Name: John Deighan
Title: Director Sales & Marketing
Company: The Children’s Group Inc.
Hometown: Toronto
Years In Business: 30
Roster Highlights: Robert Munsch / This is Daniel Cook / Classical Kids / The Mozart Effect / The Bee’s Knees / Peggy Hill
Business Philosophy: No means not today
What drew you to the music industry? A summer job at WEA Music, loved it and stayed for 11 years
Where do you see the music business headed in the next three years? Even more direct connections to consumers through emerging wireless and mobile technologies
What is the best piece of advice you’ve received? From whom? You have the ability to do anything, as long as it’s covered by a Purchase Order – “Herb Forgie”
What advice would you give someone starting out today in the music business? Love every minute, it’s always about the music, they even pay you.
What is the craziest thing you’ve done to promote a record? I have to go back to my PolyGram days - Aldo Nova, Blood on The Bricks – We sent foam bricks with red paint on them to key media, buyers and store staff.  Each brick contained an invite to bring it, your id and to meet downtown in Toronto at a specific location and time.  We then loaded everyone on a bus and headed to a club show in Buffalo, NY.  First we stopped in Buffalo for wings and the usual adult beverages.  Our bus driver got lost and we arrived at the club for the last song.  We did get to hang with Aldo and the band and then it was back on the bus.  On the ride home a brick throwing fight broke out on the bus, label staff against media and retail.  No one knows who won but it was a ton of fun.  We even sold some records.
How do you keep in touch with the pulse of the street? I try to keep in touch with my industry contacts on a regular basis.  I talk with a lot of retailers through out North America.
If you could have any other career, what would it be? Own my own business, something in a small town.
Who/what will have the biggest impact on the Canadian music industry in 2007? That’s tough to answer.  I’ll go with Steven Harper and the economy.
Who do you most admire? I have a few, Stan Kulin and Garry Newman, they made Warner Music in to a great company during their time.  Don and Vito Iruello (ROW) for their entrepreneurial spirit, Ken Graydon my boss at PolyGram, he was awesome to work with, Randy Lennox for building Universal into the powerhouse it is today, and for appreciating that success in this business is measured by sales, something rare for a label executive.  Everyone at HMV during the early days, especially Roger Wightman and Sue Duck, they changed Canadian retail forever.
What album changed your life? Why? People will laugh at this one, Billy Ray Cyrus “Some Gave All”, because we did an amazing marketing job at PolyGram, we blazed new trails doing things that were unique at the time.  I got to go to Nashville for my first of 10 annual trips.   I learned what leverage marketing and promotion was all about.   The learning and success (we sold a million copies in Canada) had a big impact later on for another artist I got to work very closely with – Shania Twain.