Gord Corlett

Gord was born at a very young age (old joke!) and grew up in Toronto, Ontario. At twenty, he stumbled upon Ryerson’s Radio and TV Arts course and wanted to become a sports announcer until he realized you needed a half-decent voice to do that.

After graduating, he sought his fame and fortune in Owen Sound, Ontario, where he and his hippy friends ran the local community channel. After eleven years of doing this in both Owen Sound and London, he entered the wonderful world of marketing and contract negotiations at Maclean Hunter in Toronto.

After Rogers purchased Maclean Hunter in 1994, Gord helped launch several new communications companies, including NCN (CMT Canada), Bell ExpressVu, the Comedy Network, Outdoor Life, Look TV, and Corlett Communications.

During this period, he became a successful Spin and Aquafit instructor and fundraiser for the YMCA. He raised thousands of dollars for the YMCA, JDRF (diabetes), Heart House Hospice, and Habitat for Humanity.

After surviving colon cancer and heart issues, Gord created a number of bucket list activities to celebrate his sixtieth birthday. These included skydiving from 13,000 feet, a family trip back to John Island, a helicopter ride in northern British Columbia, the Grey Cup game in Calgary, and a romantic weekend in Bayfield, Ontario, with his wife Barb.

After retiring, Gord decided to write his memoir, Bench Coach. It details his life growing up, his Ryerson years, and the “ups and downs” during his forty-five year career in communications.