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Southern Alberta's lesser-known music history saved by Calgary Cassette Preservation Society
Arif Ansari and Arielle McCuaig look at some of the 500 albums that will soon be added to the Calgary Cassette Preservation Society's online archives. Arif Ansari has been part of Calgary's music scene for decades and in 2006 saw a need to archive some of southern Alberta's lesser-known bands. Soon after, the Calgary Cassette Preservation Society was born. He began with cassette tapes from the 1980s and '90s in his own collection and says the medium was a popular way for local musicians to get their music out to listeners. 'Because of the nature of the format, it's one which degrades,' said Ansari. 'It's one which is kind of disposable, and so the reason why preservation of those became important was because a lot of those tapes were just lost; people, especially friends who had through moves or because they played the tapes to death just didn't have them anymore, and so that's really what this project is recovering.' Friends and music lovers have shared their cassette collections from the '80s and more recent recordings with him to add to the archives. Over the years, he's also gathered records and CDs to include. So far, Ansari has uploaded more than 2,600 cassette recordings into the online archive. 'I'm up to date with cassettes, but the LPs are a bit more work because there's a lot more manual intervention with those things,' he said. 'There's about another, I'm going to say, 500 LPs and about 800 CDs that are waiting to be added to the archive and a thousand gig posters as well.' It's a big task, but it's something Ansari is passionate about. 'I enjoy this so much,' he said. 'It's a way of getting obsessive about something, which is always fun, to get obsessive about something, but it's also a way of giving back to the community and creating something which I think is really important for the people that played in the bands, the families of the people that played in the bands and people who are just really curious and were fans of those bands.' Arielle McCuaig shares that music passion with Ansari. She's on the board of directors for the society and enjoys exploring its website. 'All this music is available for you to listen to for free,' she said. 'You can follow the links to find out what these other artists did and what other bands they were in and what kind of scene they're a part of; it's all very cool for any sort of music (lover) like myself.' McCuaig says without the society and dedicated work by Ansari, much of this music would be lost forever. 'I think it's important in a place like Calgary, where the arts and culture is not super supported and it's never been a hub for arts and music within Canada,' she said. 'A lot of our bands are never going to make it to the next level and big notoriety, big fame or anything, so it's important that we document stuff that is happening so we can keep encouraging people even if they're not making it to the next level. There's amazing stuff happening, and there always has been, and no one's going to care to document it except for the people that care about Calgary.' 'If I hadn't started this project, there are a bunch of tapes that I think would be completely lost to time,' said Ansari. 'There are tapes which I have one of just a handful of copies that are left, and so they would be sitting maybe on someone's shelf, and I don't think the people that have it on the shelf would have the time, energy or resources to put it up on the internet.' You can learn more about the society at
National Post
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Thunderbird Entertainment Announces New Senior Vice President, Global Development, for Great Pacific Media
Article content Laura Crowson, former VP of Development at Warner Bros. Discovery, has been hired to lead the Company's international unscripted efforts Article content VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc. (TSXV:TBRD, OTC – THBRF) ('Thunderbird' or the 'Company') is pleased to announce Laura Crowson has been hired as Senior Vice President (SVP) of Global Development, for Great Pacific Media ('GPM'), the unscripted arm of the Company. As SVP of Global Development for GPM, Crowson will report to GPM CEO David Way and be a key part of the senior leadership team. Article content Article content Based in Los Angeles, Crowson will identify global market opportunities, drive co-productions and joint ventures, and work closely with GPM development and business teams to create shows that are creatively ambitious and commercially viable. Article content 'With a background in development, high-level casting, business strategy, and pitching, Laura will bring creative leadership to shape existing concepts and spearhead new projects and partnerships,' says Way. 'Her experience with major U.S. networks, and time in the UK, gives her sharp insight into evolving market needs and trends, ensuring GPM remains at the forefront of international content. We are thrilled to welcome her to our team.' Article content Crowson joins GPM from Warner Bros. Discovery, where she served as Vice President of Development and oversaw series and specials for Discovery Channel, Science Channel, Animal Planet, and Max. She played a key role in developing many of the network's successful titles, including Expedition Files, The Last Woodsmen, and Mud Madness, as well as Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster, which was Discovery's highest-rated special in over five years. Her portfolio includes work on major global franchises like Deadliest Catch, Naked and Afraid, and Gold Rush. She was also an integral part of WBD's co-production & acquisition strategy, securing more than 500 hours of content and providing creative leadership across a diverse slate. Article content 'I'm incredibly excited to join the talented team at GPM and help drive its unscripted strategy forward,' says Crowson. 'There's so much opportunity to create bold, engaging content that resonates with global audiences, and I look forward to building on GPM's momentum, collaborating with new partners, and bringing fresh, entertaining ideas to life for audiences around the world.' Article content For information on GPM, visit For more information on Thunderbird Entertainment Group and to subscribe to the Company's investor list for news updates, go to Article content About GPM Article content Great Pacific Media programs are seen in more than 180 territories, and the Thunderbird company specializes in the financing, development, production and co-production of factual, documentary, and reality television, with a growing slate of scripted projects that include Syfy series Reginald the Vampire and feature films Boot Camp and Sidelined: The QB and Me. Additional productions at Great Pacific Media include the highly rated USA Network Canada series Highway Thru Hell, new series Rocky Mountain Wreckers (The Weather Channel, USA Network Canada) and Timber Titans (USA Network Canada), with new seasons of Deadman's Curse (The History Channel, Hulu) and Wild Rose Vets (produced in association with Wapanatahk Media for APTN, Blue Ant Media) on the way. About Thunderbird Entertainment Group Thunderbird Entertainment Group is a global award-winning, full-service production, distribution and rights management company, headquartered in Vancouver, with additional offices in Los Angeles and Ottawa. Thunderbird creates award-winning scripted, unscripted, and animated programming for the world's leading digital platforms, as well as Canadian and international broadcasters. The Company develops, produces, and distributes animated, factual, and scripted content through its various content arms, including Thunderbird Kids and Family (Atomic Cartoons), Thunderbird Unscripted (Great Pacific Media) and Thunderbird Scripted. Productions under the Thunderbird umbrella include Mermicorno: Starfall, Super Team Canada, Molly of Denali, Kim's Convenience, Highway Thru Hell, Boot Camp and Sidelined: The QB and Me. Thunderbird Distribution and Thunderbird Brands manage global media and consumer products rights, respectively, for the Company and select third parties. Thunderbird is on Facebook, X, and Instagram at @tbirdent. For more information, visit: Article content Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information Article content Certain statements contained in this news release may contain forward-looking information or may be forward-looking statements (collectively, 'forward-looking statements') within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Article content Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as 'anticipate', 'continue', 'estimate', 'expect', 'forecast', 'may', 'will', 'plan', 'project', 'should', 'believe', 'intend', or similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Crowson's ability to generate new unscripted content, identify global market opportunities and drive co-productions and joint ventures, and GPM's ability to produce new shows that are commercially viable. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic and social uncertainties; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; product capability and acceptance; international risk and currency exchange rates; and technology changes. Article content The forward-looking statements or information contained in this document represent Thunderbird's views as of the date hereof and as such information should not be relied upon as representing Thunderbird's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this document. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Media Contact Article content Finch Media Article content Article content Julia Smith Article content Article content julia@ Article content
