Samantha Clarke is an international wedding photographer based in Toronto, ON. We sat down and discussed the photography world and what it takes to be in this business. Samantha’s positive attitude and vivacious personality are what makes her so unique. She connects with each of her clients in such a way that immediately brings them at ease and allows them to open up freely, and that is what Samantha captures and what sets her apart. Her ability to connect and capture that raw and true emotion people and couples have. Samantha has truly mastered this, and continues to capture and…
Author: Kevin Bourne
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.
Our Vladimir Jean-Gilles appeared on CTV Morning Live to share his list of the must-see films for this fall. Watch the segment below.
I have a confession to make. I’m a Christian. It’s not a popular thing to be nowadays. As soon as people know you’re a Christian they assume you’re judgmental, boring, flaky, unintelligent, or a Trump supporter. Jews are cheap, Muslims are violent and Christians are judgmental according to stereotypes. Over the past few months faith and Christianity have been in the news because of Justin Bieber. First, he cancelled his highly successful world tour. Initially we were told it was due to exhaustion, which I believe was part of the reason. Later TMZ reported it was because he wanted to…
So far it’s been a memorable year in Canada’s capital- car races, downhill ice skating races, three-course dinners 150 feet in the air, a dinner for 1,000 people in front of Parliament, and of course, giant mechanical spiders and dragons roaming city streets. Not what you would expect from a city with a decades old reputation for being a sleepy government town. The man in charge of making this all happen- Guy Laflamme. As the chair and architect of Ottawa 2017, he has helped take a city that some call “the city that fun forgot” and turn it into a…
In our in-depth interview with Guy Laflamme, Joe Mebrahtu and Kevin Bourne talk to the Ottawa 2017 executive director, about his legacy and efforts to rebrand Canada’s capital. Joe Mebrahtu: So when you started this, you know Ottawa 2017, what was your vision? What was a win for you at the time? Guy: To achieve everything I’ve been dreaming of and never managed to implement because I’ve spent most of my years as a producer in the federal government we had all kinds of justified restrictions. But like when I was producing Canada Day I had all kinds of crazy…
This past weekend was the annual House of Paint hip-hop festival, a must-see event on my calendar every year. It really is one of the most underrated events, not just within Ottawa, but North America wide. Every year House of Paint delivers top tier performers. Past performers include EPMD, Afrika Bambaataa, Big Daddy Kane and Canadian hip-hop legend, Maestro Fresh Wes. This year House of Paint had something for the old school hip-hop fan in New York’s Smif-N-Wessun, and something for the younger hip-hop head in Montreal-turned-Los Angeles DJ and producer, A-Trak. One thing that I’ve noticed is House of Paint’s biggest…
The Mayweather-McGregor fight is now in the history books. Floyd Mayweather fans all over the world celebrated his 10th round TKO while dogging Conor McGregor. Social media was filled with memes. Know-it-alls worldwide talked about how they knew a 49-0 legend like Floyd Mayweather couldn’t lose to a guy with no professional boxing experience. The truth is if you think Conor McGregor lost, you’re wrong. Boxing is business McGregor had the most to gain from this fight and Mayweather had the most to lose. As my colleague Sheldon Barrocks noted, it was McGregor who originally vocalized the idea for the…
Toronto entrepreneur, Daniel Calderon, is co-founder of Four Thirty, a creative platform that connects brands to top-tier creative freelancers. Daniel and I sat down and discussed the ins and outs of owning a creative company, the process of hiring creative freelancers and what they look for, networking, and so much more. Have a listen below for our full interview. Ep. 17 – Daniel Calderon of Four Thirty Photos by Jodianne Beckford For more photos of Daniel Calderon visit jodiannebeckford.com DANIEL CALDERDON SOCIAL MEDIA Website: DanielCalderon Facebook: FourThirty Instagram: DanielCalderon Twitter: DanielCalderon VIDEO EDITED BY: O’SHANE HOWARD Vimeo: O’shaneHoward Instagram: O’shaneHoward Website: O’shaneHoward Facebook: O’shaneHoward VIDEO FILMED BY: JODIANNE BECKFORD…
Today Google revealed their most interactive doodle yet in celebration of the 44th anniversary of hip-hop. If you’re a serious fan of hip-hop you’ll want to check it out. It was 44 years ago today that hip-hop started at a back to school party in the Bronx. Kool Herc, recognized as the father of hip-hop, isolated the instrumental part of a track, or the “break”, and a genre and culture was born. Former DefJam CEO turn YouTube Global Head of Music, Lyor Cohen says of the occasion, “Today we acknowledge and celebrate a cultural revolution that’s spanned 44 years and…
I don’t know about you, but one of the faces I’ve been missing in Hollywood is Jim Carrey. If you grew up in the 80’s and 90’s you got used to seeing him regularly on In Living Color and in his many hit movies, from Ace Ventura to The Truman Show. Really, he’s the Eminem of the big screen. He came up in a time when black comedians were dominating and he emerged as one of the GOATS. If you think Kevin Hart is a box office success, he can’t even compare to the run that Carrey had. And really,…
Angela Brasington is the founder and designer of Anjé clothing. Having acquired a business degree and having been in the fashion industry for nearly 10 years, Angela realized that it was time to pursue her own line. This allowed her to be one step ahead of the game. Since launching in 2014, Anjé has grown into an amazing brand and continues to provide chic designs for all women that want to look sexy while still being comfortable and stylish. Their motto is being minimalist and chic at the same time and bringing you from day to night transitionally. This fashion ninja’s story…
The Toronto International Film Festival is just around the corner. Koliah Bourne of SHIFTER Magazine and SHIFTER On Films had the opportunity to chat with TIFF’s artistic director, Cameron Bailey, about diversity in film and television. Koliah Bourne: First off, thank you again for taking the time to talk to me. I really appreciate it. Cameron Bailey: No problem. Koliah: So there’s been a lot of talk in the past little while for the need for diversity, and I’m not talking gender diversity, I’m talking cultural diversity, race, ethnic diversity. And so I’m asking, why is this so important in this industry?…
