Jay Switzer(1956-2018)

Jay's first introduction to the business came when his mother Phyllis asked her 13-year-old son to attend a CRTC hearing in Trois Rivieres and bring back a report for her regulatory newsletter. When Phyllis co-founded Citytv in September 1972, 16-year-old Jay's first full-time job was on the station's switchboard. This was followed by regular Saturday nights as floor director assembling the boxing ring with his high school classmates on Citytv's live "Fight Night" broadcasts. The pay was $1.50 an hour but he got to clean George Chuvalo's spit cup. After getting his MBA from the University of Western Ontario, Jay returned to Citytv on a full-time basis as Program Manager, the job that was truest to his calling, and one he never really let go of. His passion for great TV and movies was contagious, and led to Citytv, and its offspring MuchMusic, Bravo!, Fashion Television and many other channels, expanding across Canada and around the world. Jay rose through the ranks at CHUM over the years, ultimately being appointed CEO in 2002. Under Jay's leadership CHUM Limited-a publicly traded company with more than 3,200 employees-was one of Canada's leading media companies and content providers. In 2010 Jay co-founded Hollywood Suite, where he served as Chair of the Canadian independent, privately owned broadcasting company. Jay is recognized by his peers as a media business and cultural leader, leading major broadcasting entities, mentoring emerging talent-both individuals and organizations-and advancing the quality and success of the Canadian broadcasting sector. As a mentor to countless independent producers and creators of Canadian works for the screen, Jay is celebrated as a champion of independent Canadian feature film and television production having supported more than 200 projects throughout his career. Jay was an active board member serving organizations including the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, the Banff Television Festival, the National Association of Television Program Executives, and the Toronto Film Board. He served as Chair of the board of GlassBOX Television from 2009-2011, and most recently served on the boards of: OUTtv; Shaftesbury Films Inc.; and Comweb Corporation.