Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:05 <inaudible>
Speaker 1 00:00:15 Once again, I am your host Elliot, Pierre. You've tuned into the Mac city morning show. And I want to thank you for tuning in. I want to thank everybody. Who's watching the videos online as well, and the clips seem to be doing extremely well. So from the bottom of my heart for everybody, who's been tuning in. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Actually went down to staples yesterday and had a number of individuals come and talk to me saying that they're watching the show. So thank you very much. So, as per usual, I'm not going to introduce the guests we have today. I'm going to let this gentleman do it himself. Very excited to have him here. So my man, please introduce yourself to the people at home. Tell them who you are and what you're all about.
Speaker 2 00:00:52 Hi, my name is Jamie <inaudible>. I am the owner publisher for Stockwood Buffalo. Okay.
Speaker 1 00:00:57 Okay. And so what is snap wood Buffalo for the people at home who don't know
Speaker 2 00:01:01 Up at Buffalo is, are good. Our community's good newspaper and we are a moderate, we're a newspaper that gets distributed throughout the region that covers community events, news, and media.
Speaker 1 00:01:14 Okay. Okay. So I have seen the magazine a number of times I've been in it once or twice. So I know that you guys go to events. I know you talked to people, you put individual's names in. I like what you just said. It's all about sharing, like good vibes in Fort McMurray. So in regards to the events, how do you find out about the events that, uh, your people are going to
Speaker 2 00:01:35 Events are submitted to our website first? And then once the are input, we make sure that our, um, our community associates, our community, uh, freelancers get notified as to when and where they're happening throughout town. And then we can schedule them in to, to make, to make appearances and come out to the events and cover them accordingly. And then once, once they're committed in the end, they actually cover the events and they'll put them into the paper where I can, I can make the final edits and cuts and then go to go to print later on in the month.
Speaker 1 00:02:09 Okay. Now I'm a pretty busy guy. I go to a number of different events around town, and it's always blown my mind that every time I go to any event, even if it's happening in the same day, almost at the same time, you have people there. So you obviously must have a team of individuals working with you, taking photographs, going all to, to these things.
Speaker 2 00:02:31 That's right. Our, um, our, our, our, sorry, our, um, community, um, associates are our freelancers. I'll always want to make sure that they're getting out there and there, and they're covering every event that they possibly can to make sure we're, we're accomplishing our mission on strengthened the arbitral BBB for Gator communications. And we're really making sure we're bringing everyone that much closer together by carving as much as we possibly can. Right.
Speaker 1 00:03:00 So how many freelancers do you think you have going out taking all these pictures of the events in town
Speaker 2 00:03:05 Roughly eight to 10 or so, depending any, and even when I have some gaps, can't be filled, I'll go, I'll go and cover events too.
Speaker 1 00:03:11 That's incredible. That's an that's unbelievable. Yeah. Cause you guys, literally, my hat goes off to you, the amount of events that you guys show up on the photos that you have. Incredible. So if I am having an event in town and I do email you, what's the criteria to like what classifies is, we'll show up to this, or like, that's kind of not our thing.
Speaker 2 00:03:31 Sure. That we always, we always do all we can to cover as much as we can. So when, I mean, sometimes we will cover some more, um, controversial events for instance, but we'll make sure that we cover it and we'll make sure we put a positive scope or, or put it in a positive light.
Speaker 1 00:03:46 Right, right. Okay. Now there's another component. Like I definitely have picked up your paper from time to time and seeing who's in it's it's like finding Waldo, looking for myself basically sometimes. Um, but you have an online component as well. Um, on social media platforms, as well as a website. Can you explain a little bit of that to us?
Speaker 2 00:04:05 Social media, we find is a great tool for getting, getting news out to the community very quickly, very fast, but we find that it doesn't really have a great shelf life. It doesn't live for very long. It's its impressions don't last very long. So that's where, that's where the print aspect comes into play. Each in each sort of provides its own unique abilities and its own its own level of service to the community and our online platform. Uncover a little bit of both. I mean, if, whenever you go there, you can, you can not only just see what's happening for that particular month, but you can go and look up historical months in the past and see what has been going on in the town throughout the different years.
Speaker 1 00:04:42 Right, right on. Now, how long has snap been in Fort McMurray? How long has the publication been in place for
Speaker 2 00:04:48 Almost 10 years? Almost 10 years. 10 years. I'm the credible, I'm the third owner right now. Um, before that was at a noble and before that was a recursion. Okay.
Speaker 1 00:04:57 Okay. Wow. That's a, that's a huge accomplishment 10 years and it's a very popular magazine. I know. Lots of people pick it up for sure. Yeah. Now in regards to, let's talk about years. How many years have you been here in Fort McMurray?
Speaker 2 00:05:10 I started, I came here in, uh, bar 2006, 2006.
Speaker 1 00:05:15 Okay. And what brought you here? Well, I wanted,
Speaker 2 00:05:17 Uh, I came from Vancouver and I found out Vancouver was a very difficult town to, to work in. I found it was very tough to, uh, you know, for anybody, anybody young to try and get ahead. I found that there were opportunities that were available. There were rather limiting. And I found that when I came here and did some looking around that it was a much, much faster way or a much better way or more of a, an equal opportunity method for anybody to try and, and get themselves in a better growth position. And so when you came out here, what were you doing as mechanic? Okay.
Speaker 1 00:05:51 What kind of mechanic? Automotive. All right. And so where did you get started? What was the first job?
Speaker 2 00:05:55 First job I had was actually at amp downtown just as a flat rate technician. And eventually I went into, uh, moved on from there as, as a contractor and worked for Leo Roberts that had seen Syncrude based mine site. Um, and, um, uh, lasted on there until 2008 and then transferred out to Fort McMurray in 2010 and sort of bounced around for a while until eventually I got my, I started, well, I wanted to move into heavy equipment technician. And from there I started that around 2012 and 2012 to 2000 and the January, 2017 was working on my HGTV.
Speaker 1 00:06:32 Okay. Right on. And so you have your red seal certification. I've got, I've got the completed now. Yeah. So you're, you're hardcore. You can go wherever you want, whenever you want to do that, if you needed to.
Speaker 2 00:06:41 Yeah. Well, it's always good to have the kind of possibility to have that kind of freedom. And that was one of the reasons why I came out here was to pursue that opportunity. Right. Yeah. And what I found is in 2015, I started to get around more of the local or pressure committee. And I got around the sort of the more, more background into government intricacies that surrounded the trade itself. And I thought that, what about what a better way to bring this to, to, um, the community and make sure like, if I'm going to be working with this and moving with us, then, you know, I want to hear or provide input or, or directions as to what can be done and started working more and more with the, the orgs, the NPOs, the charities to, uh, hoping to bring that to them or with them.
Speaker 2 00:07:27 And that's when the fire hit in 26, in early 2016. So then my, my role essentially changed and it became very dynamic. No, at least we saw, I saw the need for the community, not just increased, but the number of people that needed to increase as well at the same time and felt that this needed to be filled so committed a lot of my spare time towards serving the community on rebuilding itself, getting ahead, you know, finding, finding a means to move forward essentially. And from 2016 to 2019 was very committed to that role, right? I mean, in a different, a few different orgs around, around the community, around the town and right around the same time, this is when snapped, uh, came available. And I thought, well, what, what a great way to help the community and move the community forward against rather than committing to say only just a few here and there. I could commit to the whole community as, as an, as a, as a total and really work with it, to promote that with our message of hope and our positive news, you know, what it is that the community really does need to be working with and what they need to be getting stronger. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:08:37 On that topic, the community you've been here for a while, like I love that you have shifted from your traditional site role into more of an advocate in the community. What do you think makes Fort McMurray special?
Speaker 2 00:08:50 Well, I think that its community is, is very special when I, whenever there is something that happens here, town, whether it be at the flood for instance, or the fire, or mean even something as simple as if a neighbor loses their home or loses a loved one or a pet or something, then there's always that, that outreach for support for people to, to work with and, and, and, and feel that they're, they're, they're comforted and they're, they're really part of a network they're really, they're really part of a, a larger, broader family in this area.
Speaker 1 00:09:19 Yeah, no, it's totally true. So I've spent a little bit of time out at site. Not very much. Um, I had the pleasure of working out at Syncrude for a little bit and transitioned into working in town for the rest of my career. What do you find are the biggest differences for you from that the trade that you were doing when you're going out to site day in, day out working in oil sands to now transitioning into like Fort McMurray kind of intercore role?
Speaker 2 00:09:47 Well, it's a little difficult when you're, when you're out at site to really get all the PR all the information. I feel like you're, you're, you're part of that community when you're, when your life has committed to simply getting up in the morning and getting in a bus and then going out to site and then coming home on a bus and then going into bed it's you have to really make sure you make, you take a commitment to the community, any, any, put that extra side, that extra time aside to become part of it, to really commit yourself to be, you know, an intrical asset essentially. Right?
Speaker 1 00:10:21 Yeah. So the whole purpose of the show is for me to get to know people a little bit better outside of just the business aspect. So I know you're a busy guy, you and me bump into each other tons. Um, however, I have no idea what you'd like to do in your free time. So as far as like your free time, when you're not taking pictures, when you're not talking to people, when you're not working around snap, what do you do just to kind of,
Speaker 2 00:10:43 Well, there's a couple things. I mean, I've, I'm, uh, I've got pets of my own. I've got two cats and one dog. I mean, I like to work on my house from time to time. I've got, um, like gardening is, is, is one of my hobbies. And I'll also, I've also worked with a couple of different groups here, I mean, and help them promote market. I mean, there's, um, one called Everest 2021, and exactly where an individual has committed to becoming the first Canadian to some on Everest who has had a heart attack survivor himself, supporting our heart health education. And, uh, that's one of the causes that I, that I work closely with also our rotary oil sands group here in town. I'm a part of, and, um, I even, I even work with special Olympics with Buffalo, for their marketing committee to, uh, to help them promote and make sure that they get the word out there for, but they're doing an in-town as well,
Speaker 1 00:11:32 Right on, um, I want to hear a little bit more about, uh, the rotary club, um, cause I know there's two different facets of it. So the rotary club that you belong to, let's hear about that.
Speaker 2 00:11:41 There's two or three clubs here in town. There's the, there's a rotary club and they're kind of, uh, I haven't had the, uh, um, the ability to go to the go and Ventura and visit their club yet, but it's on my to-do list, but the other club was called the rotary oil sands club. And we used to meet at the, um, the SAR Ridge out in Tagan over on the North end of town, uh, every other Tuesday. But since COVID ha has happened, we've had to adjust to an online platform and we work with a couple of different community projects, like, uh, there's a music festival that we sponsor each year and there's a bikes for kids event that we are currently working with or trying to collaborate with in the end and align with SPCA on to raise funds for. And, uh, there's a lot of different, good things that come from working within the rotary club that we can, again, for the support the community on
Speaker 1 00:12:38 Right now with the rotary club and all clubs. Um, I know you're always looking for new members, so this is a great time to go on, to talk about how people can get involved in, like, what do you think are the benefits to people coming and joining the rotary club that you belong?
Speaker 2 00:12:51 Well, it's not just the rotary club that can benefit, but any, but any club for that matter or any org or any charity and something that I always, um, encourage those that want to get involved in, in the community to do is, is to ask themselves what it is that they feel the most passionate about, what are they, what do they feel that they would want to commit themselves to? What do they want to donate their time towards? So for instance, if it's signed that they feel would be that impacts them, that they feel very passionate about, and that's what they need to be pursuing. I mean, they have to have, they really have to put their heart into it and really apply themselves to, to wanting to do that, or really stay committed to that or stay focused to that. Right. And if they can, if they can, and they have that, why so to speak, then they can, that they're going to be that much more able or that much more committed and then the community, the Oregon themselves, or maybe that much more, better off for it. Right.
Speaker 1 00:13:42 Right. So let's get back to snap again. I know we do have some young viewers. I know Tanner my man over there is, and putting stuff on Snapchat, trying to get to youth, watching the show for some of the young viewers at home. Obviously you have a number of freelance photographers. If there's somebody at home who has a passion with photography and wants to make this like a career, what kind of advice would you give somebody who like wants to become a photographer or work in that landscape?
Speaker 2 00:14:07 Well, I would recommend that the, you know, first off get themselves a decent digital camera, you know, at least get the, some proper tools for the trade. And then they just try and experiment with, I mean, get some, get, get their hands on it, you know, really get involved, get gained a little bit of experience, like try working with lighting, try working with, you know, different mediums for instance, and then start getting involved in other groups that are like-minded. I mean, look, look for branching out and trying to get more advice and tips. They could reach out to myself if they want. I mean, I've had a couple of freelancers just do sort of one-off pieces here and there and get involved that way as well to try and, you know, become part of the community and network themselves at the same time, cover events and become a little bit more known them.
Speaker 1 00:14:49 Okay. Now I always get based on my camera equipment or those little videos that I do from time to time. What is my camera? What do I like to use? People love to talk about equipment. So what is your go-to camera? What do you love?
Speaker 2 00:15:02 Well, I've got a, um, a Nikon D eight 50. Okay. It's a, I mean, it's, it's a very nice camera. It's uh, you know, I had to see it's it's literally does point shoot. I mean, there, there, there's, there's a couple of really cool features with it. The, uh, it's a, it's a very great beginner's camera that, I mean, even a professional can use.
Speaker 1 00:15:23 Okay. Uh, for you guys at home, you not seeing this Tanner in the background's pumping his hands up in the air. He's a big, ah, he's a big believer in Nikon.
Speaker 2 00:15:32 I also want to deed 50.
Speaker 1 00:15:35 So Jamie we're at the part of the show. And when I say we're at the of the show, we do this randomly throughout the show, it's called the Mac city minute. So what's going to happen is Tanner is going to rattle off five questions for you. And without thinking as quick as you can, we just need you to generate an answer. Okay. Are you ready to go? Okay. All right. Tanner.
Speaker 2 00:15:55 Alrighty, question number one. What do you, what is one thing that people don't know about you? What is one thing that people don't know? Um, I've had a pickup truck for about 12 years. Alrighty. Question number two. What does Fort McMurray have that you didn't think it would ever have? Well, I didn't think it would have such a strong sense of community. I came here thinking it was a worker's town, a young town, and it didn't have a network. That was, that. That was, that it really had. What is your go-to lunch spot in town? Oh, well, I really like to go to Sureca sometimes for a treat, but, uh, Fuji's sometimes as well. <inaudible> yeah. And I actually, I just had a, what was that? Well, there's an Indian place downtown. What's it called? Spices. That's the one yeah. Spices. Yeah. All right. So this one might not apply to you as much, but what do you think would be an ideal way to spend seven days off if you could get it? Well, I mean, actually I spend a lot of my time just here in town. I mean, I, if I wanted to go places, then I probably would, but I prefer to be here. Alrighty. And what do you, uh, what do you and your friends do for fun? Well, all my friends, I mean, we're all aligned these days, so we pretty much just hanging out there on the, on the online communities and, and chat and connect those ways. Awesome. Those have been your five questions, right?
Speaker 1 00:17:15 Oh, the max 80 minutes. Good. And you were out of those off really quick. We had a good one yesterday that I just want to ask just cause it was a great question. Cause I haven't answered to it. Where is your favorite place in town to get a picture?
Speaker 2 00:17:29 Oh my, well, the only place that comes to mind where you can these days, it would be like, um, I probably took Morin's. Okay.
Speaker 1 00:17:39 All right. My answer for anybody who cares is the Fort McMurray.
Speaker 2 00:17:45 Oh, that is the correct answer.
Speaker 1 00:17:47 Yes. I think it is. I know it's not the place that most people think about. Like the ski Hill, but the poutine at the ski Hill, I don't even go unrisky I just go there for the poutine. Yeah. Even back in the day, like when we could go the Barron's poutine, if you go to, um, I call it thick wood, thick wood arena, born and raised. That's what it is. I know it's what's the chasm center now. What's the new name of it now it's our place. There you go. But uh, they have some pretty bang and poutines as well, but number one spot for me giving a big shout out to Vista Ridge ski Hill for their routines. Yeah. Yeah man. So, uh, we're winding down now. I want to thank you very much for coming in today. Really do appreciate your time. Hopefully you'll be coming back more.
Speaker 1 00:18:26 That's the whole thought process of the show is it's 20 minutes. People of Fort McMurray get to know a little bit about you, but not everything. So you can keep coming back. And if snaps happen, having any kind of events, definitely this is the place where you can come and get a little bit of extra coverage. And I know we're both working on the gentlemen, who's climbing Mount Everest. So hopefully we can get him on the show. Soon before we cut you loose. One more time, shameless plug, tell everybody at home about snap, how they can digest it, where they can find you, how they can get involved. Let's hear about snap. One more
Speaker 2 00:18:56 Please. Well, right now it's not put Buffalo is taking a, a minor break during COVID lockdown conditions and we're more or less focusing on creating our own organization to help advocate for it. And the community's, uh, positivity and carry our mission for strengthening our strengthening the RWB forward again. So we're never really focusing on creating, you know, completing register registration, getting everything set up on our feet and uh, starting to make sure it aligned volunteers get fundraising efforts underway. So that way, when everything does get lifted, we'll beat we're in a much stronger position to keep completing our mission going forward.
Speaker 1 00:19:35 Okay. And so if people want to get in contact with snap, how do they do it?
Speaker 2 00:19:38 Well, you can either reach us by phone. Obviously you can get, go on our website or you can reach us on our Facebook page. We also do have an Instagram account as well. Perfect.
Speaker 1 00:19:46 There's a lot of places to reach out to you. Awesome. Thanks man. I appreciate it.
Speaker 0 00:19:50 All right for Ms. Marie, this was a great way to end the week
Speaker 1 00:19:53 Guests for the last Friday episode of this week. So for everybody who tuned in to all the shows this week, thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. I really do appreciate it. I want to give a big shout out to all the guests who came to be, uh, the inaugural guests on the first week. We got some banging guests coming up as well. If you missed the live show that's okay. It's recorded. Check it out on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or just enjoy the mini clips. But other than that hope you're having a great day. Enjoy your weekend and we'll see you soon. Peace.
Speaker 0 00:20:34 Talk about quenching your ugly thirst.
