The second year of Blissdom Canada is over and a great time (I think) was had by all. I was very eager to attend this year’s conference given the amazing time I had last year, and while the conference started off slow for me, it definitely ended with a bang. I learned a few things about myself and what I wanted to do throughout the course of the past few days at Blissdom Canada, and here they are in no particular order:
Expectations Can Be A Bad Thing
I went into Blissdom Canada expecting to love it as much as I did last year. Expecting to know what to expect. I really should have gone in with more of an open mind because it was nothing like last year for me. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t as amazing - it was just a different amazing. And change can be good.
I Really Love The CBC
I blog about entertainment stuff, meaning a lot of content that’s out there doesn’t pertain to me, but when I heard CBC Live was going to be one of the sponsors of Blissdom Canada, I got excited. To be able to walk into the CBC headquarters and hang out in a room full of media types made me giddy. I met Jamey Ordolis and Amanda York who are the social media face behind CBC Live, and I got to chat with journalist Alison Smith before the mother in me took over and I ran up to CBC’s Arisa Cox. Arisa used to be a Much Music VJ before becoming an on air personality on my local A Channel Ottawa. But the real reason I know Arisa is because she makes an appearance in my house every day. Arisa has a role in Camp Rock 2 which is played at least once a day in my house. Naturally I asked for a picture with her!
With a lot of questions and concerns over the role of brands in conferences and social media I must applaud how the CBC represented themselves. They genuinely seemed to care about how they connected with us and listened to the advice given while never going over the top. On air and behind the scene representatives were on hand to mix and mingle and even sit on some of the panels. Makes me wonder why I don’t watch more CBC.
I Am Not A Wordsmith – But That Doesn’t Mean I Can’t Appreciate Those Who Are
The one thing that reveals itself to me, the more I read a wider variety of blogs, is that I am not a wordsmith. I will never write with the eloquence of Catherine, and I will almost always abuse the exclamation mark. Sometimes I swear and sometimes I will begin sentences with the words but, and, and so. And just because I wouldn’t use the word ‘hubris’ doesn’t mean I can’t spell the word ‘hubris’. But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate those who are wordsmiths and those who blog for the art of blogging. Having a commerce track and an artistic track made it difficult for me to attend all the sessions that I wanted, making me miss the mostly artistic sessions. I’m a little sad about this because I would have loved to hear what these bloggers had to say but when it comes down to it, choosing the commerce track tended to take for priority me. I wish we didn’t have to choose to be one or the other, because just because the commerce track applied to me more it doesn’t mean I couldn’t appreciate the artistic track.
Conferences Are What You Make Of Them
There have been lots of discussion about Blissdom Canada and those who liked the presence of brands, those who didn’t and those who didn’t know. Those who enjoyed the sessions, those who didn’t and those who didn’t know, etc. There was lots I loved about Blissdom Canada and some I didn’t but what I do know is that I made the most out of this conference. Whether it was catching up with friends that I only get to talk to online, finally meeting those twitter friends that I hadn’t had the chance to meet before, connecting with new people, interviewing some really cool CBC stars or just hanging out with Candace, Blissdom Canada was what you chose to make of it.
I Still Have A Girl Crush On Jordan Knight
Honestly it’s like I’m 16 again. I.Love.Him. I love Eric and Candace Alper almost as much.
It’s Really All About The Amazing People
It never ceases to amaze me after I attend a conference how people impress me. I know it sounds cheesy, but I left Blissdom with girl crushes on more than just Jordan Knight. I love that I get to listen and learn from some of the best and brightest bloggers, writers, authors, television personalities, entrepreneurs, business women, pr professionals and cocktail-ista’s in the business. And I love even more that I get to call them friends. Because it’s not just listening to them in the sessions, it’s having dinner, lunch, coffee or cocktails with them, or just having a quick chat in the hallway between sessions. It’s having that quick 5 minute conversation that suddenly makes your world so much clearer because of the advice they offer you. I left Blissdom with such an appreciation for so many women and men who are so good at what they do they simply inspire me to be better.
And that was blissful enough for me.
Scene and Heard
Confession from a Pop Culture Mummy
Let’s get this out of the way right now – I have a thing for Jordan Knight. In the purely ‘he’s so dreamy and I feel like I’m 16 when I see him, but I’m not crazy I swear’ sort of way. I have been lucky enough to interview Jordan on the phone and meet him in person at his concert in Ottawa. I have to tell you that both times he was incredibly kind genuine and obviously cares about his fans. This is a man who can sell out 18,000 plus stadiums for a concert tour but still takes the time to meet with fans and do things like this – trust me, not all people who can sell out stadiums are nice like this. Just ask Sarah about Derek Hough – and then ask her who Derek Hough is. Because he is no Jordan Knight! Exactly my point.
My very dear friend Eric Alper works for EOne Music Canada which happens to be Jordan’s record label and he isalso friends with Jordan. Knowing I would be in town for Blissdom, Eric asked me if I wanted to do an interview about Jordan’s new show on CBC, Cover Me Canada, that airs on Sundays at 9pm and I obviously said yes (actually my email to Eric might have contained numerous OMG’s and multiple !!!). When I met up with Eric at Blissdom to figure out the interview details, he decided to surprise me and tell me that I was actually going to go with him to pick Jordan up at his hotel and bring him back to the conference to attend the closing costume and karaoke party. Um, say what now?! Yes, yes I can do that. Cue my inner school girl doing jumpy claps while squee-ing at a volume that I’m pretty sure only dogs can hear. Whatevs, don’t tell me you wouldn’t do the same.
So I got that out of my system, got ready and headed over to pick up Jordan (we’re on a first name basis now) and bring him back to the Blissdom Canada costume party where a room full of the most digitally connected and influential women in Canada collectively lost their shit at the sight of him. It was pretty awesome. Within minutes of arriving at the party Jordan Knight was a trending topic on Twitter proving the social media power within the room. Jordan posed for picture after picture after picture, walked through the party, chatted with the awesome ladies who were at the conference and then did this:
Amazing right?! Because not only did he sing one song, he sang two. And he sang those songs on a stage with hundreds of women. I can’t tell you how many came up to me after he left who were so genuinely surprised that he did that. Who couldn’t get over how nice he was. Who were impressed by how fantastic he sounded! And all of them who loved the fact that he was just such a nice, down to earth guy. He definitely made a lot of new fans that night.
I have a feeling that last night's episode of CBC’s Cover Me Canada will have an entirely new audience of social media types whose inner teenager has been unleashed. Gotta say that I’m a little sad that I had to leave Toronto before I was able to attend the filming of the show, but am still hoping to make one before the season finale on November 15th. (or maybe even the finale, hint hint:)) As much as I enjoyed Blissdom Canada and all of the great content and networking, bringing Jordan Knight to our costume party was the best thing ever. I think we might have to make this a Blissdom tradition – what do you say?
Scene and Heard
Confessions of a Pop Culture Mummy
OK, so we all know that no matter where you are there are double standards. I mean even in your kid's kindergarten class there’s a double standard of some sort happening. So it should come as no surprise that the double standard is alive and well in Hollywood, especially when it comes to vilifying those who break up marriages.
For years we’ve called out Angelina Jolie for being a home wrecker (mostly while Brad Pitt walked away unscathed) for hooking up with Brad on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith while he was still happily married to Jennifer Aniston. Of course we know how that turned out – with Brad leaving Jen to go off and have a sporting team’s worth of kids with Angelina while Jen held a pity party for herself. And even though they divorced in 2005 we are still talking about that breakup and there is still a very clear line that people stand on – Team Aniston or Team Jolie. Still. Even after Brangelina had 6 kids. Still.
So now Jennifer Aniston seems to have moved on once again and found love with actor Justin Theroux. We talk about how great they look together and how handsome he is now that she must have convinced him to shave that beard and how in love they seem to be as they hold hands all over New York City and even pose for photographers together. But here’s the thing, and I never really thought about it until I read this over at Lainey Gossip, but Justin was in a relationship for 14 years with Heidi Bivens before he and Jennifer started dating. Celebitchy gives an interesting timeline of their relationship basically making it seem like Justin and Jennifer started their relationship while Justin and Heidi were still living together and Heidi still thought she had a faithful boyfriend. Yeah, in other words, Jennifer did to Heidi what Angelina did to Jennifer. Hmmmm.
So why are we all ‘Yay Jen found a new man’ while we were all ‘Boo Angelina is a home wrecking whore!’ Is it because Justin and Heidi weren’t actually married? Is it because Heidi never gave an interview and proclaimed that she was ready to have a good old pity party for herself? Is it because Justin isn’t as high profile as Brad was? Because really, it looks like Jen hooked up with a man while he was in a long term relationship – the exact same thing that Angelina did, yet we’re all so happy for Jen and we still call Angelina a home wrecker. Double standard? I think so.
So what do you think – why do we have such a double standard between how we are treating Jennifer Aniston and how we treated Angelina Jolie? But better yet, why are we talking so much about the women in these situations while the men, who really are the offenders, walk away scot free? Now that is really a double standard.
Scene and Heard
Confessions of a Pop Culture Mummy
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