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About
the Medal Winner:
Terry
Fallis, winner of the 2008 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, wrote The Best Laid Plans and initially “published” it as a podcast.
It seems that technology has invaded the world of the Leacock medal!
Terry
is a communications consultant who lives in Toronto with his wife and two
sons. earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree from McMaster University
(1983) where he became engulfed in university politics and somehow persuaded
the undergraduates to elect him President of the Students Union.
After
graduation, he turned his back on engineering and joined future Prime
Minister Jean Chretien’s full time staff for the 1984 federal Liberal
Leadership campaign.
He
served on the political staff of the Liberal Minister of State for Youth,
the Honourable Jean Lapierre, in the short-lived cabinet of Prime Minister
John Turner. He stayed with Lapierre as his Legislative Assistant in
opposition (1984-85) following the landslide victory of Brian Mulroney and
the Progressive Conservative Party.
Terry
returned to Toronto in 1985 as Legislative Assistant to the Honourable
Robert Nixon, Treasurer (now called Finance Minister) in the newly-elected
Liberal Ontario government led by Premier David Peterson.
For
nearly eight years (1988-95) after leaving provincial politics, he was a
government affairs and communications consultant with international PR firm,
Hill and Knowlton, including stints as Vice President running the Ontario
government affairs group and finally President of Berger & Associates, a
Hill and Knowlton subsidiary.
In
1995, he co-founded Thornley
Fallis with Joe Thornley, a full
service communications consulting agency with offices in Ottawa and Toronto.
Terry is also co-host of the popular business podcast, Inside
PR.
For
the last 18 years, Terry has counselled corporate and government clients on
various fronts including crisis communications, media relations, issues
management, marketing communications, public opinion polling, public
affairs, stakeholder relations, etc. He has also written speeches for CEOs,
cabinet ministers, and other community leaders.
Terry
has sustained his involvement in politics and most recently hosted and
produced the Michael Ignatieff Leadership Podcast for a candidate in the
Liberal Leadership race.
His
writing of his first novel The Best
Laid Plans was, according to Terry, a “weekend” indulgence,
sanctioned by his wife and sons.
Fallis actually tried to get his satirical novel published the conventional
way but when that failed, he resorted to using both to the Internet and then
self-publishing. Initially he
sent out weekly podcasts – one chapter at a time – and then he actually
paid to have the book printed by iUniverse, an American “print on
demand” company. Copies were distributed in Toronto and Ottawa and of
course, to the Stephen Leacock association’s judges. |
