Award-winning broadcaster, writer, musician and producer. Hosts Q, on CBC Radio One; Arts, Culture, Music and Diversity
Known for his unscripted wit, critical opinions and his expertise on a wide array of subjects. Terrific!
Jian Ghomeshi is an award-winning broadcaster, writer, musician and producer. He is the host and co-creator of the national daily talk program, Q, on CBC Radio One and bold TV. Since its inception in 2007, Q has garnered the largest audience of any cultural affairs program in Canada and has become the highest- rated show in its morning time slot in CBC history.
Mixing insight and opinion with unscripted wit, Jian shifts seamlessly from editorial essays to moderating debates on the air. He has interviewed an array of prominent international figures from prime ministers to sports stars and cultural icons. His feature interview subjects on Q have included Woody Allen, Van Morrison, Salman Rushdie, Barbara Walters, Tom Waits, William Shatner, Jay-Z, Al Gore, Margaret Atwood and – in a television world-exclusive — Leonard Cohen.
Jian has presented a number of television documentaries, including The End, Screw the Vote, and Philanthropy Inc., and spent three years as the host of the Gemini Award-winning CBC TV program, Play. He has appeared as a contributor or guest on programs ranging from CNN Today and The National, to Late Night with Conan O’Brien.
As a writer and interviewer, Jian has been published in The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, The National Post, El Mundo and The International Herald Tribune.
As a singer, songwriter, and musician, Jian was a member of multi-platinum selling folk-rock group, Moxy Fruvous. He toured internationally during the 1990s and shared stages with a variety of artists including Bob Dylan, Ani Difranco and Elvis Costello. Jian continues to write and produce music through his company, Wonderboy Entertainment, and has managed the international career of Juno- winning electropop performer, LIGHTS since 2001.
He has worked with many arts groups including the National Ballet, the COC and the Radio Starmaker Fund, and he is a former member of the Board of Governors at the Stratford Theatre Festival.
Born in London, England, of Iranian descent, Jian lives in Toronto, where he enjoys supporting a losing hockey team and eating pistachios.
"Drawing from personal experiences and hardships, Jian showed me that there is a lot more to him than music and journalism. However, Jian used his stories as a gateway to important social issues, though an hour only was only able to scratch the surface." - 4th year student, University of Saskatchewan
"It was fantastic, the show sold out, the talk was really well received and the crowd enjoyed it. He hung around after to talk with people and 'just hang out' and that was well appreciated and enjoyed." - Julia Higgins, Fusion Saint John Inc.
Ghomeshi mixes unscripted wit, critical opinions, and experiences from his high-profile interviews with a wide array of subjects to share his opinion on the challenges and opportunities available in today's world.
Whether it’s being kidnapped by punks after a show in New Orleans or interviewing Harrison Ford, Johnny Rotten or Avril Lavigne, Jian Ghomeshi has a slew of stories to share from his years behind the microphone. This presentation illustrates the importance of being open to many different career paths and having confidence in yourself and who you are in order to have success in the spotlight.
Ghomeshi talks about dual-identity as increasingly the Canadian norm, and shares his pride in being Canadian as well as how he came to terms with being a "hyphenated human".