Author: Kevin Bourne

Kevin Bourne is the co-founder and editor of SHIFTER magazine. Born and raised in Toronto, Kevin currently resides in Ottawa with his wife Koliah and their three children. He's a big fan of hip-hop, pop culture, and urbanism and spends most of his time keeping up with the Kardashians.

Dwayne Holness, also well known as Dukez, is the CEO and founder of Corex Creative. Dwayne and Jodianne Beckford sat down and talked about his journey of owning his own company, directing, acting, being featured on Noisey, having faith, not getting caught up when the bad times happen and knowing that we can always overcome it, and so much more. Dwayne’s positive outlook on life has definitely brought him to where he is today. Listen to his full story below. Ep. 29 – Dwayne Holness, Film Director PODCAST: Soundcloud | iTunes | GooglePlayMusic  Photos by Jodianne Beckford For more photos visit eproject.media DWAYNE HOLNESS…

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This year we’re introducing a brand new end-of-year feature, Top 10 Shifters in the Capital celebrating the accomplishments of influencers in the capital. “Shifter” is a term we coined four years ago for people who use their creativity and influence to impact culture, business or the social sector. Without further adieu, here’s our list of the top cultural, business and social influencers who impacted the capital in 2017. 1. GUY LAFLAMME | Executive Director, Ottawa 2017 Bureau The person who had the single biggest cultural and business impact on Ottawa in 2017 was Ottawa 2017 Bureau executive director, Guy Laflamme. Charged with bringing…

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Reviews of Eminem’s latest album Revival are mixed. Even though it debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and is his ninth #1 album, the album was called “trash” by Everyday Struggle’s DJ Akademiks. Eminem and Jay-Z are building the blueprint on how to be an almost-50 rapper who’s a mature version of themselves, yet still relevant. Both of their albums had no real lead single and both were heavy on social commentary, but each of them are achieving different results. While some people have called Jay-Z’s “4:44” his best album yet (and he’s leading the pack in Grammy nominations), Eminem’s Revival hasn’t…

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Femi Lawson is one of Toronto’s big talents. Femi is well-known for his Youtube comedy skits, and phrase “Tantalization”. He has since then expanded his career in entertainment, acting, and event hosting, and has worked with some of the top entertainers in the industry. Femi’s genuine personality is what draws you to him. He has a way about him that makes you feel like one of his longtime friends. Femi’s love for his community is what motivates him to make it to the top. He has given back in many ways and continues to inspire the youth. Listen to his full story…

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Are you listening to Chris Brown’s latest album? Do you have an opinion on Get Out being nominated in the “Best Comedy” category? It seems like we’re living in a time where popular opinion by default becomes representative of a whole group of people. For example, look no further than Black Twitter, known in the Twitterverse as #BlackTwitter. There’s no set definition for the online audience known as “Black Twitter”, so I will define it as such: “Black Twitter is a sort of cultural identity existing on the Twitter platform. Not all black tweeters are apart of Black Twitter and…

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Jordan Oram, is one of Toronto’s talented DOP (director of photography). Jordan’s gift for storytelling is what makes his films stand out. He brings an authentic perspective with an intent to articulate deliberate, candid compositions with a strong passion for credible collaboration, and the aptitude to work with but not limited to the elements of a story. Jordan has a natural ability to find the best look for a project. Listen to his full story here. Ep. 27 – Jordan Oram, Director of Photography PODCAST: iTunes | GooglePlayMusic Photos of by Jodianne Beckford For more photos visit eproject.media JORDAN ORAM SOCIAL…

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Around the world, Canada is known for one sport and one sport only- hockey. It’s a part of the culture and identity like maple syrup and Tim Horton’s coffee. But the Canadian sports landscape is changing. Soccer is the largest participatory sport in Canada with nearly 1,000,000 registered players in 1,200 clubs across the country. And similar to our neighbours to the south, it also happens to be the fastest growing sport in the country. Soccer is growing in Canada and this Brit couldn’t be happier. Here are five reasons Canadians should become soccer fans in 2018. 1. You can choose your club Being raised in…

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When Instagram started introducing their Snapchat knockoff features like stories and filters, critics all over the world, including yours truly, said it was the end of Snapchat. Although Snapchat is having some problems, it turns out us critics were wrong. All over the world the 13 to 34-year-old crowd has remained dedicated the service. As the saying goes, ‘Real recognize real” and to millions of dedicated users, Snapchat is the real deal while Instagram is a knockoff. Although services like Snapchat, Instagram and YouTube are working hard to set themselves apart, one thing they have in common is that they’ve…

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Lynn M. Sainté is the founder and designer of Papaya & CO. Her main source of inspiration is African inspired prints, she uses wax print fabrics to create tote bags, makeup pouches, ties, and so much more! Her love for the community is what drives her to make such unique and culturally impactful designs. Lynn and talked about her journey as a designer, how she started, why the name “Papaya & CO, mentors and so much more. Listen to Lynn’s full story below. Ep. 26 – Papaya & CO founder, Lynn Sainté Click on the links below to listen. PODCAST: iTunes | GooglePlayMusic  Photos…

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Canadian filmmaker, Ben Hoskyn, is set to premiere his debut feature film “8 Minutes Ahead” at the 2017 edition of the Whistler Film Festival. Written by Allan Mackey, Nick Dolinski and Nate Estabrooks, and directed by Hoskyn, the full-length international drama explores the conflicting themes of greed, loyalty, and ambition within a family of Chinese Canadians and their Hong Kong relatives. After decades spent building a shipping company from the ground up, and now at the end of his life, the workaholic and success-obsessed Zhou Li, played by Tseng Chang (Romeo Must Die, Dim Sum Funeral), is wondering what it…

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Ottawa’s very own Maurice Moore delivers a very solid offering for his debut album, The Amber Room, proving why he is one of R&B’s most exciting prospects. This album is fresh, smooth and enjoyable all at the same time. With his talents on full display, the album is by no means perfect, but it is a great introduction for Moore into this topsy turvy R&B world. Maurice shows off his radio friendliness on tracks like “Little More” and “Yeah Yeah Yeah”. On the latter track he capitalizes on the current Afrobeat movement. He breezes so easily and so smoothly on tracks…

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