A moment on CP24 does not define a 20-year career...

It’s 2022. Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Heather Seaman. I’m a Radio and TV Broadcaster – have been for 20 years now – one of the first and few Black broadcast journalists in Canada able to seamlessly pivot between both mediums (radio, television), in multiple roles. I’ve inadvertently become a pivot pro (my term) or fill-in/backfill pro. But, that wasn’t the goal when I started out in the industry in the late 90’s.

I was part of the last cohort in Canada to learn to splice tape and shoot with Betacam (analog recording), before college’s switched to using digital recording devices. Splicing tape and playing NAB cartridges for newscasts at the historic CHUM Radio building, before it was levelled to make way for condos, is one of the early highlights of my career. Being around some of the biggest names in Canadian broadcasting is a fun memory for me.  Part of my duties as an intern was to bring the daily newspaper into the studio during the “Roger, Rick and Marilyn” show and I’d absorb the energy of being in the presence of this trio of radio legends. As an employee, annual Christmas cards from media icon Allan Waters and family were another highlight.

The CHUM Radio building is where I was first offered the opportunity to do television. I became one of the first Black TV traffic reporters in Canada, to provide updates for major market stations - CP24 and occasionally Citytv - when they both shared the building at 299 Queen Street West (I have great memories of working in different departments inside the building). A camera was set up in the CHUM Radio newsroom and I would operate the camera switcher from there for TV, providing viewers with details about accidents, detours, delays and road conditions. It was the perfect training ground for a kid from Québec, of Caribbean heritage, who dreamed of being on television.

Fast forward 20 years and I’m filling in as a TV traffic reporter for CP24, again (ironically), this time inside the newsroom at 299 Queen Street West. I’ve been here before. Remember I mentioned I’ve become a pivot pro? I previously did a stint as a news writer, in the CP24 newsroom. I’ve worked as a fill-in TV producer for both CTV’s The Social and Your Morning, the latter role overlapping with my duties as a radio news anchor for Newstalk1010. What no one knows is, on some occasions, I would finish an 8-hour daytime shift at YM, walk across the bridge that connects 299 to 250 Richmond Street West and then do a 7-hour evening shift on-air as a radio news anchor for NT, then do it all again the next day. I’ve somehow become a go-to person when stations need a reliable, skilled and thorough broadcaster to pick up the slack.

During the same period I was juggling my roles as a radio news anchor at Newstalk1010 and TV producer at Your Morning, I was asked to do a fill-in stint as a radio reporter at BNN Bloomberg. Yes, I was suddenly a national business reporter, proving once again that given the right amount of time to learn and adapt to the technology required for a specific job, I’m up for any challenge. So, there was a two-month time frame or so, where I was juggling roles at BNN, Your Morning and Newstalk1010. Keep in mind, every role I pivot to requires that I learn a new digital newsroom or content management system, new automation software, new editing software, new social media handles and station protocols, new terms, new passwords, etc. etc. It takes a lot of hard work, focus, adaptability, precision, professionalism and skill to manage all of this. But, I do it because I’m passionate about this industry, about storytelling, creating content and I thrive on new challenges.

Here I am, 20 years in, still enjoying every moment, knowing a more permanent TV role is possible...and well-deserved. Any new offers? I'm open. I’ve never stopped to fully consider my unique accomplishments until all the unexpected congratulatory DM’s started popping up regarding the recent CP24 gig, most people unaware I’ve done TV for 13 of the last 20 years.  Before social media was a thing, no one documented their career journey. So, writing this post and reflecting on my career path has been rewarding and enlightening. I was always the only Black news reporter in scrums, at police HQ, at council meetings, in various newsrooms – really the only person of color, but I didn’t think about it at the time. I was just there doing my job. And, I was raised in a household, where the pursuit of excellence, staying curious about the world and exploring everything life has to offer were the norm. It’s been quite eye-opening (in a powerful way) to go from being the only one to – especially in the last few years – seeing major broadcasters hiring more people of color for on-camera roles or as expert guest panelists - recognizing the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion.  

As the face of the award-winning program “Structures” – exploring the history and architecture of Toronto - on Rogers TV, I became one of the first and few Black TV hosts in Canada, while ALSO working as a TV correspondent, producer and reporter for national programming for the Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) – travelling across the country, interviewing hundreds of politicians for eight seasons - proudly one of the first Black journalists at the station to do so.  I’m also proud to have become one of the first/few Black radio news reporters/anchors/line-up editors in the country during my time at 680News. Also becoming one of the first Black broadcasters in Canada to anchor Breakfast Television news updates (while I was an anchor and reporter at The NewVR, now CTV Barrie).  Even more proud to be one of the first trained Black female camera operators in Canada, since the industry has always - and still is - dominated by cameramen. Imagine me carrying those huge over the shoulder 10-15 pound Sony XDCam ENG/EFP-style cameras (factor in the battery pack for added weight), lugging lighting equipment around the city in rain, sleet or snow, to set-up and shoot events, interviews, sports matches, b-roll – you name it!  I even shot nearly an entire season of American Hockey League (AHL) action right up against the boards at the Coca-Cola Coliseum, when it was the Ricoh Coliseum. (If anyone has any photos of me at the games with that huge camera on my shoulder, send them my way please!)

Anyways, it’s strange to think of how long it took mainstream media in Canada to start hiring more people of color in front and behind the scenes, since I started my career in 1999. I followed in the footsteps of on-camera trailblazers like the late George Elroy Boyd, former Governor General Michaëlle Jean, Jojo Chintoh, Master T, Marci Ien, Andria Case, Ron Charles, among others.

Anyone who knows me, knows I’m not one to toot my own horn. Don’t need to. The work speaks for itself. I’m about putting my head down and getting the work done. I've taken a more humble approach (FYI, not everyone on-air is a Type A personality), so sharing a bit about my broadcasting journey – trust me, there’s so much more to it – involved a few stops and starts, since I’m used to sharing other people’s stories, not my own.  But, it’s 2022! And, in this ramped up age of social media, where everybody’s got a story to tell, I thought I’d showcase what paying your dues over the years as a multifaceted broadcaster really looks like.

Other fun facts, cause there’s never a dull moment in my life: I sang at Céline Dion’s 1994 wedding as a member of the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir; sang on the 1995 JUNO-winning album “Jubilation V: Joy to the World”; lived and worked as an entertainment host on three cruise ships travelling throughout the Caribbean and Mediterranean – possibly the first Black performer to do so; lived and worked in Osaka, Japan for a year teaching ESL and have travelled the world solo extensively. Just your typical underachiever ;-)

I’ve got a story to tell…