The Special Event Studio: Recent Episodes
Scott North
The Special Event Studio podcast series gets you up close and personal with the players of the event industry. Learn the stories of the interesting, exciting and captivating elements of the event world.
Joining Scott for the 24th episode of the podcast is Lisa Zivontsis, Owner and Project Manager of Meetings and Events at The Event Partner. Tune in as Lisa gets into the nitty gritty of how she got her start in the event industry, her experience managing The Event Partner thus far, shedding some light on the the flexibility, or the challenges, that starting your own business may bring. Original podcast recording launch: Sept. 21, 2023
Welcome back to the Special Event Studio! Joining Scott on the first episode back from hiatus is hockey's very own, Christine Simpson! On this episode watch Christine and Scott discuss growing up with a hockey family, working together at the Hockey Hall of Fame, and Christine's journey to becoming a hockey reporter, host, and interviewer at Sportsnet. Original posting date: April 11, 2023
Joining us for episode 22 is none other than the multitalented Bob Clarke, Partner/General Manager at Jackson Events. Scott and Bob reminisce on their glory days playing hockey and discuss his journey transitioning into the world of events.
From stories on working with top athletes to his experience navigating events in both the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic climate, enjoy a truly edifying conversation.
Kicking off the new season of our podcast is none other than the Vice President of Operations at TO Live, Matt Farrell. Matt will be sharing his career journey and how he got introduced to the world of theatre. He'll also be talking about all the incredible COVID prevention installations at our venues and how TO live is working to welcome patrons into a safe and conducive space.
On a very special 20th episode of the podcast and our last episode of 2020, we have none other than TO Live’s own President and CEO, Clyde Wagner! In addition to talking about how our company has been navigating these difficult times, Clyde shares his own experiences in the arts and entertainment, moving from Broadway to film and television, to fashion, and how all of those experiences led him to his current station with TO Live.
Joining us for Episode 19 of the podcast is entrepreneur, event manager, and President of TAP Resources - an Indigenous-owned/operated event and site selection firm, Tuesday Johnson-MacDonald. She shares her business back story with Scott, discussing the founding of TAP, her past as a social worker, and the importance of embracing hybrid live-streamed events during the current global pandemic.
On Episode 18 of the Podcast Scott is joined by the Founder, CEO, and Director of Client Happiness at Staff Shop Inc, Jennifer Menard! Between getting creative with titles and talking about the influence her personal triumphs have had on her career, Jennifer also shares the nuances of running a global event staffing company prior to and during the current pandemic.
After Scott and Will talk a bit of science, Evan Babins joins in to talk about his role as manager of event planning at Equitable Bank. Evan tells us what it’s like being named one of the top 25 young event planners from Special Events Magazine, and how he’s navigating the pandemic on both a professional level and on a personal level, with a recent addition to his family.
Joining us this week on the podcast are Erik Joyal the Owner of Ascari Hospitality Group and Kathleen Chiu, their Director of Events + Catering. In this episode, we get a glimpse of the work Erik and Kathleen do at Ascari, and we learn what it’s like running multiple restaurants and catering venues in the heart of downtown Toronto, both pre-and post-pandemic.
In this week’s episode of the podcast, we have our first guest paring with Sonia Borkar, the Manager of Weddings and Social Event Sales, and Lizz McKenna, the Corporate Event Sales Manager. Sonia and Lizz share with us their experiences working on the Steam Whistle event team, both in the past and present and as per usual, share their perspective on the future of the industry.
Our guest for this week’s episode is the vice-president of The Butler Did It, one of Toronto’s leading event staffing companies. John talks about The Butler’s 30-year history, the strong working relationships they have formed with numerous venues across the city - including our very near and dear Meridian Hall, and how the pandemic will affect the event staffing of our industry!
On a very special episode this week, Scott talks with Phil Pritchard, Vice President of the Hockey Hall of Fame and Keeper of the Stanley Cup! Giving us the inside scoop on life in the NHL Playoff Bubble, Phil tells us what it’s like travelling with Lord Stanley’s Cup (along with a few other trophies) and the evolution of professional hockey during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
On this week’s episode, Scott is joined by Peter Carruthers, a special event entrepreneur who built up a number of businesses from Presidential Gourmet, to 43 Degrees Design and now acts as CEO for his own event consulting firm. P.H. Carruthers. Scott and Peter look back at their 27 years of friendship and as with all our guests, discuss the current and future implications of running events during the COVID pandemic.
We’re incredibly excited to announce that this week’s guest is none other than the multi-talented Jian Magen, film producer and founder/owner of Magen Boys Entertainment Group. As per usual, host Scott picks Jian’s brain, gathering his insights on our industry as it stands, his current and future endeavours, and (unexpectedly) the importance of a good pair of underwear. You don’t want to miss this one!
For our 10th Episode, we take a walk across the street (figuratively) and talk to Aaron Stocco, Manager of Special Events and Hospitality from our neighbouring venue, Hockey Hall of Fame. Scott shares a little about his experience working at the HHOF in the past and the pair reminisce and reflect on the past, present and future of events for the two premier event venues on Front Street.
Things get a little more technical on the podcast this week as Scott speaks with Aidan Cosgrave - event management/production guru and Owner of J.S.T Productions. We ask him what it's like working production for some of the largest events in our building and how he sees his aspect of the events industry evolving in the near future.
On a very special episode 8 of the Podcast, Scott is joined by fellow Dresden-ite Trevor Thompson - Reporter/Host for Fox Sports Detroit. Trevor not only provides some welcome hometown banter with our host but also shares what it’s like working in the sports industry and how they’ve adapted live broadcast events to deal with the ongoing global health crisis.
Scott meets with Jonathan Fruitman, Director of Sales & Marketing for EventSource to discuss the ins and outs of Event Marketing across a vast and diverse industry, while also looking at the numerous effects COVID-19 has had and will continue to have on it.
Our guest this week is Janice Cardinale, Chief Huntress at The Idea Hunter. From sourcing event talent to finding the perfect artist to make any event Instagram-worthy, Janice talks shop with Scott, discussing the nuances of event head-hunting as well as the current and future event industry landscape!
Chef Bruce Berga discusses what it’s like to have a unique role inside the TO Live family, commanding the kitchen for private events and conferences at our very own Meridian Hall. From past, near-present, and the now uncertain future, Bruce highlights what his plan is for special event food service going forward.
One of the premier event designers in Toronto, Rob Dittmer, talks about his experiences at the helm of d3sign, the company he formed 13 years ago. Like many of our guests, he also discusses how he sees the events industry changing due to the pandemic, and he and host Scott North wax poetically about their time working together - including a certain Youtube video they made together last summer.
Today’s episode features Anju King, Director of Events and Ticketing at Bell Media. Anju shares some of her experiences spearheading Events and Ticketing with Bell and her connection to Meridian Hall through the annual CTV Upfront and provides her take on how a company as large as Bell Media is adapting all of their events to a constantly changing private events landscape.
Kyle Brooks - CEO of Bespoke Audio Visual, an event media company based out of Toronto, tells Scott all about the technological nuances of staging and setup of past, present, and future events. Kyle also talks about how what his business looks like amid the pandemic and the importance of adapting the always-changing AV technologies and media to an evolving events industry.
Guest Andrew Jackson - the founder of Jackson Events, tells us what it's like acting as a liaison between event planners and sports superstars, how he makes the two come together for special events and what that might look like in a socially distant future. He also shares what it’s like working with Canadian Hockey great Wendel Clark and growing up with golf aficionado (and podcast host) Scott North.