Author: Kevin Bourne

The Weeknd is one of those guys that can’t seem to stop winning. Late last year he performed at the Victoria’s Secret runway show in front of a global television audience. This past August he collaborated with Puma on the XO Parallel high top sneaker. He also had spring and fall lines with H&M. And now The Weeknd and Marvel are collaborating on a Starboy comic book. Yes, you heard that right. I respect all of The Weeknd’s business moves; he’s obviously smart. Looking back at his career, he’s been a master at branding himself, starting with his former signature hairstyle…

“I am who I am. Your approval isn’t needed.” -Jack Nicholson

Cy Kari of SHIFTER On Films recently had the opportunity to chat with film producer Patrick Kirezi and director Pacifique Cyusa about their upcoming debut feature film “Ace of Heart”. The We Next Films founders, Rwandese filmmakers currently based in Ottawa, Canada, talked about their creative process for “Ace of Heart” and their vision for film in their native Rwanda. Check out our in-depth interview below. Also listen to: INTERVIEW WITH OSCAR NOMINATED DIRECTOR OF ROOM, LENNY ABRAHAMSON

Gloria Chik, founder of The Flight Pack digital agency and lifestyle blog Rogue Stories, is the ultimate media maven you need to know! She has worked with some of the top names in the industry; Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs Enterprises is just one of many. After working two years in New York city, Gloria made the decision to move back to Toronto and further pursue her passions, and this is where The Flight Pack was born. Her innovative idea to create a sleek, minimalist, stylish, and eco-friendly travel pack is just genius. This maven is one to watch! Listen to hear…

Yesterday, the Canadian government announced that Netflix would be spending $500 million on original Canadian content over the next five years. The investment is the cornerstone of the government’s Creative Canada plan. The popularity of Canadian content and storytelling is at an all-time high with the success of shows like “The Handmaid’s Tale” based on the novel by legendary Canadian writer, Margaret Atwood. The CBC, Canada’s national broadcaster, reported: “Internet streaming service Netflix will spend at least half a billion dollars over the next five years to fund original Canadian productions, CBC News has learned. The funding will officially be announced tomorrow by…

At the end of the day, we all need to thank Donald Trump. Seriously. Yes, he says some idiotic things. Actually, he says things people like him always wanted to say. Looking at the headlines and social media, we have players in most major sports protesting for freedom of speech and equality. Even some NFL owners, symbols of elitism and power, have come around. No doubt, Donald Trump has been dividing people since the launch of his campaign but we’ve finally arrived at the “enough is enough” point where the opposite is happening- people are uniting and standing together. Most…

Nike Onile, founder of 800 SQ Feet, and Cityline’s very own design expert is the real deal, say it as it is kind of woman we all need in our lives. Nike began her career as a scientist, but realized she wasn’t fulfilling her creative desires. Design has always been apart of her life, she sees interior design as her canvas, and she talks about furniture and fabrics being her medium. Nike believed in her passion and took the steps to make it all happen. To listen to her amazing story click the links below. Ep. 19 – Nike Onile, founder…

This fall, I was lucky enough to land a contract gig working for the Toronto International Film Festival, which ran from September 7–17. On the staff side, the festival runs like a well-oiled machine, though a very large one comprised of over 3500 staff and volunteers. The sheer size of the festival is sometimes hard to fathom; it’s the largest publicly attended film festival in the world, as evidenced by the hundreds of thousands of screening attendees, press and industry reps, and film fans lining the streets at all hours. It was a wonderful experience. I got to meet and…

(Or Night is short, walk on girl) Directed by Masaaki Yuasa, Japan If there is one thing one should appreciate when it comes to the Ottawa International Animation Festival, it’s the opportunity to admire the different ways animation can be used as a medium to tell stories from all over the world. I recently had the chance to watch one of my most anticipated films of the entire festival, “Yoruma Mijikashi Arukeyo Otome”, and I left the theatre really satisfied. The film is an adaptation of Tomihiko Morimi’s novel of the same name. It follows the adventures of Otome, a young…

Similar to Friday night, after planning to check out some of the bigger names at CityFolk, I chose instead to see some of the lesser known, local acts. But this time instead of staying on the festival grounds at Lansdowne Park I went out onto Bank Street to check out a few of the Marvest shows. Marvest is an offshoot of CityFolk featuring shows by local artists at small venues all along Bank Street in an effort to create a bit of a SXSW vibe. It’s a musical harvest that presents “a feast of locally produced music”. After seeing a few folk rock…

On Friday night CityFolk featured one of Canada’s more intriguing acts, Broken Social Scene. Fresh off releasing their latest album Hug of Thunder they played an hour long set featuring songs from their diverse catalogue. What makes Broken Social Scene interesting is the constant rotating cast of members from other major Canadian Indie acts including Metric, Feist, Stars, Apostle of Hustle, Do Make Say Think, KC Accidental, Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton, Amy Millan, and Jason Collett. With such a diverse lineup the music obviously takes on different and varying characteristics as almost every song has a different lineup, sometimes members…

Day 2 of CityFolk included some big names like Hawaiian singer-songerwriter, Jack Johnson, but it was also a great night to see some lesser known, local talent. Performing at the same time as Johnson was the Ottawa-based country rock band Honey & Rust. I’d heard one of their songs before but this was my first time seeing them live. Even before they started playing, watching them set up set the tone for the performance. Lead vocalist, Jo Beattie, who was already on keys, put her harmonica around her neck and backup vocalist Cristy Williams took her seat at the drums. That says…