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I recently read a theory that going for 50 coffees with people you've never met is the entrepreneurs equivalent to the theory that doing anything for 10,000 hours will make you an expert on it. While I get the idea, 50 coffees is far easier than practicing something for ten years, and while I'm far from lazy I've decided to set out on a fairly simple mission: over the next 50 weeks I'm going to invite 50 interesting Vancouverites, most of whom I have never met before, to go for coffee. I'm going to use this as an exercise in networking for myself and for V.I.A. while also using it as a platform to introduce you to some people who are doing really cool stuff in the city you live in. |
Meet Michael Eckford. Co-host of Urban Rush with Fiona Forbes on Shaw and also the co-host of the Bro Jake Show on Rock 101. Unlike the behind-the-scenes folks whom I've mostly been introducing you to in this series I imagine you're already familiar with this guy and his current hairstyle.
We went for an afternoon "coffee" at the Fairmont Pacific Rim after I reached out on Twitter letting him know I was enjoying hearing him during my morning commute. As I mentioned, he's now co-hosting Bro Jake and he's doing a fantastic job at it. I feel like Michael is the bridge between The Bro and people who are around my age and like to listen to classic rock in the morning. I will not say a bad word about The Bro (in fact I will capitalize the "T" in "The" for him) but I will say that Michael adds a certain zing to the show that could have been missing up until a couple of months ago.
So we talked about his new radio gig, about his long-running TV gig (15 years this week!), and then about how he manages both of those as well as being a father and a husband. I left knowing that the guy you see on TV and hear on the radio is the same guy in real life, and that's awesome.
Oh! And as you likely noticed, that is not a caffeinated beverage in Michael's hand. No sir, that's a good old fashioned Old Fashioned. When you get up at 4AM to do a live radio show and after that you do a daytime TV talk show, by the time the rest of us are having our second cup of coffee it's essentially mid-evening for you. "You" being Michael Eckford, and "you" are not only allowed to have a cocktail at this hour but in fact I would encourage "you" to.
Follow Michael on Twitter, watch him on Shaw (15 years deep!) and listen to him on Rock 101.
