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.
Showing posts with label media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label media. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Arts Profile: Rick Mercer
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."
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."
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Graduates: Matthew Blackett
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.
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.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Profile: Cabral "Cabbie" Richards
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."
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."
Monday, March 3, 2008
Blog Post: Avi Lewis' America
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.
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.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Blog Post: Chris Bosh, Thespian
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.
(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.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Graduates: Steven D'Souza
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."
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."
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Graduates: Harris Rosen
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."
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."
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Profile: Elliotte Friedman
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.
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.
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