Biz Blog:

Still time to get some Spine!

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Okay so we always enjoy when groups of students come in to Biz Books…we enjoy being neighbours of Vancouver Film School and School Creative, with VanArts and VADA close by and SFU gearing up more and more all the time. But yesterday we had students from out of the ‘hood pay us a visit…way out of the ‘hood. Like Alberta.


Some of the University of Alberta BFA Class of 2010 stopped by for a shop while in town working on Governor General’s Award winner Kevin Kerr’s new play SPINE, a REALWHEELS /University of Alberta co-production that was co-commissioned by the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad and which is co-presented by (our new neighbours) SFU Contemporary Arts. It runs now through March 20th so be sure to check them out!

Posted on March 17, 2010.
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Nadatodo? Add a dot com and there's no reason to be bored.

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While the site refers to her as a “brazen force”, we found Anastasia Koutalianos quite nice when she visited us at Biz Books to tell us about her online events listing site.


So impressed were we with her presentation that we pledged to spread the word to you so that you are able to avail yourselves of her great service and thereby increase the eager audiences for your screenings, readings, performances, recitals and other happening happenings. There is also tons of stuff listed there that you might want to check out as well. Be sure to check out NADATODO.COM and start filling the pages of that shiny new 2010 calendar!

Posted on December 17, 2009.
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“’Paranormal Activity’ is one of the scariest movies of all time.”

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Bronwen (not pictured in this blog post) will definitely not be seeing this film but if you are not a “scaredy-person” like her – check it out! Audiences and reviewers are loving it:

“an ingenious horror film. It’s so well made it’s truly scary”
~ Roger Ebert of THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

“SO SCARY! Just when you thought it was safe to close your eyes…GOOD LUCK GOING TO SLEEP!”
~ Harry Knowles AIN’T IT COOL NEWS


Okay so this film is definitely scary but signing up for our e-newsletter (or picking up your winnings) shouldn’t frighten you at all! By signing up for our Biz Bulletin, you give yourself the opportunity to win movie passes like Biz customers Eric Morrison (film editor) and Becky Shrimpton (actress) did just the other day.

When Becky stopped by Biz to pick up the pass she won for the film Paranormal Activity, she told us about her latest gig in Fighting Chance Productions’ One Good Marriage by Sean Reycraft. Don’t miss out on the B.C. premiere of this awesome play by one of Vancouver’s most exciting independent theatre companies!


Signing up for our newsletter will not only keep you up to date about our great events, sales and latest products but will give you a chance to win too! To date, we have given away nearly 1000 movie passes, tickets to theatre productions, books, software. Click here to sign up today.

Posted on October 20, 2009.
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Goin' Green

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So in our never ending quest to keep you updated with pictures of Bronwen (!?) we have a new one to share with you.

Earlier this week writer/director Mark Leiren-Young was in Biz Books thrilled to pick up the Watchmen swag he had won from our recent contest. (What Watchmen swag contest you ask…do you not get our newsletter? ) Anywho…it was during this visit that we were privy to witnessing the reunion of “writer” Mark with one of his stellar actors…our aforementioned Bronwen… as they discussed their collaboration on The Green Film ...not to be confused with “director” Mark’s other current offering…The Green Chain which is currently in theatres. The Green Film — which premiered last year at Crazy 8s in Vancouver — has been selected by the Tribeca Film Festival to participate in the third annual Fly-In Movies Film Competition. Tribeca has partnered with Delta Air Lines to showcase emerging filmmakers online and on select Delta flights. The Green Film was one of only five Short Film Finalists chosen from thousands of entries.

From March 1 through April 12, you can view all five short films for free and vote for your favourite

And while Mark was definitely thrilled with the attention being paid to the film he penned, it seemed that the film he helmed might have been in the forefront of his mind as chatted with us about his recent sharing of thoughts about the film in the Georgia Straight

And if that wasn’t enough to keep this renaissance guy busy…he was also jazzed to share with us that his recently released book Never Shoot a Stampede Queen had just made it (again) onto the top 10 list of The Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia

And then, after we had concluded our wonderful visit and Mark was walking out the door, a customer who had overheard our conversation mentioned that he had attended a recent screening of The Green Chain and proceeded to thank and congratulate Mark for his work. So. Cool.

So yeah…it was the Watchmen swag that made Mark’s day…...it WAS really cool….

Posted on March 13, 2009.
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Rebecca Coleman: Marketing Maven

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Rebecca Coleman, (pictured here with Bronwen) one of our favourite local theatre publicists and arts bloggers, recently stopped in at the store. After a meeting with our own Carrie Ruscheinsky and Melanie Walden, who are producing Christopher Shinn’s Dying City in April at Little Mountain Studios, she dropped by to say “hello” and tell us what she has been working on lately.

“There’s so much great theatre going on in the city this winter and spring,” she said. “I’m really busy, and super excited about the quality of the stuff I’m working on. I see Jay Brazeau was just here—he’s directing Three Viewings at Presentation House, which stars Kevin McNulty (who recently did a show at the Firehall with Cat), Jillian Fargey and Suzanne Ristic. Also, a new company, Zee Zee Theatre, is doing a production of Halifax native Bryden MacDonald’s Whale Riding Weather with Allan Morgan at the PAL from Feb 12-22.”

“There’s lots more—the PuSH Festival, and pieces by Ruby Slippers and Touchstone later in the spring—go see some independent theatre!”

Rebecca’s also really into marketing theatre using online techniques like blogging (check out which groovy bookstore’s blog made it into one of her recent posts) and social media . You can read her most recent marketing ideas here.

Posted on February 2, 2009.
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Jay makes our day!

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“Guaranteed to please!” That is how director Jay Brazeau (seen here with our own Bronwen Smith) describes his current artistic endeavour of Three Viewings. Now that he is wrapped from his much hailed performance in the Vancouver Playhouse’s smash-hit production of The Drowsy Chaperone he had time to visit us at Biz.

During his visit with us today he shared with us how excited he is to be working on this play at North Vancouver’s Presentation House Theatre, which he described as “the fastest growing little secret in North Vancouver”, with Jillian Fargey, Kevin McNulty and Suzanne Ristic. He applauded the Presentation House’s eagerness to do new and different types of theatre and feels that their approach works well with his personal philosophy that “there should be as many types of live theatres as there are movie theatres”.

Set in a funeral home, Three Viewings (by Jeffrey Hatcher) intertwines three stories of love and loss. There is Emil (McNulty), the mild-mannered mortician who is in love with a local real-estate saleswoman, but can’t bring himself to tell her, Mac (Fargey), a drifter, who is going to her Grandmother’s funeral to get what is rightfully hers, and Virginia (Ristic), who has just lost her husband, Ed, and, she learns, everything else besides.

The show will preview on February 5 at 8 pm and will open on February 6th at 8 pm. It will run Tuesdays through Saturdays until February 21st. Tickets range from $12-24 (which Jay wanted us to remind you is an entertainment bargain especially since there is free parking!) Presentation House Theatre is located at 333 Chesterfield Ave in North Vancouver. Click here for more information.

Posted on January 14, 2009.
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