Festive Talk

In this episode, our Communications Manager, Hayley Combaluzier, had the opportunity to sit down with Nick Masciantonio, Past President of the Ottawa Children's Festival following the spectacular opening night of the festival. They discussed the importance of volunteering and issues facing Ottawa's arts and culture industry.

OFN held an industry call for members on the topic of Unlocking Volunteerism, with keynote presentation by Nadine Snowling from Volunteer Ottawa and contributing panelists, Lisa Hollingshead from HOPE Volleyball Summerfest, and Sarah Marsaw Courtois from Canadian Tulip Festival.

We've got a cozy episode for you today, folks! Dive deep into the dynamic world of winter festivals as we bring you behind-the-scenes of Winterlude, one of Canada's most iconic celebrations. Join us as festival leads, Charles Cardinal and Melanie Brault take the mic to share their insights into the climate impacts that shaped last year's Winterlude and reveal the exciting innovations t...

Mackenzie Langdon joins us on a new episode of Festive Talk to chat all about her new show UNSUNG: The Accidental Villains of History. Mackenzie is a Toronto based emerging actor and composer and she's presenting her never before seen musical comedy at Ottawa's Fringe Festival, making this return to her hometown an exciting one. We chat all about her show and her journey to acting, music a...

Taib K.Boyce (Tay-eeb) (he/him) is a local Ottawa Anti-Racism Consultant, at TKB Consulting. As a consultant for the past 7 years, Taib has supported the development and implementation of online and in-person trainings on anti-racism and anti-oppression for senior leaders at the Department of Justice, Somerset West Community Health Centre, Oxfam and others. Taib earned a B.A. in Political Science...

Taib K.Boyce (Tay-eeb) (he/him) is a local Ottawa Anti-Racism Consultant, at TKB Consulting. As a consultant for the past 7 years, Taib has supported the development and implementation of online and in-person trainings on anti-racism and anti-oppression for senior leaders at the Department of Justice, Somerset West Community Health Centre, Oxfam and others. Taib earned a B.A. in Political Science...

Today we have Carissa Klawpoushak joining us from Ottawa Chamberfest. Carissa is a violinist based in Ottawa, Ontario, where she plays with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, various chamber projects including the Ironwood Quartet, and serves as the Artistic Director of Ottawa Chamberfest. Today she talks to us all about the 2023 Chamberfest lineup, any challenges or difficulties putting on a maj...

In this episode, our Advisor is Benjamin Miller, a staff lawyer on the Nonprofit Law Ontario project of Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) breaks down the different legal structures available to organizations. Each structure comes with its own set of characteristics and rules that you must consider and align with the goals of your organization. So whether you are establishing a brand new org...

Welcome back to a special National Volunteer Week episode of Festive Talk! Today we have Lisa Hollingshead joining us on our final day of National Volunteer Week celebrations. Lisa has spent many hours volunteering with HOPE Volleyball. They’re an incredible not for profit organization that raises funds for community based charities and has fun doing so! Today she talks all about her experience as...

Today we have Alex and Kaitlin from the band MoonFruits. They will be talking to us all about the inception of the group, what got them into music and about their performance at tonights Ottawa's Grassroots Festival opening. Make sure you listen until the end as we also had a special little guest make an appearance!

In this episode, we are joined by Amanda Mullins, Program Manager at the City of Ottawa’s Event Central Office. Amanda will be providing an overview of the importance of Emergency Planning and what resources and support services are available to festival organizers in their efforts to avoid, minimize and mitigate emergency risks at their events. Land Acknowledgement Ottawa Festival Network acknowl...

The unpredictable nature of funding and revenue for festivals and events, coupled with the rising costs of inflation makes sustainable financial management a tricky task. On this episode, we break down the core considerations involved in financial risk management and some best practices festival organizations can implement to minimize, mitigate or eliminate different types of risk. About Victoria...

Today on Festive Talk we have John Helmkay from Crackup Comedy Festival. For over a decade, John has been bringing the brightest comedic talents to the nation's capital, mixing advocacy work and comedy shows. Crackup Comedy Festival is a registered, Canadian not-for-profit run by passionate supporters of mental health — from all walks of life. Today he talks to us all about the upcoming festiv...

Volunteers are the lifeblood for the festival sector. As both event-day support staff and core organizing or leadership team members, volunteers are key to the success and longevity of a festival. In this episode, the Advisors, Gina Maddalena and Cynthia Allan are bringing you a lively discussion on the latest trends and challenges in volunteer management. We talk about some best practices for vol...

Protecting your staff, BOD, volunteers and attendees, as well as your physical and intellectual property is the most important component for any festival organization. It can be complicated, expensive and dangerous if the risks involved in event planning and production are not thoughtfully considered and strategically mitigated or prevented. On this episode we are joined by Scott Hill and Chris Wi...

On today's Festive Talk episode, we talk to Anna Wood and Susan Sloan who have both spent over a decade in the festival industry speaking on the importance of volunteers. This episode touches on volunteer management, retention, and how to move forward with volunteers in a post-COVID world.

A core process for many festival and event organizations is grant writing. In this episode, expert Kyra Cole provides a run down on simple, yet effective methods to up your grant management processes and communicate a compelling story to funders. We cover the different types of grants available, what to look for when searching for grants, and how you can write and organize your applications to sta...

In this episode, Janet provides us with a fantastic run-through of the fundamental health and safety considerations festivals and events need to incorporate into their operations. She also speaks to what we’ve learned from the pandemic and how we can ensure proper health and safety protocols carry forward and continue to evolve. About Janet Janet Sellery (CRSP, CHSC) is one of Canada’s leading exp...

Today we are joined by Ian Fraser, Executive Director of Run Ottawa and he’ll be speaking to the experiences he’s had and lessons he’s learned from working with sponsors to produce the Tamarak Ottawa Race Weekend and other Run Ottawa events. You will hear many of the strategies and tactics Jenny Mitchell outlined in our first episode are one’s that are applied by Ian and his team. Through his pres...

In this inaugural episode, we will be discussing sponsorship development strategy for festivals and events. At this time we know many festivals and events are working to rebuild and revive. One of the most asked-about topics we have seen at Ottawa Festivals this year has been around sponsorship and building or rebuilding relationships with sponsors. And rightly so, since it’s not only a core sourc...

There's a lot of work and responsibility that goes into producing a festival. Join industry experts on FestForward Advisor Talks, a podcast series where we break down the different strategic or operational areas that are essential to successful festival and event organizations. Add experts to your team and learn industry best practices to help you solve problems, make decisions and realize you...

Brenda and Muna from this year's  #GetFestive  Team sit down for a conversation with Steph and Paddy, improv artists and real-life exes performing at this year's Ottawa Fringe Festival. Their show, "Too Much Information Improvised", takes a comedic dive into their past relationship. Check out today's episode to learn about the duo's past, how the show came to be, and what...

Get an inside look at how successful local live event producers “made it all work” this year, amidst a myriad of changing regulations, short timelines, and production, supply chain and resource challenges in a recording of the Ottawa Festival Network's latest industry call.

Learn more about the Taste of Wellington events in the Wellington West area in person and online until October 31st. This edition of Festive Talk features interviews with Dennis Van Staalduinen, the executive director of the Wellington West BIA and the live artist from Wednesday, September 29th, An Nguyen.

This week's episode of  #FestiveTalk  is all about virtual shows! We spoke with Julian Armour from Music & Beyond for behind the scenes insight on organizing online programming. Hannah Judge, the artist behind Fan Club Wallet opened up about the ups and downs of creating during a pandemic. Lastly, Laura Dickens from Debaser dives into the production aspect of online concerts.