And why the British North American Blog? The title is a bit of a play on the fact I’m a Brit and I live in Canada, or British North America as it used to be called, but I like to think hemispherically. Whatever that means.
Alright, the brief bio. Born in Plymouth into a naval family. Mum was a WREN and Dad a navy gunner and military policeman. After the old man transferred to the Royal Kent Constabulary and became a copper I ended up in the run-down Victorian resort of Ramsgate on England’s south coast. Went to Holy Cross Catholic School, which turned me into an ardent atheist. Thanks for that.
In the 80s, I found myself washed up on the shores of Canada looking for a new life away from Thatcher and the disaster that England had become. I ended up at the University of Winnipeg getting the all-important arts degree. Now, qualified enough to serve coffee at the local Starbucks, I embarked on a career in journalism in the 1990s. After a few years of farting around and traveling the world, I ended up as an Editor of Winnipeg Tonite, the city’s biggest entertainment magazine at the time. That was followed by a couple of years as an entertainment journalist schmoozing with a lot of artists currently residing in the ‘where are they now file.’ And a couple of famous ones.
Pretentious? Moi?
The mid-90s saw me ditch the journalism field and set up shop as a gallery owner. Lumiere Gallery was open for a couple of years before it dawned on me that selling photographic art in Winnipeg was pretty insane. It was a great experience, however, in the ‘that which does not kill me makes me stronger’ vein.
So, it was back to arts reporting and the steady world of business editing followed. Next up, editing for a website media company and tried to make money on the web 10 years after the boom. A brief sojourn with Winnipeg’s biggest film company and then into the world of government communications. I also do a bit of freelance work with publications like CrackBerry.com, Winnipeg Men, Urbanite and others.
These days, I am owner of Retrospectacle Pictures and, with my business partner uber animator Pete Siemens, produce/write/wash bottles etc and make documentaries on Winnipeg history.
I have also dabbled in a bit of comedy writing and spent a couple of years as head writer for Canada’s longest running satirical review –The Winnipeg Beer and Skits Show and also wrote for Cracked magazine…sister pub of National Lampoon and Mad.
In 2005, I married the beautiful Tracy. It took a bit of time but she was worth the wait. She was also nice enough to drag me from my urban apartment living/martini sipping/sushi eating inveterate existence to a fulfilling life in the burbs. Now I obsess about lawns and killing grackles. I’m an adult now. Now have replicated. Scary.
What else about me?…rabid Tottenham Hotspur fan, love to cook, know the difference between Fume and Fuisse, can handle minus forty degree celcius and still want to climb Mount Kinabalu before I die. That hardly says anything about the real me. So I shall endeavour to reveal myself through the blog.
Contact me: englishpegger at gmail dot com
