Ken Hall is one half of the award-winning 2-MAN NO-SHOW improv duo and has starred in the TBS show People of Earth as well as the Netflix movie, Polar. Currently, he can be seen in the hit Netflix series, The Umbrella Academy as Herb as well as the body for Pogo. Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy starts filming in early 2021.
All posts by karimkanji
Keda Edwards Pierre
This is Episode #246 of the Welcome! podcast.
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Eric Hicks
Eric Hicks is an actor. He sounds like Matthew McConaughey. He’s a volunteer at a hospice. And he’s one of the funniest people I’ve interviewed this year.
Eric Hicks is most widely known for his role as Constable D. Fox in the multi-award-winning detective series Cardinal (CTV). He has also played opposite Kim Coates, Lisa Berry and Brandon Oakes as Detective Ken Tucker for season two of Bad Blood.
This is Episode #245 of the Welcome! podcast.
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The Creators of Next Stop
Next Stop is an comedy series that chronicles the lives of Black Torontonians struggling to stay afloat and sane in the sprawling city.
The creators of Next Stop are Jabbari Weekes, Tichaona Tapambwa, and Phil Witmer.
This is Episode #244 of the Welcome! podcast.
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Kris Siddiqi and Nigel Downer
Kris and Nigel are two of the nicest and funniest people I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with on this podcast.
Bit Playas is a comedy series on CBC Gem/Amazon Prime created by Kris Siddiqi and Nigel Downer – two friends/actors that met while working at The Second City Toronto. Season One deals with Race, Nerd Culture, Dating, Marijuana and navigating the Canadian Entertainment scene as actors of color. The show originally came out December 2019 and was just released this past summer on Amazon Prime in the US and the UK.
Here is the trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfzO9obrGwo&ab_channel=CBCComedy
This is Episode #243 of the Welcome! podcast.
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Aixa Kay | Actor

Aixa Kay is an actor originally from Saudi Arabia who now calls Vancouver home. She is the star of the new Canadian movie, Jasmine Road.
This is Episode #242 of the Welcome! podcast.
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Harnarayan Singh
Harnarayan Singh is the author of the brand new book, ONE GAME AT A TIME.
Bonino Bonino Bonino!
Video clips of the Hockey Night in Punjabi broadcast of Nick Bonino’s goal for the Pittsburgh Penguins immediately went viral, amplifying the profile of Harnarayan Singh, the voice behind the call.
In this conversation with Harnarayan we talk about his love of hockey and Canada while also challenging both to be better. We talked about his relationship with Ron MacLean and his sister Gurdeep. Of course we talked about his journey from calling games with a toy microphone as a kid to calling Hockey Night in Canada games across the country and everything in between.
We also discover the one thing most people don’t know about Harnarayan Singh. You will be surprised!
This is Episode #241 of the Welcome! podcast.
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Sami Jo Small | 3X Olympian, 5X World Champion
Sami Jo Small is a three-time Canadian Olympic ice hockey goalie (two golds and one silver) and a five-time World Champion. A graduate of Stanford University in mechanical engineering, she now works as a Certified Speaking Professional, delivering messages on how to build successful teams as well as successful teammates. From Winnipeg, Manitoba, she now lives in Mississauga, Ontario.
This is Episode #240 of the Welcome! podcast.
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Conquer COVID-19 Roundtable
Conquer COVID-19 was a grassroots, volunteer-driven organization that helped facilitate access to priority products that were in short supply but essential for the healthcare community during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
This episode features an unedited conversation between Conquer COVID-19 volunteers Gregg Tilston, Laurie Dillon-Schalk, Aqeel Wahab, and Sulemaan Ahmed. Hosted by Karim Kanji.
This is Episode #239 of the Welcome! podcast.
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Why I Started Podcasting
In this special podcast episode I attempt to answer the question, “Why I started podcasting?”
This is Episode #238 of the Welcome! podcast.
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Transcript (via Audioburst):
0:02 – Everyone, this is your host Kareem kind you with a special episode today. There is no guest is not a regular welcome with cream Kanji. This is also. Not The ever popular. Welcome to the music them a co host with my friend. Greg Tillerson. This is A. Episode where I’m going to hopefully answer the question that some of you have. A why I started podcasting? Just. had a feeling that I need to. Start Recording and getting some things down. Well, I’ll be honest with you because maybe there’s a book I don’t know maybe maybe there isn’t. I don’t start then they’ll never be one so. This is going to be the start of a infrequent series where it will just be me. Talking to you about certain things that I’ve learned certain people that I’ve. Spoken with themes that have come up. You know by listening to me over the past number of years that I. Don’t read a script. I do have notes support form so There’s GonNa be a lot of. A lot of pausing and I hope that you will. Just bear with me and enjoy this. Journey this might be the only one of these that I do. Or this might be. A beginning of something interesting. So we’ll see but before i. Begin to answer why started podcasting if you would if you could indulge me please. Check out. If you’re listening to this you probably subscribe, but for those of you don’t. There are two podcasts. There is welcome. With Kareem Kanji. was also welcome to the music. And that I host again with Greg Tilsit. So please. However. You’re listening to this go and search for that whether it’s apple podcasts spotify. Stitcher. Please, go subscribe. If you can that would be amazing and. If you feel. Up to it, please rate and review. It’ll help more people, find us and get more listeners. and. If. You tell us that we’re doing battle help us improve so. So. There’s that. So let’s get to it. Why started podcasting. Well. Probably because of my love of radio. I even wanted to get into radio way back when. I went to university majored in political science and Canadian Studies. Back when the Blue Jays wore winning world series and the leaves were going to Stanley Cup semi finals so way back with. But I had actually appeared a couple of times on York University. Radio wanted to have my own show I wanted to get into radio. Not as a job I think he was to start was something fun that you do. But nothing. Happened as a result of it, but I can go
03:42 – way back to. I joke with the Greg on the music podcast about. I wasn’t one of the cool kids to listen to the edge or CF and why or spirit of radio whatever it was called at the time. I was listening to see FDR. Top forty music back when cf tear was playing music and not a all news radio station that it is today. No listening to S J of the stupid joke of the day. The top six at six. And then really. Listening to Sunday night findings with Ricard I think it was. And then after Sunday night funds, Ricard’s listening to shows like the shadow or. Theater of the mind just amazing late nights, Sunday night shows. And I stay up listening to my transistor radio underneath the covers. and Monday
04:55 – to Friday I sneak downstairs. and. Watch. At twelve, thirty, five. Late night with David Letterman. Just amazing stuff and just loved. I used to have a picture Dave letterman wallet. This is less than. Fourteen years ago. David let him about wall a show. It was just awesome. Just the stuff they did. It was amazing. Stupid pet tricks. Stupid human tricks. Just call it. It was just amazing. So that’s that’s where my love my love of Radio Talk. That’s where it started. But. Maybe, it was twenty ten or so. Rabi before that. On my way. On a flight back from a trip I taken. My decided I want to get into podcasting for other reason that it was a growing space. I did it enjoy writing and I wanted to brand myself and at the time I was getting really heavily into social media. And so I said, okay I want to get into social media wanted to be known as someone nobody knows who I am all of these thought leaders around there. So maybe a podcast will be where I wanted to get my start. So on twitter. Put out the call. And I got introduced to a dude named Nile Livesey. He had a a network. It was probably one of Canada’s first podcast networks. And it was called perpetual. Network Prn. Even a tshirt. NPR. anyways, he lived down in Mississauga in every Sunday afternoon. At Burma parents, carpet. I. Didn’t have my own. And I, drive onto Mississauga thirty forty minute drive. And spend a couple of hours. They’re reporting a show that ended up being called. Social Media Show or SMS. and. Interview. influencers. Pupil from Microsoft people that knew how to use twitter facebook that were making things happen. And I don’t know maybe twenty or so shows but. The reason that stopped was it was it was a a tour. It was a challenge. Getting to Mississauga, every Sunday and after two hours there and by an hour and a half to two hours of travel. There go Sunday so. That sort of went by. The wayside. Until. I don’t know four or five years ago again on twitter. To buddies were talking about an online radio station. That they were building. And this was like a block away from a college. That I happen to be teaching part. Time. In. TORONTO. And that was. Girth. Radio. So I started talking with the I guess you can call it the Station Manager Program Director Sami. Union. About wanting to do a show there and we talked about is going to be a social media choice it. No, he said you WANNA. Talk about technology. What if I just? Speak to people I find interesting. Yeah I WANNA have. Interesting. Conversations with interesting people. And at the time, there was a song called. Welcome. Oh my goodness. You tell them not prepared because I need to go online and remember. WHO which wall is dead. Song. Called Welcome. Do with some call. Because I was trying to figure out. What do I name? This. This podcast. I didn’t want it to be called. The cream country shows that was too. That was too much. Similar to the tonight show. It’s the tonight show with. Is, not the is not you know. Tonight show with Jimmy Fallon as Jimmy Fallon. Think anyways. So I can’t seem to find it and it’s a Canadian band ever song called. Welcome. was really into it at the time. So anyway, so I called. The show. Welcome. And then welcome with cream country. Because what do you do when you meet somebody the? You greet them to your home or to your show. We say we are welcome. Thanks for coming in. So. So that’s what that’s what we did and. Really, it was about you know having the opportunity and the chance to sit down. With people that were making things happen. and. I thought even if nobody listens to this. I’ve got an opportunity. To sit down with, for example. A Richard Petty who headed up may believe sports and entertainment. Has Been on the show three or four times now. Even, if nobody listens to it, he’s spending time with me talking to me about. You know how he became the general manager of the raptors or president of the of the raptors how he became the president of me believe sports and entertainment. Even, if it’s only me up, sure there’s tons of alert. So. So that’s what I did in and. For five years then. Twitter emails, instagram. That’s that’s how I reach people contact people directed. I’ve had thank centrally and through really just reaching out to people. The opportunity to learn from so many people about going to. Continue name-dropping. Here But. You know successful people athletes. Olympians. Musicians. Managers. Author. Successful. Authors. Award winning authors successful business people. Philanthropists. Politicians Leader major parties coming to see me. Media, personalities people on TV giving the news or reporting or prognosticating what’s going to be happening even had a provincial judge. Sit Down with me chat about about their career. So I think that’s it for this episode that that answers the question of of why I started podcasting sort of my beginning. I’ve since left obviously.
12:42 – Perpetual Radio Network. Since also left. GIRTH radio. There is no home we record. Out of a Barn Toronto. That bar does not exist anymore. So the student does not exist. So I’ve been. Since that closed closed a year sort of. Couch surfing you can say at various places. And since March been. Doing. Zim Conversations. Or having these interviews zoo. So Independent. Welcome with Cream Kanji welcome to the music we are independent. And we’re we’re having we’re having fun I still enjoy. Speaking with people whether they are an actor. Who is starring in their first? Short film first feature that is. Playing at a small independent. Film festivals. Whether I’m talking to. Rock Stars from my childhood. I joy really to enjoy all of these conversations. So I think what I WANNA do next. Maybe talk about on the next episode of the comes around. Tuck with the first few episodes. I did what I learned why I spoke with who I was speaking with. And that will just take it from there and and see where
14:15 – this. Journey takes us. So, thanks for joining me again. This is Kareem Kanji. You could find me everywhere on twitter at Karim Kanji Instagram at Kareem Kanji. Cream. KANJI DOT COM. Welcome to the music DOT COM and please subscribe rate and review. Thanks so much for joining the
14:40 – on this interesting episode. Thanks for listening. If you’re long time listener. Thank you if you’re just joining. US. Thank you. Really appreciate it and
This is Episode #247 of the Welcome! podcast.
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