The Final Post for the HCC Blogspot...

If you've wondered why we have been lacking new content on the blog, it is because we have started a new blog at www.HCCink.Wordpress.com!

Thanks for your patience, and we hope that you will join us on the new blog for all the recent information!

Following a tremendous turn out for the Toronto Media Day, HCC is gearing up for another great run at the West Jet RBC MasterCard Putting Challenge – this time in Vancouver, BC (July 16-24).

More than a dozen media teams came out in Toronto to putt with pro players Matt Hill and Chris Baryla, in hopes of winning a chance at a quarter million dollars. Not to mention the day started at sunrise with some yoga for golfers on CP24 Breakfast, followed by a heated finals round of tournament play between Globe and Mail, Global Television and Rogers. Ultimately, Team Rogers Your World This Week came out on top and took home the bragging rights – Congrats to Peter & Kevin!

Let’s see if Vancouver’s got some game – we’re definitely off to a great start already with a number of media teams eager to putt off with 2010 Masters champ Louis Oosthuizen…can’t wait!

Anticipation Is Building For This Year’s Fan Expo Canada!

Everyone at Holmes is excited to be a part of Fan Expo Canada, the country’s largest gaming, horror, comic, anime and science fiction event, taking place this August 25-28 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

This month, HCC has been announcing celebrity headliners for the jam-packed four-day event! Roll out the red carpet because these iconic industry leaders and stars will thrill fans of all ages!

The creative masterminds behind such historic brands as Batman, Fantastic Four, Captain America will be participating in the Comic book Expo! Heads-up all comic book gurus: Adam, Andy and Joe Kubert and Cartoonist Jeff Smith will be ready for autograph sessions and meet and greets!

If comics aren’t your thing, perhaps the Science Fiction headliners will ignite your imagination! The Science Fiction Expo spotlights a plethora of television and film idols; Lee Majors from Six Million Dollar Man will accompany Larry Hagman, I Dream of Jeannie’s Barbara Eden and Kevin Sorbo from Hercules. Before your time? Not to worry -- the event also caters to the younger crowds with today’s hottest fantasy stars such as True Blood’s Sam Trammell, Harry Potter’s Tom Felton and Sci-Fi ‘it girls’ Eliza Dushku and Katee Sackhoff!

A Horror fan myself, I was most excited to see the headliners for the Rue Morgue Festival of Fear Horror Expo (insert horror scream here). Some of film and television’s most fear-provoking characters of all time are attending the Expo this year including: Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), Hellraiser’s Pinhead (Doug Bradley), The Adams Family patriarch “Gomez” played by John Astin. The lineup will be joined by legendary director John Waters.

Whether a self-professed geek or not, this year’s Fan Expo Canada will be entertaining for all with public workshops, celebrity Q&As, more than 600 commercial exhibitors, tons of costumed characters, and exclusive show merchandise! Holmes continues to announce headliners and we look forward to sporting our geek-chic gear this August!

Ignite the Spark Fundraiser

This past Sunday, one of the most moving, inspirational and heart-warming events I’ve experienced in a long time took place at the Liberty Grand. It was the first-ever Ignite the Spark celebrity tribute and fashion show in support of the Children’s Aid Foundation.

HCC was honoured to jump on board to help secure media sponsorship and awareness of this very worthy cause at the early planning stages. It was the vision of founding chair Andrea Weissman-Daniels that created a much-needed Fund supporting recreational programs for at-risk children across Canada. Astonishingly, only 2% of children served by child welfare services currently have access to any such opportunities.

On May 1st, hundreds of guests packed the Liberty Grand for an elegant brunch and fundraiser hosted by Global Toronto’s Leslie Roberts and Anne Mroczkowski. This was followed by a spectacular runway production (masterminded by Hala Inc.) featuring inspirational messages from Tre Armstrong, Arlene Dickinson, Colin Mochrie, Deb McGrath, Andrea Martin and Nick Ugoalah who shared personal stories of people who “ignited their spark.” Add in a splash of couture fashion, a bevy of gorgeous models and riveting musical and dance performances... and you get a standing ovation during the finale that had guests, including yours truly, moved to tears (of happiness).

Congratulations to the Children’s Aid Foundation and the Ignite the Spark Fund! www.ignitethespark.ca.

Experience the Magic Of Disney…right here in Canada!

HCC recently had the pleasure of being enchanted by the world of Disney right here on our own turf. On Wednesday, April 6 HCC helped re-launch Disney Store in Canada, one opening in Burnaby, BC at Metropolis in Metrotown (the biggest mall in BC) and one re-launching at Square One in Mississauga.

The all-new store delivers an interactive and immersive experience that any kid of any age (including me!) can enjoy. Some of the new features include the kid-sized Disney Princess Castle with Magic Mirror (allowing guests to interact with Disney Princesses), the Disney-Pixar custom car building experience, and the 360-degree Disney Store Theatre where guests choose their own entertainment from music videos to film clips to classic animation. Essentially, the magic of Disney has been injected directly into the Disney Store, and we couldn’t be happier.

The Disney Princess Castle was hands-down my favourite part of the new store. All the kids attending the launch got so excited as each Disney princess appeared. Also, the castle was surrounded by the most gorgeous princess dresses, tiaras and shoes. Unfortunately, they didn’t come in my size.

Huge crowds gathered as the new stores opened simultaneously (Burnaby at 9, Square One at 12) resulting in a sea of Mickey ears. An additional opening day treat featured a visit from Disney characters, Rapunzel and Flynn from Tangled in Burnaby while Mississauga guests had the pleasure of meeting Mickey and Minnie!

The most exciting event of the day was the unique opening ceremony where one lucky child was chosen to officially open the store to the public with an oversized lock and key. Photos are included below and as you can see, the excitement on the child’s face is unbelievable! Great store, great media turnout, great fun!

JUNO Week Through an Intern’s Eyes

It’s hard to believe it, but the 40^th Anniversary JUNO Awards have officially come to a close. The HCC staff has been working around the clock for months to make everything come together, and our efforts definitely paid off. This year’s JUNO Awards had the highest ratings ever, peaking at just over 3 million viewers!

Being an intern for HCC during this crazy, hectic time was certainly a whirlwind learning experience, and I loved every second of it! Whether it was working at the media office or braving -20 degree weather alongside thousands of die-hard fans at the JUNO Block Party, every day was a new adventure!

JUNO Weekend was the most exciting time of all. The JUNO Gala Awards and Dinner on Saturday night went off without a hitch and Neil Young even surprised everyone by heading to the Q & A room, which was thrilling for us all! Vocal Jazz Album of the Year winner Kellylee Evans sang her acceptance speech that night, and Best New Group winners, Said The Whale were literally bouncing off the walls after their win!

Then came the Broadcast of the 2011 JUNO Awards! With over 225 media accredited, a bank of over 50 photographers and well over 175 media filing stories backstage, the media room was abuzz with activity. I was in charge of the Blogosphere, which meant I was stationed in the press box and got to see some of the incredible performances, my favorite being Arcade Fire! It really was an amazing show, and though I was dealing with bloggers and loud performances I could hear our team on my headset working together to make sure everything ran smoothly behind the scenes.

Sadly, with the closing of the JUNO Awards comes the closing of my term here at HCC. I want to give a big KUDOS to everyone on the HCC team for making me feel so welcome and for making this year’s JUNO Awards the most successful one yet!

Hilary

First-Ever Juno Cup “Training Camp” A Huge Success!!

HCC pulled off yet another enormously successful event on February 8 at the Ricoh Coliseum to kick off the ticket on-sale for the 10^th annual Juno Cup celebrity hockey game slated for March 25^th. The frigid weather in Toronto wasn’t enough to keep the players or media away.

Stars from both teams -- ‘The Rockers’ and ‘The NHL Greats’ -- hit the ice for drills and exercises in keeping with “training camp.” Not only did the players get to show off their skills, the media were also invited to lace up their skates and join in. (We weren’t liable for any damage to their equipment…!)

MTV’s Paul the Intern did his thing and managed to score a goal assisted by NHL Hall of Famer Paul Coffey.

Besides promoting Juno Cup ticket sales, Training Camp was a great chance for the teams to get a feel for one another. Jim Cuddy, Captain of ‘Team Rockers’, was pretty intimidated by the NHL stars and said it was like trying to outrace a thoroughbred—it just doesn’t happen. He also added “being so outmatched is part of the fun of the game, and after all, ticket proceeds benefit Musicounts.”