Season Two - Episode Seven - Todd Brandt & Sarah Berger

In 2007, when Saskatoon last hosted the Juno Awards, I was using an LG flip phone to stay in touch with friends during the festivities. Things have changed a bit in 13 years.When I heard the Junos were returning to Saskatoon, I was excited! I have been lucky to attend two Juno Award weeks and had an absolute blast both times.I wanted to learn how our city was able to convince the Juno folks to return to Saskatoon. I reached out to my friend at Tourism Saskatoon, Darby Sutherland, and she was kind enough to introduce me to Todd Brandt and Sarah Berger. Todd is the President and CEO of Tourism Saskatoon while Sarah is the Director of Media. They are part of the Tourism Saskatoon team that has worked for years with Juno officials in Toronto and the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to show that Saskatoon was ready and able to host Canada's biggest music night once again.Janelle and I met with Todd and Sarah at Tourism Saskatoon's offices on 4th Avenue and had a great conversation in Todd's office. We cover everything from how Saskatoon's culinary scene played a vital role in their pitch to how Todd was able to bring more planes to our city to ensure artists were able to get home on time. Todd's a pretty powerful guy! I love the fact that the Juno Awards moves across the country every year, and I know that Saskatoon is going to put on a wonderful show! I also know you're going have a new appreciation for the work it takes to bring something like the Junos to our city after listening to this episode. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also stream episodes on the website or Spotify. YXE Underground is also a proud member of the Saskatchewan Podcast Network. Thank you for your continued support of this local, independent podcast. I really do appreciate it.  Cheers...Eric Host, Producer, Editor: Eric AndersonTheme Music: Andrew DicksonWebsite: https://www.yxeunderground.comRecorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis