Over the past few weeks the topic of cultural appropriation has dominated the headlines. Last week Write Magazine editor, Hal Niedzviecki, wrote a controversial opinion piece stating he didn’t “believe in cultural appropriation”. That piece led to his resignation. Steve Ladurantaye, managing editor of the CBC’s The National, was reassigned to another department because of his tweet in support of an appropriation prize. Just this morning the Toronto Star posted an article about a First Nations man decrying the sale of dreamcatchers inspired by Canada’s 150th birthday at Dollarama and just a few weeks ago a band that will be…
Author: Kevin Bourne
Kevin Bourne
Kevin Bourne, also known as "KB The Boss" or simply "KB", is a Toronto-based host/on-air personality, arts & entertainment journalist, TV/film producer, and communications and content strategist. As a commentator and freelancer, he has appeared nationally as a correspondent on CBC News Network and host on CBC Music. He has also appeared locally on CTV, CBC Radio, CityNews, Newstalk 1010, and ByBlacks.com, and in the United States on Fox’s Black digital TV network, Fox Soul. He has covered some of Canada’s top red-carpet events, from the Toronto International Film Festival to the Canadian Screen Awards, and has interviewed everyone from Kevin Hart and "Fast and the Furious" star Tyrese Gibson to Ziggy Marley, Ava DuVernay, Dascha Polanco, Lilly Singh, and Howie Mandel. His years of work as an entertainment journalist led to him being named a Golden Globe® Awards voter and Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-Approved critic and being quoted as a critic in national ad campaigns for Black films and TV shows, both in Canada and the United States. Pivoting into the world of film and television, Kevin co-founded the film, TV, digital content, and live experiences company, SHIFTER Entertainment, alongside his wife and business partner, Koliah. Through SHIFTER he has produced a number of projects, including the Bell Fibe TV1 unscripted reality series A Date In The Life, serving as showrunner, executive producer, writer and co-director. Now, with a number of pilot and feature film scripts written and projects in development, KB is poised to continue to be a champion for Black entertainment and culture alongside his wife and business partner, Koliah.
Adeyemi Adegbesan also well-known as SoTeeOh, is a Toronto based photographer. He talks about his journey as an artist and gives advice on how to build yourself up as a creative. Adeyemi is the definition of a creative, he continues to push the norms and inspires others to do the same. EP. 6 – Adeyemi Adegbesan of SoTeeOh Photos by Jodianne Beckford For more photos of Adeyemi Adegbesan visit jodiannebeckford.com ADEYEMI SOCIAL MEDIA Website: SoTeeOh Instagram: SoTeeOh Facebook: SoTeeOh Twitter: SoTeeOh VIDEO FILMED & EDITED BY: TRISTAN BARROCKS Instagram: TristanB Website: TristanB Facebook: TristanB PODCAST INTRO/OUTRO MUSIC PRODUCED BY: JOE IMPALA Soundcloud: JoeImpala PODCAST…
Racism is alive and well in Canada. Late last year I stood with a group of 20 and 30 something Black men as they shared stories of being profiled by the police. They were mostly stories of being pulled over either because there was a group of Black men in their car or they were simply driving a nice car. We were having this conversation in the lobby at church so the men in this conversation weren’t hardened criminals. They were Christians. The “turn the other cheek kind”. Fathers, husbands, students, and professionals. Now, I say “they” because I don’t…
Twitter has struck again. After giving us #Tweetlikedamedash and other hilarious memes, another great meme is born- #bowwowchallenge. As you’ve probably heard, Shad Moss, also known as Bow Wow, was caught in a bit of a lie yesterday. After posting a photo that he found online of a private jet, suggesting in his caption that he was using it to do some press for a new project, he was later photographed flying economy class by a Snapchat user. This wasn’t the first time Bow Wow was caught “stuntin’”. Last year he posted a picture of a stack of money on…
Cassandra Campbell knew from a young age she was destined for greatness. She worked hard, followed her passion, and didn’t let anything or anyone stop her along the way. EP. 5 – Cassandra Campbell of Cassandra Campbell Beauty Photos by Jodianne Beckford For more photos of Cassandra Campbell visit jodiannebeckford.com CASSANDRA CAMPBELL SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: C.C.B Facebook: C.C.B Twitter: C.C.B VIDEO SHOT & EDITED BY: TRISTAN BARROCKS Instagram: TristanB Website: TristanB Facebook: TristanB PODCAST INTRO/OUTRO MUSIC PRODUCED BY: JOE IMPALA Soundcloud: JoeImpala PODCAST ENGINEERED BY: UNIQUEKA WILSON Instagram: UniquekaW PODCAST RECORDED AT ST. ALBANS BOYS & GIRLS CLUB Instagram: StAlbansbgc Facebook: StAlbansbgc
Joe Mebrahtu recently sat down with international bestselling author and one half of The ABC Guys, Dr. Denis Cauvier, ahead of the release of their latest book, Financial Freedom: How to Profit From Your Perfect Business. Read or listen to the interview below. See the bottom of the page for a limited time offer. Interview with Dr. Denis Cauvier of The ABC Guys Joe: I’m here with Dr. Dennis Cauvier the co-author of this incredible book called Financial Freedom: How to Profit From Your Perfect Business. The first thing I thought when I picked up the book was this…
Joëlle Anello started her career as a funeral director, although she loved her job, she found her true passion in blogging. She then began her journey as a blogger. With hard work and long nights, she has been able to fulfill her goal in turning her passion into a full-time career. EP. 4 – Joëlle Anello of La Petite Noob Photos by Jodianne Beckford For more photos of visit jodiannebeckford.com JOËLLE ANELLO SOCIAL MEDIA Website: lapetitenoob Instagram: lapetitenoob Facebook: lapetitenoob Twitter: lapetitenoob VIDEO SHOT & EDITED BY: SHAMEEN MILLER Instagram: ShameenM Youtube: ShameenM PODCAST INTRO/OUTRO MUSIC PRODUCED BY: JOE IMPALA Soundcloud: JoeImpala PODCAST ENGINEERED BY: UNIQUEKA…
From the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the budding DC Extended Universe and even to the upcoming Kong vs. Godzilla Monster-Verse, studios are always looking for blockbuster franchises destined to strike box office gold. With books (Harry Potter, Hunger Games, etc.), comics (Iron Man, Batman, etc.) and even TV shows (21 Jump Street) each having their own franchises, almost every medium has been tapped for a franchise except for one: video games. At this point, you might be thinking, “But there have been video game movies!” Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, and more recently, Warcraft and Assassin’s Creed are all…
Last August, I asked the question, “Will Instagram Stories Kill Snapchat?” A few industry experts and influencers weighed in and reactions were mixed; some didn’t know, others thought Snapchat would live on, and others thought it was in trouble. Months later, Snapchat has gone public with an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, opening with a $33 billion valuation. It was Southern California’s biggest IPO ever. Almost a month after being listed, analysts are recommending that investors either Buy or Hold the stock. But there’s also reason to be alarmed. According to Tech Crunch, Snapchat’s growth in users slowed…
Nancy Kondo is the definition of a #girlboss. After working in the marketing and advertising industry for over four years, Nancy made the decision to go out on her own to start an agency. Without any hesitation, Nancy followed her passion and knew this was what she was always meant to do. EP. 3 – Nancy Kondo of NKL Marketing Photos by Jodianne Beckford For more photos visit jodiannebeckford.com NANCY KONDO SOCIAL MEDIA Website: NancyKondo Instagram: NancyKondo Instagram: NancyKondo Twitter: NancyKondo VIDEO SHOT & EDITED BY: SHAMEEN MILLER Instagram: ShameenM Youtube: ShameenM PODCAST INTRO/OUTRO MUSIC PRODUCED BY: JOE IMPALA Soundcloud: JoeImpala Podcast Engineered by:…
It’s been a busy year for fashion designer, Amir Zargara. Aside from his usual pop ups that take him to Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal, within the past year he also opened his first store in Ottawa’s Byward Market establishing him as one of the leading designers in the city. His latest project was the Season 5 launch of his clothing line Zargara, extension of the popular lifestyle brand Babes & Gents. The show took place last week which has given us ample time to breakdown the multifaceted presentation, complete with visual art, music, poetry and video direction. Having reviewed Zargara’s…
Last week marked the latest installment of Juno Week, the week-long celebration of Canadian music, capped off by the Juno Awards. This was SHIFTER’s first time covering the awards and it was the experience of a lifetime. In celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, the awards were held in the capital city, Ottawa. A city that’s used to being the political centre of the country got to feel what it’s like to be the cultural centre, and it felt good. Although the Sunday night award show is the main event, having experienced the full week, the mid-week festivities, designed to show…
