Don Daynard RIP
Toronto radio legend Don Daynard has passed away. His story isn’t mine to tell. If it’s anyone’s, it’s Erin Davis’s, and she’ll do so in her Monday vlog at erindavis.com.
…Toronto
VO Coach: It’s Money, Honey
They say you shouldn’t take business dealings personally. It’s been at least a decade since a client has tried to skip out on my bill. But I also know it often goes on. Because some companies put entrepreneurs, especially those in creative professions, at the bottom of the payables pile.
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People Who Get Peoply Are the Luckiest People
I spent last weekend in Toronto attending the VO North conference; a gathering of voice-over pros and those who want to be.
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Throwback Thursday – Audition Flashback
I don’t know Gerry Forbes well. We crossed paths professionally a couple of times and had lunch once, with another colleague. It was his brother, Marty, who got me out of Wingham by hiring me at CKFM (soon to become MIX 999, now Virgin) nearly – gulp – three decades ago. I don’t know Marty well, either. He left pretty soon after hiring me, but I chose not to take that personally!
…Throwback Thursday – Curly-Sue
Richard Simmons leaped up on a couch and kissed this portrait at the MIX 999 reception area. A symphony conductor (whose name escapes me) told me that my eyes danced in the photo. And it’s been made fun of more often than I care to remember! …
Throwback Thursday – The Times I Miss
Last week, nearly nine years after I left 680 News, someone contacted me to tell me that they still missed hearing me on the air with Paul Cook. If I’m honest, I still miss hearing me on the air with Paul Cook! Â …
Mission Accomplished
Our friend Al has just completed his first Invictus Games. He only started his sport, archery, in April and he gave some highly accomplished opponents a run for their money in Toronto last week. He also got to shake the hand of Prince Harry, co-founder of the competition for wounded and ailing veterans from around the world. …
More Than Fun & Games
I want to tell you about my brother’s and my friend Al. I call Al my brother from another mother. Al’s Dad and our Dad were business partners at one time. Kevin and Al hung out in high school and have been close pals ever since. They recently went on the motorcycle adventure to Alaska together that I wrote about recently. (That story HERE) …
Hitting the Wall
Part of my deal with the agency that represents me for voice work is that I’ll no longer travel for an in-studio session. If someone wants to hire me, they can do what’s called a Directed Session over Skype while I stay in my home studio. It’s how I remain sane while doing VO on the side while starting my day around 3 am to cohost the CJBK morning show. It’s a hard and fast rule. So, why did I break it last week? …
Throwback Thursday – Twenty Years of This-Just-In!
My former work husband, Paul Cook, marks twenty years on the 680 News morning show this week. That’s quite a feat! Some people don’t survive in broadcasting for twenty years, let alone on one of the top-rated morning shows in the country. …
Throwback Thursday – Twenty Years of This-Just-In!Read More »
Throwback Thursday – Eight Years On
It’s been eight years since I made a permanent move back to London from Toronto. Eight. I hope that by repeating it, it will sink in as real because it’s a big number for what feels like a short amount of time. …
Throwback Thursday – Fire in the Sky
Last weekend’s fireworks brought to mind what fireworks will always remind me of – The Benson and Hedges Symphony of Fire at Ontario Place in Toronto. Yes, kids, there was a time when cigarette companies could sponsor giant events. The SOF was launched in several Canadian cities in 1990 and I was delighted to emcee the Toronto version for several summers. …
Inspection Neglection (It’s not a word…yet!)
The home inspector who gave the all-clear on my Toronto house missed some big problems. Dangerous electrical issues and other things put our lives and bank accounts at risk. He was also a jerk and if you haven’t gathered, he was incompetent. …
Upcoming European Adventure
We’re going to Iceland! I’m as surprised as you are. It’s not a destination I’ve ever considered, and yet, there I was, booking the trip for next February. …
Radio is Dying. Again.
I’ve witnessed, and somehow survived, decades of changes in broadcasting. The industry expands and contracts. A wave of managerial retirements (if they’re lucky) comes along and the next generation does things differently. Like I said, I’ve seen it before. …
We Are Mothers, Hear Us Roar!
Mom and I celebrated Mother’s Day on Saturday. The entire day was orchestrated by her second-born, my brother, who bought us tickets to The Lion King at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, and even pre-paid for our lunch at Hey Lucy, across King St. where our server kindly charged my dying iPhone battery. …
Attack of the Killer Bees – August 8, 2006
One of the juniper bushes out back is sticking way out and interfering with the enjoyment of the slide into the pool. Â …
Belated Valentine for Family Day
Because every family has a Rob Ford, doesn’t it? Â …