Monday, March 7, 2011

Canadian Heritage director Scott Shortliffe leaves the magazines file


Scott Shortliffe, a strong supporter of Canadian magazines at Canadian Heritage, is leaving his post as director of periodical publishing and programs to accept a promotion to deputy director general of broadcasting and digital communication, effective March 21.

I first met Scott at a Magazines West event in Vancouver, back in 2005, when he was just getting into the magazines file and I was brand new at AMPA. We quickly discerned that neither of us knew many folks in the room and found a companion in one another. From that point forward, I always enjoyed working with Scott and felt like we could have frank discussions—very helpful in the realm of government funding. He has always been a good friend and advocate of AMPA and Canadian magazine publishing as a whole, and for that, I thank him.

I recently had a chat with Scott to catch up and wish him well at his new job. We talked about what he enjoyed most about working with magazine publishers: “The opportunity to see how they actually work and to discuss with them the future of this industry. Magazine professionals are remarkably passionate and that passion shows in every discussion.” He referenced the cross-Canada roundtables before the creation of the Canadian Periodical Fund as one of his favourite times. “The discussions were great—reflecting both individual concerns and real thinking about the future of the industry, both in a general sense and from a public-policy lens.”

Taking over for Scott will be Ramzi Saad (great name!), who has headed the strategic policy and management team at Canadian Heritage since 2008. I’m sad to see Scott go, but he assures me that Ramzi is a terrific and hard worker.
In the meantime, all the best to you, Scott. 

--- Colleen Seto
AMPA Blogger-in-Residence