Category: Uncategorized

Poutine Gets WEIRD, WILD & WACKY with EPIC Gastronomical Concoctions that Include Eggo Waffles, Fried Cauliflower Bites, Kraft Dinner and MORE!

(June 11, 2019) – Smoke’s Poutinerie has received direct instruction from the Man, the Myth, the Legend, Smoke himself, to deliver a loaded lineup of new poutine creations to PLAID NATION fans and inject all-new flavours into the mouth-watering menu. The World’s Largest and Original Poutinerie will be rolling out 8 ALL-NEW CREATIONS that will become permanent unforgettable fixtures.

“Smoke has been busy playing with new ingredients and when he delivers crazy new poutine ideas, we jump into action! This EPIC menu transformation is sure to FIRE UP our fans,” said Ryan Smolkin, CEO (Chief Entertainment Officer) of Smoke’s Poutinerie. “We are bringing the Canadian flavour to a whole new level and adding even more to the largest poutine menu in the WORLD!”

Beginning June 17^th, the Gravy Train will visit Smoke’s Poutinerie locations coast-to-coast to bring the next wave of signature dishes including:

• Two smokin’ hot and sexy chicken and waffle poutine, Hot Chick and Drunken Chicken+Waffle, that will surely entice the late-night crowd.
• Veggie loving fans will rejoice with the addition of fried cauliflower bites in the Butter Chicken-Less Cauliflower and Buffalo Cauli-Ranch
• The biggest Summer celebration, Canada Day, inspired the return of the OHHHH CANADA Poutine loaded with enough Eggo Waffle, Double-Smoked Bacon, Maple Syrup, and Ketchup Chips to make Don Cherry cry!
• Finally, two of the most iconic Canadian foods collide to create #KDPoutine, Canada’s National Dish. PERIOD! Fans will get a best of Kraft Dinner and Smoke’s with the BBQ Bacon Mac, Mac N’ Cheeseburger, and KD Cool + The Buffalo Ranch

About Smoke’s Poutinerie

Founded in 2009 by creative genius Ryan Smolkin, Smoke’s Poutinerie is the World’s Largest & Original Poutinerie. Representing 80’s Canadiana culture, known for the signature lumberjack plaid, and glam rock music, Smoke’s Poutinerie serves over 30 varieties of its famous poutine. With 150-plus locations across North America and international expansion into the Middle East, Europe and the UK, the brand is on course for GLOBAL DOMINATION!

For more information about available franchise opportunities, contact Mark Cunningham, Global Business Development Officer, at [email protected]. 

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For more information, please contact: 

James Tessier – Accounts Director – Hall+Co.

[email protected] | 416-846-6125

Cameron Thomas – Media Relations Specialist – Pennant Media Group

[email protected] | 416-660-9801

Kristin Hansen – National Communications & Events Manager – Smoke’s Poutinerie

[email protected] | 905-427-4444 x 213

Must-watch Mondays…. first edition 

• Inspirational

Angela Ahrendts

 “People will forget what you did, they will forget what you said, but they will never forget the way you made them feel”.

-American poet Maya Angelou

A few powerful speaking pieces by Ahrendts, ties together  trust, authentic content, and creating relationships through brands, life lessons for PR and for building momentum in professional and every day life aspects.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krQG2Hceov4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZNlN31hS78

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20130729095958-269697626-why-i-believe-energy-can-transform-companies-and-communities

• Funny, thought provoking

“Four young office worker pals bet a month’s salary to see who can last the longest without going outside, in this wry and funny satire on modern-day office life and the very Canadian desire to stay inside where it’s warm.

Waydowntown won Best Canadian Film at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival and was nominated for four Canadian Comedy Awards.”

With is 90s film quality and cheesy music, this film could easily be played out in Toronto, how long would you last using the PATH?

http://www.reelcanada.ca/film/waydowntown/

• Music/ Up and coming

“New girl on the block Sophia Ray directs her first music video for Partizan UK and it doesn’t disappoint. It sees the British boy band MiC LOWRY let loose in LA, partying and driving around in the sunshine.

The boys sing amongst the aftermath of a wild party, with passed out party guests still lying on the floor. The video is energetic and full of colour, and it is just a taster of what is to come from the newest director on Partizan’s roster.”

https://sourcecreative.extremereach.com/cmspage/2112/article?ArticleId=85d94a2b-57ad-45c4-992e-cee9d2754705&searchParamString=

Hockey. It’s Canada’s game. Just like our country, our sport has welcomed everyone from all backgrounds to play, but it hasn’t always been that way.

In 1895, the first black hockey league was created as an initiative of the black Baptist Churches of Canada. Named “the Coloured Hockey League of the Maritimes”, the league was an all-black, up to 12 team league with over 400 African Canadian players from across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The league existed until 1930.

It wasn’t until 1958 that the NHL saw the first black professional hockey player hit the ice. Willie O’Ree played for the Boston Bruins as a winger. Being the first black hockey player in the big leagues, he dealt with powerful racist remarks from fans in the U.S. and Canada, but that didn’t stop him from playing the sport he loved. His courage and perseverance painted the way for black hockey legends like Grant Fuhr, Val James, Georges Laraque and many more. They all had to deal with set backs, struggles and hardships all because of their race.

Today some of the NHL’s brightest and most influential players are from many different backgrounds. From Jordin Tootoo, the first Inuk professional hockey player to Devin Setoguchi, a fourth generation Japanese hockey player currently with the Minnesota Wild. Everyone has a place in hockey. With NHL players like P.K. Subban not only helping Team Canada win gold in the 2014 Sochi Olympics but also making a $10 million dollar donation to the Montreal Children’s Hospital, becoming the first Canadian sports figure to make a philanthropic contribution of that size in history.

The new documentary feature film, Soul On Ice: Past, Present & Future looks at the history of black athletes in hockey and redefines what it means to be black in the world of hockey. Writer, director and producer Kwame Damon Mason follows the journey of Jaden Lindo, a young, black, NHL hopeful who sees the difficulties that still face black athletes in the game of hockey today.

Soul On Ice won People’s Choice for Best Feature at the Edmonton International Film Fest showing that telling the often difficult story of black athletes in hockey is one that more people want to hear and need to hear.

Soul On Ice: Past, Present & Future has it’s public screening in Toronto Wednesday, November 4, 2015 at Rainbow Cinemas – Market Square at 80 Front Street East.

The latest art piece in PMG’s collection was added by one of our very own alumnus, Dan Schneider. Dan has been an integral part of the PMG team, contributing to several of our projects and operations for over eight years. When he’s not working his PR magic or teaching the ins and outs of the industry to his college PR class (he’s a busy guy!), Dan can be found in his home studio crafting unique pieces of art. He holds a master’s degree in fine art from the University of Guelph and has an impressive exhibition record. Dan’s work has been featured on episodes of Designer Guys and Cityline, issues of Canadian House and Home and Style at Home magazines, as well as Danny Fernandes’ music video, Fantasy. The Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto, the Soho Metropolitan and the penthouse at the Cosmopolitan in New York also currently hang some of Dan’s works on paper. We sat down with Dan to ask him more about his background in art and relationship with PMGL, the impressive sculpture he gifted our office with and the inspiration behind it.

Tell us a little bit about your history at PMGL.

I came to PMGL when the company was still in its infancy, maybe one or two years after it was founded. I started off as a contract person, I was brought in to help on special projects but that turned into full-time work pretty quickly because the company got really busy. In 2010, I started balancing my time between teaching and working at PMGL. I really love teaching and have always had a yearning to do it so when I got an opportunity to teach I moved more towards that. Now I come on as extra hands when there’s a special project going on at PMGL, like the Toronto Film Festival, for example.

Where would you say art falls for you? Would you consider it a hobby?

Art is another thing I balance in my life. Sometimes it takes a heavy priority, sometimes it takes less. I wouldn’t call it a hobby; I would call it enjoyable work because there are deadlines that I need to meet for the art galleries I work with. For me, I think I would call sailing a hobby.

What kind of art do you specialize in?

I do wood sculptures but my chandelier drawings are probably what people know me most for.

Take us through the creation process of a wood sculpture.

It’s really labour intensive. I’ll have an idea and draw it out first to work out the details. Then I go get my wood, which is an awesome part in the process, and bring it home. I make markings on the wood and do more prep work. I usually don’t talk about how the rest happens because once people know how it happens it looses its mystique. When people don’t know exactly how the sculpture came to be then they can come up with their own ideas and visualize the artist putting it together.

What’s the inspiration behind your wood sculptures?

I’m really interested in the hourglass form that the sculptures have; it reminds me of a tree. The piece of wood I’m working on was a tree at one time and in my own kind of way I’m putting it back into a tree.

How much time does it take you to complete a wood sculpture?

They’re done rather quickly. I would say about ten hours of physical labour and then I do touch ups which also take time. When you look at the sculpture from a distance it has a really simple form and there are not a lot of crazy edges. It looks really clean from far but when you look at the surface you start to see that there’s a lot of work that’s put into it.

Where can people go to find out more about your work? Is your art available for purchase?

People can visit my website, www.danielschneider.ca. My work can also be found at the two galleries I work with, Parts Gallery and Art Interiors.

If you have a passion for art like Dan and love giving back to the community Toronto’s Casey House hosts the  22^nd annual Art With Heart charity auction at The Carlu on October 6, 2015.

To purchase tickets for the event please go to: http://artwithheart.ca/buy-tickets/

The saying goes that you’re not supposed to wear white after Labour Day, yet Labour Day is not the official end of summer. The hot summer weather hasn’t quite left and with the current heat wave in parts of the country, white should still be a staple in your wardrobe.

White is synonymous with clean, fresh and cool perfect for those sticky hot days. Everything from a simple white boyfriend tee to crisp white skinny jeans paired with your favourite Chuck Taylors, white should be a staple in everyone’s wardrobe, summer or otherwise.

Maybe you’re looking for a more fashionable way to wear white, after all the Toronto Film Festival is going on until September 20. Look no further than the luxurious, lightweight and chic look of linen.

Comfortable yet beautiful, linen clothing is the perfect way to look red carpet ready and also be comfortable in the heat of summer. It perfectly drapes across your body, giving you a simple and refined shape.

Toronto based brand Whitney Linen makes linen clothing for all your occasions, from couture to weekend getaway, there’s a linen look for every occasion.

Whitney Linen, founded by Whitney Westwood and designer Franciska Veress in 2011, is well-known for taking an innovative approach to linen, tailoring bold shapes and textures using techniques that are unique and edgy, and putting a stamp of great sophistication to each piece designed.

Pieces range from crisp, white tailored shirts to elegant, colourful dresses and skirts. Designing high-end pieces for both men and women, linen is a classic and polished ay to proudly wear white after Labour Day.

Give linen a try and wear your whitest whites and look red carpet ready. It’s no coincidence TIFF ends just before the first official day of fall.

Whitney Linen will be launching their Spring/Summer 2016 line September 17, 2016.

When visiting the PMG office, the first thing that catches many eyes is our rubber band ball.  Started 10 years ago during the birth of PMG, this ball has grown to an impressive size (and it still bounces).

At PMG we see this simple rubber band ball as a reflection of the company. Over the last ten years, such a wide range of talented individuals have helped add to its growth; incredible employees, industry shaking clients and more have helped PMGL become what it is today.

‘Not even a good-bye?’ The thought comes to mind as a dial tone replaces the voice on the other end of the line.

At PMG we know communication is key. Whether we’re speaking with clients, media or touching base with contacts, we feel phone calls create that much needed personal connection. Living in such a fast paces world, we sometimes forget the little things like basic phone etiquette, and that takes away from the personal feeling of a phone call. Use the tips below to make the most of your call:

• Bring All Of You!
  Outlets like Twitter and Facebook can be distracting, but when on the phone be sure to give your undivided attention – no one likes sharing news or a story only to find out the person they have been talking to has been updating their status.

• Keep It On Vibrate
  The person two desks over probably doesn’t want to know you just got a text message. Be courteous to those you’re working near; keep your phone on vibrate. That little beep or whistle may knock someone off their train of thought.

• Headphones Are Your Friend
  You may have just found the best playlist on Songza, but your neighbouring coworkers may not agree. Unless you’re in an environment where this is welcomed, keep the music to yourself.

• Say Bye Before Clicking Off
  We know calls can be exciting, but remember to take a few seconds to let the person on the other end know the conversation is ending.  Farewell, Adios, Au Revoir, it doesn’t matter how you say it, just make sure you do.

• AVOID YELLING!!
  Some speak louder than necessary when on the phone. Be mindful of your volume, not only do those around you not need to hear your conversation, but the person you’re chatting with is getting an ear-full.

These simple tips will assure your phone etiquette is on the right track; those around you will appreciate the courtesy too!