Alex Reid

Now:

I’m a neighbour, writer, thinker, CTO, strategist, project manager, photographer, open data advocate, gardener, producer, web developer, video editor, artist, geek, an idealistic sort and I like to think I transform ideas into action.

I’ve been managing a successful web hosting company supporting over 500+ clients since 2000. Seven years later, I started a visual art agency and then two years later, the hosting business expanded to Vancouver. I co-host and produce art.tech.culture, a video series discussing art and technology. Since 2009, I’ve been the Media Liaison with The Burningman Project.

My interests generally lean towards art, technology and law.

Before:

So far, I’m the youngest person to ever run for Mayor in Winnipeg (1998). What seemed at first like a dare quickly turned into an intense learning experience about civic politics, guerrilla marketing and networking on a shoestring budget.

Thanks to fifty dollars, a lot of time and a couple of great friends, I experienced the strangest few months of my life and years worth of education; seeing civic politics from the inside out.

It was a blast and I told myself that I’d never do it again. But I did do it again. The next year, in 1999, I was approached by the newly-founded Green Party of Manitoba to join them as one of the six first candidates ever to run in the province. Soon after that, I was offered a job as Executive Assistant to a NDP City Councillor for the inner city in Winnipeg.

I was involved with the most contentious issue debates from 1999 to 2002, such as the smoking ban, the garbage/waste user fees and the True North Arena & Eaton’s demolition. I also have much experience in regards to urban greening projects, lip curbs,urban recreational spaces,  audio crosswalks, recycling, community cleanups, late night policy research, and literally hundreds of other city issues.

Upon my departure from politics in late 2002, the last issue I worked on was the Animal Testing Ban By-law, effectively canceling the practice that saw lost animals sold to the University of Manitoba for animal testing. After assisting in a successful re-election campaign, I quit in late 2002 to focus more time on my business ventures.

While I worked at City Hall, in 2001, I established the Skateboarding Association of Winnipeg to lobby the three levels of government and the private sector for a world-class skate park to be built in Winnipeg. From this experience, I learned even more about public relations, media management and lobbying.

With clipboards in hand, we gathered over 9,000 signatures. While raising positive awareness in the media, letters to the editors began to flow in support of our cause which further snowballed popular opinion.

Within a year, we received public support from Mayor Glen Murray, the majority of City Council, key community stakeholders, the Forks group, several provincial cabinet ministers and a prominent local MP which quickly led to the City of Winnipeg officially endorsing our group (Sept 2002) and our mission to build a massive skate park in downtown Winnipeg.

Suddenly the idea was so popular, everyone started proposing community skate parks and for the first time, “skateboarding” in Winnipeg was finally recognized by the City of Winnipeg via the 2004 Public Use Facility Study; adding skate parks to the official city list of recreational priorities.

In 2005, Winnipeg got the multi-million dollar 44,000 square foot skate park built at the Forks we lobbied for. The lobby organization was disbanded quickly thereafter, having reached our goal and more.

I started the web zine NewWinnipeg.com in 2000, and acted as the News Editor for most of the next six years before it turned into a public forum site which I moderated until 2008. I also used to have a radio show on UMFM in 2003, focusing on politics and urban news.

I was also the community co-ordinator for the West Broadway Citizen Patrol in central Winnipeg for a couple years, and assisted in lobbying for funds for various community projects in that neighbourhood.

Do what you love, and the rest follows.

I’ve lived in various towns and cities around Atlantic Canada, Manitoba and British Columbia (so far) and my professional experience over the past 14 years has been most versed in networking, technical services, policy research and marketing.

And I’m Canadian, eh.

Why does this web site exist?

I use this web site as my primary form of digital identity; my central point of personal expression. And it’s a blog.

There are probably thousands of individuals named “Alex Reid” on this planet. There are certainly over a hundred of the same in Canada. I may be the Alex Reid you’re looking for, or you may be confusing me with another Alex Reid. Feel free to contact me if you’re unsure, and I’ll try my best to help!

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Please contact me if you have any questions.