Cross-Country, Chasing Stories
YZF Here I Come
I can still remember the voice on the other end of the phone — “You know what they say? Go west!” — I would just need to add a lot of north to the west. It was early 1998 and I was in the process of getting moving quotes. I had just accepted my first full-time radio job in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. It turns out the cost was significant to move all my possessions across the country. From what I remember, they would need to transport it by rail from Ontario to somewhere in Alberta, then from there the only options were to put it on a truck or plane. Given the cost, I left Kitchener with a hockey bag and tote bag, full of clothes and other items I needed. You think we pay a lot for certain items in southern Ontario? At the time I was living in Yellowknife, I remember food prices being 30 per cent higher than Edmonton due to transportation costs. Another interesting fact about living there is it gets so cold in the winter that salt / sand will do nothing for traction on roads, so they put down gravel, meaning everyone has a cracked windshield.
Growth and Character
I didn’t realize it at the time, but starting my journalism career in Yellowknife did wonders for my career. It was challenging to find full-time work in that industry when I graduated from college, and I don’t think many people would have taken the chance to move so far away from home. I was fortunate to have a classmate from college already employed at the radio station. Video calls weren’t a thing then, so the job interview was done over the phone, which is quite something when you think about it — walking sight unseen into a job at the other end of the country. We just didn’t have the technology yet. The radio station didn’t have a website and cellphones were basic, so it’s not like my friend could text me photos. Speaking of cellphones, the station had one of those bag phones, remember those? You would get a workout on assignment carrying the phone and tape recorder, which was close to the size of a laptop. Fast forward to the present day; reporters can now use their smartphones to record and edit audio. I hauled that heavy equipment to some interesting assignments during my time in Yellowknife. I believe it was the summer of ‘98 when a plane that was travelling from Amsterdam to Oakland had to make an unscheduled landing at the Yellowknife airport due to an engine failing. Due to customs issues, all the passengers were moved to the RCMP hangar; to wait it out until a replacement plane arrived from Vancouver so they could continue the rest of their journey to California. The highlight of that story for me was being able to interview people from all over the world. I also got to cover the opening of Canada’s first diamond mine, the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, and Division of NWT. And it wasn’t just about career growth — it was character building being so far away from home and experiencing -49 degrees Celsius. You get five hours of daylight in the winter but 19 plus hours in the summer. To make sleep happen, residents typically tinfoil their bedroom windows to block the relentless light.
Back down South
In late summer of 1999, I was fortunate to land back in Kitchener at the local news / talk radio station. During my tenure I wore many different hats including Reporter, News Anchor, Sports Anchor and Talk Show Producer. My favourite assignment of them all was covering the Manulife LPGA Classic. Being a passionate golfer, it was right in my wheelhouse, I knew I could paint a great picture over the radio. I then landed a great role as Editor with a digital news leader where I was able to mentor several employees and collaborate with freelance writers. If my memory is correct, we were able to get that website to one million page views within one year of operation. Next stop was a corporate communications role for a municipality, which was another great experience. I became the go-to for projects that needed a quick turnaround, relying on the skills I honed as a journalist meeting hundreds of deadlines. If you happen to be a hiring manager, keep journalists and communications professionals in mind — they have a work ethic that is second to none and a truly unique skill set.
The Next Chapter
Now I have an opportunity to do more storytelling and share my communications knowledge with the launch of Blair Adams Collective. It really is like my baby because a lot of care and thought has gone into it. And thank you to several friends who planted the seed, suggesting I explore starting my own business. Blair Adams Collective has been in the planning stages for months. It started with a meeting with an advisor at the local small business centre, developing a business plan, website, etc. It feels like a huge accomplishment just to get to the launch phase, much respect to small business owners everywhere. And Waterloo Region seems like the perfect spot to get this going as there is no shortage of entrepreneurial spirit. I’m looking forward to building new relationships and letting my creative side shine. And like I said in my news release, I am genuinely invested in seeing others win.
Let’s go!
