About the Authors

Mark Kearney

Hi, I'm Mark, the London, Ont. half of the Trivia Guys. I guess those hours watching quiz shows like Jeopardy and Reach for the Top when I was growing up in Pickering, Ont. weren't a waste of time. and I honed my skills later in the early 1980s, playing in what may have been the first ever Trivial Pursuit tournament as well as competing for a few years in the Toronto Pub Quiz League. On a more serious note, I graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1977 with a B.A. in journalism. The idea of gathering up facts and writing stories for people to read seemed like a good way to make a living, and I've been doing it ever since. I began my career as a reporter at the The London Free Press and during those three years in the late 1970s, I met Randy, the other Trivia Guy.

After that, I travelled the world and then lived in Toronto for several years working as a writer/communications officer for the Ontario government. Randy and I started writing a Canadian music column in the mid-1980s, and in 1989 I began freelance writing full time, moved to London, and have been earning a living teaching and writing books, articles, speeches and humorous essays ever since. These days much of my time is taken up teaching writing at Western in the Faculty of Arts and in the Masters Journalism program, and in 2003-04, 2006-07 and 2007-08, I received a University Students' Council Teaching Award of Excellence. I live here with my wife, Catherine and in my spare time, I hike, play curling, travel, go to lots of movies, and play the clarinet in a community band.

Randy Ray

I'm Randy, the Trivia Guy from Ottawa, Ont. For the past 30 years, it's been my goal to dig up information that will amaze and astound. Like Mark, I don't feel I'm doing my job as a writer unless I tell you something you don't know. That's why I got into the writing business and later branched into trivia books. I grew up in Toronto, where I toiled at the University of Toronto for three years before stumbling across my true calling. I received a Journalism degree from Ryerson Polytechnic University in 1976.

After 13 years with The London Free Press, including three as the paper's Parliament Hill correspondent, I followed in Mark's footsteps and struck out on my own as a freelance writer. Name a topic, I've written about it - from constitutional accords, the Goods and Services Tax, murder trials and how to get your kids into sports, to mortgage rates, wireless technology and one of my favorite topics, housing issues. I've written speeches, brochures and business plans, and also work as a publicist for other authors and various companies, but digging up great Canadian trivia is what I enjoy most. I live 15 minutes from Parliament Hill with my wife Janis and two of my three sons, Andrew and Marcus and our dog Duffy. Our oldest son, Chris, lives in British Columbia. When I'm not planted in front of a computer or crawling around libraries, I like to play my Yamaha drums, visit the cottage and get outdoors on roller blades, a bike or skis.

We've written about everything under the sun - no kidding!  If you need a speech, news release, well-researched profile on your company, or a communications plan, give us a buzz.  You'll catch Randy Ray at (613) 731-3873 or randy@triviaguys.com. Mark can be reached at (519) 472-4509 or mark@triviaguys.com.