Dining with Della: Phil Reimer at La Piazza Dario
March 28, 2016
Phil and I dined over minestrone soup and caprese salads at Dario's, a warm and cozy spot at the Italian Cultural Centre. I have known Phil since the 70's when he was the weatherman at CBC. He was ever so good to me when I was plugging heart foundation messages and we quickly became friends. He has worked in all mediums including his current stint doing a cruising column. Ports and Bows is his take on cruises for eleven Postmedia newspapers including The Vancouver Sun. He also does a daily blog. At 75, he has boundless energy and more enthusiasm for new ideas than people half his age.
He did travel promos for Elvis concerts and went to some 40 or more of the singer's concerts. Most people brag about going to one of those famous shows! He has owned a beer and wine store, produced TV shows, written a book and travelled to over 35 countries. He is also a proud father and grandfather.
Phil wrote his responses to the questions and we added a bit more over lunch.
He did travel promos for Elvis concerts and went to some 40 or more of the singer's concerts. Most people brag about going to one of those famous shows! He has owned a beer and wine store, produced TV shows, written a book and travelled to over 35 countries. He is also a proud father and grandfather.
Phil wrote his responses to the questions and we added a bit more over lunch.
What worked...
What one bit of communication impacted your life?
What worked was two pieces of advice given to me when I started out. And, they came from unlikely sources. One, the blustery building manager for CKY TV, Johnny Peterson, a man with a heart of gold and the other, the king of broadcasting in Winnipeg, Jack Wells. “Don’t act—be yourself—start pretending something you are not and the audience will see right through you." I was a hard working, happy go lucky kind of guy and that's what I took to the screen every day—no fakery. I wanted to be a sportscaster desperately but had to hone my chops. At 21, I had to take on TV Bingo, The Old Dutch show, and Clubhouse Capers.
(Note from Della: The Old Dutch show was a popular kids program named after the potato chip brand. Strangely, another one of my good friends was the "little Dutch girl"on the show with Phil in the 60's. Phil was akin to Mr. Rogers on Clubhouse Capers, another children's show.)
All these shows were important for showing the brass that being myself worked, and I finally wound up in sports.
There were times when I laughed so hard, it had me on my knees—it was sincere and the audience could tell by my tears, it was for real. Even after moving to the more staid CBC, I was told I created empathy with the audience.
Being yourself, being real was by far and away the best advice for a kid starting out.
What did not work...
It was when I created the Save and Fly promotion with Air Canada and the Loblaw Group across Canada. It was a case of collecting $5 discounts on Air Canada when you bought certain foods and reached a certain sales point. That was probably the forerunner of the Air Miles card and had I brought in people smarter than me they would have helped to make that transition but in typical Phil fashion "do it on your own", it did not grow. Biggest mistake in my life, not sharing my ideas.
The other thing that did not work happened when I was working for the Sports Directorate in Ottawa. I suggested to the Minister of Sport and Health that I had a schedule that would allow him to see at least 5 events at the Canada Games. Great idea, he said. However, as he arrived at each event they were ending and people were on their way out. There were many mishaps during program including hitting Prime Minister Trudeau (Note from Della: Phil is talking about the first Prime Minister Trudeau) on the head with a roll of film. Jim Coleman, the great national sports columnist wrote about all the things that went wrong. He ended by noting the Prime Minister was in a barge coming across the bay to meet the athletes and stated "It was organized by Reimer and surprisingly, the barge didn’t sink." Good thing I didn't take myself that seriously and was happy to give everyone a good laugh.
The other thing that did not work happened when I was working for the Sports Directorate in Ottawa. I suggested to the Minister of Sport and Health that I had a schedule that would allow him to see at least 5 events at the Canada Games. Great idea, he said. However, as he arrived at each event they were ending and people were on their way out. There were many mishaps during program including hitting Prime Minister Trudeau (Note from Della: Phil is talking about the first Prime Minister Trudeau) on the head with a roll of film. Jim Coleman, the great national sports columnist wrote about all the things that went wrong. He ended by noting the Prime Minister was in a barge coming across the bay to meet the athletes and stated "It was organized by Reimer and surprisingly, the barge didn’t sink." Good thing I didn't take myself that seriously and was happy to give everyone a good laugh.
What if...
What advice would you give to your younger self to enhance your ability to communicate with others – and why?
Watch the best and go and talk with them. I learned a lot by hanging out with the best. Do any menial job from getting coffee to pulling cable on the studio floor—hang out and eventually they will start talking to you and before long you will know what made them a success. Then, the most important advice, don’t copy them—have the smarts to pick out what works for you. In the end, that is the most important thing you can learn. Don’t let people change who you are.
Wished I had picked a wise mentor. I didn’t and I really did need someone to give me a whack across the back of my head from time to time.
(Final word from Della: One of his best pals, Dennis Skulsky (former BC Lions football President and CEO and former President of Canwest) said Phil should have a business card that simply says,“Ideas". Phil has lots of praise for Dennis as one of the great communicators regaling me with stories about how he sends personal notes to players and calls fans directly.)
I have lots of praise for Phil as one of those fabulous, genuinely nice guys who is always "real".
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2 comments
Such good memories of watching this gentleman on television. His smile always lit up the room and I agree that it was his sincerity that shone through!
ReplyDeleteSo right, Penny.
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