "Flair, Fashion, Elm Street - all of those people really got behind us."

It's no surprise, Smythe's line features classic coats that are both sophisticated without being over-the-top trendy.

Since that first year, Smythe has seen its products become available in America and Europe.

While the two are thrilled that they have international distribution and their products routinely appear in glossy fashion magazines, Smythe says that, "It's definitely exciting to see someone walking down the street wearing it."

With plans to extend into the winter coat market and a leather line waiting to be launched in the fall, Smythe is poised to continue their success. For Smythe, the key is "to not be trendy." Although they have done very well for themselves, the two continue to run all aspects of the show, which can lead to some issues.

"The hardest thing is having no tech support," admits Lenczner. "One of my pet peeves is that you have a computer problem, you have to fix it yourself."

For the two, taking care of the business and administration side of things is a small price to pay for living their dream. "We had visions of being 80 and 90 and looking through our scrapbooks. It's pretty thrilling," says Smythe.

It also helps that the two continue to be passionate about fashion. "All of our friends are fashionable," says Lenczner. "Whether they're lawyers, doctors or stay-at home moms, we're interested in style. We share that bond."

With a long history of fashion behind them, the two have impeccable sense of style. However, that doesn't mean that there weren't some fashion crimes that they committed in their past.

"I had the most heinous hot pink, velvet, tie-dyed, jacket," admits Smythe. "My husband still makes fun of it."

Graduates: Matthew Blackett

2008-06-01T11:14:00.000-07:00

Published in North York Post: June 2008.

The urban defender
Publisher celebrates public space

Report Card
Student: Matthew Blackett
Graduated: Earl Haig, 1993
Best Subject: History
Worst Subject: Math
Current Job: Publisher of Spacing magazine.

Over the past decade, Matthew Blackett has been making a career of using downtown Toronto as his muse.

While working as art director at The Hockey News, Blackett self-published and drew "m@b," an autobiographical comic strip about life as a 20-something living downtown that ran in Eye for four years.

He also co-founded and publishes the National Magazine Award-winning urban social advocacy magazine Spacing, that evolved out of a downtown campaign against a city ban on postering. Despite this, Blackett still has his North York neighbourhood on his mind.

"I still has a really strong connection to the North York downtown area," Blackett says. "I really want to see that strip all the way up Yonge succeed. There are a lot of really good aspects in that downtown North York strip and all those condos there are adding a lot of vibrancy into that neighbourhood. It would be great to have wider sidewalks and more cycling up there. That seems to be lost from my time to some extent."

The proud Earl Haig graduate who still dismisses York Mills Collegiate as "full of rich kids" was an active student. While drawing a monthly comic for the student newspaper and editing the school's yearbook, Blackett played striker on the soccer team.

After graduating from Humber College's journalism program, he began working at The Hockey News, where he found himself taking passes from Wayne Gretzky.

"I got to do this media event where I represented The Hockey News for a shootout and it was during Wayne Gretzky's induction to the Hall of Fame," Blackett says. "I was actually getting passes from Gretzky. I was beside myself."

While hobnobbing with hockey stars, Blackett was also fully engaged with promoting his self-published comic.

"When I started my comic book in 1998, I wanted to share it with my friends and I wanted to share some of their talents as well," he says. "I was finding that everybody in the arts community was really interested in the other arts and that kind of harkens back to my days at Earl Haig where you would have gifted athletes being really good artists and vice versa."

Blackett threw popular release parties where he would team up with emerging indie rock bands like Broken Social Scene. He has since taken the same "cross-pollination marketing approach" to Spacing, where he has created enduring partnerships with community organizations like Wireless Toronto, Heritage Toronto and Toronto Society of Architects.

Initially intended to be an advocacy media, Spacing has turned into what Blackett describes as, "a somewhat decent, successful business." Now in its fourth year, Spacing continues to grow and Blackett clearly enjoys being his own boss.

News Story: TO Jam 3

2008-05-17T06:29:00.000-07:00

Published in National Post. [Toronto magazine, May 17, 2008.]

<>Cheeseblaster Extreme?
It's not Grand Theft Auto and that's the point

Last weekend, in the secluded corner of Eastern Avenue and St. Lawrence, an eclectic mix of programmers, sound technicians and graphic artists attempted to break the world record for most participants at a video game jam.

Although it fell shy of its goal, TO Jam attracted more than 125 people, who took part in a unique challenge: to create a video game in three days. TO Jam began three years ago and attracts what organizer Rob Segal described as, "a mixture of industry people, students and people who are professionals but make video games on the side."

People filled the second-floor space of Innovation Toronto early Friday afternoon and by Sunday night had created 37 games, including Cheeseblaster Extreme 2500, Here Be Dragons and Lactose Intoler-ants! Although, it wasn't recommended, some participants, such as Shawn McGrath, pulled consecutive all-nighters to create their game.

"I had 17 energy drinks and three cups of coffee over the last two days and I'm surprisingly fine," he said.

For professionals like McGrath and Firetoad Software co-owner Nathan d'Obrenan, the event provided a welcome respite from their day jobs. According to d'Obrenan, the event also sends a welcome message to aspiring professionals.

"It challenges anyone that's thinking about making a video game in Toronto to make it now," d'Obrenan said.

Microsoft developer advisor and first-time participant Jean-Luc David was impressed by the proceedings. "The games are really amazing for the span of time that people spent on them," he said. "The variety out there and the creativity that people put into the games are impressive."

Volunteer Charlene Balldacchino was also enamoured. "Nerds are hot," she said. "It's the perfect balance of geekiness with innovation."

All TO Jam games will be available at tojam.ca. A public arcade, where all the games will be available, will take place at the Blue Moon Pub on Queen Street East on June 2.

Graduate: Jerry Levitan

2008-05-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

Published in North York Post: May 2008.

He met 'the Walrus'
Oscar-nominated grad does it all

Report Card
Student: Jerry Levitan
Graduated: William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate, 1972
Best Subject: History
Worst Subject: Math
Current Job: Children's Entertainer/Lawyer

This year, when I Met the Walrus received an Oscar nomination, it reminded people of a simpler time when a 14-year-old could sneak into a rock star's hotel room to procure an intimate interview. For Jerry Levitan, who was that 14-year-old, the experience has been paying dividends since his high school days at William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate.

"I was always seen as the guy who hung with John Lennon," the North York native says. "I wasn't a braggy kid, but it painted me as a person who's a little off the normal path early on. Girls started seeing me as more than 'funny Jerry.'"

Meeting Lennon didn't just change the two-year school president's social life, but his career path as well. The Lennon interview convinced him to emulate his hero, Pierre Trudeau, and enter politics. This meant leaving the stage behind for the constitutional courts.

"I'm the guy who started the Sunday shopping challenge in the early 80s to challenge constitutionally the Sunday laws (that prevented Sunday shopping)," Levitan says. "So that started my career, and I started getting involved in politics."

Despite being asked several times by the Liberal Party, Levitan was never able to find the right time to enter the race. Eventually he decided to let go of his dream of being a politicians, which left him to contemplate a big question.

"So, what am I? Just a lawyer?" Levitan remembers asking himself. "I never enjoyed being a lawyer, and that I would be defined that way for the rest of my life was an upsetting thing to me."

At the age of 34, Levitan decided to cut back on his law practice and take acting classes. In addition to doing commercial work, Levitan became "a rather busy B actor."

His resume includes starring as former Governor Jesse Ventura's alien boss in Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe, a pimp loan shark that cuts off people's fingers with garden shears in Little Devils: The Birth, and the head of the New Jersey FBI anti-terrorism unit that involved "running around with a gun."

While he would go on guest-star on The West Wing, Levitan had another re-evaluation of his life four years ago after his second divorce. He closed his praw practice, only taking on liquor law work for nightclubs like The Guvernment, and began writing songs, including one for his two-year-old daughter. One day, I Mother Earth manager Bob Luhtala heard the song and convinced Levitan to do a children's album.

"Literally that day, I left the studio and got an old 1920's top hat, an old bow tie, red rimmed glasses and I created 'Sir Jerry,'" Levitan says.

The Sir Jerry guise has been a big hit. It was while working on Sir Jerry's first music video that Levitan had the idea to make a short animated film about his interview with Lennon. He worked with animator Josh Raskin to produce I Met the Walrus.

Artist Profile: Plants and Animals

2008-05-01T07:55:00.000-07:00

Published in UR. (May-June issue)

Artist Profile: Plants and Animals

It might seem like Montreal's Plants and Animals - the city's latest buzz band - just sprung up overnight, but that's far from the case. Frontman Warren C. Spicer and drummer Matthew Woodley have been playing together since they were 12, running around Halifax and playing in bands with unfortunate names.

"I had a band called Phart for awhile," says Spicer over lunch at Toronto's CBC building. "That band sucked really bad."

"Well it didn't really make it out of my basement," adds Woodley.

Spicer and Woodley's days in Phart and Friendly Neighbourhood Trio ("our free jazz band") is long behind them - now, along with bassist/guitarist Nic Basque, they're in one of Canada's most promising indie acts. However, their newfound success, which includes countless positive reviews and even talk of netting a Polaris Prize, was something the trio didn't plan.

"We played instrumental music for a couple of years until we started recording Parc Avenue," explains Woodley. "That too started out as instrumental and gradually evolved into more rock song structures with singing."

Plants and Animals' sound has been described as post-classic rock, with a little Radiohead thrown in. Its experimental sheen is found amongst the layers and layers of horns, violins, a makeshift choire, and even a seven-year old, which made his way onto the album because, as Woodley explains, "we just aren't that innocent anymore and we needed some innocence."

But compared to other world-travelling Quebec acts such as the Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade or last year's Polaris Prize winner and label mate Patrick Watson, these guys are Montreal scene newbies. Still, they're not fresh enough that they don't remember the days before their city was an indie rock hotbed.

"Montreal was a disco town for forever really," explains Spicer. "It still is but it's more of a rock town now which is pretty amazing because when we moved there in 1996, it was all after hours clubs that none of us could relate to."

Profile: Cabral "Cabbie" Richards

2008-05-01T06:38:00.000-07:00

Published in Grand. (May-June issue)

Making light of sport
Cabbie Richards was a high school jock; now he's on TV, taking on big-leaguers

It's the 2008 NHL All-Star game, and Detroit Red Wings goalie Chris Osgoode is locked in the strangest interview of the evening. The television reporter isn't asking Osgoode about his team's record but whether he would hit NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in a hockey game. It's not a question hockey players get everyday, but Osgoode is game. He tells the reporter in a deadpan tone that he "would crosscheck (Bettman) across the back and slash him in the ankles."

These types of questions are typical for Cabral Richards, the 30-year-old, Cambridge-raised sports personality whome the Toronto Star called "the face of The Score." He currently has three shows on the all-sports TV station, including Cabbie On The Street, Cabbie Unlimited, and Cabbie All-Stars. When he's not asking NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant if he can crash at his place, Cabbie is convincing reigning NHL MVP Sidney Crosby to strike his best hockey trophy pose.

"At the end of the day, I think that people really just want to see fun stuff," Richards says. "When you get home, all you want to do is unwind and turn the TV on. Some people are watching for educational purposes and some are watching to shut their brains off. When people watch my stuff, they definitely turn their brains off." Laughing, he adds, "Their brain goes on a hiatus, it goes in a coma."

While he has had a number of memorable moments, Cabbie has also had his share of mishaps, such as the moment in an interview with Steve Nash that a piece of gum Cabbie was chewing dropped into the lap of the two-time NBA MVP.

He also had an inauspicious first interview with Mario Lemieux. "He walked away because I was being so animated," Cabbie says.

It's something that Richards is used to. His outgoing personality and his penchant for making body contact with his interview subjects can be a bit off-putting to some at first. After a few interviews, though, he insists that athletes, including Lemieux, are unable to resist his appeal.

"The way I like to describe it is this - the athlete always feels comfortable," Cabbie Unlimited producer David Krikst says. "They're not put on the spot where they are the subject of the joke. Cabbie is great at self-deprecating humour and the questions are always geared that way. It makes the athletes more comfortable and they get the chance to have the upper hand."

It's all part of Cabbie's goal "to have fun and show these athletes as real people."

In some cases, athletes have crossed over from interview subjects to fans. "I think that (Boston Red Sox player) David Ortiz is the perfect example of somebody that finds Cabbie extremely entertaining," Krikst says. "He watches a DVD of Cabbie at home with his family. He thinks it's hilarious and he's always laughing when Cab's around."

Born June 19, 1977 in Toronto, Richards had an early interest in acting. Nicknamed Cabbie at an early age by his mom, his life took a dramatic turn at age 12 when his parents bought their first home in Cambridge.

"I remember thinking, 'Where is Cambridge? It's like an hour away and it's not even on the map.'"

He thrived in Hespeler, "riding my bike up and down Winston Boulevard and Cooper Street." He was a jock at Galt Collegiate Institute and made the all-star football team in his OAC year.

He was also on the track team, "but I did the fat-guy sports, so I did all of the field like discus and shotput. One year I tried the swim team, which did not go well."

As he was tearing up the field, Cabbie maintained his interest in acting. He appeared in a number of school productions, including A Midsummer's Night Dream and The Day They Shot John Lennon. He also played the man-eating plant Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors.

He also got a glimpse of his future career. "I used to cut the athletic banquet videos and the football video and they actually really sucked," he says in typical, self-deprecating fashion. "That was kind of my introduction to some kind of television production."

After graduatingin 1996, he returned to Toronto and entered Ryerson University's film and TV program. He also continued to act, appearing in commercials for Tim Hortons, Panasonic, Dell and Chrysler. In his second year at Ryerson, he landed an internship with the fledgling all-sports station, The Score, writing scripts for TV show hosts.

"A couple of guys urged me tto get a camera and be a man on the street. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it, but they convinced me that I had the personality for it. So I met my cameraman, Bryan Roy, and we did a little segment."

Roy, whom Cabbie calls "my man B," admits that he didn't envision such a long partnership. "At first, I wasn't sure I could work with him because he was this loud personality and I'm more of a quiet guy. But he's a great guy to hang out with, and he treats people with respect. He's very hands-on and controls his product, but he does his best to make the people he works with feel that their contributions are not only helpful but necessary."

Although their first video is a bit of an embarrassment to Cabbie - "I've never showed anybody that hasn't worked here" - it intrigued his bosses at The Score. The second video made it to air in 2001 and is now considered the first official Cabbie On The Street segment. "It was about me singing the national anthem," says Richards. "At the end of the piece, I sang the anthem and I made a little baby cry."

What started as an experiment became one of The Score's most popular features. It helped that Cabbie has an intense work ethic, and in those early days stayed up Saturday nights "with a can of Coke, just editing."

During that time, he met Krikst ("my man D") who piqued his interest with an idea.

"I thought that he should do a segment called Cabbie On The Street Hockey where he would go in the middle of the street between red lights and play street hockey," Krikst explains. "So we went to places like in front of Maple Leaf Gardens and challenged people to street hockey."

After taking a couple of years away from The Score to co-host Sportsnet's basketball program, NBA XL, and J-Zone baseball program, Cabbie returned to The Score in 2005. A year later, he was given Cabbie Unlimited - a show mixing old segments with new material which has wrapped up its second season and is currently in reruns.

Cabbie Unlimited saw him travel to Israel, and interview notables like Sidney Crosby, NBA forward Lebron James and Blue Jays batter Vernon Wells. As Cabbie describes, "it's a lighthearted, sometimes comical show that focuses on bringing out the personalities of athletes in a sort of humorous way with an animated, dumb-ass host."

He may discount what he brings to the show, but co-workerrs see it otherwise.

"In my opinion, he's one of the greatest improv actors and comedians that I've ever seen," Krikst says. "I know that he's asking questions to athletes, but he can work off his subject unlike anybody I've ever seen. He can break down barriers and make people feel at ease. It comes across great in person, and I hope on camera."

With the success of Cabbie Unlimited, Richards and his team were approached last summer with yet another show idea. The new show, Cabbie All-Stars, shows him interviewing athletes before a live audience in a talk show format. The first episode was taped at a sports bar in Calgary where Richards interviewed Calgary Flames Jerome Iginla and Dion Phaneuf.

Five more All-Stars episodes are planned. The second was to be taped this spring, and a third is scheduled for fall. Cabbie Unlimited will return next year, so, with his recent gig writing a sports column for the Toronto Sun, Cabbie can expect increasing recognition.

Off the air, he's had the same girlfriend for a couple of years and lives in a house in downtown Toronto. He's a subject of a fan group in Facebook and people yell out to him at "the club, the grocery store, getting my hair cut, and at HMV." While Cabbie insists that only happens sporadically, Krikst says it's more frequent than Cabbie lets on.

"I know that we go out anywhere in Canada and people know Cabbie," Krikst says. "He won't admit it because he's that kind of a humble person, but he's well-known in the sports world."

News story: Parkdale Street Writers

2008-04-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

Published in National Post. [Toronto magazine, April 26, 2008]

'Just write it down and it's good'
Parkdale presented with the power of the pen

"I grew up in Parkdale and the first place I was allowed to walk to on my own was this library," Emily-Pohl Weary said. "I would've loved to have the opportunity when I was younger to feel like writing about the place where I lived was valid."

That's what her Parkdale Street Writers program aims to do every Tuesday afternoon at the library. With just a month to publicize the program, sponsored by the Ontario Arts Council and the Parkdale Community Health Centre, Pohl-Weary was surprised she had to turn away participants in what she calls, "a bootcamp for young dreamers."

The class is an eclectic mix of high school students and out of school locals hoping to reconnect with writing. Over the course of the 10-week program, local artists including author Mariko Tamaki, rapper Mindbender and comic artist Willow Dawosn will lead workshops.

The teachers are all native Torontonians who feel a connection with the neighbourhood. For youth coordinator Kashfia Rahman, that's a plus.

"We're introducing a lot of these kids to other people who have lived here and are successful because of where they came from," she said.

For other participants the act of writing with similarly interested people is enough.

"You get the opportunity to say whatever you want," says Jennifer Fraser, 18. "Things that you will never say to other people - you just write it down and it's good."

Call 416-779-1448 for details.

Tall Poppy: Chris Turner

2008-04-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

Posted on Torontoist.

This was probably the most difficult article I've ever had to edit down. It was quiet nightmarish, but that's because the interview I did with Chris Turner was so excellent that it was hard to edit. The author of The Geography of Hope, Turner's one of my favourite writers, particularly his stuff with Shift. We sat down in a Kensington coffee shop to talk about sustainable development and his take on the many intrepid and inspiring things happening on in the world. On a side note, Chris also gave me really great advice about school.

Check out the interview here.

Pursuits: The Basketball Jones

2008-04-18T04:48:00.000-07:00

Published in The Globe and Mail. [Life section, April 18, 2008]
Co-written with Sam Toman

These podcasters are a slam dunk
Three rabid hoops fans have attracted an international following by offering what the box scores don't tell you

All across the land, hockey fans are in heaven. Every morning, scores of bleary-eyed puckheads gather around the coffee machine to break down the previous night's National Hockey League playoff games. And all across the same land, fans of the National Basketball Association don't really care.

Both here and and in the United States, basketball followers are in the minority. In Canada, where hockey is a religion, hoops is treated like an afterthought.

True believers have turned to the blogosphere to show some love to their favourite league. And in the most unlikely of settings - an east Toronto recording studio in the heart of Leafs country - three university buddies meet five mornings a week to rally this disenfranchised diaspora with one of the most successful podcasts on the Internet.

The show is called The Basketball Jones, and if you're a diehard NBA fan, the 20-minute program is an irreverent dose of everything a box score can't tell you. With segments such as "Giving Love," where host J.E. Skeets whispers PG-13 sweet nothings to an underappreciated team over a Barry White-esque groove, the podcast has differentiated itself from the righteous rants of sports radio.

The Jones is featured on the iTunes sports podcast front page, billed alongside corporate heavyweights such as Pardon the Interruption and Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown, thanks to its consistent ranking among the top 100 most popular podcasts in the Apple's U.S. library. The show is also available on its website, thebasketballjones.net, which tallies 60,000 page views a month.

This week, the Jones is focused on the NBA playoffs, which begin on Saturday. Meanwhile, the trio who make it are focused on getting sleep, which is in short supply.

"I'm so pumped, but at the same time, we dread the playoffs," Mr. Skeets admitted. "What else is there to talk about except the games? So you have to stay up and watch it. Those things don't end sometimes until 1:30 a.m."

It's an understandable concern, since the three write, record and mix the show before their day jobs. Each weekday at 8 a.m., Jason Doyle ambles onto the third floor of Super Sonics Productions. By day, he's a children's television producer at the studio, but he goes in early to produce The Jones.

As Mr. Doyle checks the voice messages left by fans overnight, the show's hosts, Tas Melas and Mr. Skeets, crack jokes, drink coffee and fine-tune their script. While the studio's space is cramped and the three are half-awake, it's an upgrade from last season when they would wake up at 6 a.m. to record the show from their homes over Skype.

The simple fact that people call in to their show still astounds them. "It's become like a forum. We're just a couple of guys talking about ball," Mr. Melas said. "And people join in on the conversation."

That conversation involves some of the ususal sports chat - who is winning, who is losing and why - but by the second of four segments, the show flips the switch and essentially becomes a sounding board for the two to riff on their favourite jokes. After all, it's not about who won or lost but which player did so with the most menacing facial hair. Is it kosher to tuck a basketball jersey into jeans? If each NBA mascot were brought to life who would win in a fight? (Mr. Melas likes the Raptor's chances, if not for it being extinct.)

The material might be sophomoric but there is nothing amateurish about the show's production, which is as crisp and polished as its big-budget brethren. "We call it professionally raw," Mr. Skeets said. "With the hope that it sounded like something you would hear on radio but had had a rawness to it."

The trio of Ryerson University graduates began the show as a weekly half-hour roundup recorded at Mr. Doyle's home. Almost instantly, it gained an international fan base.

"Having lived overseas, I know what these guys are going through," Mr. Skeets said. "In terms of getting games and following it, the Internet is really the only way to follow the sport; especially if you're a diehard. So the international callers and e-mailers, they're the ones who seem to really love the show because they stay caught up."

Still, it's a taxing schedule. Although they usually wrap up the show in an hour and a half, Mr. Melas, who works as a story editor at TSN, admitted that time constraints lead to the occasional off show.

"There are days where we bicker and we can sense it on air, too," he said. "We want it to be so good but at the same time, we have lives."

The three behind The Basketball Jones, now in its third season, are hoping for big things. While Mr. Doyle jokingly said, "that the plan is to get paid," the show's notoriety has allowed Mr. Skeets to quit his day job as a physician recruiter to write full-time for Yahoo's basketball blog, "Ball Don't Lie." The show is even a favourite among industry insiders.

NBA blogging pioneer Henry Abbott, whose TrueHoop website was recently purchased by ESPN, counts himself as a fan.

"Everybody likes funny lines and basketball insight," Mr. Abbot said. "But it's so much better coming from guys who sound like people you'd actually like to have over to dinner. After all the wisecracking, they are in the end decent, which means a lot in this world."

For Canadian basketball fans, the appeal isn't about decency but brashness in the face of all-too-earnest sports radio and a hockey-mad country. After all, what other Canadian sports show opens with a female voice merrily declaring, "Hey hockey, go to hell! You're listening to The Basketball Jones."

Link to story in The Globe and Mail here.

Tall Poppy Interview: Wes "Maestro" Williams

2008-03-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

Posted on Torontoist

In the Canadian rap canon, Wes "Maestro" Williams stands alone. Coming out in 1989 as Maestro Fresh Wes, he topped the charts with infectious tracks like Drop the Needle, Conductin' Thangs, and especially his debut hit, Let Your Backbone Slide. His debut album, Symphony in Effect remains the top selling Canadian hip hop album of all time. Spending more time as an actor, I managed to catch up with Williams while he was in town presenting at the Canadian Aboriginal Achievement Awards.

Check out the full story here.

Tall Poppy Interview: Boozy Suzy

2008-03-08T11:47:00.000-08:00

Posted on Torontoist

This was the first Tall Poppy that I did for Torontoist and it was under strange circumstances. Reigning Pillow Fight League champion, Boozy Suzy, was scheduled to make a surprise appearance so we couldn't be seen by the crowd. We did the interview in a dressing room upstairs at the Gladstone Hotel, where the interview I was conducting was being filmed as footage for a future PFL DVD. Boozy Suzy would soon hang her pillow up after this interview. Ian Munroe, took photos and Marc Lostracco did some amazing photo illustration.

Check out the article here.

Blog Post: Avi Lewis' America

2008-03-03T12:01:00.000-08:00

Posted on Torontoist

According to the Inside the CBC blog and the National Post, Toronto's favourite boyish-looking provocateur, Avi Lewis, is back on the airwaves with his newest show, Frontline: USA. The show promises to "strip away the spin and highlight real issues such as poverty, violence, race, health, and immigration" in America. Considering that Lewis is involved and that the show airs on Al Jazeera English, chances are that Frontline: USA won't be a Dobbsian exercise in blaming America's problems on immigrants.

Avi Lewis is best known for being the first host of CBC's current affiars debate program counterSpin. Although his last two CBC shows, The Big Picture and On the Map, didn't make it to their second season, Lewis is still a highly respected media personality. The first episode of Frontline: USA examines the effects of Hurricane Katrina, exploring why America failed to protect its poorest citizens and how this affects the way New Orleans will vote in the upcoming election. The weekly show will continue until America's election, and then who knows. In the meantime, you can watch the show and other Al Jazeera English programs on their YouTube channel.

Link to the original post on Torontoist here with all the links embedded.

Standing Engagment: Regent Park Focus

2008-02-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

Published in National Post. [Toronto magazine, Feb. 9, 2008.]

Neighbourhood must-see TV

For most Torontonians, day-to-day life in Regent Park is a mystery. It was designed that way. Walking by, on a trip to Cabbagetown or Riverdale, one only sees the brown blocky exteriors of its buildings. But plans for a Regent Park TV station, RPTV, may give Torontonians a realistic glimpse of daily life in the area.

The station is part of Regent Park Focus, a drug-awareness program that provides media training to youth in the area. Participants produce a quartery magazine and broadcast a 30-minute radio show on Tuesday evenings on CKLN. The group offers free youth programs on video production, photography, music production and Web design.

"Our hope with RPTV is that it becomes a fully engaged community process," says Adonis Huggins, program director for Regent Park Focus. "It would have a significant impact on the community."

Throughout its 17-year history, Regent Park Focus has already made an impact. Its facilities are accessible to interested youth even if they aren't enrolled in a program.

Three afternoons a week, participants from the O'Connor Focus group in Victoria Park travel to Regent Park. To them, the experience has been nothing but positive.

"Instead of [getting into trouble]," says Jessica Simpson, 18, "we can learn something."

In a recent three-hour session, participants were introduced to storyboarding and script writing and then asked to storyboard, shoot and edit a public service announcement on a topic of their choice.

"It's really about the youth who come in," says Huggins. "[For the O'Connor participants] it's really trying to encourage them to produce videos about their community. For the youth that come after school, it tends to be about reporting and covering different events."

For some of the participants, the program is providing them with the training and access to contacts that will assist in their pursuit of a media job. "I used to come here all the time two years ago," says Web site technician and Regent Park resident Fahim Mohammed, 19. Originally a participant, Mohammed will slip into an instructor role when Regent Park Focus's new Web design program launches.

The program's success is being replicated in other parts of Toronto. The Rexdale Protech Media Arts Centre opened last July and Regent Park Focus works in partnership with many community groups within the province.

With promising negotiations underway with Toronto Community Housing to move into a new 5,000-square-foot space that's above ground, Regent Park Focus's future looks bright. However, that doesn't mean Huggins can't see other avenues for growth.

"One of the things we haven't been able to do is attract the corporate support that a program like this needs," he admits.

RPTV videos can be viewed online at regentpark.tv. For more information, call 416-863-1074.

Blog Post: Chris Bosh, Thespian

2008-02-06T12:06:00.000-08:00

Posted on Torontoist

(This story ended up being linked on HoopsHype.com, a basketball rumours site, which continues to blow my mind.)

Chris Bosh is at it again. Although his innovative video pitch to fans wasn't enough to push him past Kevin Garnett and Lebron James for a starting spot in the NBA All-Star Game, it has made him a media player. Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix details how the video's popularity has raised Bosh's profile to new heights and how it prompted CB4 to start his own Chris Bosh TV channel on YouTube.

To ring in the occassion, Bosh slips on a wig, thick glasses, and a bow tie to introduce the world to Blaine Harrington. Although there are many more adventures to come for Blaine, the Toronto Raptor's website is polling people on what guise they would like Bosh to take on next. The Raptors' website is polling people on what guise they would like Bosh to take on next. The choices are: 1980's rock star, 1920's gangster, 1970's disco king, or international spy. Strangely enough, Bosh is a bit late in joining his fellow 2003 NBA Draft mates Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony in showcasing their range.

Showing that Chris Bosh doesn't have a monopoly on the team in video production, 27-year old rookie Jamario Moon has released a clip hyping his participation in this year's NBA All-Star slam dunk contest. Moon will be joined in New Orleans next weekend by Jason Kapono (3 Point Competition), Andrea Bargnani (Rookie-Sophomore Game), and Chris Bosh, who was selected by coaches as an All-Star. The Raptors host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.

Link to original story on Torontoist including embedded links here.

Graduates: Steven D'Souza

2008-01-01T13:45:00.000-08:00

Published in Richmond Hill Post. (January 2008)

A nose for news
Grad turns CBC video journalist

Report Card
Student: Steven D'Souza
Graduated: St. Elizabeth Catholic High School, 1996
Best Subject: English
Worst Suject: Math
Current Job: CBC Video Journalist

For many aspiring journalists in the country, a position with the CBC represents a pinnacle in their career. However, for Steven D'Souza, a St. Elizabeth Catholic High School grad, the job he aspired to in journalism school was a little bit different.

"Me and my friend Anthony labelled ourselves TSN 2000," D'Souza says. "We were going to be the anchors on TSN. It's funny because a lot of my teachers at the time were from CBC, and CBC was one of the last places I could picture myself working."

Although he hasn't made it to TSN yet, D'Souza has spent the past three years climbing the CBC ladder as an intrepid video journalist. It's a position that allowed him to meet Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and cover the 2006 Stanley Cup finals in Edmonton.

While he achieved a lot of success in a short period of time, D'Souza's career as a journalist started with a high school internship with the Toronto Sun. As the other students at St. Elizabeth did school work, D'Souza spent most of the week getting a first-hand education in journalism.

"I find that journalism is one of those things that you can best learn from doing," he says. "You can only learn so much in a classroom, but really you just have to get out there and do it."

As he attended Ryerson to study journalism, D'Souza showcased his work ethic. At one point, he was working at the Canadian Press, The Hockey News, and on Live Audio Wrestling while maintaining his school schedule.

However after he graduated, D'Souza realized that he had to leave Toronto. With plans to build up reporting experience, the Richmond Hill native ended up in Summerside, P.E.I.

"It was quite the shift to live there because Summerside is a little town with 15,000 people," he says. "Richmond Hill is huge compared to that."

In his near two years in Summerside, D'Souza became a bit of a local celebrity. After his first broadcast, Summerside residents spotted him grocery shopping and welcomed him to the town.

"It became one of those things that, if people didn't recognize me, I kind of thought it was weird," he says.

After some time, D'Souza was ready for another challenge. A five-week assignment filling in at CBC Toronto had led to his current position. The opportunity has allowed the Richmond Hill resident to rediscover his hometown.

"When I was living in P.E.I. and coming back home to visit my family, it just seemed like there was a new subdivision popping up every day," D'Souza says. "I could say before that, that you could drop me off anywhere in Richmond Hill and I'd find my way around, but now I find neighbourhoods that I never knew existed."

Column: The Rump Shaker

2007-12-14T18:45:00.000-08:00

Posted weekly on Torontoist, [December 2007 to June 2008.]

The Rump Shaker
December 2007 to June 2008

The Rump Shaker was a weekly dance column that highlighted three things that were happening in the city and was followed by listings. I soon realized that listings take a very long time to do when you're interlinking, but there are some really cool posts from this like ones on M.I.A., Jay-Z, Kid Sister and The Chameleon Project. Also, click on those links in there: they typically go to cool videos.

Check out The Rump Shaker on Torontoist here.

Graduates: Harris Rosen

2007-12-01T07:07:00.000-08:00

Published in Bayview Post. [December 2007]

Local grad gives peace a chance with urban magazine
Early love of music spawns a successful urban magazine

Report Card:
Student: Harris Rosen
Graduated: A.Y. Jackson Secondary School, 1986
Best Subject: History
Worst Subject: Math
Current Job: Publisher of Peace Magazine

The 15th year anniversary of a magazine is a big deal, especially for an independent publication like urban lifestyle magazine Peace. For its publisher, Harris Rosen, it still feels like every day is his first.

"Where did the time go," he asks rhetorically. "It just doesn't seem like it's been 15 years."

For Rosen, the longevity of Peace is proof positive that you can achieve a good life by simply following your passions. The A.Y. Jackson graduate explains that he wasn't a particularly exceptional student.

"I went to my classes," he says. "The ones I enjoyed, I spent a lot of time on the work and tried to do really well. In the ones I didn't like, I caused problems in class."

Fortunately for potential employers, Rosen decided that he had to be his own boss. Working at Seneca College's school newspaper and inspired by music, Rosen struck out on his own as an independent magazine publisher.

After co-starting up two fledgling publications, Rosen found success with the launch of Peace in 1992.

Although the first issue of Peace featured Kurt Cobain on the cover, Rosen couldn't ignore his passion for a then controversial style of music - hip hop.

"I've been totally in love with hip hop since the mid-'80's when I was at A.Y. Jackson. When I first heard Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys, it was game over," Rosen says.

That love grew, and when he began publishing Peace, he couldn't ignore his love any longer.

"It got to the point where it was taking so much of my time and attention that I slipped hip hop content into Peace," he says.

Soon after its launch, Peace became known as one of Canada's foremost hip hop magazines.

Rosen's interview with Notorious B.I.G. has become in Rosen's words, "quite a legendary interview that's been written about a lot online and in books."

For Rosen, having the ability to meet many legendary artists, often before they become popular, was one of the perks of his job. He reminisces about a listening session with Southern rap entrepreneur and one-time Toronto Raptor Master P.

"I remember being in a room with Master P and listening to [his three-million-selling breakthrough album] Ghetto D months before it came out and just knowing that it was going to be a huge record."

Meeting rappers and having a generally good time has helped Rosen stay dedicated as an independent publisher. Although he acknowledges that, "You've got to be on the grind - every day 24/7 - to survive as an independent publisher," Rosen explains that the unique benefits of shaping a magazine outweigh the hardship.

"When you're young and into that stuff, it's amazing. I've been able to travel around the world with the magazine, and I get to see all of these different cultures," he says. "All of the people you meet in between is the spice and body."

However, much like the rap world that he started off covering, Rosen understands the importance of reinvention. As Peace grew older, Rosen made a fundamental decision to change Peace into a lifestyle magazine.

"People don't buy music any more, and to base a magazine on just one thing is dumb," he explains.

It's just one of the many changes that Rosen has noticed in the fifteen years of publishing Peace. He admits that, "When we first started out, it was more like a family, but now that we're older, it's still fun but it feels more like work."
Still. Rosen is making sure that Peace celebrates its 15th birthday in style. There already has been a special anniversary issue, a TV commercial and numerous events that the magazine has sponsored. When asked if he can picture celebrating a 30th anniversary for the magazine, Rosen answers immediately.

"No, I don't even think of that."

Standing Engagement: Team Ryouko's XSD Program

2007-11-24T10:50:00.000-08:00

Published in National Post. [Toronto magazine, Nov. 24, 2007]

Just like they do it in the movies!

From Shinobi to Kato to Leonardo and his crew, ninjas have long captured our imagination. They are notoriously shadowy figures, though. Uma Thurman had to travel to a remote Chinese village to learn her skills in Kill Bill. Fortunately, Torontonians only have to travel to Scarborough.

Nestled near Kennedy Road and the 401 is Sunny Tang Martial Arts School. Here, members of the Team Ryouko, a unique extreme entertainment company, put willing participants through their Xtreme Skills Development (XSD) program.

Chris and James Mark, brothers and co-founding Team Ryouko members, created XSD martial arts in 2001. "We developed our program because people came up to us after our shows, asking where they could learn this martial art," explains Chris.

Team Ryouko's style fuses traditional martial arts with capoeira, breakdancing and acrobatics. Individually, members have done stunt work on 300, Shoot 'em Up and Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. Collectively, the group has wowed local audiences at Massey Hall and international audiences via YouTube.

While traditional martial arts classes teach fighting and self-defence moves, XSD is all about performing movie stunt-like moves.

The program has four levels, including one on weapons training. Each class lasts an hour and its unique mixture of styles is perfect for a generation that embraces cultural fusion.

"We advertise XSD like a traditional martial arts program," says James. "The difference is that it's not combat, but fitness and performance."

"It's probably one of the most visually exciting martial arts you'll see," says Eric Daniel, an XSD instructor at Sunny Tang. "It's performance-based, so a lot of the moves that we do are flashier and more eye-catching, especially with the mix of acrobatics into it."

The emphasis on creativity and performing makes the class a big hit with students, who are encouraged to create heir own combinations of moves and aren't shy about their enthusiasm.

"I love it," says Sandra Ngo, a student at the school. "The reason I'm here is because any other martial arts class is boring. I'm a hyperactive person and I don't want to spend six months just doing basic drills."

XSD is helping Paul Karda, 49, get back in shape. "I knew that being on a treadmill would be too boring for me," he says. "This allows me to do something interesting while challenging myself."

Performing effortless flips may be enough for most students, but for some, there is another reward that keeps them working hard - a chance to be invited into Team Ryouko.

"Six of my students are now part of the Junior Ryouko team," says Chris Mark. "We train them once a week on stage performance and they have a big part in our live shows."

XSD is offered at Sunny Tang Martial Arts School (Unit B22-25, 2370 Midland Ave.), as well as at schools in Newmarket, Georgetown, Mississauga and Port Union. For details, call 416-321-5913 or vist sunnytang.com.

Profile: Elliotte Friedman

2007-08-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

Published in North York Post. [August 2007]

Cover story: Elliotte Friedman
This North Yorker gives us the play-by-play on how he went from roving reporter to CBC sportscasting star

Elliotte Friedman has covered almost every sport known to man in his 13-year sports broadcasting career rising from the ranks of lowly volunteer at The Fan 590 to ice-side reporter for Hockey Night in Canada. But its his current gig as the host of The CFL on CBC that's vaulted Friedman to the major leagues.

Friedman's is a story of working his way through the minors. His sports broadcasting odyssey began as a child in his family's Yonge and Sheppard home.

"As a kid, I used to sit in front of the TV and broadcast the games in front of my family," he says. "Much to their chagrin."

While his family may still tease him occasionally about his humble beginnings, Friedman has come a long way, climbing to the upper echelon of Canadian sports broadcasters.

Though the local-boy lived in downtown Toronto for several years, Friedman has come full circle by moving back to North York to a home that he bought in the old neighbourhood.

While he is glad to be back, the move wasn't for reasons of nostalgia.

"I have a lot of family in Thornhill and Richmond Hill. I don't want to move there though," says Friedman. "Instead, he moved to a condo in the Yonge and Sheppard area of North York, splitting the distance between his family and his downtown office.

Freely admitting that he "spends a ridiculous amount of time at the Yorkdale Mall because of their gym," Friedman also praises the patio at Safari Bar and Grill on Avenue Rd.

Although he has some difficulty identifying his favourite stores in the neighbourhood, Friedman explains that he can be found "walking around North York with my iPod on where I stop at any bookstore or used music store."

If he seems like he might be in a bit of a rush, it could be because he has been so busy trying to make his childhood passion become a reality.

Even during his days at York Mills Collegiate Institute, Friedman was calculating. He knew he'd have to make all the right plays to realize his dream career on a very crowded playing field.

When it came time to choose a university to attend, Friedman had already made up his mind - The University of Western Ontario.

Technically an English major, Friedman spent much of his time building up credentials for a career in sports journalism.

"A big reason why I went to Western was their reputation of sending their students out in the biz," he explains.

In his first two years at school, Friedman spent his time writing for The Gazette and working for the school's radio station CHRW 94.7 FM. Once he was offered the sports editor position at the student newspaper, Friedman was forced to decide between print journalism or radio. He chose the former.

Reflecting on his time at Western, Friedman is clearly thankful for the opportunity it gave him. However, he admits that it came at a price. "I neglected my studies at Western, but I learned so much more in the newsroom that I would have in the classroom."

Clearly a hard worker, Friedman graduated with high hopes that his work at Western would help him find a job. However, he was greeted with a harsh reality. "When I graduated in 1993, all of the newspapers had a hiring freeze in place," he says.

After a gruelling year freelancing for various publications, Friedman knew that he wanted to stay in the business but that he also had to change.

In 1994, Friedman returned to his radio roots by volunteering at sports radio station, The Fan 590. He describes his early experience there as "a lot of behind the scenes stuff. I cut tape, I wrote scripts. After awhile I started to get opportunities to do broadcast work."

Showcasing his dedication to sports broadcasting and a tireless work ethic, The Fan eventually hired Friedman on full-time. The aspiring sports writer had completed his shift into sports broadcasting. However, it wasn't as seamless as he hoped.

While doing the play-by-play for the 1994 Canadian Open tennis tournament, Friedman made a faux pas.

"The match was just wrapping up," he explains, "and I said Andre Agassi has just won in 'straight sex.'" When he walked into the production booth after the match the entire crew was laughing.

"But it was an honest mistake and something that every sports broadcaster will have to go through," says Friedman.

"The big question is how are you going to react - do you sulk or do you get over it and say tomorrow is another day."

Friedman got over this early mishap and carved out a reputation as a devoted sports broadcaster versatile enough to cover a wide array of sports. Catching the eye of fledgling sports specialty channel The Score, he was brought on as their man to cover the Toronto Raptors beat in their disasterous 1997 season.

"It was a real eye-opening experience," remembers Friedman.

"I remember being nervous my first day, just as a white Jewish guy going into a locker room full of guys that are coming from a different world. But I quickly found out that if you were always around the team and they can see that you're working hard, the players will treat you with respect."

There were a few bad apples though. "Ninety-five percent of the athletes out there are good guys and five per cent ruin it for everyone," he says.

Thankfully the Raptors turned their fortunes around, led by superstar Vince Carter, and the country began paying attention to the often-ignored team. The increased interest in the franchise and its players meant Friedman found himself in the national spotlight as well. It was no surprise then that in 2002 CBC contacted the rising star with an offer that he couldn't refuse.

"When Hockey Night in Canada calls to say that they're interested, what do you say - no?" he asks rhetorically. "It's a huge honour and something that I could never expect to get."

Although Hockey Night in Canada viewers may have been asking who was this new ice-side reporter, Friedman is clearly proud that he has paid his dues. "Indy, NBA, CISU, MLB, NHL, OHL - you name it, I did itg," he says.

His experiences shone on the brightest stage in Canadian sports and landed him his own pre-game show segment titled, The Headliner, where Friedman examines a range of on and off-ice issues affecting the game.

CBC brass were quick to notice his poise and insight, and last year they offered him the hosting gig for CFL on CBC.

It was finally his platform, his show and yet another dream come true. Every Saturday night during the season Friedman takes the mic with co-hosts and former CFL greats Sean Millington and Greg Freers to get fans ready for the game ahead.

Friedman will also play hometown host this year as the 95th Grey Cup game comes to the Roger Centre on November 25th.

It will be a highlight for sure but Friedman admits, the stories that touched him most involved more than just simply who won and who lost ... most of the time.

"I remember Game 3 of the 2001 World Series when George W. Bush - back when everyone liked him - walked out onto the mound at Yankee Stadium to throw the first pitch. The crowd was going wild and it was just such a big moment with the game happening in New York so soon after 9/11. You just got goose bumps."

"But then again, my first night on Hockey Night in Canada was just crazy. I remember getting chills when they played the theme song and it was probably the most nervous I have ever been in my career," he says.

"What can I say? I wake up every day and say how lucky I am to do this."

Link to story at Post City Magazines here.

Graduates: Bob Zamani

2007-07-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

Published in Bayview Post. [July 2007]

The art of the deal
Grad chooses property over painting

Report Card:
Student: Bob Zamani
Graduated: Earl Haig Secondary School, 2000
Best Subject: Math
Worst Subject: Science
Current Job: Real Estate Developer

Earl Haig Secondary School is primarily known for producing students well versed in the arts, but real estate developer Bob Zamani definitely did not excel in that part of the school's curriculum.

"The only artistic talent I had in school was wood shop," Zamani says.

At 26, Zamani is already the owner of two thriving real estate companies, Zamani Homes and Canquest Financial. So in a way, Zamani is working with wood, even if it's lumber.

While many of his fellow schoolmates were busy with art, Zamani was busy nurturing his interest in finance.

"I was active in school," Zamani explains. "I started the Raising the Roof program at Earl Haig, and I was the secretary of finance for the annual fashion show that the school put on."

After graduating from high school, Zamani decided to strike out on his own while in his second year of university and started up a mortgage company, Canquest Financial.

Reflecting back, Zamani even sounds surprised by his success. "Sometimes, when I look back at the challenges, it's scary. I can't believe I achieved it," he says.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that Zamani has had real estate in his blood.

His father started a real estate developing company while the family was still living in Iran. When they emigrated to Canada, Zamani's father brought the family business with him.

Zamani is quick to credit his father for his success:

"My father is my biggest mentor. He is the reason why I am here today," he says. "He is my best friend, and he is still involved in the business."

While Zamani has taken over for his father as the vice-president of Zamani Homes and helps finance the company's real estate projects with Canquest Financial, the opportunity to take the keys to the family business was not just handed to him.

"I had to prove myself to my dad at first," Zamani explains. "So I had to attract other clients to Canquest Financial at first."

While Canquest Financial lends money to Zamani Homes today, 80 per cent of Canquest's business is devoted to other real estate developers.

An admitted workaholic who feels that his vacation is his work, Zamani can take pride in the fact that he has reached such heights in the real estate game.

Currently, Zamani Homes is constructing eight custom homes in the Yorkmills and Bridal Path Area. These luxury homes range from 4,000 square feet in size to 12,000 square feet.

"The Bayview area is a beautiful part of the city," Zamani states. "It's close to downtown but you also get to enjoy suburban settings. The project has been outstanding."

Graduates: Claire Cameron

2007-06-01T15:16:00.000-07:00

Published in North Toronto Post. [June 2007]

The rolling stone
Ersatz rocker turns travelling author

Report Card
Student: Claire Cameron
Graduated: Northern Secondary School, 1991
Best Subject: English
Worst Subject: Math
Current Job: Author

Claire Cameron's debut novel, The Line Painter, has received a great deal of praise, but that hasn't stopped the neophyte author from promoting her book in some unlikely places.

You can find her visiting Husky truck stops to sign and sell her books to truckers who stop there. Although unorthodox, Cameron has found it to be surpisingly successful.

"Truckers spend a lot of time driving alone, and they like to sit around and chat," explains Cameron. It doesn't hurt that the author and truck drivers share a nomadic spirit that is captured in The Line Painter.

Cameron has come a long way from her high school days at Northern Secondary School.

There she c ould be found doing silly things like appearing in embarrassing skits. "I was dressed in gold disco pants in front of the school," she says.

Although Cameron showed confidence in her skills in high school, she found that she wanted to leave the city to explore the world. It was during a cross-Canada trip that the seeds of her debut novel were planted.

"I bought a van after high school, and I was driving across Canada. During my trip, I was stuck behind a line painter, and I was just watching him go," Cameron explains. "The image just stuck in my head."

After graduating from Queen's University, Cameron has scratched her travelling itch.

"I tree planted in Hearst where I met a lot of people that the characters are loosely based on," she says. From there, Cameron worked for a publishing company in San Francisco that would send her to London, England. It was in London that her life quickly accelerated.

She started writing songs, hoping to fulfill her rock star dreams. Sadly, it didn't take long for her to realize she wasn't all that good. So she put down the mic and picked up her pen.

"I only planned to live in London for two years," she says. "But I ended up staying for seven. When I started writing The Line Painter, I was writing about a place that I really missed. I was feeling homesick at the time and that definitely affected the book."

Back in her hometown, Cameron finds that she's more appreciative of Toronto than when she left.

"Growing up, I took living here for granted," she says. "After travelling, I appreciate how multicultural Toronto is and how much there is to do."

Cameron recently launched her book at the Gladstone Hotel. Surprisingly, it was the culmination of two dreams. "There was another author [Sean Dixon] having an event downstairs," she says. "He was playing the banjo, and I snuck down to join. We sang "Not Ready to Make Nice" by the Dixie Chicks, and it was the first time I sang into the mic."

Of course, Cameron hasn't quite ditched her plans to start working on a second novel to live the rock star life. She says diplomatically, "Being a good writer is knowing what you're not good at. It's about editing yourself."

Link to copy of article is here.

Graduates: Mark Cohon

2007-06-01T09:54:00.000-07:00

Published in The Village Post. [June 2007]

Set to tackle CFL
Gridiron gadfly now top football boss

Report Card
Student: Mark Cohon
Graduated: Upper Canada College, 1985
Best Subjects: Economics and History
Worst Subject: Calculus
Current Job: CFL Commissioner

When graduating from university, conventional wisdom dictates that you get a lucrative job. Mark Cohon, current commissioner of the CFL and chair of the Ontario Science Centre, is not a man of convention. Instead, he organized a charity that took 30 Canadian and Soviet students to the pristine peaks of the Arctic and Siberia.

It is this type of bravado that has come to typify Cohon. Mark is the son of McDonald's of Canada founder George Cohon.

As a student at UCC, Cohon described himself as a well-rounded student who was active in the community.

"I was the captain of the football team and was on the board of stewards. I was also a B average student," he jokes.

Although he enjoyed his time at UCC, he prefers to take his lessons from the school of life. Right after graduation, Cohon partnered with Dr. Joe McGinness. The two would form the Toronto-based charity Youth Challenge International, which led the expedition to the frozen Arctic.

"I learned so much more from that experience about leadership, business, media relations than I would have if I had taken a job straight out of college," Cohon reflects.

This experience came in handy when in 1994, he ran into NBA commissioner David Stern while waiting for a plane in Tokyo's Narita Airport. This chance meeting led to Cohon joining the NBA as head of international marketing and head of the NBA's business development branch.

Cohon has also had successful stints leading companies like Petopia and Audience View but always seems to yearn for the next challenge.

Today, he is busier than ever. Cohon now holds the keys to two of Canada's most prestigious institutions: the Ontario Science Centre and the CFL.

"The Ontario Science Centre is the most visited cultural attraction in Canada, and we have raised about $47 million dollars," Cohon explains. "So far, we've transformed about 30 percent of the place, and we want to create an institution that teaches innovation and creates innovators."

While Cohon is clearly enthused about the endless possibilities that come with being the chair of the Ontario Science Centre, he is also excited about becoming the new commissioner of the CFL.

"I feel fortunate to be a part of the CFL because I love sports and I love the game," Cohon says. He is especially excited about this year's championship Grey Cup, which lands in Cohon's hometown on November 25, 2007.

While still a young man and a recent honouree of Coldwell Partners' Top 40 Under 40, Cohon offers this advice: "Have fun in what you do and always stay principled."

Graduates: Suba Sankaran

2007-06-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

Published in North York Post. [June 2007]

A fusion reaction
Sounds of the world unite

Report Card:
Student: Suba Sankaran
Graduated: Earl Haig Secondary School, 1993
Best Subjects: Music, Dance, Drama
Worst Subject: Math
Current Job: Vocalist for autorickshaw

It takes some people nearly a lifetime to find their calling. Suba Sankaran found hers at the age of four.

While at the Nava Ratri Festival in Connecticut, she got her first taste of life as a performer. She sang God Save the Queen in Sanskrit lyrics.

"That was my first time thinking that I can see myself doing this," she says.

Today, as the vocalist for the acclaimed Toronto-based world music ensemble autorickshaw, Sankaran has been making a name for herself throughout the city recording tunes that fuse Indian music with modern sounds for radio, theatre and film.

Sankaran grew up in a musical family. Her family is Trichy Sankaran, a man who is widely considered to be among the top players of the Indian percussion instrument the mrdangam.

Once at Earl Haig, Sankaran found like-minded musicians who were into similar kinds of experimentation.

"I had a rock band. It was a Queen cover band. We were named Racial Harmony, and we did the whole battle of the bands thing," she says. "I remember that we worked hard to do the whole orchestra thing for Bohemian Rhapsody."

After leavin Earl Haig,she's branched out with as many musical projects as possible. Though her main focus, autorickshaw, is what she's best known for in the city.

Now on their third album, autorickshaw has a comfortable repertoire: which is either "steeped in Indian music and taken to a modern place or rooted in more contemporary music, like jazz or pop or funk," Sankaran says.

In addition to autorickshaw, you can find Sankaran on stage with a number of different projects.

She works with her father's band, Trichy's Trio, which has a more traditional South Indian classical repertoire. As well as a group called Nathaniel Dett Chorale.

"It's an Afro-centric gospel chamber choir based out of Toronto led by Brainerd Blyden-Taylor," she says. "We sang for Nelson Mandella, Bishop Desmond Tutu and for Peter Gabriel."

Sankaran is full of fun stories but admits that the life of a self-sufficient musician can be difficult. "As an artist, you want to be creating," she says. "But I spend more of my time doing e-mails and corresponding with people, working out rehearsal schedules and things like that as opposed to just sitting down and playing."

Of course, considering all of the happy and unique experiences she has had as a musician, she is still optimistic.

"Never give up. You never know which person or what contact is going to lead you to the next person," she says. "Keep trying and keep asking questions. Don't be shy because there's no harm in asking somebody who may know the answer or may lead you to a person who knows the true answer."