Blog Post

Client: PM Grow Summit
Date: March 2019
Summary: Wrote a series of blog posts highlighting the benefits of attending the client's annual conference event.

Top 5 Reasons to Invest in Attending PM Grow Summit

PM Grow Summit is busy prepping for its third annual conference, taking place April 17-19 in Austin, TX. Every year, our aim is to host a property management conference that is practical, creative, and worthy of your time and investment.

So is it worth making the trip to Austin in 2019? Here’s why our alumni keep coming back to PM Grow Summit.

5. Great Speakers

The quality of our speakers sets PM Grow apart from other property management conferences. Previous attendees have described them as “great”, “talented,” and “outstanding.” “I loved all the speakers,” said another.

Our 2019 lineup is no exception; our speakers have won awards, written best-selling books, co-founded multiple companies, and earned million-dollar revenues.

Website Text

Client: McGill University School of Continuing Studies
Date: September 2017
Summary: Wrote 100+ pages of re-branded copy for the School's website relaunch. The text was intended to focus on the reader and be both inspirational and aspirational.

Programs and Courses / Marketing

Whether you’re new to the field of marketing or looking to refresh your skills, our programs and courses will ensure you’re prepared to succeed.

The Profession
Are you searching for a career that’s as creative as you are?

In  marketing, your professional opportunities are as diverse as your imagination. By equipping yourself with the industry’s emerging digital tools and best practices, you’ll be ready to build a successful career as a marketing professional.

Guided by instructors who are leaders in the field, you’ll learn how to conduct market research, develop benchmarks, and measure feedback – everything you need to create traditional and digital marketing campaigns for any organization.

Campaign planning. Brand management. Social media strategy. With knowledge of the industry’s latest tactics, your career opportunities are endless.

Dean's Message

Client: McGill University School of Continuing Studies
Date: June 2015
Summary: Appeared online and in print in the School's magazine. 

Dean's Message

Success can take many forms. At McGill’s School of Continuing Studies, we’re surrounded by it.

We witness it every day in our classrooms as our students overcome obstacles to reach their personal and professional goals. We see it in our staff as our instructors and administrators obtain new heights in their careers. 

Success can take the form of an inaugural triumph, such as honoring the first graduating class from our Diploma in Integrated Aviation Management program. It’s also present in long-term achievements, such as the 25th-anniversary celebration of our McGill Community for Lifelong Learning program. And success is most visible at our Spring Convocation ceremony, where our graduates recognize a milestone and our academic staff are acknowledged for their outstanding service.

This issue is a celebration of success in all its forms. Every instance is the result of the hard work, dedication, and cooperation of the School’s community – including our students, staff, faculty, and partners.

Let's take a moment to acknowledge all that’s been achieved at the School, and to offer a warm congratulations to our graduates. We're proud of all you've accomplished, and we wish you continued success.

Feature Article

Client: McGill University School of Continuing Studies
Date: January 2015
Summary: Conducted telephone interviews; article appeared online

A Tale of Two Screenwriters

When the McGill Writing Centre offered a course titled ‘Introduction to Scriptwriting for Television and Film’ last winter, it resulted in an intimate classroom of students with very different backgrounds.
Among them were Jonathan Forrest Lefebvre, a former film student, and Paolo Mazza, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from McGill. Despite their diverse backgrounds, both got exactly what they wanted from the course.

“I have a background in film making, but it focused on production rather than screenwriting” says Lefebvre. “There are a few scriptwriting classes out there, teaching the usual 3-act plot line. But what I wanted was a course that was tied to the industry.”
He got it thanks to course instructor Michael Leo Donovan, a veteran scriptwriter with over 200 produced television episodes to his name. Donovan’s classes alternate between writing workshops and insider information on what it takes to launch and sustain a successful scriptwriting career.
“I liked that the teacher was a professional working in the industry, because I wanted to learn more about how to work as a screenwriter in Montreal,” says Lefebvre. “How the process works, from the idea of the project to actually writing it and submitting it to various producers and studios. Michael is very open to talking about the choices he’s made. He’s willing to help us, and he’s someone I look up to. You can trust his opinion.”

Mazza was looking for similar guidance. Although he had 15 years of experience as an engineer, “I always wanted to take a screenwriting course. It’s a way to express my creative side, and I had an idea I wanted to work on.”
Sharing that idea, however, can be intimidating. “It’s very personal to you, and it’s scary to share it. But Michael did a great job making everyone feel super comfortable expressing yourself. My favourite part of the class was reading what I wrote; I’d get excited to present my ideas, get feedback, and go back to the drawing board.”
Like Lefebvre, he believes that many scriptwriting courses present the same content, which makes the teacher all that more important. “Michael is a great teacher: super-knowledgeable, approachable, and likeable,” says Mazza. “It’s a great course for beginners and experienced screenwriters.”

Both former students are working hard on their scripts, writing on the side whenever they get the chance. “I’m still writing, still getting experience,” says Lefebvre, “and I want to write my own feature at some point.”

‘Introduction to Scriptwriting for Television and Film‘ begins March 3 at the McGill Writing Centre.

Feature Article (Cover Story)

Client: Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association
Date: February 2013
Summary: Conducted a telephone interview. Wrote, edited, proofread and fact-checked a feature article. Appeared as the cover story in the June 2013 issue of Coaches PLAN du coach magazine.

Hoop Dreams

Online News Articles

Client: Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association
Date: March 2014
Summary: Articles appeared online and were used in press releases and speeches.
  

Kelly Nyhof, 2014 CCAA Women's Volleyball Player of the Year

The Humber Hawks' Kelly Nyhof is the 2014 CCAA Women's Volleyball Player of the Year. 

"Kelly has the resume of record. This is her pinnacle season, and it's the culmination of a great collegiate career," says Scott Gray, CCAA women's volleyball convenor.

Nyhof is a three-time CCAA All-Canadian, three-time OCAA (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association) Player of the Year, the OCAA's overall scoring champion for the second consecutive season, and represented Canada at the World University Games in Russia.

The team captain led the Humber Hawks to a perfect 18-0 record and their seventh consecutive OCAA provincial title. They’re seeded fourth in the national championship.

Other nominees were Leanna Gildersleeve of the VIU Mariners, Meaghan MacDougall of the MSVU Mystics, Clémence Provost-Lussier of the Édouard Montpetit Lynx, and Elly Wendel of the Briercrest Clippers.

Nyhof received the award Wednesday, March 5 at the CCAA national championship awards banquet at the 2014 CCAA Women's Volleyball National Championship in Toronto, Ont. Player of the Year winners receive a customized CCAA ring provided by Jostens Canada, the Official Ring Supplier of the CCAA Championship Awards Banquet.

Feature Articles

Client: Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association
Date: April 2014
Summary: Conducted telephone interviews with 10 individuals in advance of the CCAA Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Profiles appeared online and were referenced in speeches, press releases and the event program.

Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association - Sports Hall of Fame Inductees

Irwin Strifler

Irwin Strifler has dedicated his life to sport in the roles of athlete, coach, administrator and mentor.

As an athlete he was an outstanding performer, playing football in the American college league on a full athletic scholarship, winning the 1961 Junior Rose Bowl, and going on to play football and basketball for the University of Alberta Golden Bears. He was then drafted into the CFL by the Calgary Stampeders, where he played briefly before pursuing his career in education.

Backgrounder

Client: Royal Ontario Museum
Date: June 2010
Summary: Appeared in the Royal Ontario Museum media kit.

 

Elizabeth Samuel Garden

The Elizabeth Samuel Garden is a 10,000 square-foot green roof located on the south side of the Royal Ontario Museum’s Philosopher's Walk wing. Liza's Garden, as Elizabeth wanted it to be known, is visible through the south-facing window of the c5 Restaurant Lounge at the pinnacle of the ROM's Michael Lee-Chin Crystal.

Opened in June 2008, Liza's Garden was the gift of several trustees to honour Elizabeth Samuel, who passed away in March that same year. A longtime patron of the ROM, Samuel was a founding member of the Board of Governors and a former Chair of the Board of Trustees, continuing the Samuel family's century of extraordinary generosity in building the Museum.

Designed by Plant Architect Inc. in consultation with Gardens in the Sky, Liza’s Garden turns an ordinary roofscape into much more than a standard green roof; it’s a dramatic vista for patrons of c5 and a luxuriant foreground for the distant Toronto skyline. 

Liza’s Garden features a staggered grid of trees and plants. Designed to capture the movement of the wind, the tilted plant beds reflect the sky and catch rain and snow between them. Plants were chosen in consultation with ROM curators of botany to evoke abundance, a key distinction between garden and green roof; this is particularly remarkable as the roof is able to support just three inches of soil. As an added advantage, the roof enhances the sustainability of the ROM by retaining storm water, reducing the heat island effect, and providing a habitat for birds and insects. 

The roof garden was funded in Liza’s honour by her former board colleagues, family, friends, members of the Department of Museum Volunteers, and other generous donations made in her memory. Additional support was provided by the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, the City of Toronto Green Roof Incentive Program, and an anonymous donor.