He’s with the band – and IABC/Toronto

It’s Friday night in the backroom at the ultra hip Rivoli club in downtown Toronto. Patrons are scattered here and there, some listening to the young band from Windsor and some deep in conversation catching up with their friends.

It’s clearly shaping up to be a slow night. The band stops, and another band called blueScreen takes its place on the stage. By the end of the opening song, the room is suddenly packed. People are lining up at the door, sitting wherever they can, or standing shoulder to shoulder…

This isn’t your average bar band belting out tired cover versions of Stairway to Heaven or Brown Sugar, blueScreen is clearly rising way above the high standards of even the fussy Rivoli clientele.

Ironically, blueScreen (www.bluescreen.ca) is just four good friends that enjoy playing music that is probably most easily described as Pink Floyd meets Enya.

In May they released their first full-length CD, “In Between Worlds”, and they’re planning a tour next year. Perhaps the biggest challenge for this band is continuing to balance all the important things in their lives, including successful careers.

No one is more adept at this juggling act than David Bradfield, the band’s songwriter and guitarist.

For those of you who don’t know, David is one of us. He is a dedicated IABC/Toronto volunteer. Since graduating from Humber’s post-graduate certificate PR program in 1993, it has been impressive to see how he has balanced his demanding work and music schedules. Just what has he accomplished at IABC?

He served on various committees and held the board positions of VP Programs, VP Marketing and VP Finance before stepping up as president in 2000/2001.

Would David have advanced as quickly in his career without his volunteer experience and the support he received from members? No way.

The contacts he has made through IABC have certainly helped push his career in the exciting direction it has taken. He’s currently a Vice President at iStudio (www.istudio.ca), a Canadian consultancy that’s a leader in providing e-communication solutions.

David is convinced he would have pursued a career in traditional communications had he not been fortunate enough to be exposed to the potential of the Web in its infancy.

When he started out in his career, online communication was this esoteric thing that only people in the know talked about. A handful of technically savvy IABC communicators were on the leading edge experimenting with electronic bulletin boards to exchange information with peers.

While conducting his various duties at IABC, David crossed paths with some of these people, including Shel Holtz and Charles Pizzo. They told him about an electronic bulletin board set up by IABC volunteers to share information on this emerging online communication. David eagerly joined this “virtual chapter.” At his day job he had been assigned the task of determining if the new fad called the Internet could be used as a valuable tool for clients. He was hungry for information and support.

“This was a small group of IABC members from all over the world. We would share information, post problems and help one another as we all worked towards helping the business world realize the potential of this new technology. Shel and Charles were just two of the people that I communicated with who had a vision for this new technology and saw the huge potential. I credit this group with helping me determine that this was where I wanted to take my career.”

He’s now in the lofty position of being a creative “non-tech head” in a technical world. He works side by side with corporate communicators to demystify the technology and discover how the Internet can help their organization.

He also brings his Internet skills to his musical endeavours. He has identified innovative ways to promote his band online that has helped generate international interest. He also speaks enthusiastically about a new side project with a musical partner that involves using DVD technology and multimedia to develop new and innovative experiences driven by the soundtracks and music they create.

As he moves from one exciting project to another he always makes time for IABC. For instance, iStudio has donated services to redesign and redevelop the IABC/Toronto Web site. David also serves as the Director-at-large, E-Communication on the IABC Canada District 2 board and is also serving one of the marketing co-chairs for the IABC International Conference that is being hosted in Toronto in 2003.

If you are interested in sitting on the conference marketing committee, e-mail David at dbradfield@istudio.ca. Who knows? Maybe you’ll learn a thing or two about how to balance your life and at a minimum you’ll have an amazing IABC volunteer experience.

If you would like to recommend an inspiring IABC volunteer, please contact Alix Edmiston at toronto-volunteers@iabc.com