Recapping my best moments of 2022

The New Calendar year normally would make me assume about what I’m leaving behind, and 2022 was the most effective yr of my profession. In all the decades I’ve been working The GATE (21 so much, to be actual), I never ever definitely envisioned nearly anything like it, but it’s going to be very hard to prime for a large amount of good reasons.

There have been so several interviews, with so lots of legendary actors and gifted folks. I had the prospect to actually get started to dig into travel and take a look at extra, as I emphasis a lot more on creating tales and movie about locations in the vicinity of and significantly. And I had the likelihood to check out out some truly awesome new tech and devices.

Without the need of any additional ado, here’s my recap of all the things that manufactured 2022 a pretty satisfying 12 months. I also shared a swift movie recap on TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram.

Howdy, adventures

The pandemic built my spouse and children and I recognize how essential journey is to us, and it’s a little something I’ve desired to create about a lot more. Previous year we had a pair of wonderful visits, but in 2022, and working with a couple places, I travelled way more typically.

The spotlight of the calendar year was Costa Rica. A journey that I hope to do yet again in a several a long time. The state is an oasis of relaxed, beauty, and inexperienced. It’s so stunning, the food stuff is remarkable, and the “Pura Vida” way of living is so refreshing.

We discovered so a great deal from the journey, and we stayed at the Hotel Punta Islita and the El Mangroove Resort, two gorgeous attributes that built us really feel so welcome. From the lodges we had the probability to observe sea turtles as they hatched and then produced their way to the water, and we realized how the Macaw Recovery Network is diligently functioning to bring the parrots again from the brink of extinction in the wild. It was an remarkable excursion, with so many highlights.

In the spring we went on our 1st cruise, a 4-evening journey on the Disney Desire from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas, Castaway Cay, and back again all over again. We experienced prepared the vacation in 2019, and ultimately had the prospect to go in April. We had these types of a fantastic time that we booked a second cruise with Disney for Oct with additional of the family, this time departing from Miami, and that was also an incredible journey. We’re wanting forward to much more cruising as shortly as we can.

Our travels took us through Orlando a few of moments, 1st for the cruise, and then a vacation to Walt Disney Environment (and the great Boardwalk Inn) in May possibly, and we determined to drop in a person extra time in the fall, immediately after the next cruise, to check out out Mickey’s Really Merry Christmas Social gathering. All 3 excursions had been a treat, and I may just have to go again once again to Orlando for a couple a lot more matters that I want to do.

In June I also had the likelihood to visit Nova Scotia and New Brunswick for the Journey Media Affiliation of Canada conference in Yarmouth. I finished up creating it a highway vacation, flying to Halifax, then driving to Yarmouth, and following a couple times I took the Fundy Rose ferry from Digby to Saint John.

I’ll be sharing those people stories in the spring, which includes the next trip I took to New Brunswick in the drop when I drove the GMC Acadia AT4 from Toronto to Fredericton, and then on to Saint John to take a look at extra. New Brunswick is one particular of my favourite locations, so I’ll happily go back again any opportunity that I get.

An additional big highlight for travel and movie was going to Los Angeles in November for the premiere of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Secret at the Academy Museum. I interviewed producer Ram Bergman, and even though I was there I also went to Beverly Hills for the initially time and made a decision to sit down for a chunk at the renowned Beverly Wilshire’s Blvd Lounge. It was such an incredible trip.

And I was in New York two times in 2022! In August OnePlus invited me to their initially in-human being press conference for the start of their most current phone, and that gave me a likelihood to explore some of my favorite locations in the town though photographing almost everything with the OnePlus 10T.

Then, just a couple of months ago, I went back again for the premiere of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio at MoMA. It was the initial time observing New York Metropolis all dressed up for Xmas, and it was amazing. A massive many thanks to Netflix for that invite, and the Glass Onion premiere in LA far too.

The biggest interviews of my vocation

There ended up so quite a few highlights from 2022, and the greatest have been the interviews. I’m even now shocked at all the superb talent that I had the probability to communicate to this yr.

At the leading of my checklist, I chatted with John Boyega at TIFF about performing with director Gina Prince-Bythewood and star Viola Davis for The Girl King. It was just one of the ideal interviews of the calendar year.

I also spoke to Eddie Redmayne for his chilling part in The Superior Nurse, I interviews Guillermo del Toro for Pinocchio, Chiwetel Ejiofor for The Gentleman Who Fell to Earth, and the checklist goes on!

There was comedian Craig Ferguson, John C. Reilly & Adrien Brody, Jameela Jamil, Da’Vine Pleasure Randolph, Henry Selick & James Hong, Karl City (one particular of my favourite actors), Alyn Tudyk & Danny Pudi, Lisa Joy & Evan Rachel Wooden, Kyle MacLachlan, John Cho, John Catucci, Lance Reddick, Robert Duvall, and the complete cast of Cobra Kai.

That listing scarcely addresses it, but it is all just to say wow and many thanks to all the individuals that built these incredible interviews materialize. I’m so grateful.

There are extremely couple of issues as satisfying as a excellent conversation with gifted men and women about their work, their creative imagination, and what evokes them. The icing on the cake is when you get to interview people today you admire.

Here’s hoping 2023 provides far more prospects for additional epic conversations, particularly if some of all those are on established, and at in-man or woman junkets after once more.

A few of my favourite (tech) items

This has been a definitely appealing 12 months for consumer electronics, gizmos, and devices, from phones and tools for creators, to TVs and even autos.

While I missed CES this calendar year, and I’ll overlook becoming there in particular person for 2023, I have had the prospect to cover a great deal of amazing points.

Google, OnePlus, and Samsung all released good new telephones in the course of the year, and I had the chance to attend OnePlus’ announcement in human being in August. I have also been subsequent DJI and Zhiyun’s newest gadgets (and I’m at this time testing out the later’s Fiveray F100 and M40 lights, and I’m waiting for the Easy 5S), not to mention the very helpful Hollyland Lark C1 wireless mic method.

I also satisfied with racer Daniel Morad to check out Samsung’s Neo QLED 8K Racing Simulator, and I profiled a bunch of amazing tech and equipment for creators for the holiday reward guides.

And I examined out the Gozney Dome pizza oven, a person of the most effective out of doors cooking appliances that I have at any time applied. I still can not believe that the steak or the pizzas that I manufactured in that oven.

If anything at all changes for 2023, I’m in fact anticipating to cover much more tech, since I see so lots of opportunities to produce a lot more online video material to share on social. You can check out my tech video clip recap for 2022 on TikTok.

And so a great deal more…

There have been also so many other fantastic times and situations. I included the Toronto Intercontinental Film Competition for the 22nd year, I was invited to the inaugural Blue Mountain Movie Competition, the place I observed Navalny and sat in on remarkable marketplace session, and I went to the Windsor Intercontinental Movie Festival for the 1st time and noticed Clement Virgo’s beautiful Brother, and Charlotte Le Bon’s mystifying Falcon Lake.

In advance of the Scotch debuted in Canada, I sampled Bowmore’s most current exclusive version whisky in partnership with Aston Martin, the Masters’ Assortment Edition 2. What a lovely spirit, the place I also had the possibility to fulfill the unbelievably proficient creator Betty Shin Binon, AKA Stems & Forks.

I also recapped the 1st 10 years of The GATE and scanned hundreds of shots, and digitized piles of previous online video from my humble beginnings. I spoke to the Lunar Rogue’s Frank Scott about the NB Spirits Competition. And I got to locate out what helps make World Citizen such a essential, roots-pushed advocacy team. Once again, that scarcely even handles it all.

This yr, I sampled new whisky and spirits, produced a good deal of cocktails, gave away lots of goodies to The GATE’s visitors and followers, and I’m sure I’m missing a ton of other points I just just cannot imagine of suitable now. It is all a amazing whirlwind, and I’m frankly extremely happy of it all, and quite happy to function with so quite a few individuals who make it all possible.

Favourite Pics

And, very last but not least, I took hundreds of pics. I picked out a few of my favourites that I experienced to share, so verify them out under.

If you’re feeling generous, and aren’t subsequent The GATE by now, you can uncover all our social back links suitable right here.

Many thanks so much for looking at! I hope you’ll arrive back again all over again in 2023!