Media releases

• Hockey executive, Indigenous entrepreneur and corporate governance champion to be honoured at Convocation

  Friday, June 02, 2023 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: June 2 2023 – R0045

  Three impactful leaders who’ve made their mark in their respective fields will be recognized for their contributions during Brock University’s Spring Convocation.

  Pittsburgh Penguins President of Hockey Operations Kyle Dubas (BSM ’07), Cheekbone Beauty Cosmetics Inc. founder and CEO Jenn Harper and Women Get On Board Inc. founder and CEO Deborah Rosati (BAdmin ’84) will each receive an honorary doctorate from Brock and deliver a Convocation address to the University’s latest graduating class during the week of June 12.

  Brock’s 113th Convocation includes nine ceremonies from June 12 to 16. Ceremonies will take place at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. each day, except for Friday, June 16, when only a morning ceremony is scheduled.

  Rosati and Harper will receive their honorary doctorates on Tuesday, June 13 at ceremonies held at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively. Dubas will have his honorary degree bestowed upon him Wednesday, June 14 at 2:30 p.m.

  It has been more than 15 years since Dubas crossed the stage to receive his Bachelor of Sport Management at his own Brock Convocation. He has since established himself as a national sports leader.

  On Thursday, June 1, Dubas was named President of Hockey Operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He will oversee all aspects of the team’s hockey operations department, including establishing the strategic vision and philosophy for the franchise.

  Prior to joining Pittsburgh, the Brock graduate spent nearly 10 years with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

  Dubas began his time with the Leafs in 2014 as Assistant General Manager. In the role, he oversaw the organization’s top prospects as General Manager of the Leafs’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, leading the franchise to its first-ever Calder Cup title in 2018.

  In May 2018, Dubas, who has become known for his forward-thinking approach to analytics in hockey, was named the Leafs General Manager. He spent five seasons in the role, which concluded this May.

  Before his time in Toronto, Dubas served as General Manager of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the Ontario Hockey League from 2011 to 2014.

  In 2015, he was recognized by Forbes magazine as one of the sports industry’s brightest young stars in its annual Top 30 Under 30 in Sports list. He was also honoured that same year with Brock’s Distinguished Young Alumni Award.

  Harper, who is based in St. Catharines, has made an impact in the beauty industry, quickly raising the profile of Cheekbone Beauty through its commitment to sustainability and community.

  An Anishinaabe woman and member of the Northwest Angle #33 First Nation in Kenora, Ont., she aims to help Indigenous people see and feel their value in the world while developing sustainable colour cosmetics that won’t add to growing landfills.

  Harper has been building the Cheekbone Beauty brand since it was established in 2016, but interest in the company grew significantly after an appearance on the hit CBC show Dragon’s Den in 2019.

  The award-winning social entrepreneur has since been featured as Chatelaine’s Woman of the Year in 2019 and recognized in Canadian Business’s New Innovators List and Entrepreneur magazine’s 100 Women of Influence list, both in 2022. Cheekbone Beauty’s products are now available in Sephora stores across Canada and JCPenney stores across the U.S.

  Giving back to the Indigenous community is critical to Cheekbone Beauty’s mission. The business has contributed $200,000 in monetary and product donations to youth and women’s organizations across North America, with no plans of slowing.

  A Corporate Director, entrepreneur and Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant, Rosati has built her career around creating meaningful change in the corporate world.

  Through her work with Women Get On Board Inc., the Brock University alumna is building a community of the next generation of women corporate directors. The 850-member social-purpose company is committed to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion; and encouraging collaboration, courage and confidence in the boardroom.

  Rosati has chaired many public company audit committees, as well as nominating and corporate governance committees.

  Her passion for good governance and board diversity is rooted in her personal journey, during which she found she was often the only woman in the boardroom. These first-hand experiences cemented Rosati’s conviction that having more women on boards makes better business sense.

  Rosati’s journey has also inspired her to give back to future Brock students throughout the years, with her contributions supporting the creation of a new Women in Leadership mentorship program at the University and an entrepreneurship award that aids students in their business pursuits.

  In addition to the honorary degree presentations, Brock’s Spring Convocation will include the installation of the University’s seventh President and Vice-Chancellor, Lesley Rigg, on Monday, June 12 at 10 a.m.

  Throughout the week, about 3,500 graduands from seven Faculties will receive their degrees. All ceremonies take place in the Ian D. Beddis Gymnasium of Brock’s Walker Sports Complex and will be livestreamed online at brocku.ca/livestream

  For more information and a full schedule of Brock’s Spring Convocation, visit brocku.ca/convocation

  Media are welcome to attend Brock’s Spring Convocation ceremonies. Photographers shooting from directly in front of the stage are asked to wear a Convocation gown, which can be arranged through Doug Hunt, Communications and Media Relations Specialist.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Doug Hunt, Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Brock University dhunt2@brocku.ca or 905-941-6209

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  Categories: Media releases

• Writers’ strike highlights ‘invisible’ creative labour in TV, film, says Brock expert

  Tuesday, May 23, 2023 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: May 23 2023 – R0044

  As the Writers’ Guild of America (WGA) strike enters its fourth week, media historian Liz Clarke says the dispute is only the latest example of how Hollywood “does a great job of making invisible” certain types of creative labour that goes into making film and television.

  “As a society, we’ve become used to critiques of fast fashion and the over-consumption of cheaply made products because we are aware that they are made possible and affordable by the exploitation of workers,” says Clarke, Associate Professor in Brock University’s Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film. “But people often forget with Hollywood — because we hear so much about star salaries, high box office grosses and frequent discussions about how much movies and shows cost to produce — that there are many people involved in creating movies who are exploited to build up that ‘dream machine’ myth.”

  Key issues in the negotiations include minimum staff requirements for series writing rooms and proper compensation for work shown on streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.

  The relationship between creative workers and streaming services is of particular interest to Clarke, who says the shift to shorter television series and longer gaps between seasons, especially for streaming services, have placed screenwriters, even those who work for highly successful and acclaimed shows, in an uncertain gig economy.

  “As with so many industries, there’s much more precarity in writing than there was previously,” she says. “Previous iterations of the industry, particularly broadcast television, had more security, even on average shows, because the season consisted of a set number of episodes and was released on a fixed schedule.”

  Clarke thinks the issues making headlines in the WGA strike are a good reminder that transitions to new forms of media require a critical approach from those working in the field as well as those consuming the products.

  “For a number of years, when the streaming services first appeared, there was this sense that they were giving viewers everything we could ever want, with all of the power in the viewers’ hands through endless choice about what to watch and when,” she says. “Now we see that what we thought was endless access is actually becoming very much a lack of access due to increased subscription fees and sudden removal of content that isn’t available anywhere else.”

  Clarke adds that strike issues involving streaming or artificial intelligence reflect an ongoing struggle in an industry that has evolved over the last century with the introduction of multiple new technologies, platforms and distribution methods.

  “We can learn a lot from media history and labour history in the creative industries,” she says. “Certainly, we shouldn’t have to start from scratch every time a new media comes out.”

  Clarke also points to potential ramifications for the WGA negotiations in other areas of the movie business.

  “With other unions entering negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, this strike may well expand to include actors and directors, which may have long-lasting repercussions for the industry,” she says.

  Liz Clarke, Associate Professor in Brock University’s Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film, is available for media interviews on the topic.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Doug Hunt, Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Brock University dhunt2@brocku.ca or 905-941-6209

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  Categories: Media releases