Tuesday, September 13, 2016
I’m so proud I can hardly contain myself. When one succeeds, we all succeed. Every aunt, uncle and grandparent have nieces, nephews and grandchildren that they are quietly cheering for and supporting throughout their lives. And when they do well everyone celebrates. We all love good news stories and we especially are thankful when young people get work and careers (and get paid) that they enjoy.
This story is about my nephew Cameron Hopkins, who is 29 years old, and is a graduate of the Humber College marketing design and business program. Cameron was a kid who was always creative naturally and so when he announced his career plan we were all supportive. We all know that the creative spirit is never ending and will play a part of solving problems and challenges in life and in work. Cameron works for a marketing firm in downtown Toronto and is the creator of the current Scotiabank commercial that is playing on tv for the upcoming world cup of hockey series. The commercial is called “the fifth season is when kids dream big.”
Of course Cameron is like many young Canadians and grew up playing hockey in his driveway, on his family’s pond at their farm, and in little leagues in Toronto. Hockey is in his blood. When he was asked to work on this commercial he knew he wanted kids who really played hockey to be in the commercial. And he played so much road hockey as a kid, that the road hockey idea was a natural. He and his team flew to Vancouver where they filmed the commercial. You will know when you are watching this commercial when you see the connection and dreams between past hockey legends and future hockey stars.
As a kid growing up, no one in my family played or watched hockey and so hockey wasn’t part of my life. And then I moved to Haliburton where there is “something in the water” and hockey is such a big part of everyone’s lives. I watch all the little people and coaches getting excited and ready for their season. I hear about the players at the high school that are playing for triple a, b and c teams. I know many adults who play in regular and retired leagues. Of course I follow what Matt is up to. And I’ve become a fan over the years. I can’t help but get swept up in the collective energy and enthusiasm that builds in our community. And now I have this connection with the world cup and my nephew. It’s a good start to my armchair hockey season. Thanks to everyone who makes the hockey work in this county. Every kid has a dream and needs support. And us fans love to watch it.