George Gonzo has resided in the Ghost Lake area for the past 30 years. He actually just lived on his ranch on weekends, because as he put it, the rest of the week was spent on airplanes, travelling coast to coast from Halifax to Victoria. His job was vice-president of sales and marketing for CTV’s 25 television stations across Canada and business growth specialist for CanWest Global. Previously he held the position of vice-president of MacLean-Hunter magazines and its commercial television/production properties, so he knows how to achieve the highest annual growth rates for a company.
“It all started when I was in high school,” said George. “I got involved in a debating team and learned not only to present a point of view, but also to listen intently to others.”
George’s career had a humble beginning. He always wanted to work in radio and landed a job as a disc jockey for a small country station in Weyburn, Sask. He loved the country songs that always told a story and this job enabled him to nurture and promote his own country band.
“I later became a news announcer with CTV Television in the days that we still had live commercials with store owners or product manufacturers.” George reminisced.
As a creative director for producing unique “story-telling videos” for use on company websites, mobile devices including iPads, Tablets, iPhones/Smart Phones and social media, he quickly discovered that ‘Facts tell….but stories Sell”.
While he was VP of CTV he trained hundreds of sales and marketing professionals across the country, generating over $250 million in revenue annually. As the former chair of the Television Bureau of Canada, he led the industry to achieve revenues in excess of $2.3 billion per year.
Now is the time to give back. Utilizing his years of experience and proven management skills, his quest is to help others to achieve their goals and dreams.
George’s life has taken a new twist. He’s settled down on his ranch with his wife, Ravinn West, raising Spanish mustang horses and showing their silky terrier dogs. Their daughter, Lisa Chapman also lives at the ranch with them. Lisa is a reflexologist working at the Soulstice Wellness Centre here in Cochrane.
Ravinn is an accomplished author, who was the creative director and producer of CTV’s television show ‘This Land’. Together they are working on a new website to help people improve their writing by giving them information and tips, thereby assisting them in bringing their book to the e-book publishing stage.
The website which is presently under construction will be called “Books that Make a Difference” and should be completed within 90 days. For more information you can contact Ravinn West at ravinnwest.com.
George Gonzo’s company is called ‘MiniMovies’ and he recently teamed up with Graham Auction Mart and Doug Wilson at Bluegrass Communications Ltd. producing a new TV reality series, a mini-pilot, called “The Art of the Auction”.
George explained: “This show will teach people to understand the auction process to learn to be a better bidder and seller. As in the old country songs, a successful movie must always tell a story.”
George Gonzo held the positions of chair of marketing at both the Banff World Television Festival and Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. He received the first ‘lifetime achievement’ award by the Advertising Industry of Alberta and wants to share his knowledge and expertise with anyone struggling to make a business work. He fondly calls himself a “media doctor” specializing in “marketing mastery”. Feel free to give George a call at 403-804-2064.
“My goal is to help people to become successful and enrich their lives by differentiating (themselves) from others”.
