There’s no denying that Greg Ball is a career chameleon –he is a Hollywood writer, a lawyer, and passionate storyteller. While wrapping up his law degree, he and his former writing partner developed a pitch for a television show based on their experiences as young, soon-to-be lawyers. The two decided to take their story to the Banff Television Festival, and were soon launched into the world of Hollywood and all that comes with it. After spending time in Ottawa, Toronto and Los Angeles, Greg returned to Edmonton with a refreshed appreciation for our community and overall quality of life (though he strongly believes our city is lacking in the valet parking department). We took some time to chat with Greg about his experiences in Hollywood, his advice for aspiring writers, and how he divides his time between law and storytelling.

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When Jacqueline Jacek first decided to start her own company, she wanted to combine things that make people happy —for her, those things included fashion and chocolate. After attending an “Ecole Chocolat” in New Zealand, Jacqueline brought her newfound skills as a ‘Cocoanista’ back to Edmonton, and designed a line of couture chocolates. Since then, she has taken her company from home-based production and expanded it to include two storefront locations and partnerships with several local and big-box retailers around Alberta.  Jacqueline describes herself as a person who has trouble ‘keeping still’, so we were lucky to catch her between her roles as a wife, mother, and business owner to get a glimpse into the life of a couture “Cocoanista”, and all around proponent of joy in our community. Thank you, Jacqueline!

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We had the chance to catch up with Amor Carandang —owner and half of the design mega-team behind Hunt Amor studio — right before the launch of her (and partner, Chris Provins’) new collection Kindred. Since creating her first pair of earrings in 2003, Amor has grown her following to include people from around the world, while still maintaining the personal connection that makes each Hunt Amor piece so special.

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The Nowhere Fast brand started in 2009 after Wes O’Driscoll and his friend decided to screen print a few t-shirts to sell as promotional merchandise for a magazine he was curating. When the shirts became a hit, eventually eclipsing the magazine itself in sales, Wes decided to direct his attention to the fashion industry full-time. Since then, the Nowhere Fast brand has outgrown home-production, and moved into its own studio (which will soon feature a coffee bar!) where Wes can connect with Nowhere Fast customers directly and discuss the brand, his process, or just to hang out. We met up with Wes to talk about starting Nowhere Fast, his vision for the brand’s future, and why he prefers film over digital photography.

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When Geoff Linden and his wife Joanne first decided to open their first café, they were taking a leap towards realizing a dream that had been many years in the making —and we are extremely glad that they did! Geoff’s love for coffee began when he was in his late teens, when the act of ‘going for coffee’ was more about the place than it was about the brew. Since then, his appreciation for coffee shops has grown into a passion for the coffee and café culture as a whole.

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