Whatever you have to pitch to the media for coverage — your band’s new record, your new publishing company, the fact you won a big shiny award — it’s not always easy to attract their attention. While different media outlets and platforms have their idiosyncrasies, there are general rules and techniques that always work (and not necessarily include tucking a bottle of whisky into the package, although that does help). Come to the June Meeting and learn or re-learn the rules, share your own tips about successful pitches, and generally sharpen your pitching techniques.

Additional fun includes hearing “Bad Pitch Horror Stories”: Pitches from Bitches! Don’t miss this evening’s zany hilarity!

As always, tickets are $20 in advance [Eventbrite Link] (available ’till June 16^th) or $25 at the door, and that includes dinner and a drink. The venue for this month’s event only is the Shebeen Whisk(e)y House, in a separate building behind the Irish Heather at 210 Carrall Street, just steps from Maple Tree Square. For our July Event, we will return to Revel Room (238 Abbott Street just south of Gastown)

• LOCATION: the Shebeen Whisk(e)y House, 210 Carrall Street, Gastown
• JUST $20!! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE! [Eventbrite Link!] includes dinner!
• …or, bring $25 cash on the evening
• Monday, June 20^th
  • 6:00 – 6:30 | meet & mingle
  • 6:30 – 7:00-ish | listen & learn
  • 7:00-ish – ?:00 | conversation & congregation

UPDATE Nº1: Menu is as follows

• MEAT IS YUMMY: Grilled Pork Ribs, Homemade BBQ Sauce, Savoy Cabbage Slaw, Roasted Potatoes.
• VEGETABLES ONLY: Crispy Polenta, Organic Tomato Sauce, Fresh Basil & Parmesan Shavings

PLEASE NOTE: The Shebeen Whisk(e)y House has a maximum capacity of 60 people, and we’re already half-way there. BUYING YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE IS A SMART MOVE.

UPDATE Nº2: WALK-UPS ARE OF LIMITED CAPACITY, DUE TO KITCHEN CAPABILITIES. Chances are if we run out of the above items, you can bob into the pup proper after the presentation and grab a bite there, having then given the cooks a chance to catch their breath.

SPECIAL VANCOUVER MEDIA GUEST: Globe & Mail columnist and the host of CBC Radio One’s On the Coast: Stephen Quinn!

Mr. Stephen Quinn

Stephen Quinn began his reporting career in 1996, after graduating from BCIT’s ‘Broadcast Journalism’ program. During his last year of school, he interned at CBC’s “As it Happens” in Toronto during the last Quebec referendum. He returned to Vancouver and was hired by CKNW as a general assignment news reporter where he spent more than four years covering various court cases, crime stories, breaking news and Vancouver City Council.

In 2000, Mr. Quinn was hired by CBC Radio as a civic affairs reporter. He covered Vancouver City Council, Translink, the GVRD Board (now MetroVancouver) and other civic issues.

He was also an occasional guest host of CBC’s local current affairs programs “The Early Edition”, “B.C. Almanac” and “On the Coast”. He co-produced and hosted a radio series on the 2005 provincial election campaign which won the RTNDA’s ‘Ron Laidlaw Award for Continuing Coverage’. He was also the recipient of the RTNDA’s ‘Gord Sinclair Award for Special Programming’ in 2009. Mr. Quinn has also been part of numerous award-winning newscasts and has received one honourable mention from the Jack Webster Foundation. He is creator of “Quinn’s Quiz”, a popular radio segment that first appeared on “The Early Edition”.

He has guest-hosted “Freestyle”, “Sounds Like Canada”, and “Q” for CBC National Radio. He has also produced and hosted a series on the media for CBC’s “The Current”.

In 2008 he was hired as the host of “On the Coast”, CBC Radio’s local afternoon show in Metro Vancouver.

Mr. Quinn grew up in Ottawa, Ont. where he attended Lisgar Collegiate Institute. He moved to Vancouver in 1983.