Ottawa ain’t so bad. From New Edinburgh to Old Ottawa South to Westboro and beyond, artists, musicians, boutique stores, and culture abound. In fact, Apartment613 suspects the town’s staid and serious reputation may be nothing more than a convenient cover for its wild and crazy alter ego. Committed to connecting people to their neighborhoods, the site is a place where we can learn and talk about new and exciting people, places, and goings on.
We hope Apartment613 will be a platform for participation and community building. Everyone is welcome, so come on over!
History
Apartment613 was conceived in October 2008 at the Manx Pub over a few too many pints of beer. A group of eight friends plus a mysterious Colombian were remarking that while Ottawa had an active arts and culture scene, it took the right connections and a bit of work to get plugged in. We decided to do something about it. After three months spent debating whether or not to go with a sans serif font, the official site went live in January 2009. We held our launch party on 6/13 at Raw Sugar Cafe - the first of what we hope will be many more awesome birthday celebrations.
A core group formed and we were lucky enough to pick up some dedicated and talented writers along the way, many of whom were professionally trained journalists. Along with some casual contributors, we’ve managed to form a motley crew of intrepid volunteer reporters who will stop at nothing to uncover the newest restaurant opening or mind-blowing party. It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. Please visit our contact us page to find out how you can get involved.
Who We Are
Ryan Saxby Hill - Editor, 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 - Editor, Token French Guy
A relative newbie to Ottawa (his previous hangout: Africa), François decided to discover the city by starting a local blog with other like-minded fellows. It’s worked out pretty well so far. He loves to discover and cover little known neighborhood events as well as report on what makes news in the city every week. When he’s not busy blogging, he enjoys relaxing with his favourite girl in the Glebe.
Katie Marsh - Editor, 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 the computer screen for Apartment613, she stares at the computer screen for the government of Canada.
Karen Diepeveen - Editor, 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.
Trevor - Editor, 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.
Althia - Editor, Local Wordsmith
Althia is one of the lucky few that write for a living. She enjoys discovering new places, events and restaurants and people with strong, creative and suprising ideas.
Jonathan Manes - Editor, Accidental Web Designer
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.
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.
Jonathan Migneault - Contributor, 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.
Dominic Maggiolo – Contributor, Food Snob
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.
Jessica Ruano - Contributor, Artsy Socialite
Jessica is a publicist, arts journalist, photographer, spoken word performer, and aspiring director. She is also a student in the new master’s program in theatre theory and dramaturgy at the University of Ottawa. In her spare time, she enjoys tree climbing, pancake making, and spontaneous kissing. And she has a soft spot for haikus.
Peter Henderson — Contributor, Podcasting Wizard
When he’s not podcasting and keeping his Audio Visual co-host Tina in line, Peter works for the government and attends the University of Ottawa. A perpetual student, Peter has been described as “like Van Wilder, except without the girls, abs, or Indian sidekick” by several local newspapers. Peter’s also a local arts and culture junkie who can’t go a week without a concert, comedy show, or poetry reading.
Samantha Everts - Contributor
Samantha Everts has lived all over the world but is now happy to call Ottawa home. She’s got too much education and has been involved in the local alternative scene as a promoter and radio DJ long enough to remember the many Capital music halls. 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.
Khoi - Contributor, 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.
Jesse Hildebrand - Photo Contributor, 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 - Photo Contributor, 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.
Kevinbhookun
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.
Other folks who have helped out and contributed along the way: Veronica Michelle, Rachel Thistle, Ren Tomovcik, Tina Hassannia, Digestive Tracks’ Yaz & Chris, Kym from Relishing.ca.
