BriouxTV: The Podcast

Slawko Klymkiw

April 07, 2021 Slawko Klymkiw Episode 28
BriouxTV: The Podcast
Slawko Klymkiw
Show Notes

I finally learn how to spell his name and then he retires! 

Slawko Klymkiw has spent over 40 years towering over the media landscape in Canada. His list of acheivements are many, starting in news at CBC and working his way up to head of programming and entertainment. Shows such as The Rick Mercer Report and Da Vinci's Inquest flourished under his watch. 

Not everything he tried worked, but every time I would point out a misstep from my perch as TV critic at The Toronto Sun, Klymkiw would call me over to CBC headquarters in Toronto and point out all the things I didn't get right.

What emerged was an understanding of the multi-level chess game that was all part of the job of running the public broadcaster -- and what a good sport I found in Klymkiw.

After 25 years at CBC he moved on  to have an even greater impact as head of The Canadian Film Centre. The past 16 years, Klymkiw took a visionary approach to managing the CFC, broadening the scope of the institution Norman Jewison built to include mentorship programs in television as well as in film. 

He was also responsible for helping to raise an estimated $150 million in funds for the Centre, a legacy that will continue to inspire and help educate the next generation of Canadian media storytellers.