The RIFF Toronto

Walter KlassenFX - The RIFF-S2 ep5 - Ever wonder how your favorite movies fake it — and make it look real? In this episode of The Riff, we sit down with Taku Desai, Chief Creative Officer of Walter Klassen FX — a Toronto-based special effects studio that's been behind the magic of Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, The Boys, The Handmaid's Tale, Captain America, Star Trek, Shazam, The Shape of Water, Reacher, and many more.

We go inside the world of practical effects — how they build mechanical machine guns that don't fire, swords in five different materials for five different stunts, space helmets with hidden fans and magnetic battery covers, and animatronic animals so anatomically accurate you can't tell them from the real thing.

Plus: Why are filmmakers ditching CGI and going back to practical effects? Is AI about to change everything again? And what does it take to build a career doing something this cool?

We also talk Jack White's no-phones concert experience and why it felt like going back in time, Jeremy's jazz album In Motion hitting #1 on American radio, and we taste some incredible Nashville Hot Chicken from Chen Chen's at The Well in Toronto.

🎬 If you love film, behind-the-scenes magic, or the craft of making things with your hands — this one's for you.

📍 Walter Klassen FX: walterklassenfx (Instagram) | walterklassen.com
🎵 Jeremy Green – In Motion — out now - www.jeremygreenguitar.com

Sponsored by mytoronto.ca — explore Toronto like a local.

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The RIFF S2 - ep4 -Dawn Dwyer Pappas

What is it actually like working with major artists behind the scenes?

In this episode of The Riff, we sit down with an experienced music publicist who has worked at the highest levels of the industry. This conversation goes beyond theory and into real moments from the road, from press days to high-pressure situations where everything is on the line.

These are grounded, human stories about supporting artists, managing energy, and helping things hold together when it matters most.

We get into:
• What working with top-level artists is really like day-to-day
• How publicists support artists in high-pressure situations
• The moments that don’t go as planned… and how they’re handled
• What it takes to maintain momentum at a high level

If you’ve ever wondered what happens around major artists when the spotlight isn’t on, this is a rare inside look.

#MusicIndustry #Publicist #NSYNC #ChristinaAguilera #WWE #MusicBusiness #TorontoPodcast #BehindTheScenes #EntertainmentIndustry #PodcastClips

Resources Mentioned

WWE: https://www.wwe.com
Sony Music Canada: https://www.sonymusic.ca
BMG: https://www.bmg.com
EMI/Universal Music Canada: https://www.universalmusic.ca
Spotify: https://www.spotify.com
myToronto.ca: https://www.mytoronto.ca
YouTube Chapters

0:00 Cold open — the Christina Aguilera hotel story
1:10 Intro to The Riff Toronto
8:48 What does a music publicist actually do?
17:31 Life on the road with Christina Aguilera
21:20 Publicist vs. doing it yourself as an artist
26:36 Rule #1: never want it more than the artist
34:39 Behind the scenes at WWE
39:34 Ric Flair's book and other wild stories
46:05 The creative side of being a publicist
48:42 Food segment: Montreal bagels & Papa Roti coffee
58:43 Final thoughts and goodbye

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Johnny Ross - The RIFF S2 ep3

Johnny Ross, frontman of Canadian rock band Learhaven, joins Gary and Jeremy on The Riff Toronto for one of our most honest and entertaining conversations yet. Johnny breaks down the wild chaos of touring Spain and Switzerland (burst pipes, gear crashes, and empty venues that filled up in 5 minutes flat), the story behind "Soulbreaker" landing on Hockey Night in Canada, and why his obsession with '70s tone, vintage gear, and vinyl isn't nostalgia — it's a philosophy.

We get into the real talk: why comfort is the enemy of great art, what it actually takes to build a band that lasts, and the one thing Johnny says every great — from Zeppelin to Warren Buffett — has in common.

Plus, Gary and Jeremy try Quan Quan on the Esplanade — a Vietnamese hidden gem with a 4.9 ⭐ Google rating that looks like a convenience store from the outside.

🎸 What's in this episode:

• 0:00 — Intro & the Rush T-shirt story
• 10:00 — Johnny's origin story: Uncle Trent's garage, drums & the family instruments
• 20:00 — Hockey goalie → rock frontman (the connection is real)
• 30:00 — Building Learhaven, the writing process & vintage tone obsession
• 33:00 — The European tour: burst pipes, gear crashes & packed venues
• 45:00 — "Soulbreaker," vinyl, and the art of the album
• 52:00 — What separates the greats? Johnny's answer: "artistic nicotine"

🔗 Follow Johnny Ross & Learhaven: 🌐 Website: learhaven.com 📸 Instagram: @JohnnyRoss5th | @Learhaven 🎵 Stream "Soulbreaker" on all platforms

🌆 Toronto's best kept food secret: 📍 Quan Quan — 140 The Esplanade, Toronto 🌐 mytoronto.ca

🎙️ Follow The Riff Toronto: 📸 Instagram: @TheRiffToronto 🌐 mytoronto.ca

If this episode fired you up, hit that subscribe button — it's how we keep landing guests like this.

#TheRiff #JohnnyRoss #Learhaven #Soulbreaker #CanadianRock #TorontoMusic #RockPodcast #IndieRock #MusicPodcast #VinylCommunity #TorontoPodcast #HockeyNightInCanada #iHeartRadio #RockMusic #MusicianLife #BandLife #TorontoEats #QuanQuan #MyToronto #CreativeThread #RockAndRoll #PodcastLife #NewMusicAlert #LocalMusic #TorontoLocal

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Dontoverthinkitchip  - The RIFF S2 ep2

He quit a 6-figure insurance job with only $500/month coming in — and went $75K into debt chasing a dream. Three years later, he's landing brand deals with PlayStation, Nissan, the Toronto Blue Jays, and Chipotle, with 16 million views from nearly 6 million accounts. This is the story of @dontoverthinkitchip.

In this episode of The Riff, Gary and Jeremy sit down with Toronto-based content creator Chip — the force behind one of Canada's fastest-rising social media channels. What started as a sports betting page in December 2023 has evolved into a full-time viral content machine built on relatable comedy skits, Toronto food culture, and one unbreakable rule: post every single day.

In this episode:

• Why Chip walked away from a six-figure career with almost nothing in the bank
• The real daily grind behind viral content (hint: it starts at 5:30 AM)
• How he sent 20 DMs a day to restaurants and turned $250 gigs into major brand contracts
• Why your biggest supporters will never be the people you grew up with
• The moment in Saskatchewan at minus 40 that almost broke him — and what kept him going
• How brands are now paying creators NOT to talk about their product
• Why going viral overnight is actually less valuable than the slow grind
• The Kevin James obsession that shaped his entire comedic style
• What consistency + originality actually looks like in practice
• Why 99% of creators quit — and the one mindset shift that separates those who make it

Plus: The guys taste pulled pork brisket mac & cheese from Smoke'N Bones on Baldwin Street — and Chip makes a case for why Baldwin Street is the most underrated food strip in Toronto.

Whether you're a content creator, an entrepreneur, or just someone who's been sitting on a dream they haven't acted on yet — this one's for you.

🎙️ The Riff — where creativity winds its way through food, music, art, and everything in between. Hosted by Gary & Jeremy, brought to you from the heart of Toronto.

📍 Food feature sponsored by mytoronto.ca — your guide to exploring Toronto like a local.

🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Follow Chip: Instagram/TikTok/Facebook: @dontoverthinkitchip

Follow The Riff: [Your social links here]

Explore Toronto: mytoronto.ca

--- #ContentCreator #Toronto #TheRiff #DontOverthinkItChip #TorontoFood #SocialMedia #CreatorEconomy #Entrepreneurship #SmokNBones #BaldwinStreet

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Andrew Stasiw - The RIFF S2 ep1

Toronto's underground EDM scene has a new king — and he built it from a laptop during lockdown.

Andrew Stasiw of King and Queen Events joins Gary and Jeremy on The Riff to pull back the curtain on how he went from bedroom producer to booking global heavyweights like Danny Avila, Maddox, and Sam Pacho at iconic venues like Coda — all as an independent operator competing against the monopolies.

In this episode:
🎧 How to break into the EDM scene (basement to mainstage)
📈 The networking moves that actually work (cold emails are dead)
🌍 What it's REALLY like hosting international DJs in Toronto
🎶 Why reading the room separates good DJs from GREAT ones
💼 Balancing friendship and business in the music industry
🔥 Why Toronto's electronic scene is exploding RIGHT NOW

Plus — we taste Rasta Pasta from Waterworks Food Hall. Jamaican-Italian fusion. Trust us on this one.

Whether you're an aspiring DJ, a music lover, or an entrepreneur figuring out how to grind your way to the top — this episode hits different.

Subscribe & hit the bell so you never miss a new episode of The Riff, where we chase the creative thread connecting music, food, arts, and culture.

🔗 King and Queen Events: kingqueenevents.com | @kingqueenevents

☕ Coffee by Found Coffee — Front Street, Toronto
🍝 Food by Rasta Pasta — Waterworks Food Hall, King West
🌐 Explore Toronto like a local: mytoronto.ca

#TheRiff #TorontoEDM #KingQueenEvents #DJLife #TorontoNightlife #EDMToronto #Podcast #MusicBusiness #HouseMusic #Techno #AndrewStasiw #Coda #TorontoEvents

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EMM - The Riff ep 12

She climbed into a coffin full of biting worms — and kept singing. 🎵🐛

In this episode of The Riff, Gary and Jeremy sit down with EMM — a classically trained, award-winning artist from Traverse City, Michigan who grew up surrounded by musical prodigies, moved to New York before high school, and built an independent music empire with 200 million streams entirely on her own terms.

Now signed with Sony/The Orchard (while keeping full ownership of her masters), EMM is on The Dumb Tour promoting her album Black Diamond — and she stopped into The Riff studio fresh off a sold-out Toronto show at the Drake Underground.

In this episode: 🎤 The coffin shoot — wrong worms, biting legs, 2 hours in bugs (and she was singing live) 🎹 Growing up at Interlochen, home of child prodigies practicing 12 hours a day 💡 Why "irrational confidence" is her secret weapon 💰 How brand deals funded her music before the music funded itself 🎧 The truth about publishing rights, predatory label contracts, and keeping your leverage 🌀 Manifestation, flow states, and "transcendence" on stage 📵 Dopamine detoxes and why boredom is rocket fuel for creativity 🍪 Gluten-free treats from Bunner's Bakery in Kensington Market (and yes, they're incredible)

Whether you're an artist, entrepreneur, or just someone chasing something big — this one's for you.

Follow EMM: @emminreallife (all socials) | Link in bio

Explore Toronto like a local: mytoronto.ca

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Kevin Comeau - The RIFF ep 11

What happens when a kid hears Rush for the first time and his entire life changes? We found out.

Kevin Comeau of Juno Award-winning prog duo Crown Lands sits down with The Riff to talk about the moment A Farewell to Kings rewired his brain at 14, hitchhiking across Canada and down the California coast after reading Jack Kerouac, accidentally joining a reggae band in a Hollywood guitar shop, and how a Rush notation book stuffed into a backpack became the foundation of his guitar playing.

We also get into the real story behind the Crown Lands name, the identity crisis that almost ended the band, getting discovered by Eric Singer of Kiss through a YouTube live video, and why their new album Apocalypse — out NOW — is the record they've always wanted to make.

Plus: space operas, dragon riders, prog nerd deep dives on Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Jan Hammer, and Joni Mitchell. Oh, and incredible food from Queen's Harbour on the Toronto waterfront.

🎸 Crown Lands – Apocalypse is out now | crownlandsmusic.com

🎙️ Sponsored by mytoronto.ca | Featuring coffee from Coffee Island (York St.)

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Afrim Pristine - RIFF S1 ep10

🎙️ What does it take to become one of the most respected names in the food world?

In this episode of The RIFF, we sit down with Afrim Pristine, internationally recognized cheese master, entrepreneur, television personality, and one of Canada's leading voices in food culture.

From building a world-class business to appearing on major television shows, Afrim shares the lessons, challenges, and mindset that helped shape his remarkable journey. We dive into the art and science of taste, the importance of passion and persistence, and what separates true craftsmanship from the ordinary.

Whether you're a foodie, entrepreneur, aspiring creator, or simply someone who enjoys hearing incredible success stories, this conversation is packed with insights, inspiration, and plenty of surprising moments.

🔥 In this episode:
✔️ The journey to becoming a world-renowned cheese master
✔️ Behind-the-scenes stories from the food industry
✔️ Building a successful brand through passion and expertise
✔️ Lessons in entrepreneurship, creativity, and leadership
✔️ Why taste is about more than just food

Don't forget to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE for more conversations with fascinating people who are changing their industries and inspiring others to do the same.

#AfrimPristine #TheRIFF #Podcast #Entrepreneurship #FoodCulture #SuccessStories #CheeseMaster #Business #Leadership #Foodie #Inspiration #TorontoPodcast #Interview #CanadianBusiness #FoodIndustry

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Pete Bowman - The RIFF -S1 ep.9

Pete Bowman — Canadian fishing legend, TV host of Fishin' Canada (3.5M viewers), and Hall of Famer — sits down with The Riff for one of the most entertaining fishing conversations you'll ever hear.

From stunning a fish with a boat oar to get his lure back, to revealing how a laid-off electrician accidentally became one of Canada's most beloved TV personalities, Pete holds nothing back.

In this episode:

• 🎣 How Pete went from electrician to fishing icon
• 🏆 Being inducted into the Canadian Angler Hall of Fame (and why it shocked him)
• 🐟 Big pike, bass & monster fish hiding RIGHT in Toronto Harbour
• 💰 The insane prize money in North American fishing tournaments (up to $1.25M!)
• 🌊 The WILDEST fish story you've ever heard — an oar, a pike, and a turtle
• ♻️ Why hunters and anglers are actually conservation's greatest allies
• 🎿 Winter Olympics chaos, Ray Gun on skis, and skeleton vs. luge debates

Follow Pete Bowman: 📺 Fishing Canada — Saturdays 8AM on Global TV 📸 Instagram: @petebowman_fishing 📘 Facebook & YouTube: Fishing Canada / @fishingcanadaofficial

Fishing in Toronto? Pete recommends: 🎣 Fish City Tours — Taro Murata 🎣 Cast Adventures — Paul Castellano, Niagara River

The Riff is a Toronto-based podcast where we sit down with fascinating people over great food and real conversation.

Subscribe for new episodes every week ⬇️

#FishingCanada #PeteBowman #ThRiff #FishingPodcast #Toronto #FishingCanadaShow #CanadianFishing #BassFishing #ConservationFishing #TorontoHarbour

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Maddy Goldberg - The RIFF S1 ep8

What happens when a Michelin-trained chef shows up to a food bank with no set menu and two hours to feed 100 people? Pure magic.

This week on The Riff, hosts Gary O'Brien and Jeremy sit down with Toronto's most fascinating chef — Maddy Goldberg. With 160K+ Instagram followers, viral food content, and a background in social work, Maddy is redefining what it means to be a chef in 2026.

We get into:
🍽️ How she went from a 12-oz prime rib at age 6 to cooking at Michelin-recommended Aloette
🥄 What really goes on in a high-end restaurant kitchen (it's intense)
❤️ Why she gives 10% of every private dinner to charity
🥡 The shocking truth about food waste in the restaurant industry
😂 The story of a man who ate a full stick of butter at her dinner table (yes, really)

Plus — Jeremy eats a birthday candle. Enough said.

Whether you're a foodie, a creative, or someone who just wants to feel inspired — this episode delivers.

Follow Maddy:
📸 Instagram: @maddygoldberg
📰 Substack: cookeat.substack.com
🎵 TikTok: @MaddyGoldberg1

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