Last week, I posted Part 1 of a 15,000-word novella called The Longest Drive. Today, the exploits of Mark Madden continue with Part 2.
Enjoy!
Monday, February 8, 2016
Monday, February 1, 2016
February Update: An Anniversary and a New Piece of Fiction
It's a little hard to believe--and I had to do a little arithmetic to ensure I was correct--but February 1st marks three years for me in the weather game.
It was February 1st 2013 when I started at The Weather Network, leaving behind the world of print for the world of television. I spent 2.5 years at TWN and, of course, for the past six months, I have been presenting the weather for eight markets across the country for Global News.
Here's a clip from early January where I was able to work in a George Costanza reference into the Toronto newscast.
It was February 1st 2013 when I started at The Weather Network, leaving behind the world of print for the world of television. I spent 2.5 years at TWN and, of course, for the past six months, I have been presenting the weather for eight markets across the country for Global News.
Here's a clip from early January where I was able to work in a George Costanza reference into the Toronto newscast.
The new year has also brought a new challenge. I started sports anchor training over the past few weeks and I had my first on-air sports shift in January. My sports anchoring will be sporadic this year as I will be mostly working as a fill-in, in addition to my full-time weather shifts.
I am continuing to add new skills to my media toolkit. And speaking of that toolkit, I've been flexing some more literary muscle recently with the completion of a 15,000-word novella entitled, The Longest Drive.
The story follows the fictional exploits of 25-year-old Mark Madden and his ability, or lack thereof, to navigate life as a professional golfer.
While the sport of choice in The Longest Drive is golf--and how Madden deals with added pressures after winning the U.S. Open and being anointed the Next Big Thing--parallels can easily be drawn from what Madden faces to any professional athlete in any sport in 2016.
In honour of my first in-studio sports shift (and the start of the PGA Tour's West Coast Swing) I've decided to post the story on my website. I will post one chapter every Monday, starting today and continuing for the next six Mondays.
Enjoy!
Friday, January 1, 2016
January Update: A Reflection on 2015
Happy New Year!
Another year is in the books and I am looking forward to seeing what is in store for me in 2016. However, before looking ahead, I want to reflect back on what I accomplished in 2015.
2015 In Review
January - I embarked on a cross-country road trip with a colleague at The Weather Network. We started in Calgary and worked our way through Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northern Ontario before returning to Toronto.
It was my first time visiting the Prairies and I met a lot of great people and made some lasting memories.
February - Because of TWN's content-sharing agreement with CBC, I started presenting weather forecasts on CBC Toronto, CBC News Network and the weekend edition of The National.
March - I was a guest speaker at the Queen's University media and journalism conference. It was great to return to my alma mater. Also, I redesigned my website to make it easier to find my demo reels, writing samples, and other video clips.
April - Performed a stand-up comedy set at Yuk Yuk's Toronto for my bucket list and to expand my creative horizons. The video can be found under About Mike.
May - Travelled to Tacoma, Washington to work as a sideline reporter for the CrossFit Games West Regional competition. Clips can be found under Demo Reels.
June - I had the honour of delivering a commencement address at Durham College.
July - Hired by CrossFit to work as a sideline reporter on ESPN's coverage of the 2015 Reebok CrossFit Games in Carson, California. To watch clips, check out Demo Reels.
August - Started working at Global News.
September - Started delivering weather forecasts for eight cities across the country.
October - Celebrated my first 90 days at Global with a selection of clips.
November - Travelled to Winnipeg to host a charity gala for Habitat for Humanity with Global Winnipeg. I was also the MC of the 6th Annual Sports Business Conference at Durham College.
December - Started training to add sports anchor to my job description at Global.
Here's my on-air schedule at Global (all times local).
Wednesday and Thursday - 10 p.m. newscast for Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, and 11 p.m. for the Okanagan Valley
Friday - 10 p.m. newscast for Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, 11 p.m. for Toronto, Montreal, and the Okanagan Valley
Saturday and Sunday - 10 p.m. newscast for Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina and the Maritimes, 11 p.m. for Toronto, Montreal and the Okanagan Valley
Thanks for reading and watching!
Another year is in the books and I am looking forward to seeing what is in store for me in 2016. However, before looking ahead, I want to reflect back on what I accomplished in 2015.
2015 In Review
January - I embarked on a cross-country road trip with a colleague at The Weather Network. We started in Calgary and worked our way through Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northern Ontario before returning to Toronto.
It was my first time visiting the Prairies and I met a lot of great people and made some lasting memories.
February - Because of TWN's content-sharing agreement with CBC, I started presenting weather forecasts on CBC Toronto, CBC News Network and the weekend edition of The National.
March - I was a guest speaker at the Queen's University media and journalism conference. It was great to return to my alma mater. Also, I redesigned my website to make it easier to find my demo reels, writing samples, and other video clips.
April - Performed a stand-up comedy set at Yuk Yuk's Toronto for my bucket list and to expand my creative horizons. The video can be found under About Mike.
May - Travelled to Tacoma, Washington to work as a sideline reporter for the CrossFit Games West Regional competition. Clips can be found under Demo Reels.
June - I had the honour of delivering a commencement address at Durham College.
July - Hired by CrossFit to work as a sideline reporter on ESPN's coverage of the 2015 Reebok CrossFit Games in Carson, California. To watch clips, check out Demo Reels.
August - Started working at Global News.
September - Started delivering weather forecasts for eight cities across the country.
October - Celebrated my first 90 days at Global with a selection of clips.
November - Travelled to Winnipeg to host a charity gala for Habitat for Humanity with Global Winnipeg. I was also the MC of the 6th Annual Sports Business Conference at Durham College.
December - Started training to add sports anchor to my job description at Global.
Here's my on-air schedule at Global (all times local).
Wednesday and Thursday - 10 p.m. newscast for Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, and 11 p.m. for the Okanagan Valley
Friday - 10 p.m. newscast for Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, 11 p.m. for Toronto, Montreal, and the Okanagan Valley
Saturday and Sunday - 10 p.m. newscast for Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina and the Maritimes, 11 p.m. for Toronto, Montreal and the Okanagan Valley
Thanks for reading and watching!
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