CASIE STEWART

THIS IS MY LIFE • BLOG EST. 2005
Tech

Twitter Fronts – Content Partnerships & New Live Shows!

casiestewart, twitter, blogger, media, #twitterfronts, influencer

I love Twitter, I have since the day I joined over 10 years ago. It’s still my favourite social media platform, it’s the place news breaks and where you want to be when live events happen around the world.  Thanks to Twitter, I’ve been able to share my voice, meet like-minded people, and build life-long relationships. I love sharing random thoughts, photos, links to things I read and write, and getting the latest news.

“When something happens in the world, it happens first on Twitter”
@KayMadati, Head of Content at Twitter

If you’re not familiar with the term ‘Upfronts” it comes from TV and has to do with advertising. The Twitter Fronts are a chance for agencies, brands, and advertisers to see what options are available for branded content and partnerships.

Upfronts: In the television industry, an upfront is a gathering at the start of important advertising sales periods, held by television network executives and attended by major advertisers and the media. [Wikipedia]

Read My #TwitterFronts Tweets Here

According to the source, Twitter users are engaged, affluent, and educated. They want to make sure brand partnerships have contextual relevance, they have to make sense, and be mutually beneficial relationships.

They’re bringing exclusive partnerships for live content straight to Twitter to leverage their storytelling capabilities. We’re talking Buzzfeed, BNN, Corus, sports, BetaKit for tech, and a new media centre for brands who want to create live content. They’ve got everything covered, #onedirtydish will feature your fav chefs,

This year, for the first time the MMVAs will be broadcast live on Twitter, the show AND the red carpet. This is huge! I was the social media manager for the show when I worked there back in 2010. It was a dream of mine to see the show live on Twitter, although video wasn’t introduced on the platform until 2015 and there definitely wasn’t a ‘live’ option.

BuzzFeed’s AM2DM is a weekday show at 10am with all the latest entertainment. Canada’s managing editor said they’re bringing ‘next level conversations’ and I am here for it.

Twitter is also working with brands to create bespoke content. They’re breaking down what relevance means and making sure content is reaching the right people. Check out Producer, Twitter advanced brand tool for live broadcasts.

twitter, casie stewart, producer

I’m excited to see all this roll out. Gone are the days when we need cable TV, the future is INTERNET!

 

Related Posts

Writing

I’m Internet, but I’m Human Too

I’m Internet, but I’m Human Too

Do you ever just feel like you need a break? To run away. Get on a plane. Be alone. Put away your phone. Take flight and be free. I don’t know exactly why but today I feel frustrated.

casie stewart, iphonex, telus, sunshine

There are lots of things to feel great about but with a few roadblocks, no amount of meditation, water or walking is going to save me right now. I want to curl up with my computer on a patio of a villa somewhere far away, alone. I’ve got things I want to write and I feel like I need a secluded place away from everyone and everything. Life is full of distractions and no matter where I go, they’re all around. Maybe I should turn off wifi.

I’m doing a wellness retreat this afternoon and in the middle of planning a trip with Aeroplan. Maybe I have travel jitters and I just want to leave now?

Please remember that no matter how many smiling selfies, cute couple photos, designer dresses, great skin, and clean houses, nothing is that perfect in real life. We all have our struggles, battles, and have no idea what we are doing. But we’re doing it. I had no idea what I was doing when I started my blog and stuck at it. I was addicted to documenting, I love writing, smiling photos. Most of my blog posts aren’t even about anything other than how I’m feeling or where I’m going, but we all feel things and go places. Writing it down helps me deal with everything, it’s great therapy.

I’m gonna go for that walk now. I think it might actually help. 

casie stewart, toronto, blogger, speaker, influencer, "this is my life"

P.S. When I opened up Twitter before leaving my computer for the aforementioned walk, this Tweet was waiting for me. Good read. I relate to this ‘smiling depression’ quite a bit.

 

My dad had depression when I was growing up. My bf says sometimes I share all my sunshine with the world and have nothing left when I come home.

Last year I made it a priority to give more time to myself, to keep my energy vessel full as much as I can instead of emptying it to the world. I work at it every damn day. I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs over the last 10+ years of having this blog, I’ve shared a lot of them. Trust me that there are a lot more behind the scenes I don’t share. I’m Internet, but I’m human too.

Hang in there my friends!
We need each other and we can do this. I am here for you.
Wow this PS is almost longer than the blog post. 

LIFE Toronto

Turn Your Frown Into a Crown, Put Yourself in an Evening Gown

casie stewart, iphonex, telus, sunshine

Gooooooood morning! I’m not sure what’s up but for the last couple days, I’ve been feeling super tired. I was in Vancouver for less than a week but I don’t think jet lag would affect me like this. It’s not even that much of a time difference! Had a nice weekend at the cottage weather was amazing. It’s crazy how the weather can affect us so much. Did you see that May Flower Moon last night? There’s magic in the air!

Today I’m doing a wellness retreat followed by a cannabis workship event. I’m also planning a summer trip to Europe w/ Aeroplan. What a time to be alive! 

Was nice to be back in the office after 4 days of the cottage, 3 in Vancouver, and the long weekend. It felt like ages! I am reallllly loving this sunshine. Makes such a difference in my mood each day.

“So next time that you’re feeling down
Turn your frown into a crown
Put yourself in an evening gown”

 

Related Posts

Travel Vancouver, BC

Vancouver: Hello from the other side!

casie stewart, toronto, blogger, celine, bathing belle, travel blogger, travel tuesday

Hi! I was up early and out the door about 5:30am, arriving in Vancouver just after 9:30am PST. Driving to the hotel it was clear today was going to be beautiful! It’s MUCH different from my last visit in March when it was cold & snowy! When I’m travelling for work I try to get there with a few hours to spare so I can relax, nap, eat, get some computing done, or check out the area.

Fellow #TeamTelus friend, Christine (lifeonmanitoulin.com) was on my flight. so her and I decided to check out the area. We walked along the sea wall past parks and people until we got to Cactus Club Cafe. We’d been in Van for less than an hour before we found a great patio and refreshing cocktail.  I have a real knack for this haha.

Our waitress said we had to check out the award-winning Bella Gelateria for gelato and MY GOD IT WAS FREAKING AMAZING. I almost always get chocolate and this was truly one of the BEST I’ve had in my life. There were chunks of brownies. I can taste this photo.

The view from the Westin Bayshore is beautiful. My room overlooks the pool with mountains in the background. I popped down to the pool to sit in the shade, catch up on emails, and read my book in the pool.

Tomorrow is a full day of activities with Telus and I’m excited to see what we get up to. I’m heading out tonight to meet the team for dinner. It’s so nice out, planning to leave early and walk.

Related Posts

Tech Home Sweet Home

Crawl into your creative cave and come out a butterfly.

Crawl into your creative cave and come out a butterfly.

I was so looking forward to being in the city this weekend. We’ve been away for almost every weekend since March! I got a few things done around the house and took some good time to fully relax. It feels great! We all need days like this.

After watching The Wedding on Saturday at Windsor Arms, I came home, changed into sweatpants, sat on my bed, opened my computer, and set up my iPad. It was the perfect day to chill. Tbh, I love sitting at home, quietly, on the couch or in my bed.

I’ve got a great little setup using a small table I made last year. I originally found it on Etsy but was crazy expensive on Etsy so I made it myself! It’s great it for sitting or working in bed, and as a footrest at the desk. For my mouse, I use a book or a marble board I got at The Drake General Store.

Another thing I use in my ‘bed office’ is this iPad holder from Umbra. I shared it in a gift guide video a couple years back (video). It’s $20 at Umbra but sold out and $35 on Amazon. ?

The rest of the weekend I watched  The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Video (good show!) and caught up on the Y&R. Drove to the beach with Sean. Hung out with some friends in Trinity Bellwoods. Did some fireworks, played with sparklers. It was the perfect city weekend!

This week I’m in Vancouver with #TeamTelus.  I can’t wait! We’ve got 2 days of activities with the Canada-wide Telus influencer gang. Most of us are staying at the beautiful Westin Bayshore, the view looks amazing.

My flight is super early so I arrive with plenty of time to explore before we all meet up for dinner. As usual, I’m leaving packing to the last minute!

Here’s to a great week.
☀️ Sending you sunshine! ☀️

 

Made a Thing: Little Wooden Laptop Table

Related Posts

Beauty Sassoon Toronto

Spring Style: Highlights are BACK!

Yesterday I went to Sassoon Toronto for a much overdue hair appt! That was all me, I’d been delaying getting a cut to let it grow a bit longer and give me more roots. I am growing it out from shaving my head last summer.

I met with Kim & Tricia, who I like to call the blonde dream team! I interviewed Kim a couple month ago about taking care of your hair, see that post here. She is a blonde WIZARD.

This visit, I asked her what’s trending for hair right now and she said that looks for cut and colour are going back to basics, classic looks, freehand painting. They’re doing more highlighted looks but instead of the traditional highlights (we all had as teenagers), the sections are more interesting, geometrical.

As a blonde, highlights take a little longer to do but the colour process is quicker than full bleach, also not as hard on your hair. Kim did mine in a sideswipe diagonal at the front and it was cool to watch.

casie stewart, blogger, fashion, style, sassoon toronto, highlights

Kim told me balayage is still popular, given it is super low maintenance. Something to remember is it takes precision to have your hair done well, highlights should line up and balayage takes specific painting skills.  

I love the Sassoon SS18 Collection images. Check them out here for inspiration. I especially love the image below with the pink background, swoon. 

[symple_testimonial by=”” fade_in=”false”]“Sassoon plays with natural hair by enhancing the beauty of original texture, functionality and colour in the hair. This season, Sassoon is manipulating the form of hair by utilizing classic techniques from the inside out, literally, changing the look of hair by looking from within.”

Lorraine McAndrew, Toronto Senior Creative Director[/symple_testimonial]

sassoon ss18, sassoon toronto, casie stewart,

Tricia finished with my haircut, leaving the little bits on the side and not taking too much off the top. She does a bit when it’s wet then does a dry cut, scissor over comb. Love it!

UPDATE: 2 Days Later

Why does your hair always feel so great a few days after it’s cut?! Below is after 1 wash and 2 days, sleeping on it, then wearing a hat to the watch the Royal Wedding for a couple hours. I love it.

I’ve been using Davines MORE INSIDE Sea Salt Spray (at Sassoon’s reco!) which is a step fancier than what I had before, and I see why. It’s awesome. Trying to wash not my hair every single day (but still shower lol) and this makes it look messy but tamed. 

If you’re looking for a great salon, skilled artists, or a new look, go to Sassoon Toronto! They’re so nice and I’ve never been happier with my hair. Tell them I sent you!

HAPPY LONG WEEEEEEEEKEND!

 

I've been working with Sassoon Toronto for almost 2 years now! They take care of my hair in exchange for me sharing about it, which, tbh I'd do anyway.

See previous Sassoon posts here for hair and style inspiration.

LIFE San Francisco, California

San Francisco: 5 Great Things to Do

SF MOMA, san francisco, travel, travel blogger, casie stewart

There’s no shortage of things to do in San Francisco, you have the water, the Wharf, the city, parks the hills, and over 3,500 restaurants. The key is finding a few ways to see the city with enough time to explore. If I’m on a short trip to a new city, I like to pick 3-5 things I really want to see and give myself lots of time to do it. That way I can leave early in the day and take the scenic route, enjoy meals, take streets without a map, and follow the sunshine.

In this list, you’ll find five great things to do in San Francisco if you’re on a short trip but want to see a lot. I’ve also included my runner-up for street art and FOOD. 

Fisherman’s Wharf & The Grotto 

There is no shortage of great food in SF but if you’re looking for fresh (and sustainably served) seafood, you’ll want to book a table here. The Grotto was first opened in 1935 and the first sit down restaurant at Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s recently been renovated, restoring many of the original features, giving a modern touch to the 1930’s decor. Here you’ll find great views of the bay, the bridge, and boats while taking in the incredible menu by Executive Chef Paul Bruno. Make sure you check out the new beehive on the roof as you walk in the dining area, it’s not be missed!

Golden Gate Bridge & Alcatraz Tour

I was keen on getting to Alcatraz and biking across the bridge but found myself a bit short on time. I found the perfect way to get some sun and see the sighs from the water with Blue & Gold Boat Tour. Over the course of an hour, you’ll get a great view of the city from the bay, get up close to the bridge (by going right under it), loop around for a look at Alcatraz, and catch the sunbathing sea lions at Pier 39. Make sure you have your camera and a jacket, it’s a little windy out there!

 

 

 

Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

Each week up to 40,000 people visit the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market where you’ll find live cooking demos, great food, and beautiful views of the city. Operated by CUESA, the nonprofit Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture, the market features local and sustainable farmers, food artisans, prepared food, and plenty of flowers. Local chefs stop here to pick up produce and meat for their restaurants. The year-round market operates rain or shine and is open Saturday and Tuesday to Thursday.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Walking around the city there’s no shortage of art. The streets are lined with murals, bright coloured buildings, and beautiful architecture. Located in the heart of downtown, SF MOMA holds an international collection of world-renowned artwork. Around the building are beautiful spaces where you can step outside and admire the architecture, it’s also home to the largest living wall in America. Selected works include Frieda and Diego Rivera by Frida Kahlo,  A Set of Six Self-Portraits by Andy Warhol, and Collection (formerly Untitled) by Robert Rauschenberg. I love spending time looking at art. One of my friends is an aspiring artist and has recently started making digital copies of her paintings so that she can share them on social media. If you are looking for a way to make copies of your artwork, check out these artwork scanners over on hereon.biz.

SF Segway Tours 

You might not look the coolest doing it but a Segway tour in San Francisco is really fun. Don’t be afraid of the hills or railway tracks, San Francisco Guided Segway Tours will put you through enough training to make sure you’re ready to hit the road before they take you on a guided tour of local attractions. We stopped by the Aquarium, Comic Museum, and took in a great view of the city. Highly recommend this one with a group of friends!

 San Francisco Guided Segway Tours, SF travel, travel SF, san francisco, casie stewart, travel blogger, segway, downtown san francisco

OK, one more bonus thing to do if you have a couple hours! Avital Tours is a company that offer local food tours in cities around the USA. We did the Mission District Culinary Experience with Kevin Longa (also a filmmaker!). He gave us the lowdown on street art, history, the best food, and what’s cool/changed in the Mission District. I have so many photos from this that I need to do a post of jus street art! Highly recommend the walking tour!

sf travel, daily hive, san francisco, casie stewart, travel blogger

SF travel, travel SF, san francsico, casie stewart,

A version of this post was originally published on Canadian Geographic, who sent me to cover San Francisco travel on their behalf. 

Related Posts

BLOG Muskoka, Ontario

Balance + Books + Blogs

casiestewart, casie stewart, cottage, muskoka, glasses, rose jacket

Sean and I had a really romantic weekend, we cleaned house and went to the dump about 4 times. To be honest, chucking furniture into a huge bin is exhilarating. We managed to move a massive fridge then, on the way it fell off the trailer, it was so mashed up! Also kinda satisfying seeing it so mangled! haha ? We got it back on the truck with no fuss and Sean moved another fridge later in the day.

cottage life, muskoka

This spring we’ve been up here quite a bit. It’s been nice. Though, unless you have a cottage or something like it, you won’t know how much work it is. We’ve been husting every weekend since we opened this place in March. This weekend I managed to carve out time to finish a book I picked up Friday. [Sister of Mine, it was good! Toronto based author, Ryerson Professor]

Check this out, the author and I chatted on Twitter. Love reaching out after a read a good book to thank the author, even cooler when they reply!

Over the last little while, I’ve been working on a thing that’s really exciting and I can’t wait to share with the world. I think it’s important to have something not everybody knows, a secret project, a magic motivation to focus on. If you tell everyone everything, you have no surprises!

This week I’m also working on blogging more. I often chat with people who have blogs and they set really high goals and rules for themselves, then, beat themselves up when they don’t blog every day or publish as much as they imagined. Don’t do that! Write when you feel like writing, if it’s your own blog and you’re your own boss, be a good boss to yourself!  A blog is your creative expression, it’s always there for you when you need it.

Over the last 13 years, some months I blogged 50+ times and others only a handful. That is a-ok. The main thing is you don’t give up. 

Sending sunshine from Muskoka. I got my first damn mozzie bite today. FML. LOL! 

casiestewart, blog, blogger, toronto, canada, travel, tech

 

 

 

LIFE WEEKEND VIBES

You’re like 9 to 5, I’m the Weekend

You’re like 9 to 5, I’m the Weekend

I am so happy it’s finally NICE OUT. I know I’ve been a bit quiet and not posting as much the last couple weeks but I needed a break. Sometimes I go through stages where I don’t feel like sharing my life online.

It can honestly be kind of overwhelming. Last week we spent 6 days at the cottage and it was just the reset I needed. This weekend we’re heading back up for 3 days and I’m going to do some gardening with Sean’s mum.

I think it’s important to recognize when you need a break. I’m feeling a bit more inspired to wrote and share. I’ve been working on a few things behind the scenes with 1188 and other clients. On a side note, the tray and plates in the first post were on sale at Loblaws, I love them!

This weekend I’ll spend some time catching up on posts and fill you in on what I’ve been up to.

 

Related Posts

LIFE

Be happy where you are, this is once where you wanted to be.

Be happy where you are, this is once where you wanted to be.

I was sitting here feeling a bit of Monday blerghs and then I looked at my computer and around me and said: “WTF, stop it!”. Actually out loud to myself. I’m working from home and I’m drinking a coffee I made downstairs with the patio door open and my plants are in the sun while I look at my little space and suddenly think I will eventually need a sliding door repair for my patio as the latch is becoming stuck more often than not, but that’s a different days job. I spent most of yesterday updating my speaker’s agency profile information sitting in my room watching Netflix. THIS IS ONCE WHAT I DREAMED OF.

Ok, it’s not all roses and rainbows but I wanted to be here. I worked hard for this. I put in hours and days and years of work to get here and I have nothing to be so damn salty about.

Sometimes all you need to do is remind yourself this is right where you wanted to be and fully be IN that moment.The sun is out and I am feeling good.

It’s easy to get down or distracted and feel like your neverending list of tasks is piling up but there is a lot you can be grateful for. I talked to a friend this morning and a reminded her to make a list of things she’d already done, then she wouldn’t feel bad about the other list she had been meaning to do. There is enough time in the day or week to do the things you need to do. Some of the things I want to get done are not necessarily what I need to get done. Ex. my hair is a shag and the house is a little messy but that’s totally ok. Prioritize and manage your time, it takes work but you can do it.

In other news, this weekend our furnace broke and today we have a guy here fixing it. Not ideal, but I CAN DEAL. GIRL, YOU GOT THIS.

Feel the sunshine on your face, soak it up.
We’ve waited for this moment.

P.S. People have been posting their old headshots so here are some of mine, haha. I was a teen model. WTF is up w/ the tree!? ??

Related Posts