Aug 1 at TD Place in Ottawa, Rugby Canada host the USA. This is the last home fixture for Rugby Canada before they head off to the Rugby World Cup in England.
Was proud to work with Rugby Canada on many fronts included being a spokesperson on CTV Morning Live.
Watch below!
Join us at TD Place. HERE is your link to get tickets.
When I first moved to Ottawa a few years ago, I was invited out by a new colleague to an event called Snowball. As someone who has built multiple events over my career I always secretly judge events. Snowball really impressed me. It was someplace between a gala and casual after work cocktails. I knew I needed to be a part of it some how.
Fast forward a year or so, I learned all about the Snowsuit Fund. A well known and super important charity in Ottawa. The Snowsuit Fund was the benefactor of the Snowball. The Snowsuit Fund provides new snow suits for kids in Ottawa that need them. It’s a dignified process, allowing parents to book time for their kids to select a snowsuit from a few options. The snow really is shock to the system when one decides to move here. It is snowy and cold in Ottawa longer than any other capital city in the world, and no one can prepare you for that.
This important work combined with this amazing event inspired me. One thing led to another and in 2024 I joined the Board of the Snowsuit Fund. Also the same year, I became co-chair of the Snowball event.
The next Snowball is Wednesday Feb. 12 and you should totally come. HERE is the link for more info. Please check out the segment above from Rogers TV where I join proud Snowsuit Fund partner John Robinson of Intega IT to talk all things Snowball 2025.
I’ve always thought that a sports team jersey can be more than jersey. What if the purchase of the kit triggered some sort of meaningful action. True story is that I’ve pitched this concept to many teams across many different leagues, but it just didn’t go anywhere… till now.
Canadian Premier League outfit Atlético Ottawa debuted the Community First kit before the 2024 season kicked off. It was a collaboration with front-of-kit partner Maple Lodge Farms and local community support centre Caldwell Family Centre. The cause: battle food insecurity in the capital.
So what does this actually mean? Here’s a snippet of some of the material used to describe this collab: Atlético Ottawa and front of jersey sponsors Maple Lodge Farms came together to change lives in 2024. The Caldwell Family Centre is one of the most forward-thinking community hubs in the nation’s capital and has been supported by Atlético since 2023. This year, the ‘Community First Kit’ initiative saw 30 meals worth of frozen chicken products delivered to Caldwell Family Centre with each jersey purchased. Deliveries continue to be made as 15,000 meals have been allocated to date.
The jersey is made by Macron in Italy. Each jersey is made from 13 recycled plastic bottles. Already off to a great start. Here’s a snapshot of the design: Shout out to Mediaplus in Ottawa for the incredible design…
And then we launched the jersey with this wonderful tease video made by Chris Hue, Videographer and Social Media Lead for Atleti…
Launching the kit at the Caldwell Family Centre seemed the perfect location. Plus including the club’s Season Seat Members along with players from the club, made for a memorable event.
Below is a link to an article on the halfway point of the campaign, when we delivered the 5000th meal.
Many talented hands on deck for this to work. The result was over 15,000 meals delivered so far and a record number of jerseys sold. A win/win. Also proud that this initiative won a Canadian Premier League Business Award this year. Read about that below…
My agency works with all kinds of clients. Every now and then I get called into action! This particular morning I joined the number one morning show in Ottawa, CTV Morning Live, to show off some new threads. Host Stefan Keyes and host/model Rosey Edeh did a wonderful job showing the 2023 Atletico Ottawa Primary Kit to the world!
Both jerseys released by the Canadian Premiere League club in Ottawa are stunning. Super proud of this work from my agency Nine Brains & Three Hearts. Macron produced both kits. See them HERE.
It had to be done. Late in 2021, I was debating whether or not to start another book (for the year 2022) and then the legend Betty White passed. My son asked me what she was famous for. I explained that she was a trailblazer in the comedy world. He then asked, ‘Will she be in next year’s book?” Right in that moment ‘The Train Wreck that was 2022’ was born.
This is the third book in the ABC Yearbook series. See them all HERE.
Thanks for you support. All the options to buy the book can be found HERE.
The Hot Mess that was 2021 was a ton of fun to write. Another ABC Book detailing the ups and downs of another calendar year. Thanks to everyone who supported the book and helped make it an Amazon Best Seller! You can see some of the media coverage below…
CTV News for the coverage…
Hello friends. Thrilled to share that I’ve written and published a book. The entire process took me 52 days from idea – to being on sale on Amazon. I will share some tips & tricks on self-publishing in the future, but for now…
Introducing… The Sh*tstorm that was 2020. It’s part ABC book, part yearbook, all sh*tstorm. And it’s available now on Amazon. The book takes a look at major events from the year 2020.
Everything in the book actually happened, although much of it does sound made up. Some moments you’ll never forget: a global pandemic, Trump losing the plot. And some moments you’ve probably already forgotten: Parasite winning all the Oscars, UFOs being confirmed by the government, Murder Hornets.
This book may look like it’s for children, but it isn’t.
And like every company that has contacted you during the pandemic, we are all in this together, just like the events we all experienced that are in the book.
It was a pretty cool experience getting the book completed and I leaned on many folks. My heartfelt thanks to everyone who has helped along the way, and I am super excited to be able to share it now with all of you. Also built this website for the book as well.
I guess I’m an author now, right? That is so 2020! And let’s all remember the year that we’re all trying to forget, by buying this book! Thanks for your support.
Originally posted this as a Twitter Thread which seemed to resonate with some folks…
Here is the story in full…
Watching Luke Schenn hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup makes me think about the time Luke Schenn and I broke the rules at Sick Kids Hospital. Rewind to a number of years ago, when I was running the Leafs Social Media team.
That job was filled with perks, but also some really tough days as well. Tough because very few on the organization saw the role for what it was: a storyteller. Most thought ‘There’s the guy who sends tweets’. That is super frustrating and probably deserves a thread of its own, for another day. Anyhoo, back to the story…
Every year, the Leafs visit Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto. Rain or shine, winning season or losing season, the players always show up. It’s written in contracts that X amount of public appearances are mandatory but the Sick Kids visit is one no player wanted to miss. This goes the same for staffers. I was lucky enough to ‘cover’ the event numerous times, but one time really stands out.
Let me set the scene: the entire Leafs team shows up and waits in a room. There’s some chit chat, but all definitely aware we are in a hospital for children. Right next door there is another, larger room that is more like a family room filled with couches, bean bag chairs and some fun things: air hockey, bubble hockey, board games, puzzles. This is the room the players and kids who are currently patients meet in. The initial meet is more for the cameras, as kids and their families walk in and are met with the whole Leafs team. Players are in their jerseys so it’s easier to know who is who. It’s a pretty magical moment to see faces light up. Yes the kids are over the moon, but you can also see it with the parents. This is a nice break from the treatments, the stress and anxiety that comes along with their situation. Everyone wins. Like I said before, it’s magical. This is phase 1 of the visit. The mixer, if you will. All your favourite news organizations are there doing what they do. Then the cameras get shut off and go away. Stories get filed. The players on the other hand head to phase 2 of the Sick Kids visit.
With bags full of Carleton The Bear toys and other hockey related Leafs merch, the players break into smaller groups and visit the rooms of kids who were not able to come to the mixer. This means kids who are not mobile or kids who are in situations that cannot allow them to be in larger groups. It also meant kids who don’t have long to live. This is something that you cannot prepare for. There was only one rule and the nurses and staff stressed it: outside of the family games room, NO PHOTOS are to be taken. Part of why I was there was to take photos but I totally understood the no photos rule and followed it – no problem.
So Luke Schenn and I got paired together for the phase 2 part of the Sick Kids visit. At this point I believe Luke was 21 or so and just got named or was about to be named an assistant captain of the Leafs under Ron Wilson. He was really showing growth on the ice, and from what I was witness to, really showing growth off the ice too. So here we were, at the hospital, going room to room talking to families and visiting kids in really challenging situations. Luke was great. Not much of a talker but finding common ground with a gift, or some hockey talk with the kids or parents, and of course signing autographs when asked. We visited four or five rooms and then we walked in to our final room of the day and we were not prepared.
There was a small child, a boy, about 7 or 8 years old… It was hard to make out what he looked like as he had so many tubes and wires covering most of his face and a pretty large apparatus surrounding him. Many noises and beeping sounds filled the room. It felt like the mechanical parts were trying to drown out everything else. My heart sank. I thought what a cruel world we live in that this child has to go through this. I looked at Luke and he seemed calm and right when I was about to ask him if he was ok, the father of the child popped out of a chair and introduced himself to Luke. He was wearing a Leafs jersey. And told us he and his boy were huge fans. I pictured the dad and his boy trying to watch Leafs games through the all the wires and machines. I pictured them not being able to high five each other after a goal, I pictured them not being able to hug after a win. My heart was aching for this dad. Luke and him were winding down their pleasantries, and the dad asked for a photo. Now remember, the staff hammered home NO PHOTOS. They – Luke and the dad – looked at me. I couldn’t get a word out. The dad handed me his phone and they both went on either side of the son’s bed. They posed, and just as I was about to take a pic, my head was overwhelmed with thoughts… ‘What if the flash sets off a reaction of some sort?’ ‘What if the operation of This phone hurts this child in some way?’ ‘What if I break the rules and the entire Leafs organization gets blamed?’ I pictured my face on the front page of every news site and the years of hate getting sent my way. I was getting dizzy and about to fall over. Then the Dad walked over thinking I was having an issue with his phone, and in a soothing voice said ‘I am giving you permission to take this photo, this may be the last photo we have of our son.’
I lost it (on the inside) and was barely holding in the emotions, the sobbing that I wanted to so badly to release. Then Luke gave me a head nod and mouthed ‘it’s okay’. We were doing this. This photo was getting snapped. And like that, it was taken. The dad stood up and took his phone back, then asked me if I had children. I said I did. A girl who was 4. He then asked Luke if he had children, to which Luke replied “I’m only 21, so no.” We all shared a brief laugh. That nervous laugh of realizing our hockey heroes are… still sometimes just kids themselves. So when I saw Luke Schenn, now 30 years old, lift the Stanley Cup the other night I thought of that boy, that family, that moment, and sometimes it’s ok to break the rules.
I originally wrote this in 2014, but it feels appropriate for today. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it was just a matter of time before people across many sectors would be furloughed, let go, laid off – or whatever it’s being called today.
Friends, a few thoughts as we wind down the year: specifically to those who lost their job or knew someone who lost their job this year. If you were ‘let go’ … I have some good news for you… it will be okay. It may not feel like it right away, but things will get better and you’ll be better for it. Sometimes a dramatic, emotional event like being let go is the exact thing you need to grow. It happened to me.
Years ago, I was let go from my job in radio and I was crushed. I built something so special with some amazing people and in an instant, it was all gone. Reality hits you hard. You see, we had just welcomed a brand new baby in our home. Speaking of that home, the roof was leaking, as was the foundation. It really felt like nothing would ever fix all the leaks; both the actual and the metaphorical. Then, over time, with hard work and a whole lotta love and support, the water stopped (just keeping the metaphor going here). The big takeaway was that I used to live to work and slowly started to figure out that I had it all wrong. Time – and more specifically time spent with people I love – was the only thing that mattered. Losing my job was the trigger to figuring this out. In fact, when I was riding the subway home after getting ‘shown the door’ I was a wreck. It was like a scene from a movie: I had a small cardboard box that held a few items, my eyes were glassy and I was in and out of crying the whole way home. I kept thinking, “What am I going to say?” “How do I explain this?” “What are we going to do?” I even thought about not telling anyone. Like, maybe, I can fake it for a few weeks while I find something else. Then I walked through the door of my house and it all became clear. I scooped my baby into my arms and a calmness came over me. I said to my partner “I was fired”. She said something like ‘those idiots don’t know what they just did” and then we laughed a bit – maybe a bit nervously. And that was pretty much the only conversation we had about it.
I didn’t know it at the time, but it was nothing. If you just lost your job, I know how it looks and feels; like the world is closing in. The anxiety. The unknown. The fear of not knowing what is next. I PROMISE YOU the world is not closing in on you. That’s just a temporary sensation. It will go away. The unknown is to be embraced. It is not scary. It is full of possibility. In my career trajectory, I thought it was an unsurpassable brick wall, but it was just a small speed bump – and not even a real speed bump. More like the kind of speed bump that has been scraped over by snowplows for years. Like a teeny tiny blip. That blip was an amazing life lesson. What I learned about myself was extraordinary. Almost to the point where I considered thanking the guy who ultimately had to terminate me. (Update: I never thanked that fucker. I just moved on)
When I hear about people losing their job, I feel a deep emotional connection to them. I feel there are things I should say, or things I should do. When I was let go I received two phone calls right away. One from my friend Zeke and one from my friend Martin. I will always remember that they took the time to call me and not just to say ‘sorry to hear’, but more about future plans. If you are working with someone and one day they get let go, I promise you that picking up a device and communicating with them in some way will mean the world to them. Maybe not right away, but they will always remember. A year after I was let go, my buddy Martin (Yes, the same Martin as above) was also let go. I called him right away and he answered his phone with ‘You beat me by one!’. We laughed. He meant he was the second person to call me and I was the first to call him. We remembered. We then talked about the future, just like when I was let go.
As this tumultuous year winds down, take a moment and think about the people you know who’s life has changed. Check in on them. Send a message. Say hello. Talk about the future.
Either way, thanks for reading. I really do appreciate it. Here’s to the future and cheers to spending more time with the people you love.
I’ve recently joined the Plaid For Dad Executive Council supporting Prostate Cancer Canada. The Council is made up of super smart and talented people (I know what you’re thinking… why am I there? but please keep reading…) who all believe that m
ore awareness and support will lead to inspiring a nation of Canadian men to, um, do what needs to be done. If detected, 90% of prostate cancers are treatable. 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with Prostate Cancer in their lifetime.
#PlaidForDad is a national campaign that involves people and workplaces across Canada fundraising in support of Prostate Cancer Canada. It all revolves around the Friday before Father’s Day – and the weeks leading up to that Friday. Yes, we wear plaid – but there’s so much more. That’s where you come in…
I’m looking for leaders like you to bring #PlaidForDad to your place of work. I’m looking for creators like you to inspire workplaces to take part. The size of the workplace (big or small) does not matter. We need more workplaces taking part. We need more workplaces challenging other workplaces.
Here’s one simple step to get your workplace involved:
Then you’ll get a tool kit and some advice on how to inspire and lead. Ideas like bake sales, pizza days, BBQs, prizes, all ahead of the big Friday. Challenge other workplaces.
That’s it. Sign up your workplace and then you’re a part of something special. Any questions, get in touch with me on any platform:
on Twitter
on Facebook
on Linked In
Here are some stats to help motivate you to take part:
You are in good company… 
Joining the Plaid For Dad Executive Committee is part of my commitment to help 40 charities (Read all about #IMPACT40)