Canadians Stretch Coast to Coast for Power of Movement 2011

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Stephanie Bell, Account Director

Did you know that arthritis is among the most common chronic diseases in children and an estimated 1 in 1,000 Canadian children under 16 live with juvenile arthritis?

On Sunday, February 27, 2011 join the Media Profile team and the thousands of Canadians who will be doing downward dog for Power of Movement 2011. Now in its fifth year, Power of Movement has raised over $700,000 benefitting 4.2 million Canadians who live with arthritis and autoimmune diseases. Media Profile is proud to be involved in Power of Movement through our work with Abbott Canada. Secure your spot at one of the Power of Movement mega-sessions happening across the country in 12 major cities. It’s not too late to sign up at www.powerofmovement.ca and start taking pledges from your friends and families.

Can’t attend? There are lots of ways to participate! Check out the Power of Movement list of local studios participating in the yoga challenge or just simply make a donation to Power of Movement. You could also participate virtually through our online challenge which is sponsored by My Yoga Online.

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Sweater Style – stay warm while keeping the planet cool

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Jeri Brown, Senior Consultant

Models pose after the National Sweater Day fashion show at The Ballroom in Toronto. These looks will all be available on eBay beginning February 10.

Last night we were honoured to help WWF-Canada kickoff its new National Sweater Day campaign with a fashion show at the newly-opened Ballroom bowling venue in Toronto.

The show saw some of Canada’s top designers create or repurpose sweaters worn by a combination of fabulous celebrities and top professional models, who strutted their stuff down the laneway-turned-runway.

We expanded borders on all sides last night – organizing WWF-Canada’s first ever fashion show and extending its brand beyond its traditional target. We helped WWF-Canada generate awareness in fashion and pop culture circles of influence, reaching a new audience with its climate change message.

Sweaters from the show will be available for purchase on eBay beginning February 10 and all auction proceeds will support WWF-Canada.

Sweater Day is February 17, and WWF-Canada will ask Canadians to turn down the thermostat three degrees and don a sweater for the day to show their support for the environment. Sweaters can be any design – from the tackiest Christmas pattern to the chicest in knitwear; wearing a sweater and helping the environment have never been so in style.

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Be Part of the World’s Largest Yoga Challenge in Support of Arthritis Research

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Stephanie Bell, Account Director

Did you know that there are more than 100 different types of arthritis and autoimmune conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, AS (ankylosing spondylitis), lupus, scleroderma and juvenile arthritis and that the causes of most types are still unknown?

On Sunday, February 27, 2011 the Media Profile team will be joining thousands of Canadians for the world’s largest yoga challenge to raise awareness and funds for arthritis and autoimmune diseases. Yoga leaders from Canada’s leading yoga studios will teach classes designed to build a healthy balance of strength and flexibility. Yoga mega-sessions will take place in 12 cities coast-to-coast including Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto, Aurora, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax.

Since its inception in 2005, Power of Movement has raised over $700,000 to support research for arthritis and autoimmune diseases, which affect more than 4.2 million Canadians. We’re proud to be involved in Power of Movement through our work with Abbott Canada.

Register at www.powerofmovement.ca to participate in a yoga mega-session near you and start collecting pledges through a personalized fundraising page. You can also participate virtually through our online challenge which is sponsored by My Yoga Online. Money raised will support research priorities across the nation, through the Arthritis & Autoimmunity Research Centre Foundation (AARCF) and the Canadian Arthritis Network.

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New faces and rising stars – Media Profile keeps growing

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Kieran Lawler, Account Director

In the wake of a surge of business growth, Media Profile is expanding its team by two and promoting three of its rising stars. Jeri Brown and Dane Gergovich have been promoted to Senior Consultants, Sherline Joe to Consultant and Jennifer Kaiser and Auravelia Colomer have been hired as Account Coordinators.

Jeri Brown and Dane Gergovich joined Media Profile in 2007 and 2008 respectively and bring to their teams expertise in the lifestyle, travel and tourism, consumer, corporate and non-profit sectors. Jeri currently works on the Vienna Tourist Board, Ancestry.ca, Olympus and WWF-Canada accounts, while Dane’s account support includes Kraft Canada, RBC, the Paul Henderson Jersey Homecoming Tour and Post Foods.

Sherline Joe joined Media Profile in 2008 and has since become an integral member of the Threecaf Brands, Abbott Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca and Epson teams.

“The strong work ethic, team dedication and willingness to grow that Jeri, Dane and Sherline have displayed over the course of their tenures at Media Profile make them highly deserving of their promotions,” said Alison King, President of Media Profile. “We are proud of the value they bring to Media Profile and are excited about the challenges and opportunities their new positions provide.”

Jennifer Kaiser and Auravelia Colomer have been hired as Account Coordinators. Jennifer comes to Media Profile following an internship at Devries Public Relations in New York City with their Home and Lifestyle Division, where she provided support for the Pepperidge Farm, Seattle’s Best Coffee and Tupperware campaigns. Her accounts include Post Foods, Kraft Canada and Ancestry.ca. Auravelia comes to Media Profile after completing a publicity internship at Rogers Media Television’s Citytv and OMNI stations. Previous to this, she interned at Metanoia Films in Miami where she provided promotional support for the TIFF award-winning film Bella. Her accounts include Epson, The Source and National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation.

“Jennifer and Auravelia have already proven themselves to be excellent additions to the Media Profile family,” said King. “They exemplify the values that we as an agency abide by and will no doubt represent us and service our clients to the fullest extent.”

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Believe in the Power of Movement. Help us Beat Arthritis

Posted on January 10, 2011 by admin

Burn off those holiday calories and participate in a good cause! The Media Profile team will be participating in Power of Movement, Canada’s largest yoga challenge is taking place on February 27, 2011, in support of arthritis and autoimmune disease research. Canadians from coast-to-coast can participate in group yoga sessions, individual classes and virtually online. Power of Movement gives people across the country a fun and accessible way to support life-changing research for arthritis and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, lupus, vasculitis and juvenile arthritis.We’re proud to be involved in Power of Movement through our work with Abbott Canada.

Did you know that the average age of onset of arthritis is between 41 and 50? Arthritis is among the top three most common chronic diseases in Canada. An arthritis-related autoimmune condition has vastly altered life for more than 4.2 million Canadians, and effects their families and friends.

Power of Movement is for anyone who wants to be proactive about their own mobility and support a great cause. Register today at www.powerofmovement.ca to improve the lives of millions of Canadians by being proactive about your own mobility. Money raised will benefit arthritis and autoimmune disease research priorities across the nation, through the Arthritis & Autoimmunity Research Centre Foundation (AARC) and the Canadian Arthritis Network.

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Reputation by Association

Posted on December 8, 2010 by David Wills, Vice President

If nothing else, communications practitioners in Toronto are in for four years of lively debate. Is our new mayor a genius, a buffoon, disrespectful or a breath of fresh air?

Yesterday’s theatre, starring Hockey Night in Canada’s Don Cherry, is the first scene in what is sure to be a lively four-year production. For those who missed it, Cherry set the stage in his remarks by calling out Ford’s opponents, labelling them “pinkos”, “left-wing kooks” and the biggest insult of all, “bicycle riders”.

These theatrics overshadowed Mayor Ford’s more conciliatory speech. Did you even hear about it? Not really. All the media coverage, buzz and chatter were about Cherry. As Media Profile’s founder Patrick Gossage says, you get the media you deserve. Patrick’s point – and he is correct – is that Ford’s decision to have someone controversial, someone colourful and someone whose tone is in stark contrast to the one you attempted to set, handed over control of the message.  For fun, Google “Rob Ford Inauguration Speech.” It’s all about Don Cherry.

Go back in time seven years. New Mayor David Miller chose Chief Justice Roy McMurtry, a respected Conservative, to give him the chain of office. Choosing someone of stature and of a different political stripe sent a message that the new Mayor wanted non-partisan cooperation on Council. And it was Miller’s own remarks, not McMurtry’s presence that carried the day and set a tone of optimism for that first term of office.

Has Cherry really set the tone for the next four years? We’ll see. A new Mayor does have the responsibility of delivering on a mandate. And while Toronto did elect him Mayor, they also elected a slew of “left-wing pinko kooks” to represent them. Let the curtain rise, sit back and enjoy the play. It will, at the very least, be highly entertaining.

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Journalism can be a Deadly Profession: Gala Honours Fearless Reporters

Posted on November 26, 2010 by Patrick Gossage, Chair

Last year forty journalists from twenty countries gave up their lives to report the truth about repressive regimes. Many more languish in prison, are harassed, their lives and those of their families threatened. One evening a year Canadian media and their friends gather at the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) International Press Freedom Award gala to focus on their colleagues in many countries that endure untold hardship simply to report on their governments and on civil unrest.  

Last night five journalists were honoured at the annual award gala and it was an emotional event attended by many publishers and editors of multilingual media who enjoy a level of press freedom here that is unavailable in their home countries.

CBC Radio host Carol Off, Chair of the Gala Committee underlined the sad circumstances surrounding the presentations: “One of our awards will be presented posthumously and two in absentia, underscoring the high price that these journalists have paid.”

Mexico, although a democracy, saw three journalists die in the line of duty last year. Two who fled fearing for their lives will receive the award. Luis Horacio Nájera, spent more than a decade reporting for La Reforma media group in hotspot areas along the Mexican-US border. His investigations of government corruption, and drug and people trafficking put his life and that of his family in such danger that he has sought asylum in Canada.

Emilio Gutierrez Soto worked in the North-Western border state of Chihuahua. After writing a number of stories that offended the Mexican military he was forced to flee Mexico with his son and requested asylum in the United States.

Cameroon is another deadly country for journalists who want to report the truth. Three courageous journalists were honoured at the gala, Serge Sabouang, Robert Mintya and Bibi Ngota. The three were arrested in February after obtaining, but not publishing, a government document that allegedly implicates a top presidential aide of influence peddling and corruption. Ngota has since died in jail from undetermined causes and the other two were only released from detention this week.  The award will be accepted on their behalf by Therese and Bosco Tchoubet, sister and brother-in-law of the late Bibi Ngota.

The list of countries where journalists have died on the job is extensive; six died in Pakistan, three in Honduras and two in the Phillipines. Three were killed in Brazil in October and there have been no arrests.  

Lori Abittan, member of the gala committee and  President and CEO of Multimedia Nova Corporation summarizes: “Organizations like the CJFE make it clear that eternal vigilance and relentless advocacy for the rights of journalists here and abroad are vital to protect and enhance free expression which we take for granted at our peril.”

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Mo Money, Mo ’Stache, Mo Profile!

Posted on November 1, 2010 by Jeri Brown, Senior Consultant

The copstache, the Fu Manchu, the handlebar, the pencil, the Franz Josef — yes there are many different styles of moustache, and the men of Media Profile will spend the month of November trying to figure out which one suits them best!

During November, Media Profile’s own ‘mo bros’ will grow out their facial hair to raise money for prostate cancer, participating in the annual Movember fundraising drive.

Movember was started in Australia in 2003 as a fun way to raise awareness for prostate cancer and has spread like wildfire across the world.

Movember challenges men to change their appearance and the face of men’s health by growing a moustache. The rules are simple, start November 1st clean-shaven and then grow a moustache for the entire month.  The moustache becomes the ribbon for men’s health, the means by which awareness and funds are raised for prostate cancer.  Much like the commitment to run or walk for charity, the men of Movember commit to growing a moustache for 30 days. 

To support Media Profile’s mo bros, please click here. We promise to post photos on November 30!

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Congress and Parliament – Coliseums designed to rip apart the opposition

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Susan Reisler, Vice President

Governing across the Divide: Restoring Civility to Public Discourse was the title of a program I recently attended at the Washington National Cathedral. The setting was appropriately awe-inspiring and the audience of Democrats, Republicans and Independents were sitting on the edge of their seats hoping David Axelrod, President Obama’s Senior Advisor, and John Bolton, Chief of Staff to former President George W. Bush, would somehow part the waters and free us all from the plague of nastiness that has infected the United States, and yes, Canada.

But no, their comments were safe and at times trivial. To restore civility one would have to admit a role in creating the incivility – impossible to do weeks away from a very important midterm election.

By far the most moving and powerful speaker was Susan Collins, Republican Senator from Maine. She began with an anecdote that was chilling. Noting that the event was sponsored by the Nancy and Paul Ignatius family, she looked up the name. St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, was sentenced to be eaten by lions in the Roman Coliseum. Collins said that, sadly, being a moderate Republican in the Senate today means constantly avoiding such a fate.

Her description of the demise of civility in the Senate should be required reading for anyone trying to understand U.S. politics. Where once the words “colleagues” and “my friend” meant something, today, she said, it scarcely exists. In the past, Senators never went out to campaign against their colleagues, she said. Today, it happens all the time. How can you work with someone, build bridges and compromise when that person will personally work on your defeat, she asked rhetorically?

In the October 11th issue of the New Yorker, Ryan Lizza spells out the problem of political paralysis in Congress in much more detail using the failure of climate change legislation as is example.

But Canadians cannot afford to be smug as we watch the disintegration of political civility in the United States, certainly not when, as Jeffrey Simpson says, Prime Minister Harper’s “objective is not just to defeat but to obliterate the Liberal Party of Canada. For that purpose, the gloves are off all the time, from nasty attack ads against Liberal leaders to ritualistic, partisan punches from him and his ministers”.

Who will save us from the lions?

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preserves, pornography and parties

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Alanna Banks, Senior Consultant

Eat

With the Fall season just a week away it’s that time of year to get canning delicious fruits and veggies. This year we want a pantry full of perfectly preserved produce that would put Jamie Kennedy to shame. At the top of our list is this recipe for homemade ketchup that comes from Montreal’s tattoo-loving chef Chuck Hughes. We only like gourmet ketchup with our fries at MP!

Think

On Thursday, September 16 there is a launch party for Patchen Barss new book: The Erotic Engine: How Pornography has Powered Mass Communication, from Gutenberg to Google at Dora Keogh Irish Pub (141 Danforth Ave.) from 6:30-8:30. The event will feature an interview with Paul Kennedy, host of CBC Radio’s Ideas. Barrs’ book is full of compelling insight into how pornography and sexual depiction have consistently been a powerful source of creative and technological innovation.

Be Merry

It’s TIFF time! Do you really need us to tell you how to Be Merry?! Enjoy the fest, we’ll all catch up on sleep next week.

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