ONTARIO CREATES 2019 JUNO AWARDS NOMINEE RECEPTION
@ LIVE NATION LOUNGE, TORONTO
MARCH 7, 2019
The Ontario Creates 2019Β JUNO Awards Nominee Reception was held tonight at the Live Nation Lounge in Toronto. Many of this yearβs talented nominees attended as well as executives from Ontario Creates. The event celebrated a number of special guests including Tyler Shaw, Walk Off The Earth, Exco Levi, and Colin MacDonald, who were all celebrated for their contributions to music in Ontario.
Ontario Creates hosted the event. They are responsible for facilitating economic development, investment, and collaboration in Ontarioβs creative industries including the music, book, magazine, film, television and interactive digital media sectors. Ontario Creates is instrumental in helping artists throughout Ontario keep creating as well as inspiring the younger generation to pursue a career in the arts.
You could tell the entire event was a celebration, with music featured all night by the same Ontario artists that Ontario Creates assists. At the entrance of the event was a red carpet where nominees and executives could pose and get their picture taken by a swarm of photographers. They were then interviewed about their recent accomplishments and asked about their previous or current nominations as well as projects they are currently working on.
The night concluded with a few words from Alan Reid, President and CEO of CARAS who had nothing but praise for Ontario creates. “Thereβs no question that what Ontario Creates and the Government of Ontario do to support our music sector has a direct impact on the opportunity for these artists.” Ontario Creates President and CEO Karen Thorne-Stone also said a quick thank you to all the people that make the Ontario creative scene what it is, as well as thanking everyone who made the night possible from a funding side.
For the artists, tonight was a chance to reflect on their career accomplishments. For the executives that orchestrated the event, it was a night that showed how they are truly making a difference. Overall the night was a showcase for what Ontario has to offer from the creative industry, and a time to look back on the growth throughout the years and to show what a musical powerhouse Ontario has become.
(Photography by Jonathan Hazlewood)