Personality Profile > Nick Lees, a Fleet Street Journalist and a “Man of Certain Age”
Nick Lees is a journalist, an adventurer, and a philanthropist, whose insightful writing has been a cornerstone of the Edmonton Journal for decades. In his new column, “Man of a Certain Age,” he tells it like it is—after two hip replacements and approaching 70—as he continues to travel to exotic places, run marathons, and cycle over mountain passes, more often than not in support of one charity or another. Lees also writes a weekly column called “Business Buzz” for the paper’s Business section, and a charity-focused human interest piece for the weekly City section. Read more 
Alberta Media Personality > Jill Belland, On-Location Host of CityTV Calgary’s Breakfast Television
Every morning Jill Belland dishes up a serving of Breakfast Television to Citytv audiences from the lively streets of Calgary. As BT Calgary’s On-Location Host, Jill can be seen scaling buildings with firefighters, feeding bats at the Zoo, and pole dancing her way to morning show glory. The excitement of performing, fast deadlines and having the opportunity to tell people’s unique stories, drove Jill towards a career in television. Jill got her start at Citytv by pouring coffee on the morning show after graduating from the University of Calgary in the Faculty of Communications and Culture with a concentration in Media Studies. Her hard working attitude earned her a job as a production assistant for the News Department. Jill has also delivered daily entertainment news segments on MTV Canada and was the host of Wired before returning to Citytv and joining the Breakfast Television gang as their On Location Host. Read more
Calgary-born Venture Communications CEO and co-star of CBC’s Gemini award-winning Dragons’ Den Arlene Dickinson to Receive Inaugural Award.
Alberta Women Entrepreneurs is recognizing the progressive and impactful contributions of female business-owners with the creation of the prestigious new Celebration of Achievement award; the only award of its kind in Alberta. The first recipient is Arlene Dickinson, CEO of Venture Communications and co-star of CBC’s Gemini award-winning Dragons’ Den. The award ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 3, 2012 at the Fairmont Hotel McDonald. Read more
Jill Belland: Dishing Up News at Breakfast Television in Calgary
Every morning Jill Belland dishes up a serving of Breakfast Television to Citytv audiences from the lively streets of Calgary. As BT’s On Location Host, Jill can be seen scaling buildings with firefighters, feeding bats at the Zoo, and pole dancing her way to morning show glory. The excitement of performing, fast deadlines and having the opportunity to tell people’s unique stories, drove Jill towards a career in television. Jill got her start at Citytv by pouring coffee on the morning show after graduating from the University of Calgary in the Faculty of Communications and Culture with a concentration in Media Studies. Her hard working attitude earned her a job as a production assistant for the News Department. Jill has also delivered daily entertainment news segments on MTV Canada and was the host of Wired before returning to Citytv and joining the Breakfast Television gang as their On Location Host. Read more
Edmonton Native, Acclaimed Voiceover Actor Trevor Devall Returns On-Camera in “Big Time Movie”
After a flourishing career in the voice-over industry spanning over 12 years, Edmonton-born Trevor Devall has returned to the on-camera world with the lead villain role in “Big Time Movie”. The film, an anticipated spin-off from Nickelodeon’s hit series, “Big Time Rush”, is currently airing on Nickelodeon. The award-winning Canadian actor plays Sir Atticus Moon, a multi-billionaire James-Bond-style villain (right down to the white suit and lap-cat) with an evil plan to rule the world. The film was shot in Vancouver and executive produced by BTR’s show creator Scott Fellows. Read more
Amber Bowerman: From Tragedy to Triumph
The Amber Bowerman Memorial Travel Writing Award offered by the Writers Guild of Alberta is in honour of Amber Bowerman a born-and-raised Calgary writer, editor and mentor to journalists. She wrote for many publications, including Avenue, Swerve, CalgaryInc and Alberta Venture. Amber’s first published stories appeared in the Calgary Herald and the Calgary Sun while she was still attending Lord Beaverbrook High School, where she shone as a primary contributor to the student newspaper The Beacon. The Amber Webb-Bowerman Memorial Foundation (AWBMF) was established in the summer of 2008 to honour and preserve the memory of journalist Amber Michelle Bowerman (nee Webb) who was killed in a multiple murder-suicide by her landlord on May 27, 2008. The Amber Webb-Bowerman Memorial Foundation is a registered charity created to help fulfill her dreams by supporting emerging artists and journalists.
Edmonton Sun’s Terry Jones Inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame
Terry Jones has been a sports columnist at the Edmonton Sun since 1982 and has been writing sports in Edmonton since 1967. Jones has covered more Olympics than any other Canadian journalist (16), well over 500 Stanley Cup playoffs games, 37 Grey Cups, 20 Super Bowls and Briers, and every Canada Cup/World Cup hockey tournament dating back to 1976. He’s written a dozen books including the first and last books of Wayne Gretzky’s career (The Great Gretzky and An Oiler Forever). He also wrote ’79 to 99′ published by The Sun. A Canadian Sports Media sportswriter of the year, Jones is in the sports media sections of both the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and soon to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Married to wife Linda, he’s father of sports writing son Shane and twin daughters Trina and Nicole. Watch Terry Jones’ presentation at TedX St Albert posted to YouTube this past November during which he regales the audience with some of his most interesting escapades over his length and laudable career. Read more
Sherwood Park’s Walter Schwabe to Publish a Book on Social Media
Edmonton born, raised and educated Walter Schwabe is Alberta’s answer to Mitch Joel, my number one ranked social media go to person based in Canada who in turn is the answer to Seth Godin, my number one social media go to person based in the US. Walter now calls Sherwood Park home and his production studio FusedLogic TV. You can read more about FusedLogicTV in another post. If you want to read more about Walter Schwabe, read on. Read more
CBC’s Claire Martin to Receive U of A Alumni Recognition Award
Claire Martin has epitomized the profession of meteorology in Canada, providing the highest level of weather forecasting and science presentation. As a senior meteorologist for CBC News, she is renowned for her weather reports and has become the national voice for all things weather related. Martin’s dedication to her profession has greatly improved the public’s understanding of the science of weather. Working with the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, she was the driving force in the development of national broadcast standards for weather reporting. She also shares her expertise with numerous organizations, including the International Association of Broadcast Meteorologists, where she served as chair and vice-chair. An avid educator, this former forecaster with Environment Canada helped create an award-winning weather unit for Alberta’s public school science curriculum, and she also helped run a weather broadcasting course for African nations with the World Meteorological Organization, a UN specialized agency. Read more
Marty Forbes: An Edmonton Broadcaster with Community Service Bred in the Bone
Marty Forbes comes from a family of broadcasters including two brothers, Jerry Jr and Gord, and their father, the indomitable Jerry Forbes Sr who founded Santa’s Anonymous in Edmonton in 1954. Ten years later after working up the ladder from an on-air announcer for CFRN to production manager of CHED in its formative years, the patriarch eventually rose to the position of CHED’s General Manager, a position he held for 24 years. Like his father and two brothers, Marty has spent his career in broadcasting as a writer, on–air performer, Operations Manager, Program Director and VP/GM. He has just ‘semi retired’ from the radio business but remains actively consulting media across the country. For the 17 years before his ‘semi-retirement’, he managed the Edmonton Astral operations, The Bear – EZ Rock and Team 1260 Radio.
Shelley Youngblut: Calgary’s Swerve Magazine Rebel with a Cause
Shelley Youngblut had a problem. How can I get people like me to feel they can do home improvement? She was working on art ideas for a cover story titled “What’s the Worst That Can Happen?” So, when the Swerve editor-in-chief saw someone dressed as Mike Holmes at a Halloween party, she thought, Wouldn’t it be funny to put him on the cover? She found a local impersonator. Perfect! But she didn’t stop there. What if Mike Holmes had a terrible disaster? What if he ended up with a nail in his head? Read more
Margaret Mardirossian: An Alberta Filmmaker Blazing a Trail from BC
A graduate of McGill University, Margaret Mardirossian founded Anaïd Productions in Edmonton, Alberta in 1993. Honoured four times as one of the world’s most influential independent production companies on Realscreen Magazine’s Global 100, Anaïd Productions produces award- winning, internationally recognized, top-rated factual and dramatic television series. Margaret has produced over 200 hours of television including five seasons of the Gemini award-winning series X-Weighted (Slice) and four seasons of both Gemini award-winning series Mentors (Family Channel) and Taking It Off (Life Network). Read more
Marilyn
Jones is a corporate and social media advocate for individuals, small businesses
and nonprofit organizations in Alberta. She lives in Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada and is the proprietor of RiverCity Productions. You can contact her
by phone at 780-695-5675 or by email at marilyn@mediamag.ca.