S7:E9 Bill C-18 and Canadian News: A Closer Look
In this timely episode of the Pivot, Ken and Ethan dive into Bill C-18, the Online News Act. Specifically focusing on the tech giant conflict and what it means for Canadians and newsrooms. They also explore the media business as a whole, alternative approaches to regulatory sanity, and how we can explore different avenues of news.
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Guest Bio
Ethan Lou
Opinion editor in the Globe and Mail's business section. Ethan also writes a regular column.
Wrote "Once a Bitcoin Miner: Scandal and Turmoil in the Cryptocurrency Wild West," named among the CBC's best Canadian nonfiction of 2021 and described as "vividly brought to life" by the Times. Prior book "Field Notes from a Pandemic" was named among the CBC's best Canadian nonfiction of 2020. Ethan’s work ranged from longform narratives to essays to geopolitics commentary. Wrote regular columns in the Financial Post and the Globe and Mail. My words appeared in the Guardian, the Toronto Star, the Walrus and the Washington Post. Ethan was particularly passionate about investigative work and had a track record with confidential sources, courts and freedom-of-information requests.
Ethan’s book: Once a Bitcoin Miner: Scandal and Turmoil in the Cryptocurrency Wild West
Follow Ethan: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/authors/ethan-lou/
#ThePivot S7:E8 Year-round Pride and Allyship with Dean Lobo of The 519 (he/him)
Pride is intersectional and allyship is not meant to be comfortable. Join us on this episode of The Pivot, featuring Dean Lobo of The 519, as we move beyond labels and proactively peel the onion on what it really means to be an ally for 2SLGBTQ+ communities.
As we continue to explore avenues of support, safety and empowerment, we must remember it’s not just 2SLGBTQ+ people doing the 2SLGBTQ+ work - rather, it is an active space for allies to come in, pitch in and join in, too. To resist hate and rise above it, and centre and celebrate queer joy with proactive, consistent, year-round effort - there remains much work to be done.
‘An army of lovers shall not fail, and when we come together, there is nothing we can’t do.’
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Guest Bio
Dean Lobo (he/him)
Dean is a seasoned communications specialist with a decade's experience across radio, television production, print and digital news, strategic communications, and media studies facilitation.
During his journalism years, Dean reported extensively about issues impacting LGBTQ+ communities, bringing that same passion for community to his communications role now at The 519 - Canada’s most prominent 2SLGBTQ+ multi-service centre and a City of Toronto agency. He recently presented the Communicator’s Guide to Gender Diversity and Inclusion at the IABC World Conference 2023 in Toronto.
Dean continues to explore how his South Asian roots and queer identity interact with his life now as a settler, and for that, he finds himself turning to writing, art, and music.
Want to learn more about The 519 and their work? Check out the links below.
See their main website here and some of their resources and advocacy work below. Click here to donate to or support The 519.
- The 519's Army of Lovers advocacy work: Anti-2SLGBTQ+ extremists are escalating their attacks on our communities – in Toronto, across Canada, and the world. Generations of 2 Spirit, queer and trans people have fought for our right to live in the light with pride and dignity. This Pride season, let’s get one thing straight: we’re an Army of Lovers, and we won’t back down.
- The 519 Media Reference Guide: Co-created by The 519 with 2SLGBTQ+ community activists and leaders, the guide is informed by community conversations and will support anyone who wants to produce better journalism, champion inclusion, and expand their learning and allyship.
- Creating Authentic Spaces: A Gender Identity and Expression Toolkit: This resource is designed to support screen readers. Our Creating Authentic Spaces toolkit and education program is part of our efforts to challenge transphobia and to foster environments that are inclusive of gender identity and gender expression.
Follow The 519 on social media:
Want to connect with Dean Lobo? You can find him on Linkedin here or Instagram here.
S7:E7 Exceeding Our Goals with Jill Burgin and Aisha Mayne
Jill Burgin and Aisha Mayne of AFC Toronto City and Project 8 join The Pivot to dive into women's sport and soccer - walking us through their progress, projects, goal attainment and much more. Leaning into their dedication to community and brand humanisation, we cover moving parts around role modelling, talent, team-building, two-way conversations, community, grassroots support and much more. Truly, raising the bar through open dialogues, dismantling misconceptions and meeting deep and visceral needs of our communities.
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Guest Bios
Jill Burgin
Jill has international business experience having worked in London, England, for Diageo head office creating a business portal for Global Brand teams and website development experience while working with the Diageo Way of Brand Building team. She has communication experience having worked with Clockwork Talk - a communications company that helps people create powerful messages that shift attitudes and spark action, with a proven ability to create an environment where risk taking is encouraged and new ideas are developed and executed.
Jill Burgin holds an MBA in Marketing from the University of Toronto and an undergraduate degree in International Relations and Japanese Studies. While undertaking her undergraduate degree, she competed on 3 different varsity teams – Cross Country Skiing, Rowing and waterpolo.
Jill is an enthusiastic volunteer with North Toronto Soccer, having been a team manager for over 4 years for her daughter at the OPDL and League 1 Reserve level. As the mother of three teenage daughters who have all been involved in sport throughout their lives, Jill appreciates the role that sport can play in helping young women & girls develop confidence & leadership skills.
Follow Jill:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/a-jill-burgin-78b729/
Aisha Mayne (she/her)
Aisha Mayne is a serial brand builder currently on her fourth new launch with Project 8 Sports. She brings 10 years of CPG marketing and sales experience combined with her most recent start-up in the Venture Capital sector. Aisha has marketed brands of all life stages across food and beverage, renewable energy, smart home technology and financial services. Her purpose is rooted in ESG and social impact, with certifications in sustainable business strategy from Harvard Business School and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. She looks at sport as a tool for social impact: uniting communities, reducing inequalities and inspiring the next generation.
Follow Aisha:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aishamayne/
S7:E6 Getting Ahead of Crisis with Anne Marie Aikins (she/her)
As the trusted spokesperson and industry leader you want during the good times and the really, really bad times, Anne Marie Aikins (she/her) joins The Pivot on this week’s episode. Leaning into her dedication for public service, we dive into her community engagement experiences and how to proactively foster thought-provoking goodwill, and partnership. We also weave through the do’s and don'ts of solid issues management and crisis communication, when to deploy an area expert versus a spokesperson and much more.
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Guest Bio
A trusted spokesperson and seasoned media industry leader, former Chief Spokesperson of Metrolinx, Anne Marie Aikins (she/her), brings more than two decades of experience in award-winning media relations and complex crisis communications. A published author, former journalist and creative storyteller, Anne Marie is also known for her great sense of humour, dedication to public service, and unlimited energy.
Follow Anne Marie on:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-marie-aikins-07809218/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AMAwithAMA
S7:E5 Writing the Book on AI with Mohit Rajhans
Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to be at the epicentre of many conversations. Even now, we see it changing how people work, and disruption often comes with questions. For instance - what could be the unintended consequences of AI? How can we effectively coalesce and harness real knowledge in our teams and organisations while leveraging intelligent evolving tools? What about untapped information, lessons and space, which still have yet to come down the pipeline?
Dive into Ken and Mohit’s thought-provoking conversation as they dissect all of this and much more, through an added lens of the good, the bad and the ugly.
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Guest Bio
Mohit Rajhans is a media professional with over 20 years of experience. His mix of corporate and media experience has led to success as a media consultant, helping companies, students, and associations prepare for the digital world accelerating around us.
Mohit is also a nationally syndicated columnist for CBC on technology and media, an avid film culture enthusiast, and also runs Dadspotting.com for the parenting market.
With his recent Amazon #1 book, "Rethinking Your Content," Mohit has spent the last two years appearing on TV and radio stations across North America, as well as podcasts from all over the world.
He's been recognized as a trailblazer by the ReelWorld Festival, is on the jury for the iEmmys, and has collaborated with The Walrus to release the podcast The Future of the Internet in 2022.
You can read his blog and see his latest media appearances at ThinkStart.ca or Google Mohit Rajhans for more places to connect.
S7:E4 Diving Deep into Media with Brett Chang
S7:E4 Diving Deep into Media with Brett Chang
Intentional media consumption and being informed are more relevant than ever as the landscape continues to evolve. But why? What does being informed truly mean in 2023 and beyond? What makes one type of media appear more ubiquitous than another? How can paid social be leveraged when building an online community? And where does legacy media fit in this space?
This week, we are joined by Co-Founder of The Peak and Host of the Peak Daily, Brett Chang to answer all of these questions, and much more. We also discuss Brett’s non-linear journey into the world of media and his passion and approaches for sustaining The Peak Daily and The Peak, Canada’s most daily read newsletter.
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Guest Bios
Brett Chang is CEO and Co-Founder of The Peak. The Peak helps Canada's modern business leaders get smarter and stay informed with news and content that's fast, entertaining, and digestible. Across newsletters, podcasts, events, and social media, The Peak reaches a daily audience of over 110,000 modern Canadian business and public policy leaders.
Greatest Hits: Exploring the mindset of younger generations with Sabaa Quao
The Pivot Greatest Hits: Exploring the Mindset of Younger Generations with Sabaa Quao
The Pivot Greatest Hits: As we launch into 2023, we bring to you a past Season 4 conversation with Sabaa Quao, Chief Creative Officer at Cossette and Co-Founder at Wealthie Works Daily. Tune in for relevant insights on the shifting consumer mindset, how the digitization of money presents risks to younger generations, and the need for persistent and consistent financial literacy.
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If we look to generation Z, and even generation alpha, there is some hope. Generation Z are confident creators and less burdened with self-conscious expression, but for this potential to blossom, they need the financial independence and liberty to truly unleash their creativity, business savviness and activism.
**The Pivot with Ken Evans will return in February 2023 with continued marketing-focused content. We are excited to be exploring new topics and developments with industry leaders. Wishing you and your families a Happy New Year!**
Episode originally aired October 2020.
S7:E3 Exploring Inclusive Cultures with Dr. Sofia B. Pertuz and Therese O’Higgins
Inclusive cultures are evolving and more and more organisations are taking note. But, what does it really mean to foster equal and equitable opportunity? Why are listening, soul-searching and actionable leadership so important in marketing and messaging?
This week, we are joined by key leaders from the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, Dr. Sofia B. Pertuz and Therese O’Higgins to dive into these topics. We also chat about the importance of trailblazers like Billie Jean King and specific steps organizations can take to address real issues, both internal and systemic, as we strive to create greater equitable opportunities, access, representation and inclusive cultures across the board.
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Guest Bios
Therese O’Higgins is a founding partner and the Executive Director of The Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, a Foundation founded in partnership with sports and social justice champion Billie Jean King to foster more equity and inclusion in the workplace. Using operational knowledge and prior consulting experience, Therese has also built a service line of Billie Jean King Enterprises that delivers consulting, counsel and strategic advisory on diversity, equity and inclusion to a number of clients across corporate and sporting entities.
Dr. Sofia B. Pertuz is a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) professional and ICF certified executive coach with over 25 years of experience serving higher education, nonprofit and corporate organizations. has been an invited speaker for international audiences on topics in leadership, social justice, mental health, Latinx/Hispanic identity and LGBTQ+ advocacy, delivering keynotes in both English and Spanish. Prior to joining the Billie Jean King Leadership team, Sofia served as the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for the Jed Foundation, a nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for young people. Sofia is also the Founder and Lead DEI Strategist for Mainstream Insight, LLC, consulting and providing training and workshops for organization aiming to achieve inclusive excellence.
S7:E2 Behind the Pixel of Digital Out-of-Home Advertising with Scott Mitchell and Debbie Benadiba
The ad-spend pie is evolving and digital is now capturing a large portion of marketing dollars. This week we’re joined by Vistar Managing Director, Scott Mitchell and NOVUS Media President, Debbie Benadiba, to talk about how they are moving the needle with digital out-of-home. From data to measurement to automation, we take a closer look at the evolution of these key pillars in out-of-home and discuss the steps marketers are taking as they leverage technology to generate omnichannel approaches that resonate with audiences.
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Guest Bios
Scott Mitchell is Managing Director for Canada at Vistar Media, the leading global provider of programmatic and software solutions for digital out-of-home. Since joining Vistar in 2017, Scott has launched the Canadian office and grown operations to a fully staffed team with strategic partnerships across the entire programmatic landscape. Prior to joining Vistar, Scott held positions at TubeMogul (now Adobe) opening Canadian operations and working with agencies, as well as in the Enterprise (SaaS) business working with brands directly. Scott also worked at Yahoo! Canada leading the CPG vertical.
Debbie Drutz is the President of Novus Canada, North America’s premiere Print and OOH Specialist agency. Novus leverages media services, geo-spatial planning and analytic capabilities to provide comprehensive media strategy programs to allow brands to reach their audiences where they are. Bringing over 22 years of extensive knowledge in the industry, Debbie joined Novus to shape the strategy and vision of the company, and to lend her expertise to driving growth for Novus and its partners.
S7:E1 True Sports Development with Matt Young and Paul Beirne
With Canadian sport continuing to be at the forefront of many recent headlines, some key questions are arising. How can we raise the standard in sports development to ensure the right balance between fun and competitiveness? How do we integrate EDI forward? And what does it—really—mean to foster community? How do we create greater accountability to ensure the betterment of our partners, team members, support systems and developmental pipeline?
Find out in our first episode of season 7, where Ken is joined by Matt Young and Paul Beirne to open the curtains on true sports development, what it means and how we can leverage it in 2022 and beyond.
Whether you’re heading an organization or looking for brilliant, salient ways to foster community in your every day sport, amateur and professional, you will want to tune in!
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Guest Bios
Matt Young is globally recognized as THE expert in turning Long-Term Athlete Development Framework theory into strategy that works for organizations ranging from grassroots to professional & Olympic levels of sport. Matt’s ability to distill complex constructs into bite-sized pieces that can be understood has made him a sought-after business consultant. Young is also a Guinness World record holder with $6,000,000.00+ raised for charity to date.
Paul Beirne is one of Canada’s leading soccer executives and one of the people who brought the Canadian Premier League to life. As a serial sports start-up and turnaround specialist he has been part of many tremendous sporting successes: Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and the Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club.
FOLLOW
Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-young-3a133310/
Paul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-beirne/
Ken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenneth-evans-1484082/