All posts by karimkanji

Toronto

Art of Marketing

Marketing guru Seth Godin once said, “Marketing is no longer about the stuff you make, but about the stories you tell.”

As a marketing professional, telling stories that resonate with our audience is key. It’s the Holy Grail really. Yet, as someone who has never been formally educated in marketing I have had to learn on the job. And any success I may have had or will have is directly as a result of the things I’ve learned while doing and the people I’ve learned from directly. Through articles, blog posts, books, coffee meetings and events, these people have inspired me and woken me up to the potential available.

The folks behind The Art Of productions have an amazing pillar event called The Art Of Marketing. I’ve been to a few. And each time I’ve learned something I’ve been able to apply.

That’s why I’m excited to be attending this summer’s edition of The Art Of Marketing. And you can join me too (and SAVE $50-$100 per ticket!!)

It’s as easy at going to the following website: http://info.theartof.com/mt16/social22

The Art Of Marketing

For more information on this summer’s event visit The Art of Marketing website.

Toronto

Randy Bachman’s Vinyl Tap – Concert

Last night, Thursday April 21 2016, we went to see Randy Bachman in concert at Toronto’s iconic Massey Hall. We attended with heavy hearts as earlier in the day saw the passing of one of the greatest musical artists of our time: Prince.

Bachman and his band played an amazing set which included a dozen #1 hits from his time with The Guess who and Bachman Turner Overdrive. He was also joined onstage by The Sadies and Terra Lightfoot.

randy bachman with terra lightfoot

randy bachman with terra lightfoot

 

randy bachman with the sadies and terra lightfoot

randy bachman with the sadies and terra lightfoot

Bachman ended the first set with The Sadies and Terra Lightfoot with an amazing rendition of Taking Care of Business.

Bachman came out for a second set and ended with an encore he dedicated to Prince. It was an amazing concert capped off with a heartfelt guitar solo to honor Prince.

concert

Prince Rogers Nelson – dead at 57

Sigh. One of my biggest regrets now is never having seen Prince perform live in concert.

It has been reported my multiple sources, including AP and his publicist, that Prince has died at the age of 57 in his home at Paisley Park just outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota. I’m actually sad. Really sad. I grew up with his hit albums “1999” and “Purple Rain.” His lyrics and songwriting were second to none. His ability to fuse dance, rock and funk were legendary. I remember my parents letting me listen to “When Doves Cry” play over and over again on the car radio when I was a child. I’ve sang “Purple Rain” multiple times at Karaoke. His movie, Purple Rain, was a very important movie for me growing up.

“Purple Rain” was one of the best albums of all time. Rolling Stone ranks it as one of the best of all time.

Prince will be missed. May he rest in peace.

Go here to watch the first time Prince ever played “Purple Rain” Live: https://www.facebook.com/FarrelltronGraphics/videos/1036358926388042/

social media

Internet Live Stats – Internet Usage & Social Media Statistics

Watch the Internet as it grows in real time and monitor social media usage: Internet users, websites, blog posts, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and Pinterest users. Visualize the total number of emails, Google searches, YouTube videos, Tumblr posts, Instagram photos, in 1 second. Historical trends, statistics, infographics and live data visualization

Source: Internet Live Stats – Internet Usage & Social Media Statistics

digital media

Best of Netflix

I’m addicted to Netflix. Maybe not so much as the next Netflix addict. I watch most, if not all, my “TV” on Netflix. If Neflix had the latest episodes of The Daily Show, Schitt’s Creek and Mr. D then I would be a 100%-er.

For my money, Netflix has the best shows. Hands down. I thought about writing this post after finishing the second season of Daredevil last night. The last three episodes are amazing!! When I first started watching season one of Daredevil I was less than enthused. However, I gave it a second chance after season two was released and became hooked.

Here are my favourite Netflix programs:

Lilyhammer: Starring Steven Van Zandt from Bruce Springsteen’s band, this show follows a former gangster who chooses to live in Norway as part of a witness protection program. It was Netflix’s first original program. And in my opinion, it’s the best. Steven character, Frank, is played to perfection. It’s a show with plenty of laughs and drama. I was actually sad it ended after three seasons.

Sense8: From the siblings who brought us all the adventures of Neo in the Matrix trilogy, Sense8 is a scifi drama that consists of 8 characters who have the ability to connect emotionally and mentally. The Wachowski’s bring their brand of mind-bending storytelling to this award-winning series. Only one season has been made. Netflix has picked up a second season. I can’t wait to watch this!!

House of Cards (Season One): Probably the best season of the four that have been released so far. When season one was released THIS was the show that spelled the demise of cable TV as we know it.

BoJack Horseman (Season One): I have not watched the entire second season. But season one is a blast. It’s a fun and emotional roller-coaster. As long as you don’t mind that the main character, voiced by Will Arnett is half man/half horse.

Making A Murderer: Is he guilty or innocent? Did her even receive a fair trial? Is the whole freaking town corrupted?! This true Steve Avery documentary will captivate you like nothing else.

Master of None: The best TV comedy in recent memory. It’s funny while also being honest about how real people actually behave. And I did like that it was not full of white people. Who knew the world was coloured… Season Two has been picked up by Netflix.

Honourable Mentions: Better Call Saul (Netflix has distribution rights), From Dusk till Dawn (distribution rights).

Best TV Show on Netflix that wasn’t on Netflix: West Wing. Hands down the best series I’ve ever watched. Kinda bummed that it’s no longer on Netflix. I would pay money to own the DVDs to this.

 

social media

Facebook F8 and BCON

Recently, two very important conferences have taken place. One was in Toronto: BCON. The other in San Francisco: Facebook F8. I attended BCON here in Toronto and followed the F8 conference via updates from Facebook.

I also happened to write about these two events.

I wrote about my 5 takeaways from BCON on the Active International blog. BCON is a conference focusing on how brands and publishers can continue to use and iterate on Branded Content.

Active’s blog also hosted a very short piece on some marketing highlights from Facebook’s F8 conference.

Lastly, I finally submitted another piece to itbusiness.ca. I’ve been a regular contributor to itbusiness but recent work commitments have seen my contributions dwindle. Hopefully this will increase again over time.  I wrote about the 4 things that mattered at the Facebook F8 conference.

I hope you enjoy the articles!

social media

Facebook Live

I’m a big fan of Periscope. And so is Facebook. So much so that the social media giant recently launched Facebook Live. What is it? Facebook Live is Facebook’s live streaming functionality. Which means we will all be seeing (and getting notifications) live video in our Facebook newsfeed very soon. Missed going to Opening Day? No need to worry. Just log in to Facebook (or Periscope or Twitter) and watch a Live feed of the game being streamed by one of your lucky friends.

Here’s how to use Facebook Live and start a broadcast:

Facebook Live

Don’t see the broadcast icon? Neither do I. Facebook Live is still not available to everyone. Stay tuned…

Toronto

Historical Scarborough: Thomson Park

Yes. Scarborough is historical. The Thomson Settlement (a precursor of Thomson Park) was the first permanent settlement in Scarborough (then a township). Brothers David and Andrew came here in 1796 via Scotland.

thomson park | scarborough

The first library in Scarborough was first organized on April 7th, 1834. It had 46 original members who paid a five shilling membership fee.

Scarborough Library | Thomson Park

Scarborough Library | Thomson Park

The Thomson memorial in the nearby cemetery which happens to be close to the Scarborough Library:

Thomson Family memorial

 

podcast, Toronto

Welcome! Season 2

Season Two of Welcome! is now in the bag. Welcome! was designed to showcase conversations with members of Toronto’s creative community. They can be musicians, artists, and even entrepreneurs. Essentially, anyone who lives or works in Toronto that is doing interesting things.

This season I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing media personalities, a former boxer who once sparred with Mohammed Ali, entrepreneurs, someone who climbed Kilimanjaro, a convicted murderer as well as the mother of a child who is on Canada’s Do Not Fly List.

I’m really looking forward to Season Three of Welcome! You can expect to hear from people whom you know. And many that you don’t know. However, there is one thing you can expect: The conversations will shed light on the lives, success and failures of these people. I hope you enjoy this ride as much as I will enjoy bringing it to you.

Remember to follow my episodes of Welcome! on Girth Radio. You can also follow me on the Welcome! MixCloud station.

Season Two episodes:

#23 – Khadija Cajee #NoFlyLisyKids

#22 – Segun Akinsanya

#21 – Adam Mintz

#20 – Romana Kassam

#19 – Spider Jones

#18 – Morgan P. Campbell

#17 – Sammy Younan