Thanks for Coming Out…Don’t Forget your Hockey Stick


I had a long and successful career in radio. I did not retire. There were no parties, no accolades, no inscribed goblets or a nifty pen and pencil set with a marble base. Instead, I became a consultant which in many languages apparently means “I’m outta here”.

There have been career interruptions

Our son Jonathan passed away in January 2008. The very personal decision to move closer to family was the right one for Terrie and me. We vacated Saskatoon in September and took up residence in the spare bedrooms of relatives. It took 11 months to sell our Saskatoon home so we didn’t buy in Kelowna until the spring of 2009. The economy was tanking and radio companies were cutting budget. One of the first spread sheet lines to be eliminated was “Consultants”.  Contracts began to disappear almost as quickly as they appeared and then came my second “holy shit” moment.

Disbelief becomes belief

When told you have cancer, your mind lies. Perhaps the biggest is how fast life returns to normal. No it doesn’t. For me, there were years of recovery to arrive at the place I am today. Slowly the new normal has emerged. There were a few professional projects along the way but then came 2013 and 2014.

Ted who

I have not retired and don’t intend to retire, but apparently I have faded away. The radio industry has changed dramatically. Literally thousands of jobs have been eliminated across the country. I celebrated 45 years in the business May 1st 2014. There won’t be a 46th. I have been in denial. Radio was my comfort zone. Radio was where my lying brain kept telling me I belonged.

Evolution not revolution

In 2014 I assessed my strengths. What am I good at that could be transferred to another industry? I nearly took a job selling cars. I’m a car guy. I’m good with people. In the end, it didn’t make sense. I am a writer. My career has been built on the development of content. I have a better than average understanding of digital platforms and marketing. After all these years, there’s no shortage of experience in media and communications. What I don’t know or don’t understand I’m real good at finding out. It’s called research. The decision to pursue clients needing help with websites and social media to grow their businesses was a natural. 2015 will be my year.

Personal vs business

I redesigned my website this past year to de-emphasize Ted Farr Media. There are still tabs with information about the services I offer, but the thrust of the website is my blog. I am a story teller and the more personal the better. The new title is “Tall” Ted Farr – 10,000 seconds is a helluva long time to hold your breath. One day it’ll be my book, perhaps a simple collection of the stories over the years, perhaps more.

Most read blog posts of 2014

So here is my year in review. The stories I wrote that caught your attention. A couple of them went viral or as viral as my stuff gets.
  1. #17 - The Real Deal Traditions of the Limestone Saints Lacrosse Program
  2. Patience and Persistence – the Best Advice in Sickness and in Health
  3. 10,000 Seconds is a Helluva Long Time to Hold your Breath
  4. Breaking Up with an Old Friend
  5. My Father’s War

The all-time leaders

In just three years, the number of pageviews to my blog is approaching 60,000. I still don’t know if that’s statistically outstanding in the blog world, but to me it’s humbling. Three of the Top 5 All Time Stories are about our son Jonathan. One is about his good friend Devan Spilker and the other is about our 2004 Mustang GT convertible.
  1. If You Couldn't Play Tomorrow, How Hard Would You Play Today
  2. #17- Forever a Limestone Saint
  3. Part IV - Living Life with No Regrets - #15 Devan Spilker
  4. Yes I Bought a Convertible
  5. #17- The Real Deal Tradition of the Limestone Saints Lacrosse Program

2015

The mission is to secure 5-6 solid clients who like my writing and what I do in content marketing. I will use their websites and social media platforms to create awareness for their businesses and their products or services.

I also pledge to write more on my website blog from both a personal perspective and from a professional point of view. I have stories to tell and experience to share. And I am always looking for ideas. If one comes to mind, please send my way. Also, if you or anyone you know could use my services, I'm all ears. Here is my email address.