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 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.
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 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.
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.