TV5 Québec Canada’s board of directors has appointed former Quebecor Content VP Yann Paquet (pictured) as the new president and CEO of the French-language broadcasting network.
Paquet has over 25 years of business experience, starting as a journalist before moving into innovation management and digital transformation. He spent nearly ten years at Radio-Canada, where he launched the Radio-Canada/CBC Amateur Sports website and oversaw coverage of major sporting events, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games. He then led the digital news department for several years before being named head of the public broadcaster’s digital division.
In 2013, Paquet joined Quebecor Content as VP of acquisitions and partnerships. In his last role, he was responsible for acquiring international TV programs and securing financing for productions aired on TVA Group networks and Videotron platforms. He also played a key role in promoting Quebec cinema and international distribution, overseeing the Illico+ platform and managing the TVA Films and Incendo divisions.
Paquet will succeed Marie-Philippe Bouchard as head of the broadcaster, which includes the TV5 and Unis TV channels, as well as the TV5Unis platform. The move will take effect on April 14.
BRMG enhances its experiential marketing services with new division
Black Rock Marketing Group (BRMG), a full-service marketing agency owned by Hover Group, is launching a new experiential marketing division and appointing an industry veteran to lead it.
BRMG Experiential will be an enhanced offering from the traditional shopper marketing space Black Rock has historically worked in. It will be focused on the execution from in-store marketing and brand activations to print production, fulfillment and last-mile execution, with Dack Heslop as VP of the division. The agency says the launch is timely, as experiential marketing has evolved “from a nice-to-have to a necessity in a brand’s strategy.”
Heslop joins BRMG after leading and co-founding Brandfire CX, a mid-sized, full-service marketing agency located in Markham. He brings over 24 years of industry experience to his new role, having built a strong reputation for delivering innovative brand activations for companies like American Standard, Hoya, Ipex, Chevron, and Zwilling, according to BRMG.
BRMG specializes in strategic brand activations, retail marketing and experiential solutions. Its expertise spans brand identity development, digital transformation, and advertising campaign creation, as well as designing immersive customer experiences via events, activations and other tailored initiatives.
Breakfast Television brings Dina Pugliese and Tim Bolen as co-hosts
Dina Pugliese is returning to Citytv and Citytv+’s morning show Breakfast Television as co-host and co-executive producer. Pugliese left the show in February 2023, after a 16-year stint. Journalist Tim Bolen will also join the show as a new co-host.
Additionally, Breakfast Television began broadcasting from a new studio within the Rogers Sports & Media parent company’s office this week, having previously taped from its iconic Yonge and Dundas location. The revamped program will include live polls, behind-the-scenes exclusives, social media integration and daily live on-the-ground activations in Toronto and GTA. Devo Brown, Melanie Ng, Frank Ferragine, Caryn Ceolin and Tammie Sutherland will continue to appear on the show.
Bolen’s career in Canadian TV spans more than two decades, most recently as host of Hamilton’s CHCH Morning Live. He began his career at Rogers TV as host of community programs such as Structures and Toronto Living.
