Last week I had the chance to cover Fashion Art Toronto for SHIFTER Magazine. Needless to say, you all saw how excited I was taking over SHIFTER’s Snapchat; I would do it again in a heartbeat. This years 11th annual Fashion Art Toronto aka FAT, formerly known as |FAT| Arts & Fashion Week, was held at Daniel Spectrum from April 12-16. Every year there’s a theme that is chosen and this year was called DRESS CODES, which explores the connection/disconnection between fashion and identity. I was able to attend three out of the five days. The first day I attended…
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.
Powerful truth from the legend, Prince.
Artists of the caliber of Prince only come a few times in a life time. He’s a part of that cohort of 80’s stars, like Michael Jackson and Madonna, who have had a significant impact on modern American culture and have become global brands. But Prince was different. Prince was a true musician. Over the past few decades we’ve seen a number of recording artists whose musical talents have been lost behind gimmicks, antics and personal shortcomings. We often forget Lady Gaga is a talented pianist and has an excellent, almost operatic, voice. We often forget Justin Beiber is a…
Another year has come and gone for Canada’s biggest night in fashion, the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards, also known as the CAFA. Sex and the City’s Kim Cattral hosted while supermodel Elle Macpherson received the Vanguard Award recognizing her contributions to the fashion industry over her stellar career. Also in attendance were former America’s Next Top Model creative director, Jay Manuel, Coco Rocha, Winnie Harlow, and Spouse to the Prime Minister, Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau. Among the winners were Womenswear Designer of the Year, Greta Constantine, Menswear Designer of the Year, Wings + Horns, Fashion Innovation Award winners Frank & Oak,…
In a World Creativity & Innovation Week exclusive, our editor, Kevin Bourne, sat down with musician turned tech CEO, Matt Blakely, to talk about his transition from music to business, his successes and what he’s learned along the way. Kevin Bourne: We’re here with Matt Blakley. He’s the founder and CEO of MB3 Technologies, a tech company based in Ottawa, Canada. We’re sitting down having a chat about business and his journey as an entrepreneur. Thank you for sitting down with us. Matt Blakley: Thank you for doing this. KB: No problem. So tell us a bit about your journey.…
Hip-hop artist Lecrae recently published a post on Medium.com called Red Carpet Treatment, a excerpt from his upcoming book Unashamed. Lecrae says of his experience at the 2015 Grammys: When I reached the end of the carpet — you know, the place where artists stand in front of the Grammys backdrop and a crowd of photographers takes their picture — a security guard lowered his hand and asked me to wait. He waved Iggy Azalea around me. She smiled, and the cameras went crazy. When she finished, I started to proceed and the security guard stopped me again. He waved Rick Ross through. This…
What happens when a die-hard fan decides to make a film? TDOSLWH happens. If you’re a Jon Schnepp fan you’ve heard about his 2015 film, The Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened?, a documentary film that explores the circumstances behind the failed Nicholas Cage/Tim Burton Superman project. Superman is easily the world’s most recognizable superhero, and yet in the 80’s and 90’s it was his non-super powered ally, Batman, that enjoyed critical and financial success with Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992). So it was natural that legendary director and producer Tim Burton wanted to explore the DC universe further…
Our film section editor, Vladimir Jean-Gilles, and film critic, Axandre Lemours, had the chance to chat with film director and Collider personality, Jon Schnepp, about his documentary The Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened? and all things film. SO WHO IS JON SCHNEPP? What do you do when you’re anticipating the production and release of a superhero movie, but it ends up not happening? Well, if you’re a big comic book fan like John Schnepp, you’ll make a documentary about why it didn’t happen. But before we get into that, let’s rewind a little and see how Jon Schnepp became…
Social media is a great way for celebrities to share what they’re up to with their followers. While some artists, like Jay-Z, never take to social media, others don’t shy away from it as a way to connect with their fans. Today the hottest social media platform on the planet is Snapchat. If you haven’t taken the plunge, Snapchat allows people to post pictures and videos for up to 24 hours using a feature called “My Story” and followers can watch it as many times as they want within that time frame. Probably the most successful user is none other…
I sat at my desk under incandescent lights, staring at my mac, an external monitor, a Windows tablet, and an Android phone with dread. “At least I get to play with all of these gadgets,” I consoled myself but the thought was interrupted by a group of people dressed in jeans and t-shirts across the airy, industrial-like room, laughing while in good conversation. I was working as a UX designer in the better kind of corporate. The kind where you could wear what you wanted, set your own hours (within reason), get handfuls of candy on the daily, be frequently…
Our next submission is an editorial photo series by Colombian photographer, Bita Cuartas, called White Light. “I’m a fashion photographer based in Medellin, Colombia. I have worked in photography and the arts for about eight years. My greatest talents are my ability to work with different kinds of people, my honesty and seriousness. I like to combine different elements and create different ways to see common objects to create my style.” -Bita Cuartas If you like what you see below check out more of Bita’s work on Facebook and her website. Credits Title: Light White Photographer: Bita Cuartas / LVJ…
Our co-founder, Joe Mebrahtu, recently had the opportunity to chat with MUCH and E! personality, and OVO affiliate, Tyrone “T-Rex” Edwards right before he accepted the Mandela Legacy Award from the Mandela family at the Black History Month gala in Ottawa. We asked him about what has led to his success and his advice for up and coming creators. Joe Mebrahtu: What has been the key motivator that has helped you succeed? Tyrone Edwards: A key motivator has been rejection. People telling me,”No” countless times has driven me to be the best that I can be. I’ve heard people tell…
