The Voice

Former president of IABC Ottawa and host Sherrilynne Starkie caught up with Caroline Kealey, principal of Ingenium Communications , to chat about Caroline’s recent Gold Quill award at the IABC World Conference in New Orleans. Ingenium Communications is a boutique firm here in Ottawa, specializing in strategic communications, change management, and training. Caroline Kealey shares with Sherrilynne...

An episode on podcasting - how meta, we know! The popularity of podcasts is on the rise - in Canada and around the world. People love them for their intimate nature, the convenience of listening to a good story - any time, any place. But podcasting isn't for everyone, and nobody knows this better than Neil Morrison, founding producer of CBC Radio's The Current. Over the course of fifteen years in...

On October 22, 2014 shots rang out downtown Ottawa, killing Corporal Nathan Cirillo as he stood guard at the National War Memorial. This unthinkable act devastated and sparked fear in citizens’ minds, causing a frenzy of conversations and rumours. Where did the assailant flee and where was he headed? Was there also an active shooter at the Rideau Centre? As these very questions and numerous other...

Ursula Gobel, Associate Vice-President, Future Challenges, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) was a seasoned and successful communicator with many achievements under her belt. Then she decided to change her career’s strategic orientation. Along the way she learned many lessons and had numerous insights. As a result of her experiences, she contends that a career in co...

With more than 85,000 charities competing for people’s hearts and purse strings in Canada, cutting through the noise to seize people’s attention is increasingly tough for charities, especially with the rise of crowdfunding platforms that now allow anyone to make a direct appeal. United Way Ottawa knew they had to try something different, an approach that would meet people where they were - on mobi...

When the body of three-year-old Alan Kurdi washed up on a beach in September 2015, it sent the world into uproar about the tragic plight of Syrian refugees. Shortly afterwards, Canadians – and their newly elected government – responded by opening up their communities to accept 25,000 Syrian refugees. This presented both an opportunity for Canadians to lend support and a challenge for authorities i...

Social selling leverages social media channels as a mechanism to know your existing customers better and to develop relationships with potential customers so you understand their needs and can offer more targeted solutions to support their business goals. While similar to a social media strategy, a social selling strategy focuses less on brand marketing (one-to-many) and more on relationship build...

In this episode of The Voice, our host Gabriela Warrior Renaud chats with Bill Stewart, president and co-founder of terra20. They discuss terra20's vision for simplifying the sourcing of sustainable products. In their two stores in Ottawa, they have over 500 brands covering 18 different product departments. Since 2006, Bill, Steve and the terra20 team have been collecting data from their customers...

In this episode of The Voice, host Tina Barton is joined by Shopify's Brennan Loh, Head of Business Development, and Courtney Symons, Partner Marketing Manager. Many companies pursue the hi-tech dream, but few see the success that Shopify has. Only a decade ago, the company was a modest e-commerce platform run by three guys selling snowboarding equipment. The company is now a major commerce player...

In this episode of The Voice, our host Gabriela Warrior Renaud chats with Alexandra Badzak, Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Ottawa Art Gallery. They discuss the Gallery’s Capital Campaign to build a new gallery and explore the profile building campaign that Alexandra led when she first became the Gallery’s CEO. Alexandra gives us a clear idea of the OAG’s goals to support, foster and p...

This week, we're taking you to Calgary and turning it over to guest host Will Tigley , Vice-President of IABC Calgary, who brings us insights from the keynote speakers at the IABC Canada West Region Conference. Will discusses leadership strategy with Michelle Ray, leadership expert and founder of the Lead Yourself First Institute; and planning for the worst with Gerard Braud, crisis communications...

This week on The Voice, our host Gabriela Warrior Renaud chats with Tim Schwab,  Associate Professor for the Department of Communications Studies at Concordia University, about the Communications Studies program is structured, and what it  offers students who are looking to start a career in Communications. 

In this final (for now) episode in the mini-series, expert “indies” from Toronto and Newfoundland join host  Tina Barton  to discuss how to turn prospects into clients, formalize agreements, and establish prices and terms that satisfy both sides.

This week on The Voice, our host Tina Barton sits down with Kerry Mortimer, president of Mortimer Marketing Group, and Ken Anderson, owner of Ken Anderson and Associates, exploring how to identify your unique value proposition, assess marketplace opportunities and find potential buyers, and partner with associates to expand your services.

This week on The Voice, our host Tina Barton chats with Deborah Hinton, Partner at Hinton and Co., and Sohini Bhattacharya, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Allegoro Communications, about the ups and downs of going "indie", out-of-the gate factors to have in place, the importance of planning for lean times and how else to set yourself up for success.    

This week on The Voice,  our host Tina Barton chats with  Guy Laflamme, Head of “Ottawa 2017” Celebrations, as he shares key steps for planning a national-scale, multi-partner celebration, with tips for onboarding partners, ensuring community ownership, and leveraging the latest digital tools for user-generated, real-time content integration.  

This week on The Voice,  our host  Gabriela Warrior Renaud chats with  Lee Rose ,  Community Knowledge Exchange  Director and CKX Summit Sherpa. They discuss how CKX has worked to build a platform for social change, giving individuals and communities the space and network to start shifting the system.

This week on The Voice,  Simon Brault, Director & CEO, Canada Council for the Arts and Anil Dilawri, Managing Director at Save it Like Sully (executive presentation training and coaching), offer practical advice for delivering the best presentations, along with perspective from all three of The Voice’s co-hosts.    

This week on The Voice, top executives from  BevMo! ,  Macy’s ,  Oracle ,  Staples  and  Shop.org  share their perspectives with our host  Graham Machacek  at National Retail Federation’s Big Show 2015 in NYC. Marketers won’t want to miss this candid reality check.

This week on The Voice, our host  Tina Barton  speaks with  Kelly Kubrick ,  Carl Neustaedter  and  Trace Cohen . Before speaking at the upcoming Digital Strategy Conference in Ottawa, the three guests share their experiences with the changing landscape of digital strategy and discuss producing content, targeting audiences and shifting tactics.

This week on The Voice, our host  Tina Barton  sits down with  Jantine Van Kregten ,  Ottawa Tourism 's director of communications. They discuss how to brand and define a city to multiple audiences. They also analyze Ottawa’s current tourism climate and what's being done to serve the Ottawa community. Explore Ottawa Tourism: RBC Royal Bank Bluesfest Get a Third Night Free Mosaika Join the conversa...

This week on The Voice, our host  Graham Machacek  sits down with  Gordon Smith , partner at Sway Digital. They discuss when and if marketers should use display advertising.  In a  press release , Gartner analysts predicted that mobile ad spending will reach $18 billion in 2014. This money is coming out of traditional budgets set aside for print and radio advertisements. In the podcast, Gordon sha...

This week on The Voice, our host  Tina Barton  is joined via Skype by Bruce MacDonald , President & CEO of  Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada . They discuss branding and integrating national federations, based on the Big Brothers Big Sisters experience. Associations are a big part of the Canadian fabric. In 2013, the Ottawa Business Journal reported that there were about 70 000 associations regis...

This week on The Voice, our host  Tina Barton  sits down with  Mark Campbell , founding partner and CEO of  VMG Cinematic , a Toronto-based digital agency that specializes in online video production and social media marketing.  VMG Cinematic  works with brands such as TD Bank, FedEx and Warner Bros., and organizations including Metrolinx, Waterfront Toronto and Real Estate Council of Ontario. In t...

This week on The Voice, we whisk you away to a night at the Excel Awards, where IABC Ottawa celebrates the outstanding communicators and creatives in our community. This year’s recipients hail from a variety Ottawa’s charities, agencies and learning institutes.   Honorees include: · Communicator of the Year: Mayor Jim Watson · Master Communicator: Barb MacDonald · Lifetime Achievement: Max Keeping...