I wrote the IKEA Midnight Madness radio ad

For IKEA Midnight Madness, I wrote a script involving Jonas (the IKEA voice) being Auto-Tuned. Since I had to write so many scripts before getting one approved by the Group Creative Director and then by IKEA, I'm pretty tapped out of witty writing. So I'll just paste in what the sound house director, Andrew Bradley, posted on his blog: "I had the opportunity to direct another IKEA radio spot recently. Josh Rachlis wrote a fun script involving Jonas (the IKEA voice) being Auto-Tuned. I think Jonas had a great time doing it and let’s be honest, the only time we’d want to hear him sing is if it was electronically assisted like this. Comedy he can do. Singing, not so much."

TITLE: Auto-Tuned

CLIENT: IKEA

AGENCY: Leo Burnett Toronto

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Morgan Kurchak

COPYWRITER: Josh Rachlis

DIRECTOR: Andrew Bradley, RMW

ENGINEER: Kyle Gudmundson, RMW

Thanks to VoiceTrax West, L.A. for patching us in to Jonas.

On November 30th, 2012, we recorded at RMW Music. There's me in the studio, with the producer drinking coffee, and the IKEA announcer woman in the booth. I can't remember her name, but she's got a nice voice.

Kevin Braithwaite played the DJ. While we recording, I half-jokingly and fully-racistly asked him: "You're black. What's some street hip hop language?" He was like, "I dunno, man. I like rock." So basically, we're both about the same level of blackness. Which, as you can tell from my attempt at an urban pose here, is not very black.

Christmas gifts that stress me out

I'm cleaning my desk at work and it just occurred to me that some of the Christmas gifts I got are stressing me out. Am I a jerk, or am I right in thinking that gifts shouldn't confuse me and/or make me do work?

I explored Nuit Blanche 2012

On October 5th, my friend Anat Cohen was in town from Ottawa and wanted to do something fun. So I decided to take her out to Nuit Blanche, Toronto's annual all-night, city-wide, contemporary art event that was happening that night. Unfortunately, even though I like to draw and got 100% on a Grade 12 Art exam (still my greatest accomplishment), I don't really understand art. So Anat was taken along for the ride as I tried to figure things out.

I'm in this trailer for Come Date With Me Canada

This past summer, I posted about an audition I did for the new W Network show "Come Date With Me Canada." Well, that audition went pretty well, as you can see in the just-released trailer for the show. Which move do you think impressed the lovely blonde more: Burning my hands while cooking, groaning red-faced on the floor, or revealing that my relationships don't last long? Place your bets after watching me school my fellow suitors on the art of seduction. The trailer is posted here.

Extra tidbit: If you're a single guy and think you have smoother moves than I showed in the trailer (trust me, you do), I just got this message from the show's Casting Director: "Hey Josh, sounds like you had a great time on Come Date! We're still casting for guys 35-45 for our last two episodes; if you know anyone who might be interested, we'd love to hear from them! I'll bump them to the top of the list if they say you sent them."

I explain to Judd Apatow why Toronto's mayor was ousted

Last night at An Evening with Judd Apatow & Leslie Mann at TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto, Judd kept asking interviewer Richard Crouse, and the audience, why Toronto mayor Rob Ford had been removed from office that morning. If I'd had the nerve to put my hand up during the Q&A, I would have explained it to Judd. Instead, I filmed myself explaining it in the empty theatre afterward. Because that's how I roll.

I left a comment about the comments for a trailer

Thanks to the fast-paced world of the Internet, my writing is being done in shorter spurts and at unexpected moments. So until I sit down to write my Louis CK-style hour-long stand-up comedy special, I might as well share this kind of thing with you. Here's my angry response to comments about the new World War Z movie trailer. You can see the trailer and read all the comments on the JoBlo.com site by clicking here. Here's what I wrote:

This looks like a fun thrill ride. What's wrong with you people?

1. Stop complaining when a movie isn't exactly like the book. They are different media. They have to be structured differently. If you've ever written a script and a book, or you have SEEN a movie or READ a book, you'll know that. Also, you've already read the book. If you want it exactly like the book, go read the book again.
2. Zombies don't actually exist. So they can be fast or slow in a movie. Either is correct. If you want slow zombies, go back and watch a movie where you liked the slow zombies. Maybe one made back when they could ONLY make slow zombies because of movie technology. I, for one, like the idea of fast zombies, because they're FAST. If you can just run (or walk swiftly) away from your enemy, that's not very scary.
3. Why do you want to see the zombies in a trailer about a zombie movie? This is a TRAILER. A teaser to make you want more. So, if you want to see the zombies, the trailer has done its job. And also, it hasn't spoiled the movie for you. I don't want to see the zombies in the trailer. Pay your 15 bucks in the theatre and take your chances. If you need to know exactly what the zombies will look like, make your own zombie movie and watch that. Or write your own zombie book first, and then make your movie exactly like the book you just wrote.

I sat on a panel about The Future of Advertising

On Oct. 17th, I sat on a panel at an Advertising Summit on "The Future of Advertising, PR and Corporate Communications" sponsored by HOMAD (Heads of Media and Design), with all the heads of Media and Design college programs in attendance at George Brown College. Panelists were to "address how changes in the industry are impacting their specific role/discipline and offer insight on how educators can prepare graduates for employment in the ever-changing advertising/communications world." I mostly ranted about what pisses me off about the ad biz and threw out ideas for what I think young creative people should do in their job search. But afterward, the profs came up to me to thank me for my great thinking. One was telling me that he teaches kids drawing and that they think they have to draw like him. He liked my vision for teaching young people that there are lots of different ways to express yourself. Hopefully I'll be sent the footage from the event so that I can post my ramblings. In the meantime, you can read about the event by visiting the report by Boost Agents here.

I wrote this Eggo commercial sequel

My creative partner George Longley and I created the musical Eggo commercial that launched in April 2012. (Check it out here.) At the time, we also created a second spot with a different song. At long last, the toaster has popped, so to speak, and the second spot is on the air! Feast your eyes and ears on it below:

I asked Seth Rogen if we could have been friends

My above question for Seth Rogen appeared on CNN.com just over a year ago, as part of a series of questions from iReporters for Seth Rogen and his writing partner, Will Reiser, who were promoting their movie 50/50. The question I submitted was officially "vetted" by CNN, and then it was featured on the page advertising the upcoming interview. And in the Q&A session, my question was given the cool position of being the very last question. But I only just now finally screen-recorded the interview and edited it down to my part to put on YouTube. So for those of you who missed it back then, here's the story: In September 2011, I started posting a few videos on the CNN iReports site. Producers from the site contacted me and said they thought my stuff was really funny and they asked me to submit questions for their celebrity interviews. When I saw that Seth Rogen was going to be one of those celebs, I saw my chance at redemption. Because a year earlier, I'd been house-sitting for my friend Jenn on a tiny street where Director Sarah Polley was shooting her movie Take This Waltz with Seth Rogen and Michelle Williams (and Sarah Silverman, who wasn't in the scenes on the street). All month I thought about walking over to say hi to Seth. I even talked to a tech guy who had cords on my lawn and who said that for the inconvenience of the shoot I could likely get a meet and greet with the Director and actors. But I never got the guts to do anything. Then, one day, while I was standing in the doorway of the basement apartment, drinking aloe juice, Seth Rogen walked by. He said "Hey."I wanted to reply: "Hey, how's it going? How's your Green Hornet movie going? I'm a comedian and Jewish and Canadian, like you. Do you want to hang out? Maybe we could make some comedy together." But instead I said: "Hey." And that was that. Then I proceeded to beat my head against a wall for a year, bemoaning the fact that I'd blown my once-in-a-lifetime chance to ever be living on a tiny, secluded street with a big Hollywood comedian who had nothing else to do between takes other than to hang out with me. I tried to come up with ideas like making a song for him, but he was infamously not on Twitter, or Facebook, or anything. I toyed with the idea of making a song for Sarah Silverman, so that I could become her friend, and then maybe I could get in with Seth through her. But I never did that either. Instead, I stewed. And in the end, well, I turned the lemons of the situation into the lemonade of this video. Now, instead of me having blown a possible friendship with Seth Rogen, I've made a video so that millions of people can see that I blew a possible friendship with Seth Rogen. Hmm... Ok, let's pretend that's a better situation. Otherwise I'm going to start crying again.

If you want to see the questions from the other iReporters, the full video is here: http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/showbiz/2011/09/26/ireport-seth-rogen-will-reiser.cnn

I challenged politicians to work together to fight global warming

On September 20, 2012, the Toronto chapter of 350.org held an event to talk about global warming. Afterwards, a panel talked about the importance of people being more green, government being more green and of people demanding eco policies from government. The last person to ask a question, I challenged the panel with my observation that a majority of Canadian voters vote for a party that cares about the environment, and so we must work together rather than let egos and in-fighting allow the destruction of the environment.

From left to right in the video, the panel was:
1) Tim Grant - Chair of the Harbord Village Residents' Association, and co-creator of the Green Teacher Magazine
2) Peter Tabuns - Member of the Ontario Legislative Assembly for Toronto-Danforth (NDP)

3) Matthew J. Hoffmann - Associate Professor of Political Science at U of T

Here are details about the event, from the Facebook event page:

Riverside Public House, 725 Queen St. E., Toronto, ON, M4M 2H5
350.org Toronto presents:

A tongue-in-cheek tribute to Minister of the Environment Peter Kent – we will be screening the 30 minute, 1984 documentary “The Greenhouse Effect and Planet Earth” (written, hosted, and narrated by Kent) which explains the science behind climate change and states in no uncertain terms that “the greenhouse effect must be considered as the world’s greatest environmental concern.”

Since making the move from journalism to politics, Kent has abandoned any semblance of environmentalism: in December 2011 he formally withdrew Canada from the Kyoto Protocol, he used the 2012 Omnibus Budget Bill C-38 to eliminate funding for energy efficiency programs and drastically limit environmental assessments for industrial projects, and he has supported tar sands development at every turn, pushing to maintain the $1.4 billion in subsidies the Canadian government gives to fossil fuel corporations annually.

The film will be followed by three speakers, Matthew J. Hoffmann, Associate Professor of Political Science at UofT, Peter Tabuns, member of the Ontario Legislative Assembly for Toronto-Danforth (NDP), and Tim Grant - chair of the Harbord Village Residents' Association, and co-creator of the Green Teacher Magazine. They will comment on the current state of the climate and what we, as concerned citizens, can do about it, as well as fielding questions.

After that you will have a chance to meet the Toronto 350 team while enjoying the musical stylings of Juan Pablo Bermudez Rey.

Questions? Post here or email toronto350@gmail.com

High-res poster available here: https://www.sindark.com/350/kentposter.png

Like us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Toronto350.org
Follow us on twitter: https://twitter.com/Toronto350
Join our 350.org Local page: http://local.350.org/350-toronto/

Matthew J. Hoffmann: https://matthewhoffmann.wordpress.com/
Peter Tabuns: http://petertabuns.ca/
Tim Grant: https://www.facebook.com/tim.grant.77985
Music: http://individual.utoronto.ca/juanpa/

I was a speed dater on Love Hunters

This show aired May 10, 2012  and I've already blogged about it, but I've just now finally screen recorded the episode from the Slice website and have edited together the brief moments where I was shown in the beginning and end of the episode. So, for those of you who missed it on air, you can now see me in all my humiliation glory. Here's what to watch for in the video:

00:19 I awkwardly introduce myself.
00:46 I awkwardly reveal that I've had dates end very quickly.
01:14 Her notes summarize me as "comedy, sarcastic, Evan Handler" (FYI: Evan Handler is the bald guy from Sex And The City, whom I'm often told I look like)
01:30 Back of my bald head.
01:35 Reprise of me apologizing for not making any sense. But at least she laughed!




Below I'll paste in the synopsis from this link:
http://www.slice.ca/Shows/ShowsPage.aspx?Root_Title_ID=279730

Synopsis
Love Hunter Jodi is an outspoken thirty-something, who is best described as a work-focused go-getter. She even admits to treating potential partners like candidates interviewing for a job. Can you blame her? Between her bustling career, her family and her charity work - Jodi has little time to devote to finding the man of her dreams. Her likes: a confident, self-assured family man with a keen sense of humour. Her dislikes: someone who’s lazy. Our prescription: we temporarily take Jodi off the career track and put her on to the dating fast track. With no time to waste, over the course of seven days, Jodi will go speed dating, be set up by a professional matchmaker and then by someone closer to home… all in the hopes of finding her Mr Right. With three guys to choose from, the question is: who will progress to a second interview… er date?

Here's the IMDB page for the episode, which I have proudly submitted my name to:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404713/

And if my video has whet your appetite to see Jodi's other dates, you can watch the full episode here:
http://www.slice.ca/Slice/Watch/Default.aspx?ID=v&releasePID=iuwuWSQ05vo_yQTJco8i6NvOSr0NEBfu

I acted in this Rent-A-Center radio ad

My voice can currently be heard in the U.S. in a Rent-A-Center radio ad that I acted in, called "Whirlpool Washer Interest." I got the part through my L.A. agent and was patched into the ad agency in Dallas to record it on September 9, 2012. I'm playing the bitchy credit card accounts phone rep. It really is a stretch for me to play a rude, disinterested person. But that's how amazing an actor I am. Click here to listen: 

I wrote the Bounce ad in today's Metro

I actually wrote this print ad over a year ago, I think. But I came across it this morning while reading today's Metro paper on the subway. I guess it's so clever that it keeps on working for Bounce. Just like Bounce freshness keeps on working. (See what I did there? Watch and learn, aspiring copywriters. Watch and learn.)










The 1st part of the headline refers to the sheets, the 2nd part to the bar. The body copy reads: "Like taking control with sheets? Or want to kick back and let the dryer bar give you automatic Bounce freshness for about 4 months at a time? Whichever type you are, you'll be the type of person who has awesomely fresh laundry every time." Tagline: "How do you get your Bounce?"

I interviewed the creator of The Love Lettering Project

For my show Josh Rachlis 180 ("All the news of Anderson Cooper 360. Half the degrees."), on Thursday I interviewed Lindsay Zier-Vogel as she manned her famous Love Lettering Project during "Celebrate Yonge" on Toronto's Yonge Street during the Toronto International Film Festival. Why has a cute little art project been covered by Taddle Creek Magazine, Global Television, CBC Radio's DNTO, Yahoo! News, The Toronto Star, CTV's Canada AM and more? Watch below and find out! (Oh, and just in case you didn't think I'm a legit reporter, it's also posted as a CNN iReport at http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-839749. Take that, Anderson!)

I interviewed Andy Lee, background actor

I've been planning to do fun interviews for a new online show I'll call "Josh Rachlis 180." (All the news of Anderson Cooper 360. Half the degrees.) While walking along Yonge Street during TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) on Thursday, I stopped in a pub washroom and thought of the idea for The J List - a feature of JR180 where I interview actors who are lower down the career line than The A List. Then I came across my friend Lindsay's Love Lettering Project, told her my idea, and she told me to interview her friend Andy, who happened to be standing there. So below is my interview with Andy Lee, background actor in movies and TV shows like Pacific Rim, Saving Hope, The LA Complex and Degrassi: The Next Generation. (To maximize Andy's exposure to the world, and my exposure to Anderson Cooper, I've also posted it as a CNN iReport at http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-839743.)

I wrote the end-of-summer IKEA flyer

Did you get one of these IKEA flyers in the mail yet? If so, you should think of two things. 1) Great deals on stylish furniture, and 2) Me slaving away to entertain you with a few short words that convey style, savings and selection, all at the same time. You'd be surprised at how particular IKEA is about having just the right headlines for their flyers. But after many back-and-forths, here are my 3 headline masterpieces! Now, I just have to figure out how to make my condo look like these photos.

My Life: Another weird guy on public transit ruined my chance with a girl

Ok, I've been trying to come up with ideas for funny things to talk about on YouTube. Meanwhile, ridiculous things keep happening to me in real life and I've been relegating them to Facebook statuses. One of those ridiculous things just happened to me on a bus and I was about to write a status about it when I got off the bus. But it occurred to me, why not record myself talking about it? That might capture the story better. So, at the bottom of this entry, I will post the world's first Josh Rachlis Video Facebook Status.

But first, this one will require a little background: On Aug 6, 2012, I saw a cute girl waiting for a streetcar and while I was thinking about talking to her on the streetcar, a guy (maybe homeless, but probably just weird) told me I had big muscles. For those of you who aren't my Facebook friends, here are some screengrabs of the Facebook status that I wrote on my iPhone in my condo lobby right after the incident. You can see that 31 comments ensued.

Ok, so now you'll know why I couldn't believe that pretty much the exact same thing just happened to me, less than two weeks later. As you can see, people are excited to hear the tale:

So without further adieu, here's me telling the story about what happened:



And as proof of my tale, here's the crappy video of the guy talking to me, with occasional wistful pans to the object of my stymied affections:

I auditioned for Come Date With Me Canada

According to the Facebook page for Come Date With My Canada, here's what this new TV show is about:


"Think you have the dating skills to take down the competition? Prove it. Four contestants compete for the attention of one lucky singleton... and a cash prize! Come DATE with Me features four males, from all walks of life and ages, vying for the attention of one lucky lady."


Well, I don't think for one second that I have any dating skills, but I'm always up for a challenge. So when my TV producer friend Samara suggested I contact the people at this show, I did so. An hour long phone interview with Susan the casting director ensued. Followed by this morning's 3-hour long interview in my condo. I gave Susan a tour of my place, which included me acting out the hypothetical dinner party date with my Smurf collection (Smurfette was the girl, I was the Smurf with an acoustic medieval guitar, Bay Street Lawyer was the Smurf who looked like a king, Sports Guy was Football Smurf, and Bar Guy was a beer drinking Smurf). I also improvised a little song on my guitar. And was asked to put on my Enviroman eco-superhero costume. I'm not sure if any of this will help me get on the show. But I sure entertained myself. And that's really what matters, right? At least, that's what I keep telling myself when I cry myself to sleep alone every night.

Susan packing up her camera after filming me in my Enviroman costume. She expressed surprise as to what my costume looked like. I guess she hadn't actually watched my eco music video. But I'm sure it was just a coincidence that she packed up right after the costume part.

I wrote this IKEA Back To School radio ad

Here's an IKEA Back To School radio ad that I wrote. It's called "Agreeing" and went to air on July 30. I know, I know - It's Back To School time already? How depressing! But hopefully this ad will help cheer you up. To listen to it, click here: IKEA Agreeing

On the left is Katherine Cappellacci, who played the daughter. Then there's me, who wrote this brilliant piece of comedy. Then there's Tracey Hoyt, who played the mom. And in the frame is a childhood photo of Jonas, who is the Swedish voice of IKEA and is in the radio ad too. Not sure why his childhood photo was in the recording studio, but it worked out for the purposes of this shot.

I'm acting in this Popeye's Chicken radio ad

Currently airing across Canada, a new radio ad for Popeye's Chicken features me as a guy who's so passionate about his Popeye's Chicken that he's recording himself "unboxing" it, just like those people who make videos for YouTube of themselves unboxing new products like iPhones. At the recording session, the Copywriter (who's familiar with my work) told me: "I just knew you'd understand making an unboxing video." Not sure why he'd think I could get into the mindset of someone who puts their whole life on the Internet. But anyway, thanks for reading my blog post about the radio ad I just acted in! You can hear it by clicking here.

I'm on the OKCupid Enemies site

A girl in North Carolina popped up on my Facebook just now and asked if that's me on the "enemies of OKCupid page." I had no idea what she was talking about, so I Googled it, and, well, of course it's me. That's just how my life is. Check it out: http://www.okcenemies.com/post/25447844858#notes

I'm not sure if that's something I should be posting on this site that's supposed to be about my creative work. But, well, maybe being vilified on a blog about awful Internet dating profiles is a kind of fame in this modern age. After all, as I write this, there are 76 "notes" under the posting, which is more comments than I've ever gotten on my own Facebook posts. And because the girl who told me about it is N.C., that means I'm "known" in the United States. And I'd like to believe that it was my creative writing and photographing that made me worthy of this international public ridicule.

For the record, there's a bit more to the story than made it into the blog. I didn't just write "I'm not gay!" in my profile and leave it at that. I'm weird, but not that weird. If you're interested in the context, feel free to read my full profile at http://www.okcupid.com/profile/BertSeeksErnie. It seems everyone else in the world already has.

The initial warning on Facebook. Boy, I love getting messages like this. How come nobody can ever just say "Hey, how are you?"

The posting on OKCupid Enemies. (Couldn't I be an OKCupid Annoyance? Am I really so bad as to be an Enemy?

76 "notes" under the posting so far.

More of these brillant notes.

What I actually said about being not gay.

I adapted this Special K commercial for Canada

Here's a little something that popped up when I Googled myself this morning. (Yes, I'm that vain/lonely. Deal with it.) The photography studio Sugino Studio just blogged about the back-end of a Canadian Special K commercial they worked on, which I helped adapt from an American commercial. For this kind of thing, I rewrite the script so that it speaks to Canadians and takes into account any differences in the product up here, and I help direct the voice over artist, in this case the talented actress/comedian Katie Crown, whom we patched in from her new home base in Los Angeles. The spot likely won't win me a Lion at Cannes, but it's part of what I do every day, and it's always a joy to help get the message out about delightful Kellogg's products. And for Special K in particular, it's fun to be able to use my profound understanding of the female mind to talk to women in a way they can relate to. Sigh. If only I was as good at dating women as I am at marketing to them. To see the blog post and the clip from the commercial, click here.

I'm shortlisted at Cannes for copywriting and illustrating

I'm not personally attending the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity that's happening this week. But I've just learned that a couple of things I worked on have been shortlisted. Which is almost as exciting as cavorting on a beach in the South of France. That's what I'm telling myself, anyway.

In terms of my Copywriting - The Mr. Clean facebook page, for which I helped develop the Mr. Clean character and wrote many of his status updates, is in there:

http://www.canneslions.com/work/2012/interactive/entry.cfm?entryid=32848&award=101&order=0&direction=1

And get this... I'm in this James Ready Beer campaign as an Illustrator. That's right, I was asked to draw some of the newsletters that came in the beer boxes. I knew that doodling on my school notebooks would come in handy one day.

http://www.canneslions.com/work/2012/effectiveness/entry.cfm?entryid=3856&award=101&order=1&direction=1

I'm quoted in The Huffington Post about the plastic bag ban

Toronto's surprise move to ban plastic bag giveaways at stores is the talk of the town today. So The Huffington Post Canada did a story about people's reactions, and I'm proud to say that the popular online newspaper did not consider my thoughts to be "disposable." Rather, they "reused" my Facebook comment for their article. I'm glad Toronto is following their lead by doing the same with plastic bags. To read my quote, check out the article by clicking here.

I was on the TV show Judge Karen's Court

In late 2009, I rented out my condo to a girl who wanted it for just one night. Turns out, that wasn't my best idea ever. Months later, I submitted a one-sentence summary in response to an L.A. casting call I saw from Judge Karen's Court. Though the show normally only uses people in California, and certainly just Americans, the producer loved the story so much that in December 2010, they flew me and the defendant down from Canada to Los Angeles for 24 hours to be on their show. So, my apartment got trashed, but I got my first appearance on a national U.S. television show. I believe this is what's called "turning lemons into lemonade." This is the first time I'm seeing the episode - It took me this long to track down a copy. But I already knew it ran a couple of times, because I've gotten emails from an ex-pat Canadian woman in the U.S. asking how the court case in Canada went, and from a guy in New York state who just wanted to tell me that I'm cute. Being called cute? That is the greatest outcome I could ask for from a court case.

I made a video blog about Question Period with the Green Party leader

On Wednesday, Mike Schreiner (the Green Party of Ontario leader) and I sat in the viewing gallery of Question Period at Queen's Park. Mike goes all the time - the reporters and even the security guards all knew him - and he was kind enough to invite me for this trip. Why'd we go? Because even though the Green Party doesn't have a seat in Provincial Parliament (yet), we're passionate about holding the government accountable for the health and well-being of Ontarians. Also, sitting in Queen's Park makes me feel all important and stuff. But mostly it was for the holding accountable thing.

I interviewed artists at The Artist Project

In March, my friend took me to The Artist Project in Toronto, a show featuring original works by over 200 artists. While there, I figured I'd try to learn something about art. Here's my investigation.

I wrote Cinnamon Pops commercials that will pop your head

Kellogg's needed to let the world know about their new Cinnamon Pops cereal. They wanted to highlight the crunchiness, the cinnamon, the deliciousness. And of course it all had be entertaining. Right after the briefing meeting, my art director and I cracked the problem in 5 minutes while eating hors d'oeuvres at an agency party. Inspiration may or may not have come from a segment on my Rogers Community Cable show 20 years ago where I would draw a face on an egg and then crush it. See that segment below and decide for yourself.

There are more commercials to come. Currently online are the spots "Spelling Bee" and "Ghost." And on TV and in movie theatres is the spot "Opera."

Oh, and I'm also the voice of the announcer in all the spots and of the sleeping man in the Ghost spot. If you could tell that already, well, you're probably my mom.





And here are those clips from my old cable show. The egg crushing segment starts at 3:22.

A teaser for a top secret webseries

Sometimes projects take a long time to work their way through the production process. But I hate to leave you loyal blog readers starving for news. So I'm treating you to images from a webseries I've been shooting for the past couple of months. After shooting an episode, the director wanted to grab a few quick photos of us. I can't tell you much about the show until we officially launch it. But if you know anything about my lovely co-host, you might come up with some clues. Vanessa Farquharson is a well-known author/journalist/speaker with a particular interest in helping the environment. In fact, I first became aware of her when I saw her eco column in the National Post and I emailed her to say hi.
She wound up including me in a story about green dating, we later mulled over doing some kind of green show together, and, well, years later... Ok, if I say any more I'll be killed. Just enjoy the pictures.

I took Debra Toffan's animation voice class!

Yes, you've heard my voice as a Scotsman in the animated show Time Warp Trio and as a chameleon in the commercial for Hubba Bubba Max. But I'd like to do even more voices for animation. And I always enjoy taking classes to learn new skills in any discipline. So when I heard that Debra Toffan was offering a class for animation voice, I jumped at the chance to take the April 7th one. She's casted tons of animated shows and has voice-directed superstars like Matt Damon, Joan Rivers, and Holly Hunter. I was afraid that she would confuse me for Matt Damon, since he and I look so much alike. But fortunately, my vocal gifts made me stand out. Or maybe it's just that I'm a bit more muscular than Matt. ANYway, I had a lot of fun in the class, and I recommend it to any voice actors who get a chance to take it.

I review my script while other members of the class take their turn doing voices in the booth.

Debra listens to the actors in the booth and offers her sage advice.