UNews - Elton John

Leading behind the scenes

trevor.kenney — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:39:46 +0000

Forget about spreadsheets and market analysis. If you want to hatch an incredibly successful idea, one of the best ways to do it is to scratch your musings on a paper napkin. The method might be unorthodox, but it's hard to argue with its effectiveness when you consider the list of businesses and ideas that got their start that way. The founders of Southwest Airlines, the professor who came up with trickle-down economics, and the duo who created the game Trivial Pursuit all used napkins as a springboard for their ideas. It's not a bad club, and it's one that Christian Darbyshire (BMgt '99) is happy to be a part of.

Darbyshire is the co-owner and operator of tinePublic Inc. (pronounced "tiny" Public) – an internationally renowned special-events company with a rather prophetic origin.

Inspiration for tinePublic struck late one night in Toronto at a restaurant in Chinatown. Darbyshire was sitting across the table from his good friend Andy McCreath, eating soup and talking the way old buddies do. The duo has known each other since the age of 12 and has a long history together. As fate would have it, Darbyshire and McCreath had professional interests in common, too.

Christian Darbyshire has been able to secure some of the biggest names in the speaking business.

After serving several years in the trenches of the television industry, Darbyshire had carved out a profitable niche as a freelance production manager and publicist. McCreath was doing publicity work for the National Hockey League. As the night wore on, the soup disappeared and the conversation between the friends got inventive. They started to wonder what was stopping them from joining forces and creating their own company. They had been planning events and doing publicity for others for years. Why not combine their expertise and strike out on their own? They envisioned putting together speaking engagements that featured big headline names, producing and promoting the events, and selling tickets for a tidy profit. Darbyshire used the proverbial paper napkin to jot down a business plan. Before the night was over, he and McCreath were partners in a new event-planning venture – tinePublic Inc.

"We wanted to create events for young business professionals," says Darbyshire. "Most of the speaking engagements at that time were big-ticket dinner events that priced a lot of people out of the market. We wanted to produce events that drew a wider audience."

tinePublic's top choice for a first speaker was former U.S. president Bill Clinton. Darbyshire sent a letter to Clinton's organization requesting a meeting to discuss his company's proposal. It wasn't a big surprise that there was no response.

"I knew it was a long shot trying to line up such a big name right off the bat, but there was nothing to lose in trying," says Darbyshire. "I sent at least half a dozen letters to Clinton's office over two years, and made several phone calls, but it didn't get us anywhere. In the meantime I kept looking for another opportunity."

The brass ring presented itself a couple of years later in the form of a reality TV star – one Bill Rancic, winner of the first season of Donald Trump's television show, The Apprentice.

"The Apprentice was a massive success and Bill Rancic was huge," recalls Darbyshire. "It was 2005, and business in Alberta was booming. It was the perfect time to bring the current icon of business success to the public."

Darbyshire and McCreath contacted Rancic's people, scheduled a meeting and flew to New York. There, in Rancic's Manhattan office, the partners laid out a plan for the first speaking engagement the pair would produce. It would take place in Calgary, the epicentre of new business in Canada, and Rancic would be the headliner.

"He jumped on board right there," says Darbyshire, describing Rancic's response. "We couldn't believe it. Suddenly we were in business. That was it. The ball was in motion."
The next 30 days were a whirlwind of big-time planning on a shoestring budget. Darbyshire and McCreath cleaned out their bank accounts to pull it off, and a month later Bill Rancic was in Calgary in front of a group of 1,800 eager businesspeople. The success of that first engagement led to five more shows at venues across North America. The Rancic tour was tremendously popular and profitable.

"That's when we knew we were really onto something," says Darbyshire.

tinePublic was enjoying its first taste of success. Darbyshire and McCreath were busy planning a stream of new engagements when one day, out of the blue, Darbyshire picked up a call from the office of the man he'd been waiting for since day one – Bill Clinton. Clinton's office had received all the letters Darbyshire had sent over the years and was impressed by the company's recent success. They offered tinePublic the opportunity to co-ordinate speaking engagements for the former president and Darbyshire accepted the job on the spot.

"It wasn't until I hung up the phone that it occurred to me that maybe we'd bitten off more than we could chew," says Darbyshire.

Putting his worries aside, plans for the Clinton engagement went full steam ahead. The event took place several months later at the John Labatt Centre in London, Ont., in front of a crowd of 6,500 riveted attendees. Darbyshire and his partner doubled their investment that day, and went on to produce 10 more events with Clinton over the next two years.

The rest, as they say, is history. tinePublic has gone on to organize touring events for Tony Blair, Alan Greenspan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Colin Powell, George W. Bush, Sarah Palin, Rudy Giuliani and Lance Armstrong among other cultural and political icons. The company has also expanded its business scope to include concert promotion (they've worked with performers like Elton John and Diana Ross). In addition to his work with McCreath, Darbyshire runs a public-relations firm that works with major finance, cosmetic, oil and gas, and mining companies across North America. In recognition of his hard work, Darbyshire was named to Canada's Top 40 Under 40™ in 2011.

Stories and anecdotes about the famous people Darbyshire has met are just under the surface of his speech, but he's far too professional to let any cats out of the bag. The most he'll tell you is that everyone he's worked with is quite candid, and the insights he's gained from high-profile people are extraordinary. When it comes to sharing the secret of his own success, however, Darbyshire is a lot more forthcoming.

"You can't let fear stop you, in life or in business," Darbyshire says. "I've been scared plenty of times, but I've always followed through. If you really work at something, it will most likely end up being OK, or really good, or even spectacular. You've got to use fear in a positive way. Never give up. And think big."

This story first appeared in the Fall 2011 issue of SAM magazine. For a look at a flipbook version of SAM, follow this link.

Alma Matters

trevor.kenney — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 16:30:55 +0000

Keys to the City

On Oct. 7, a number of notable residents of southern Alberta, including many with ties to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, received a key to the city from former Lethbridge Mayor Bob Tarleck. Friends of the U of L included The Hon. Rick Casson (former U of L employee), Senator Joyce Fairbairn (LLD '04), Gary Kirk (2004 Faculty of Management Scholarship Dinner honouree), U of L researcher Dr. Ian Whishaw (DSc '08) and Rochelle Yamagishi (BASc '71, MEd '91).

Woykin Featured at TiFF

Cameron Woykin's (BFA '03) dramatic short film Open Window was shown at the 35th Toronto International Film Festival. Open Window was selected to premiere as a part of the Short Cuts Canada programme, highlighting short films by established and emerging directors from Canada.
Since graduating from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Woykin has completed numerous short films, screening his work throughout Canada and internationally. Woykin currently resides in Toronto, where he is completing a master of fine arts in film production at York ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

Solie Awarded Griffin Prize

Karen Solie (BA '93) was the Canadian winner of the prestigious 2010 Griffin Poetry Prize for her collection of poems, Pigeon. One of Canada's acclaimed young poets, Solie first launched onto the scene with Short Haul Engine (2001), a finalist for the 2002 Griffin Poetry Prize and winner of many other awards and citations.

Past and Present

U of L alumnus, Darren Joblonkay.

During the summer of 2007, Darren Joblonkay (BSc '10) travelled with fellow U of L students under the direction of professor Dr. Shawn Bubel (BSc '96) to Tel Beth Shemesh, an archaeological site 20 km west of Jerusalem.

"I think the real 'aha moment' that led me to my career [in archaeology] was attending the field school at Tel Beth Shemesh," says Joblonkay.

Since then, Joblonkay has spent every summer working at archaeological digs around Israel. Joblonkay is now pursuing a master's degree in Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto. In the summer of 2011, he will be digging at Tell Tayinat in Turkey, which he hopes will lead to his dissertation.

"I would like to eventually be a professor in Near Eastern Archaeology. I believe it was one of my mentors who told me once that 'any archaeologist would be lying if they said they didn't like digging up treasures,' but our discipline runs deeper than that," he says. "We attempt to preserve and understand humanity's cultural history. We are all captivated by what humans were able to achieve in the past."

Dow Finds Early Career Success

After graduation, Jazlyn Dow (BFA '10) worked on the millinery team for the Albert Ballet show Love Lies Bleeding, a contemporary ballet set to classic songs composed by Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Dow is now on a 10-month contract with the Canadian Opera Company as a wardrobe co-ordinator.

"This chandelier headdress for the Love Lies Bleeding production was so enormous that we had to build a separate crate just for it to travel," explains Dow.

Alumni Troupe Hit the Fringe

(L-R) - Cliff Kelly (BFA ’07), Amanda Blair (BFA ’08) and William Banfield (BFA ’06) in Happy Whackin’ Jim McCrackin.

Happy Whackin' Jim McCrackin, directed by Brent Felzien (BFA '06) and Neil LeGrandeur (BFA '06) and written by Amos Altman (BA '04, BFA '05), tells the comedic story of a veteran hit man who engages in some soul-searching while attempting to complete his last job.

Presented at the 2010 Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, it received top reviews from the Edmonton Journal and SEE Magazine. The production featured William Banfield (BFA '06), Amanda Blair (BFA '08), Cliff Kelly (BFA '07) and Kimberlee Stadelmann (BFA '06) as stage manager.

Suriano Looks to Engage an Online Generation

Jason Suriano (BA '01) is using gaming as a means to enlighten a new generation of kids about science, history and technology. Recently, he launched Seek Your Own Proof, a new online game at Discoverykids.com. The game targets six to 12 year-olds and follows the story of three investigative siblings who discover a secret underground agency known as the Central Institute for Exploration (CIE).

The teens are quickly drawn into a chase through time and history against enemy agents who are plotting to rewrite the past, change the present and alter the future. Online users can play the game in traditional form but also have the option of taking field missions to real museums. The debut field mission involved facts around the King Tut exhibit at the Discovery Times Square Exposition in New York, N.Y. Other mission locations include the Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton and the Galt Museum in Lethbridge.

U of L Alumnus to Lead Lethbridge

On Oct. 18, Rajko Dodic (BASc '78) was elected as mayor of Lethbridge. Fellow alumni joining Dodic on Lethbridge City Council as alderman are: Jeff Carlson (BFA '92), Liz Iwaskiw (BASc '77), Joe Mauro (BASc '83) and Bridget (Pastoor) Mearns (BA '95).

1970

Ralph Dilworth BASc '74, BEd '85, MEd '92

Dilworth, a teacher-librarian at Western Canada High School in Calgary, was featured in a Calgary Herald article called: Librarians We Love. Originally from Camrose, Alta., Dilworth is a former diplomat who, after graduating from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, went on to work with the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa and then at embassies in Poland, France and Yaounde, Cameroon; he speaks English, French, Spanish and Polish. Before becoming a teacher-librarian, he served as a teacher and writer of textbooks including a Social Studies 30 classic, written in French and used regularly in classrooms for a decade until it was recently updated. If stranded on a desert island, Dilworth cited The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky as his book of choice.

Annalee Hearn BEd '74

"After teaching for 30 years, I have retired and moved to Vegreville to be near my two granddaughters. I also have two grandsons living in Abu Dhabi."

JoAnn St. John BEd '75, DipEd '92, MEd '03

"I'm very excited to be coordinating and working in the FastForward High School Completion Initiative with Lethbridge School District #51. I have the opportunity to support, engage and assist young adults in completing their high school careers and moving onto post-secondary studies."

1980

Lynette Duncan BEd '81

"We are enjoying our first grandchild, Cameron Reed Stone Shackleford, born March 21, 2010."

Dawn Ronne BEd '84

"I am principal of Sunnyside School, an elementary school with Palliser Regional Schools."

Daniel Lynn BMgt '85

"Last year I migrated from Hong Kong to Vancouver, B.C."

Doug MacLaren BMgt '88

MacLaren is presently the CEO of the Resource Training Organization (RTO) in British Columbia. RTO oversees the management and development of apprenticeship training for the resource sector in B.C.

1990

Glen Trafford BEd '92

"Marie, Kyle and I moved to Okotoks in September 2009 so that I could become the general sales manager of Straightline Kia in Calgary. Marie has opened a remedial massage therapy clinic in Okotoks and we are settling into being back in Alberta."

Caroline Velie BA '94

"I obtained a bachelor of social work degree from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary in 2004 and obtained a master of social work degree from Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in 2008."

Amanda Chow BA '96

"Hi everybody! I just want to keep in contact with the U of L – I have been missing the people, scene and life stories happening there. I am now a lecturer and teach social work in Hong Kong. Let's keep in touch, I miss you all."

John Granzow BA '99, MSc '10
Michael Granzow BA '06, MA '10

John and Michael, sons of the late Carl Granzow, both received their master's degrees at the 2010 Fall Convocation ceremony. John is currently pursuing a PhD at Stanford ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and Michael is now living in Montreal. Their sisters, Andrea Klassen (BA '97, BEd '01) and Kara Granzow (BA '99), are ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge graduates as well.

2000

Aaron Barr BFA '02

Barr was a character surfacer for the newly released 3D movie Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole. Among numerous other projects, he also worked on the movies The Ant Bully and The Wild. Barr currently works as a surfacer/modeller at Image Engine Design Inc. in Vancouver, B.C.

Nathan Crosby BA '04, BEd '06
Lisa (Polley) Crosby BSc '05

"Lisa and I just got married on Sept. 25, 2010. Although we did not meet at the
U of L, we were both friends with people at the U of L who knew each other. Small world!"

Jarrod Charron BMgt '05

"I recently accepted a media planning supervisor position at PHD, one of Canada's leading media and communications agencies. I will be overseeing media plans for Scotiabank. In January I was nominated for the 2010 Media Planner of the Year."

Sheena DeVries BMgt '06

"I am currently working for MIX 97.7 FM in Calgary. I previously worked at the Calgary Herald."

Michael Macintyre BA '06

Macintyre was recently installed as the new pastor for St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Spruce Grove, Alta. After graduation from the U of L, Macintyre moved to Saskatoon to attend Lutheran Theological Seminary. While at Seminary, he spent three weeks in Peru as a part of a cross-cultural experience. In April 2010, he graduated with a master of divinity degree.

Cyndy Packard BMgt '07

Packard passed the Chartered Accountants Uniform Evaluation (UFE) in 2009. She previously worked at KPMG in Lethbridge from September 2006 to May 2009. She is currently a manager at Quon & Associates in Calgary.

Alumni Relations
��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge
4401 ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Drive West
Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4
Toll-Free: 1-866-552-2582
E-mail: alumni@uleth.ca

For a look at the full issue of SAM in a flipbook format, follow this link.

UNews - Elton John

Leading behind the scenes

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Alma Matters

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