Clive Desmond is a writer, producer, composer, unactor and podcaster. He has worked in the recording and communications business since 1976.
The son of British immigrants (his father a doctor, his mother a socialite) Mr. Desmond was born at the Ottawa Civic Hospital kitty-corner from the Paul Anka Ward, in the spring of 1957.
Soon after his birth, the family moved to Buffalo NY (the 81st largest city in the USA) where the introverted television and radio-addicted child would remain until 1962. At 7, Mr. Desmond returned to Canada and (for those of you who note this sort of thing) attended The Brown School, Deer Park Middle School and Oakwood Collegiate Institute.
In 1975 Mr. Desmond enrolled in Ryerson UniversityToronto (Radio and Television Arts Department) for two semesters, before dropping out.
CAREER.
In 1976 Mr. Desmond secured his first professional appointment as a Production Assistant (or Boy Friday if you will) at Morgan Earl Sounds Toronto. Operated by a menagerie of misfit producers, musicians and engineers, Morgan Earl Sounds was one of the most creative audio production companies of its time.
On the shelves of the small studio was a curious book titled Propaganda by Sigmund Freud’s nephew Edward Bernays. First printed in 1923, Propaganda would become the bible of crowd psychology and mass persuasion.
Although he hadn’t started shaving, the 19-year- old borrowed Propaganda, read it cover to cover (three times) and was soon writing radio commercials for SONY, Toyota, Chrysler, McDonalds and a handful of beverage companies.
In 1978, Mr. Desmond was recruited by Foster Advertising. From his 10th floor office, Mr. Desmond divided his time between a giant national retail business and a public utility worth billions.
It was during this era Mr. Desmond joined a coterie of young writers at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). He worked on a number of failed pilots, but contributed to successful shows like The Vinyl Café.
In 1980, Mr. Desmond was recruited by Cockfield Brown Advertising but left after a dispute with a receptionist.
Between 1981 and 1985, Mr. Desmond maintained a lucrative freelance career that combined his aptitude for writing, recording and producing. During this chapter (now in his early 20’s) Mr. Desmond’s work for Heineken, Volkswagen and Quaker Oats resulted in numerous advertising awards including Clio’s, Hollywood Television Festival and One Show.
The New York Years 1985 – 1990.
In 1985 (when it was a real shit hole) Mr. Desmond moved to New York and lived fearlessly on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
After being recruited by McCaffrey and McCall Inc, Mr. Desmond worked primarily on ABC Television, Hiram-Walker and Mercedes Benz. Every year the agency churned out hundreds of radio commercials for a variety of ABC prime time programs like MacGyver, Dynasty, Who’s The Boss?, Growing Pains and of course, Moonlighting. Mr. Desmond was part of the team advertising these shows.
Weekends were spent watching rough-cuts of cookie-cutter sitcoms and vapid (but fun) night time dramas.
Weekdays were spent holed up in any number of recording studios in midtown making radio commercials about the shows he had watched on the weekends.
Despite a hectic schedule, however, Desmond found time to dine at The Algonquin or The Odeon (“Hey was I just talking with Julian Schnabel?”) and on weekends after 1986 he partied at the newly refurbished and fire safety compliant Robots. (Yes, as in Save The Robots.)
O CANADA.
In 1990, the ad world was in the midst of an acquisition feeding frenzy so Mr. Desmond returned to Toronto and was recruited by Harrod and Mirlin. While at H+M, Mr. Desmond worked on Levi Strauss and Suzuki Cars.
My God this is long. Does it end soon?
In 1991, Mr. Desmond was recruited by Einstein Brothers Inc. Teamed with audio producer Steve Convery, the two studio nerds (there is no other way to put it) produced hundreds of radio and television commercials.
LOUDER:It’s Good To Be Us.
In 1994, Mr. Desmond and Mr. Convery started Louder Music and Sound Design Inc. With two recording studios and a view of Lake Ontario, Louder feathered through the transition from the analogue era of recording to the digital era of recording. Nissan, Dell Computers, Apple, VISA, Sears, Labatt, Dairy Queen, TD Bank, Pepsi were on the long client roster.
In 2004, after a decade long run (and thousands of commercials later) Louder shuttered its doors.
Mr. Desmond then moved to Silent Joe Inc where he dove head first into audiobooks with Harper Collins Digital.
In Los Angeles he recorded The Pinkerton Papers: a 3 book steampunk speculative series about a conspiracy to assassinate President Lincoln written by David Luchuck.
Mr. Desmond then produced the audiobook version of “THIN ICE” a memoir by satirist/illustrator Bruce McCall of The New Yorker Magazine.
At this time, under the creative direction of Taxi Advertising, Mr. Desmond won a Gold Lion at the Cannes Advertising TV Festival for his contribution to a series of commercials for Viagra – a popular and powerful erectile dysfunction medicine.
PODCASTING.
In the spring of 2016, Clive Desmond teamed up with Minneapolis writer Peter McHugh and created a podcast series called PodPlanet.org - every story between 83 - 100% true.
Eventually, the two season 24 episode non-fiction anthological show (now entering its third season) came on the radar of KCRW in Los Angeles.
Mr. Desmond was commissioned to write 2 one-hour episodes for The Organist (a monthly experimental arts-and-culture podcast) hosted and produced by Andrew Leland with Ross Simonini.
Originally commissioned for The Organist, Mr. Desmond’s episode titled “A 700-Foot Mountain of Whipped Cream,” lived a second life, when it was included as part of 99% Invisible with host Roman Mars.
Part II of “A 700-Foot Mountain of Whipped Cream” is currently in production for release at a later date.
THE RADIO PUNDIT.
In 2010 Mr. Desmond appeared as a pundit in a live round table discussion segment on the John Moore Show on CFRB Radio 1010 in Toronto.
COMMERCIAL PRODUCER.
When not making podcasts, Clive Desmond produces audio for commercials. Call 416.816.7827
