Browsing Tag

role models

Coffee With Michael Bregman

A few months ago, I wrote about drinking tea with Carly Rae Jepsen. We didn’t meet at DAVIDsTEA to catch up like old friends; we simply posed at a meet and greet. Drinking coffee with Second Cup’s chairman Michael Bregman was kind of similar. It wasn’t a one-on-one information interview, but rather a breakfast event where he spoke and young professionals listened intently.

In hindsight, Michael’s talk was similar to Annie Young-Scrivner’s keynote at QMAC 2013. At the time, Annie was President, Starbucks Canada and now she is President, Teavana. On both occasions, Michael and Annie succinctly shared their views on coffee consumption, inspired advice-hungry audiences and left enough time for questions.

July 6, 2014 by Sarah Prince

Meeting Jennifer Weiner In Yorkville

Taking the TTC to Bay and Bloor is a lot cheaper than flying to Manhattan, so I’m glad Jennifer Weiner came to Toronto to dish about journalism, relationships and reality TV.

When I went to New York last spring, I carefully planned the trip around Lauren Graham and Jennifer Weiner’s book signings. Many tourists go to the New York Public Library branch where they filmed Sex and the City, but Jennifer’s panel with Sarah Pekkanen and Elizabeth LaBan was at the Yorkville branch, so I ventured north of FAO Schwarz and sat front row centre.

Once the panel ended, I approached Jennifer’s publicist to request a Toronto stop on her next book tour. Thankfully Indigo and Simon & Schuster made it happen!

June 25, 2014 by Sarah Prince

Listen To Lainey Gossip

In every Behind The Brand interview, I enquire about professional role models. At the moment, I’d say mine is Elaine Lui AKA Lainey. Every profile of her that I read reiterates that she’s a hardworking media personality who successfully juggles several jobs in the entertainment industry.

After meeting Lainey at a taping of The Social, I was excited to see her again at Indigo. Lainey’s new book Listen To The Squawking Chicken: When Mother Knows Best, What’s A Daughter To Do? A Memoir (Sort Of) is a tribute to her mother, who raised her around a Mah Jong table and inspired her to become a professional gossiper.

May 4, 2014 by Sarah Prince

Behind The Brand: Jack Astor’s

Name: Jason Cassidy

Position: Community Manager

Education: Political Science and Journalism, St. Thomas University; Professional Communication, Ryerson University

Professional role model:

Amanda Nelson was my supervisor at Radian6. Similar to myself, she began as a journalist and turned those foundational skills of writing, editing and storytelling into an up-and-coming role based on content creation and management. I admire her because of what I learned under her guidance, but I also really aspire to work in a similar role.

In 140 characters or less, why should Canadians eat and drink at Jack Astor’s?

Jack Astor’s offers delicious food in a fun, unpretentious setting served by a team of infectiously energetic and pleasant people.

Which menu items do you recommend for first-time customers?

Without hesitation, the Holy Smoke BBQ Burger or The 10oz South American top sirloin steak. Insider tip: order the Jack’d n Stack’d garlic cheese fries on the side!

What do you love about Jack Astor’s food?

About 95% of the menu is made in-house. The Cluckin’ Fresh Chicken Fingers, for example, begin as a boneless, skinless chicken breast. They are then massaged for 2 minutes, chopped and breaded twice for extra crunch. Fresh is best and I don’t think we do a good enough job of communicating that—myself included!

April 25, 2014 by Sarah Prince

Kindness Counts

Western University graduates Josh Stern and Russell Citron are inspiring Gen Y to pay it forward and people are listening. Their charitable initiative #FeedTheDeed discourages people from playing an online drinking game and encourages random acts of kindness.

#FeedTheDeed has sparked a huge conversation about the power of social media. Instead of producing videos of themselves chugging beer, #FeedTheDeed participants are donating blood, clothes and toys.

How It Is Promoted

In the last 2 weeks, my Facebook news feed has been filled with photos and videos of friends distributing popcorn, coffee and TTC tokens. To extend the reach of #FeedTheDeed, participants are nominating friends, family and celebrities around the world. For example, Josh Stern nominated Canadian singer-songwriter Nikki Yanofsky and then she handed out candy in Montreal on Valentine’s Day.

What I Did

I love Twitter. I like Starbucks.

When my friend Sam Pollack nominated me to #FeedTheDeed, this is what I did to support a few charities I care about:

I used Twitter to send Starbucks gift cards to Anaphylaxis Canada, Heart and Stroke Foundation and Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Non-profit employees deserve to be rewarded for their hard work and I hope they will encourage more people to continue the chain.

What You Can Do

Here are some ideas:

Volunteer
Pay for a stranger’s bill at a café
Send handwritten notes or cards
Buy a ticket to attend a charity event
Contribute to a Kickstarter campaign
Loan money to an entrepreneur on Kiva

For more information, follow Kindness Counts on Facebook!

February 19, 2014 by Sarah Prince

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