Apartment613

Diane BOND

Visual Arts

Although Diane is no relation to the infamous British spy (or so she says), she likes going undercover in Ottawa’s visual arts scene for Apartment613. By day she raises unicorns and harvests stardust.

Karen DIEPEVEEN

Financial Genius

Karen is of Dutch descent, and therefore obviously loves tulips and any festivals associated with this flower. Her maturity levels skyrocketed at an early age, and she’s been waiting for her fellow editors to catch up ever since. With a fondness for small plates, hugs and Newfoundland, this ever-effusive blonde also has a not-so-secret passion for the ukulele.

Spinmaster

Originally from Halifax, Ryan has tried to leave Ottawa several times now, to no avail. When not blogging, he works in public relations/marketing and continues to learn how to spell.

François LEVESQUE

Token French Guy

François has now lived in Ottawa long enough to know it’s a great place to live, even though it sometimes feels like a small town trying to find its way in a big city world. He loves to write about municipal issues, little known neighborhood events and music. He dreams about the day when he’ll organize the Apt613 Street Party. When he’s not busy blogging, he enjoys relaxing with his favourite girl in the Glebe.

Katie MARSH

Party Princess

Katie does a bit of everything for the blog: writing, entering calendar events, responding to emails, eating leftovers from editorial meetings. When not staring at a computer screen for Apartment613, she stares at a computer screen for the Government of Canada.

Trevor PRITCHARD

Prairie Boy Emeritus

Originally from Saskatchewan, Trevor can spot a single comma splice in a 500-word blog post like it’s a John Deere combine in a field of canola. His passions include listening to the same five indie rock songs from 2004 over and over and projecting Roy Halladay’s career walk-to-strikeout ratio. Oh yes, he’s also magical.

Local Wordsmith

Althia writes for a living. She also writes for the blog (mostly about restaurants, businesses and city zoning issues). She also frequently contributes by volunteering other people for work. “Oh, I know someone who can do that,” she often says.

Events Coordinator and resident scientist

Jess maintains rigorously quality control over our highly scientific taste tests. When not running experiments for the blog, she meets with contributors and organizes events.

Webmaster, Contributor

Raised in the subterranean depths of Kanata, Scott is our go-to guy for the stuff that makes the Internet work. When he’s not rambling on about the newest Linux distribution, he’s probably snapping pictures at a concert, writing long-winded prose about hip-hop, or sampling the finest beer that Ottawa has on tap. Next time you’re out on the town, keep your eyes peeled for a big beardy guy bustin’ a fat groove on the dance floor.

Accidental WebDesigner

When Jonathan was growing up in Vancouver, Ottawa existed in his mind only as the location of the Parliament buildings and the backdrop of The National’s news reports. Now it’s been his home for two separate year-long stints. He writes the occasional post, but mostly tinkers with the design and operation of the website. In real life, Jonathan is a lawyer.

Resident Urban Planner

Born in downtown english Canada and quickly smuggled to the left coast where he spent his youth in a rain cloud on the North Shore, Phil is the first and only (so far) Canadian born in his family. Transplanted to Ottawa in the early 90’s with stints in Toronto and Halifax (like a disproportionate number of Apt613ers) he returned to Ottawa to help define its urban landscape. So impressed with what Apt613 was up to he had to join the fun and in the process made Ottawa the single place he’s lived the longest in a few recent years. When not trying to define and explain what’s being planned throughout eastern Ontario he
can be found with pencil behind ear or headphones on doing something loud and/or dusty that nobody else would dream of doing.

Ashley

Jane of All Trades

Born and raised on the West Coast, Ashley spends the majority of her time
trying to alleviate the pain in her heart caused by being so far away from the ocean. She’s found contributing to Apt613 in the form of writing wordy articles and binge-posting calendar events helps, but it’s not quite enough. Concert going, biking, tea drinking, eating, rock climbing, photo taking and refinishing furniture stolen from the trash round out her therapy program.

Token Hometown Boy

Jared spends much of his time questing for credentials at various local universities, but his studies take a back seat to his love of producing magical, magical prose. He dabbles in all manner of things, including writing humorous weekly reviews of old Super Nintendo games, but his passion for the Ottawa community is palpable. An Ottawan born and raised, he rarely ventures beyond this land’s glorious borders. No. He has everything he needs right here.

Gal about town

Samantha Everts has lived all over the world but now happily calls Ottawa home. Over-educated, she involved in the local alternative scene as a promoter and radio DJ. Samantha moonlights in social work during the day, but is passionately pursuing a career in writing. She can often be found smiling at strangers on the street or bopping around at a show. Check out more of her writing here.

Peter HENDERSON

Man About Town, Resident Voice Jockey

Peter’s relationship to Ottawa is a lot like Michael Corleone and the mafia: just when he thought he was out, they keep pulling him back in. A southern Ontario transplant who moved to Ottawa for the food but stayed for the cold, Peter loves art, music, theatre, and hearing the dulcet tones of his own voice. He loves to talk and write about the awesome cultural experiences our capital city has to offer, and he would love to be the next Edward R. Murrow. Failing that, being the next Alan Neal would be nice.

Mingle Master

Andrea moved to Ottawa in 2003, and has been trying to get Ottawa pub-goers up dancing ever since. An environmental analyst by day, she dedicates many evenings to seeking out the fun, the stimulating, and the obscure for Apt613 readers. Otherwise, Andrea enjoys making films about the secret lives of bureaucrats, and telling the spandex-clad that that they are fit, fast, and have only eight more to go.

613 Style File

Jessica LACASSE

Fashion Diva

Stylist, wardrobe consultant and personal shopper. Fashion blogger and advice columnist. A mix of vintage and modern, with lashings of DIY and fetish style. Check out more of her writing at YourSweetBippy.com

Food Columnist

Part amateur food writer, part amateur gastronome, Dominic enjoys all aspects of food. Being vegetarian for over a decade, he feels eating vegetarians doesn’t have to be a dull and boring. Born in the small mining town of Sudbury, he made the big move from mom and dad’s home to Ottawa; taking time off, before pursuing his career in teaching and to work on is Masters degree. When he is not obsessing about food he’s either jamming with his band, working on his on personal blog or doing a bit of jogging.

Token Cool Guy

When he’s not blogging, Migneault writes for a newspaper in Wakefield, Québec called The Low Down to Hull and Back News. He enjoys long walks on the beach, ninjas, and pizza. In that order.

Nomadic correspondent

Despite a few stints in Montreal and Toronto, this half Brazilian half French Canadian hybrid now calls Ottawa home. When she’s not working as a public servant by day, she can be found checking out local shows and eats in the NCR. A self proclaimed “nomad” for her constant moving and travels, this Ottawa native loves all things political and can’t wait to write about local issues for Apt613. She also loves ice cream and crossword puzzles.

Andrew SNOWDON

Theatre reviewer extraordinaire

A thirty-something freelance writer, online theatre reviewer, Andrew will pretty much do anything that involves writing or editing if the compensation will help pay the bills (or in Apartment613′s case, even if it doesn’t). He’s currently working on several novels, a few plays, and almost no poetry. You can read more of his writing on his blog.

Music Writer

Gloria Song has lived and worked in various cities in North America and Europe (including the childhood stomping grounds of Jersey Shore’s Snookie, a fact she rarely advertises), but she considers Ottawa to be her beloved hometown. By day, she works in law and by night she plays music. She has performed in bands such as Toronto’s Hamilton Trading Company, Oshawa/Sudbury’s gatesgatesgates, and her current indie pop girl band Scary Bear Soundtrack. Her other passions include pumping iron, filming horror movies, and reading webcomics in the office washroom.

Guy about town

A native of the 705 area code (Peterborough, to be precise), Stephan migrated to the greater 613 area (Kingston) in 2001, followed by stints in +358 (Finland), +380 (Ukraine) and +49 (Germany) before settling semi-permanently in the Apt613 area in 2008. He’s proud to call the NCR home, enjoys eating out, likes keeping his ear to the ground on urban development in Centretown and Hintonburg, and telling people about it along the way.

Nadine THORNHILL

“Dirty Laundry” Sex Columnist

Nadine wears many hats – mother, lover, actor, award-winning playwright, wannabe triathlete, poet and lifelong klutz. A sexual health educator, with an alarming lack of tact, she *will* speak openly about the wonders of masturbation within earshot of your conservative relatives. For the full smorgasboard of Nadine’s musings check out her blog, Adorkable Thespian.

Planner/Organizer Extraordinaire

Hailing from Montreal, and having recently earned a living as an instructional designer in New York City, Khoi has never quite lived in a place this quiet… Or is it? That’s what she’s bound to find out by joining Apt613.

613 Style File

Melanie is a crafty type who is into DIY-ing it, creative collaborations, and eating rice pudding. While not at her day job, she produces creative nights out in Canada and beyond called Spins & Needles, teaches others how to silkscreen, and flaneurs about the streets of Ottawa and other cities.

Apt613′s Wine Expert

A ruined, musty bottle of aged Burgundy poured for everybody but him in a farmhouse in Normandy led to an eager 10-year-old Andrew to blow the dust off of Hugh Johnson’s World Atlas of Wine in his parents’ basement to find out how a wine could go bad. It has been love ever since. Before joining our team, Andrew wrote for a number of media outlets on the subject of wine, beer, and spirits.

Jesse HILDERBRAND

Photographer, Street Wanderer

Jesse pounds the pavement daily looking for interesting and exciting things happening in Ottawa. His passions are street photography and shooting live music at city venues. He’s a certified gear nut with an arsenal of equipment spanning 80 years of photographic technology, yet still develops his film in his multi-area, state-of-the-art darkroom (the storage closet and the bathroom sink). You can see more of his work at his website.

Ming WU

Photographer, Ottawa Socialite

Ming mostly shoots Ottawa’s live music scene, but is also interested in writing and following pop culture. He’s pretty recognizable, so if you see him at shows, say hi.

Kevin HOOKUN

Kevin has lived in a number of countries where he acquired a connection with different societies and cultures that enhanced his ability to see things differently. He studied photography and digital imaging at Andrews University in the state of Michigan. He now lives in Canada and works as a Freelance Photographer. He’s provided a couple of photos for our banner and our photo pool. You can check out some of his work here.

Apartment613 Flickr Pool

Most of our photo come courtesy of the generous photographers who post their work in our Flickr pool. We don’t have space to thank them all, but we wouldn’t be able to do it without them!

The Dawghause is a video production agency based in Ottawa’s Centretown district, where they are deeply engaged in our community. Aside from their awesome videos from Apartment613, they work with a variety of non-governmental organizations, unions, businesses and musicians. Check out their website for more info!