Browsing Tag

role models

How Michelle Obama Motivated Toronto

In university, I rushed to write an essay about Michelle Obama’s image in the media. Fast forward to last night, when Michelle came to Toronto on her book tour and spoke in front of 15,000 fans. The pre-show was a highlight reel of Michelle’s most memorable moments in the media and in the White House. Ellen DeGeneres did something similar at her show in March, without a photo with Queen Elizabeth.

A few minutes before Michelle came onstage at the Scotiabank Arena, a few Canadian stars came out to reflect on their own stories. ELLE Canada’s Editor in Chief Vanessa Craft appeared first and I just met her last week at a fashion industry event. Next, Dan Levy talked about storytelling as an actor. He has appeared on this blog a few times, so that was a fun surprise! The Property Brothers also spoke, but separately.

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A Conversation With Ellen

The Scotiabank Arena hosts the biggest stars who come to Toronto. I’ve seen many concerts there over the years, including the Arkells last month. On Sunday, Ellen DeGeneres delighted her Canadian fans with a special visit and shared her story with two nearly sold out crowds. I attended the afternoon event, surrounded by thousands of women who adore Ellen.

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We Need More Role Models Like Kay Graham From The Post

Photo Source: Vulture

Photo Source: Vulture

Awards season starts tonight and everyone is obsessed with Meryl Streep, so of course I had to see The Post. I live for watching movies about the media industry! Over the break, I finally saw State of Play. I also loved similar movies based on real stories, especially Obit (The New York Times) and Spotlight (The Boston Globe). In fact, one of my top professional highlights of 2017 was writing a tweet that was noticed by Kim Kardashian and then featured on the Boston Globe’s website.

The Post is about how Meryl Streep’s character Kay Graham, the first female newspaper publisher in America, handled the decision making process when her team at The Washington Post had the opportunity to publish the Pentagon Papers.

These papers were key because as one character points out, the U.S. government “knew we couldn’t win and still sent boys to die.” The movie explains how the classified documents went public while presenting the workplace drama that transpired at The Washington Post, as well as The New York Times and The White House.

If you’re passionate about politics and journalism, then this is a movie to strongly consider seeing.

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How Michael Landsberg Inspired Me @ Social Media Week

Michael Landsberg

Attending Social Media Week was a great experience. I got to hear people like Kirstine Stewart and Claudia Oshry AKA @girlwithnojob on Instagram. The session with Michael Landsberg stood out the most, as it made me think about not just social media, but what it means to be an influencer today. When I say influencer in this context, I mean it in the sense of being a powerful public figure that connects well with fans on a personal level. In today’s culture where everyone’s busy, 1:1 relationships with people you admire and respect can be rare, so that’s what I’d like to explore.

In 2009, Michael Landsberg interviewed an athlete named Stéphane Richerand and convinced him to acknowledge his experience with depression on-air. Once they both publicly confirmed they were dealing with mental health issues, emails started pouring into Michael’s inbox. People started confiding in Michael via email because they connected with him in the interview.

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Jenny Slate Came To Toronto And Liked My Tweet!

Jenny Slate Just for Laughs

I’ve attended a couple great shows at Just for Laughs in Toronto, featuring Lena Dunham and Miranda Sings. I’m a huge fan of Jenny Slate’s acting chops, so I was thrilled to see she was part of the lineup for this year’s festival.

Yesterday I went to see a conversation with Jenny Slate at the TIFF Bell Lightbox and it was amazing. I knew I was going to like the event as soon as she said, “film sets are a lot like camp.”

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