It’s one thing to upload only the photos that showcase your most attractive features or selectively tweet links related to your industry, but it’s quite another to publicly over-share the minutiae of your daily life. Too few social media users consciously filter the information they post online – a pattern which MTV Canada’s producers are capitalizing on to capture viewers’ attention in the network’s latest show, Creeps.
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Canadian entertainment
Stepping inside Call The Office can feel like taking a gigantic step outside the Western bubble, but it’s one worth taking, especially when you walk away with a renewed sense of appreciation for Canadian talent.
The disco ball hanging from the ceiling near the stage was hardly indicative of the alternative and electronic sounds heard Tuesday night from Toronto’s Freedom or Death and Edmonton’s Shout Out Out Out Out.
When Freedom or Death’s lead singer Sway took to the microphone, he teased the crowd that it was a sound check, during which he wanted to gauge reactions from everyone in the “party town.” Before long though, people left their barstools to hear the as-of-yet unsigned band perform tracks from their album, Ego. Within their 40-minute set, their engaging stage presence quickly transformed young patrons into fans who yearned for an encore, some of whom found a spot near the stage to dance with friends.
While the headliners set up their gear, Sway chatted outside with some audience members who compared his guitar skills to Prince and overall style to Mars Volta. Suddenly Freedom or Death had acquired fan girls, who barely looked of legal age, anxiously wanting to dance with the singer during Shout Out Out Out Out’s performance.
As soon as Shout Out Out Out Out took to the stage, they attracted more people to the dance floor, including Sway. Their music sounds similar to recordings by Hot Chip, a band with whom they could definitely produce a great collaboration. The Edmonton rockers shared little commentary, except to introduce some new tunes, including a track called “Total Loss.”
The lack of lyrics in their songs drew focus to the band members’ onstage nuances and attire, particularly the keyboardist’s patent leather red brogue shoes.
Regardless of how you access music, be sure to add these Canadians to your playlists—your friends will be glad you did.
Originally published in The Gazette.
Freedom or Death & Shout Out Out Out Out @ Call The Office – 10/25/11
London, Ontario
On Thursday night, Samsung leveraged the ever-increasing popularity of pop-up stores to host their second pop-up concert in Toronto’s downtown core. Last August, Metric played for a crowd of about ten thousand outside of Union Station and it seems that Samsung is making these concerts annual events, this time expanding nationwide to include dates in Calgary, Vancouver and Montreal too. The bands delivered stellar crowd-pleasing performances, so I’m glad I went to see The Midway State once again and to hear the Juno award winning Arkells play live.
Through an effective marketing campaign that included a #samsungsecret Twitter hashtag, press releases and a full page colour print ad in the Metro, Samsung invited Torontonians to see The Midway State and The Arkells, no tickets required. The concert was held in a parking lot at Blue Jays Way and Wellington Street West. The twentysomethings living in condos across the street, some of whom made Bristol board signs, were delighted to have a great view from their balconies.
Reaching out to local influencers, such as Casie Stewart and Lauren O’Neil, who are active on Twitter, ensured that the event remained at the forefront of their followers’ post-work plans. Twitter further played a role in generating brand awareness because retweeting Samsung Mobile Canada granted people like myself, curious as to what they would giveaway, a snazzy Samsung swag bag. Well, let’s not embellish their water bottles and pen too much, but all the items were branded in blue colours and Samsung logos. The only item that directly relates to their Android phones and tablet that the event was meant to promote, is a screen cleaner, which is certainly a useful freebie. Everyone at the event was friendly however and the distribution of free water bottles on a humid evening was certainly appreciated.
Perhaps the product demonstrators should have received better training, given that the Samsung representative I spoke to lacked knowledge about the Galaxy tablet’s camera functionality. After watching videographers capture the performances using the tablets, I was interested to see how they worked, but was unimpressed by his brief explanation.
Overall, the pop-up event organized by Communique was a hit and it put the event planning agency on this marketing intern’s radar. I’m eager to see what other exciting events pop up unexpectedly in the city this summer.
CBC just announced their 2011-2012 line-up today and Being Erica made the cut. Mazel Tov to the show’s creator and executive producer, Jana Sinyor, as well as the rest of the cast and crew. Thanks to Jana, millions of Canadian fans have been introduced to Erica Stange, a (fictional) hardworking Jewish woman from Toronto who has as many embarrassing moments growing up as the rest of us. The show’s success can also be measured by the fact that an American adaptation of the show for ABC is in the works.
Here’s the list of other returning shows to look forward to next year:
22 Minutes
Battle of the Blades
Being Erica
Best Recipes Ever
Doc Zone
Dragons’ Den
the fifth estate
George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight
Heartland
InSecurity
Little Mosque on the Prairie
Marketplace
The Nature of Things
Republic of Doyle
The Rick Mercer Report
The Ron James Show
Steven & Chris
According to Maclean’s, new programming pickups for the 2011-12 season include Mr. D, starring Gerry D and produced by Topsail Entertainment; Michael Tuesdays and Thursdays, featuring the writing and acting talents of Bob Martin and produced by Rhombus Media; the co-production Camelot, from Take 5 Productions; Kevin O’Leary in Dealer to Leader, developed by Wide-Eyed Entertainment in conjunction with CBC; and Cover Me Canada, produced by 11 Entertainment.