Latest news with #billboards
CTV News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Film footage of Winnipeg from the 1960s surfaces online after languishing in storage locker
A billboard for Salisbury House in Winnipeg in 1965 is seen in a screengrab from a film strip uploaded to YouTube recently. (Francois Arseneault). Vintage billboards popping out in crystal clear quality, cars driving down recognizable Winnipeg streets, families seen playing in the snow — these are just a few scenes of an era gone by. B.C. photographer Francois Arseneault restored two videos showing a typical Winnipeg day in the 1960s and uploaded them to YouTube, but the material was almost lost to history. The original film strips were discovered in a storage locker in Vancouver that had been rented out for five decades and deemed abandoned after the owner died. 'A colleague of mine in Vancouver found it, and the person who had it wasn't interested in the films and was going to toss the film into the landfill,' Arseneault said. 'I couldn't let that happen.' vintage winnipeg A billboard for Salisbury House in Winnipeg in 1965 is seen in a screengrab from a film strip uploaded to YouTube recently. (Francois Arseneault). vintage winnipeg A billboard for Red Rose Tea in Winnipeg in 1966 is seen in a screengrab from a film strip uploaded to YouTube recently. (Francois Arseneault). Arseneault said the film hadn't been viewed and noted that masking tape – put on to prevent old film from unravelling – had fully calcified. Once he removed the tape, he was able to scan and view the 16 mm film, which he said was in remarkable condition for its age. He discovered through his research that the film was shot by Irme Michalik, a Hungarian immigrant who lived in Vancouver and has since passed away, leaving no children. Michalik's videography skills were quite sharp in the footage he shot, Arseneault said. 'The guy had his pretty serious camera chops; he had some really good skill sets,' Arseneault said. 'He knew what he was doing, his composition, his framing, his camera work. It was really delightful to work with.' Francois Arseneault Francois Arseneault is seen in a 2019 photo. (Francois Arseneault) Connecting the past with the present Due to the presence of billboards and advertising in the video, Arseneault said he suspects Michalik was doing freelance work for an advertising company when he was filming in Winnipeg. Arseneault said the presence of these ads also gives a glimpse into how things have evolved over the decades. 'Billboards and advertising is a little part of our culture, a little bit of our history. It helps us recollect what times were like back then,' he said. 'Reality is absolutely wonderful to see, and we catch details in there that we don't even think of that today.' vintage winnipeg A billboard in Winnipeg from 1966 is seen in a screengrab from a film strip uploaded to YouTube recently. (Francois Arseneault). Jarad Buckwold, digital archivist with the City of Winnipeg, said having major events documented is important, but the everyday scenes are also important, as they provide a 'shared experience' for people. 'It's something that we can identify with,' he said. 'We can imagine, but we don't really know what it would be like to live through the General Strike, for example, but we understand what it's like to drive to work and to be in traffic, or to see billboards on the streets and things of that nature.' Seeing history clearly The 16mm film was scanned at 4K resolution and the details of it were crystal clear, Arseneault said. 'You can read licence plates, you can read details in windows,' he said. 'You can read signs at a greater distance than you ever could before. And most interestingly, you can see people. You can make out people's faces and details.' In previous videos he has scanned and uploaded for other cities, Arseneault said he has received a lot of responses from people who have been able to see their family members preserved on film. 'I'll get a response back from someone who says, 'Hey, that's my grandfather. That's my uncle, or as my grandmother, how did you find this?'' he said. 'It really makes me feel good that people are seeing people that they remember, that they recognize.' Arseneault's videos of Winnipeg and other cities can be viewed online on YouTube.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Baby Jack Blues Is the Star of Justin Bieber's New Album Photoshoot
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." At the stroke of midnight, Justin Bieber dropped his seventh studio album, Swag, less than 24 hours after he announced the project with a collection of billboards across the world. And from the looks of it, the release is being treated as a family affair. To support the album, Bieber posed for a series of promotional shots alongside his wife, Hailey, and their nearly-one-year-old son, Jack Blues, who totally steals the show. The black-and-white images were captured by Renell Medrano, and they were taken inside of a rustic wooden barn with a floral-printed couch sitting in the middle of it—and nothing else. In the photos, Bieber plays with his baby boy, holding him over his shoulders, standing him up on his lap, and affectionately carrying him. The 'Ghost' singer goes shirtless, sporting a pair of baggy jeans that are drooped low to reveal a pair of white pinstripe shorts underneath. Meanwhile, Baby Jack takes a cue from his father and wears only a white diaper. For her cameo, Hailey sticks to the minimal dress code too, appearing in one shot where she wears a white tank and jeans, while holding Jack Blues and standing behind her hubby. This is the first release from Bieber since he dropped Justice in 2021, which debuted at the top of the Billboard chart and featured singles like 'Holy' and 'Peaches.' He supported the album with the subsequent Justice World Tour, which was cut short when Bieber faced a series of health issues. While taking a musical hiatus, the pop superstar welcomed his first-born with Hailey back in August 2024, and the pair have since shared a few glimpses of the toddler on their social media. You can stream Justin Bieber's new album here. You Might Also Like 4 Investment-Worthy Skincare Finds From Sephora The 17 Best Retinol Creams Worth Adding to Your Skin Care Routine
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Why you don't see this in Hawaiʻi: It's a history and a mission
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Hawaiʻi is one of the only states in the United States without billboards. That's not by accident. It's the result of more than a century of steady, determined work. Since 1912, The Outdoor Circle has helped pass laws, plant trees and lead local efforts to preserve the beauty of these islands. Today, that mission is as urgent as ever. was able to sit down with Winston Welch, the executive director for The Outdoor Circle. In operation since 1912, this organization has remained true to its mission. 'Our mission here is to keep Hawaiʻi clean, green and beautiful,' explained Welch. 'Most of the large trees that you see in Honolulu were advocated for, perhaps planted by, The Outdoor Circle.' The Outdoor Circle began with a group of women in Honolulu who had seen public parks and tree-lined boulevards in other cities. They came home inspired. They were not impressed by the large ads for cigarettes, whiskey and diapers that covered buildings and blocked the views their own town. 'These ladies got together and said, we're going to start a boycott of the stores that carry the products that were advertised on the billboards,' Welch said. The campaign worked. The media joined in, the laws followed; and the last billboard company was eventually bought and shut down. 'It's a testimony to time and to talent and endurance,' Welch said. 'If you see that Hawaiʻi's different and you think about it, we don't have ads here. We don't have billboards. We have a beautiful environment. I think in large part, you have The Outdoor Circle to thank for that and the work and the advocacy that's been done over the century.' Hawaiʻi bans all off-site advertising: That means no billboards, no ads for products or services on public property, and no corporate logos on places like stadiums or state buildings. It's been this way for more than 100 years: The Outdoor Circle helped pass the first laws in the early 1900s. These laws have been repeatedly tested and upheld in court. Most residents support it: 'There's overwhelming support for keeping these protections in place,' Welch said. 'We value our view. We value our heritage. We don't need or want corporate logos or advertising taking over what we value here.' Naming rights are the new threat: Under recent proposals like Senate Bill 583, the state could sell naming rights to public facilities. 'It could be Marlboro Lights Stadium or Pepto-Bismol Stadium,' Welch said. 'Is this something that we need?' This is about more than names: 'This belongs to the people of Hawaiʻi,' Welch said. 'When we allow this, it degrades and cheapens what Hawaiʻi is.' Senate Bill583 is a bill that would allow corporate naming rights for public buildings and assets. Welch said that's just another form of offsite advertising and one that threatens to undo generations of work. 'This bill offers no rules, no time limits, no oversight and no public say in the process,' Welch said. 'Once naming rights are sold, they may never be undone.' Welch wrote in his testimony on the bill that 'Unlike traditional philanthropy, where donations support public facilities without altering their identity, this bill hands over 'naming rights' in exchange for corporate imprint, a.k.a. offsite advertisements, potentially forever, on public assets.' Once 'sold' it would be difficult or impossible to 'buy back' naming rights. Welch asked lawmakers to think carefully about what kind of future they want to leave behind. 'If naming rights are sold, they may never be undone, forcing future generations to live under branding decisions made today,' he said. Hawaiian place names are not just words. They are tied to the land, the culture, and the stories of this place. Welch said replacing these names with corporate brands would be a major loss. 'Hawaiʻi's place names hold meaning. They tell stories of the lands, the aliʻi, the moʻolelo and Hawaiʻi itself,' Welch said. 'What happens when corporations dictate the names of our most treasured public sites?' This is not just about signs or logos. It's about identity. Welch said protecting Hawaiʻi's unique visual character is about respecting the culture, the ʻāina, and the people. 'Not everything should be up for sale,' Welch said in his testimony. 'Allowing advertising to assault us all everywhere should not stand.' Welch said the Outdoor Circle is not against public-private partnerships. But he draws a clear line at selling the identity of public places. 'If corporate donors genuinely care about Hawaiʻi, they can support public assets without demanding ownership over their identity,' he explained in his testimony. The work of The Outdoor Circle goes far beyond signs and advertisements. Across the islands, its branches take care of parks, gardens, bike paths, and trees. 'As stated earlier, I think it's fair to say that most of the large trees that you'd see in Honolulu were advocated for, perhaps planted by The Outdoor Circle,' Welch said. In Waimea, there's a nature park. In Kailua, women at the Hawaiʻi Correctional Facility grow hydroponic lettuce to sell at Foodland. On the North Shore, volunteers help maintain bike paths. Every branch is different. Each one has its own focus. 'This organization is about community,' Welch said. 'It's about making the difference where you live in your local area.' The Outdoor Circle sees itself as one tree with many branches. Welch said each branch makes its own decisions based on what its community needs. 'It's one organization that has very different manifestations of what it does,' Welch said. 'And that is locally decided by each branch with its own board and how they want to focus on the beauty that they want to create.' Welch invites anyone interested to get involved. 'We encourage anybody who's interested in starting their own branch to reach out to us at he said. 'Say, hey, I want to start something in my own community.' SB583 is still being debated. Welch and The Outdoor Circle are asking lawmakers to reject it outright. 'There is no amendment that can 'fix' this bill,' he said in his testimony. 'It must be rejected outright.' Welch is not interested in half-measures or compromises when it comes to protecting Hawaiʻi's beauty. You can click to read the bill. You can click to learn more about The Outdoor Circle. Welch said the organization is keen to continue expanding. They work in many different areas around Hawaii from creating community gardens to educational programs and political advocacy to protect Hawaiʻi. So, if you're interested in creating an affiliated organization, then you can click that link and get started on an amazing journey that is entrenched in Hawaiʻi's modern history. Get news on the go with KHON 2GO, KHON's morning podcast, every morning at 8 'This is not just a policy debate. This is about who we are as a state and a people,' he said. 'Hawaiʻi is not for sale.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How I became 'king of billboards' and sold my business for £1bn
When serial entrepreneur Damian Cox shunned university for skiing in the late 1990s and returned to London some five years later looking for a job, it was for anything other than being an estate agent. Cox had previously attended the now-closed Douai School in Berkshire, run by Benedictine monks, and says that around three quarters of his year went on to run their own businesses. 'There must be a direct correlation between the fact that we learned nothing, other than how to look after ourselves and maybe how to create something out of nothing,' says the founder and CEO of Wildstone, one of the world's biggest billboard companies valued today at £2bn. 'As a result, I think we all became quite entrepreneurial.' Read More: The boss who has found 'nature's answer to plastic' Growing up alongside a single mother and three sisters, Cox asked a recruitment friend for any upcoming vacancies and started as a development executive for a start-up called Blow Up Media, which signed up sites and put adverts on scaffolding. As its first UK employee, Cox witnessed scale firsthand as the firm reached a multi-million pound turnover in a few years. He also believed he was the 'worst paid person in the company'. This after negotiating its first sale of £80,000 per month. Following a meeting with the CEO and with no pay rise forthcoming, he left the firm. Cox co-founded a competing venture the next day, having already built a network of landlord contacts. He admits now to lacking business know-how, cash flow experience and, crucially, that being paid on the same day simply didn't exist. 'There was this sort of Gordon Brown-esque extended payment term of 30, 60, 100 days. So you had to pay your landlords on Monday and you didn't get your money for 100 days. And that was a very, very big lesson in business.' Over a year later, a business magazine profiled Cox and his business, EK Straas, which was seen by leading outdoor advertising companies JCDecaux ( and Clear Channel (CCO), the latter offering an undisclosed 'life-changing amount of money' despite not yet being profitable. Cox, 50, worked as a senior executive for Clear Channel for about a year but soon shunned the corporate world after witnessing what he says was a lack of ambition, innovation or growth. Instead, he challenged the consolidated outdoor billboard market with his next agency venture in 2004. Ocean Outdoor aimed to find the best assets and attract a greater revenue profile. Read More: Meet the company that finds 'must-haves' to make everyday life easier He negotiated a deal with a central London landlord on one of the highest profile banner sites by Tottenham Court Road station before erecting the first digital panel in Liverpool. 'The business snowballed from there,' says Cox. In 2010, he was effectively sacked from his start-up after bringing a chairman on board he failed to bond with and the market having suffered from the 2008 financial crisis. 'I was trying to be all things to all people without acknowledging what I'm really good and bad at. So maybe they made the right decision,' recalls Cox. 'But the market did return quickly and that was a pretty brutal learning for me. I'm very thankful today that it did happen because I wouldn't have Wildstone without that period of negativity.' Wildstone, his third venture he co-founded with Patrick Fisher in 2010, set out as a consultancy business as it first extracted revenue from landlords and took commission before becoming the world's largest media infrastructure company. 'We became successful very quickly, however you sometimes underestimate your own ambition. I didn't have the ambition to take over the world, but soon it became apparent that actually that's what I wanted to do again. 'I'm fortunate enough to suffer from ADHD which allows me to compartmentalise things easily. My mother was also a huge guiding force for me in lots of ways because I watched someone bring up four kids with nothing. I can't sit at home doing nothing. I love putting a creative vision in place and seeing if it's achievable.' Wildstone has acquired, upgraded and digitised super-sized billboard posts into architecturally-led designs. The Hammersmith-based firm, which employs 130 staff globally, was sold to private equity in September 2022 for around £1bn, with Wildstone now boasting around 5,500 billboards across the UK, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Germany, as well as Australia. 'People often see the other side, that you've made some money and it must be easy for you,' admits Cox, who lives in the Cotswolds and is an avid collector of emerging artists. 'But they don't see the 10 years of not sleeping or the anxiety that goes with it. Having a business bank account with £50,000 in it and you've got a wage bill on Friday of £400,000; those kinds of elements get lost in history and it's really difficult. 'I wouldn't underestimate that to anyone starting a company. You're navigating politics, revenue, cash flow, a market you can't control. And all of that has to come together in a way that allows you to move forward and survive.' Read More: The life lesson behind 335-year-old funeral business When the business was sold 12 years after being founded, Wildstone's leadership ensured a 'lump sum of cash' for every employee and further qualification for remaining at the company. Staff turnover remains small. Cox remained as global CEO after the sale, following several months of feeling 'deeply unhappy and depressed' after spending years scaling companies. Reinvigorated, he says that billboards today are 'still at the front of everything' when it comes to contextual advertising. 'It's the last broadcast medium that you can't swipe,' says Cox, who aims to grow Wildstone globally to the tune of a £15bn valuation. 'If it's on the side of a road you're driving down, you're going to see it. That for me makes it very attractive and we are becoming more and more valuable.' Helping a competitive market grow You do get slightly aggravated by the level of red tape, tax and constant desire by governmental bodies to take off you, which makes business harder as time goes on. In our industry, business rates are a prime example. Local authorities hate advertising, but they're happy to slap a 40-45p in the pound business levy on every advertising asset for doing nothing. Cash flow means you're very rarely positive for at least a couple of years on building one advertising panel. The benefit we have is that I am able to say that we own that infrastructure and I'll give you 100 billboards that are now digitised. I'll let you pay in arrears for the first quarter so you've got time to build up that cash flow to be able to pay. So actually our business makes the market wholly more competitive than it ever has been before. And it means that the stranglehold some of the bigger players have isn't necessarily as tight as they'd like it to be. We're able to push some of the smaller players up into the market. This is great because, after all, it's hard building a business. Read more: Meet the 'jokers from London' who sold 100,000 blocks of butter in first 10 weeks 'My sofa took six months to arrive — so I built a £20m business' 'I paid myself £4 an hour to get my Rollr deodorant off the ground'Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How I became 'king of billboards' and sold my business for £1bn
When serial entrepreneur Damian Cox shunned university for skiing in the late 1990s and returned to London some six years later looking for a job, it was for anything other than being an estate agent. Cox had previously attended the now-closed Douai School in Berkshire, run by Benedictine monks, and says that around three quarters of his year went on to run their own businesses. 'There must be a direct correlation between the fact that we learned nothing, other than how to look after ourselves and maybe how to create something out of nothing,' says the founder and CEO of Wildstone, one of the world's biggest billboard companies valued today at £2bn. 'As a result, I think we all became quite entrepreneurial.' Read More: The boss who has found 'nature's answer to plastic' Growing up alongside a single mother and three sisters, Cox asked a recruitment friend for any upcoming vacancies and started as a development executive for a start-up called Blow Up Media, which signed up sites and put adverts on scaffolding. As its first UK employee, Cox witnessed scale firsthand as the firm reached a multi-million pound turnover in a few years. He also believed he was the 'worst paid person in the company'. This after negotiating its first sale of £80,000 per month. Following a meeting with the CEO and no pay rise forthcoming, he left the firm. Cox co-founded a competing venture the next day, having already built a network of landlord contacts. He admits now to lacking business know-how, cash flow experience and, crucially, that being paid on the same day didn't exist. 'There was this sort of Gordon Brown-esque extended payment term of 30, 60, 100 days. So you had to pay your landlords on Monday and you didn't get your money for 100 days. And that was a very, very big lesson in business.' Over a year later, a business magazine profiled Cox and his business, EK Straas, which was seen by leading outdoor advertising companies JCDecaux ( and Clear Channel (CCO), the latter offering an undisclosed 'life-changing amount of money' despite yet being profitable. Cox, 50, worked as a senior executive for Clear Channel for about a year but soon shunned the corporate world after witnessing what he says was a lack of ambition, innovation or growth. Instead, he challenged the consolidated outdoor billboard market with his next agency venture in 2004. Ocean Outdoor aimed to find the best assets and attract a greater revenue profile. Read More: Meet the company that finds 'must-haves' to make everyday life easier He negotiated a deal with a central London landlord on one of the highest profile banner sites by Tottenham Court Road station before erecting the first digital panel in Liverpool. 'The business snowballed from there,' says Cox. In 2010, he was effectively sacked from his start-up after bringing a chairman on board he failed to bond with and the market having suffered from the 2008 financial crisis. 'I was trying to be all things to all people without acknowledging what I'm really good and bad at. So maybe they made the right decision,' recalls Cox. 'But the market did return quickly and that was a pretty brutal learning for me. I'm very thankful today that it did happen because I wouldn't have Wildstone without that period of negativity.' Wildstone, his third venture he co-founded with Patrick Fisher in 2010, set out as a consultancy business as it first extracted revenue from landlords and took commission before becoming the world's largest media infrastructure company. 'We became successful very quickly, however you sometimes underestimate your own ambition. I didn't have the ambition to take over the world, but soon it became apparent that actually that's what I wanted to do again. 'I'm fortunate enough to suffer from ADHD which allows me to compartmentalise things easily. My mother was also a huge guiding force for me in lots of ways because I watched someone bring up four kids with nothing. I can't sit at home doing nothing. I love putting a creative vision in place and seeing if it's achievable.' Wildstone has acquired, upgraded and digitised super-sized billboard posts into architecturally-led designs. The Hammersmith-based firm, which employs 130 staff globally, was sold to private equity in September 2022 for around £1bn, with Wildstone now boasting around 5,500 billboards across the UK, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Germany, as well as Australia. 'People often see the other side, that you've made some money and it must be easy for you,' admits Cox, who lives in the Cotswolds and is an avid collector of emerging artists. 'But they don't see the 10 years of not sleeping or the anxiety that goes with it. Having a business bank account with £50,000 in it and you've got a wage bill on Friday of £400,000; those kinds of elements get lost in history and it's really difficult. 'I wouldn't underestimate that to anyone starting a company. You're navigating politics, revenue, cash flow, a market you can't control. And all of that has to come together in a way that allows you to move forward and survive.' Read More: The life lesson behind 335-year-old funeral business When the business was sold 12 years after being founded, Wildstone's leadership ensured a 'lump sum cash' for every employee and further qualification for remaining at the company. Staff turnover remains small. Cox remained as global CEO after the sale, following several months of feeling 'deeply unhappy and depressed' after spending years scaling companies. Reinvigorated, he says that billboards today are 'still at the front of everything' when it comes to contextual advertising. 'It's the last broadcast medium that you can't swipe,' says Cox, who aims to grow Wildstone globally to the tune of a £15bn valuation. 'If it's on the side of a road you're driving down, you're going to see it. That for me makes it very attractive and we are becoming more and more valuable.' Helping a competitive market grow You do get slightly aggravated by the level of red tape, tax and constant desire by governmental bodies to take off you, which makes business harder as time goes on. In our industry, business rates are a prime example. Local authorities hate advertising, but they're happy to slap a 40-45p in the pound business levy on every advertising asset for doing nothing. Cash flow means you're very rarely positive for at least a couple of years on building one advertising panel. The benefit we have is that I am able to say that we own that infrastructure and I'll give you 100 billboards that are now digitised. I'll let you pay in arrears for the first quarter so you've got time to build up that cash flow to be able to pay. So actually our business makes the market wholly more competitive than it ever has been before. And it means that the stranglehold some of the bigger players have isn't necessarily as tight as they'd like it to be. We're able to push some of the smaller players up into the market. This is great because, after all, it's hard building a business. Read more: Meet the 'jokers from London' who sold 100,000 blocks of butter in first 10 weeks 'My sofa took six months to arrive — so I built a £20m business' 'I paid myself £4 an hour to get my Rollr deodorant off the ground'Sign in to access your portfolio
