Our free speakers series panel discussion, hosted in partnership with the Downtown Yonge BIA, will focus on Downtown Yonge Street’s unique position as a historical and contemporary music hub for the city. We're excited to invite music industry leaders and historians Greg Godovitz, Nicholas Jennings, Mike Tanner, and Amy Terrill in a thoughtful discussion, moderated by singer-songwriter Amanda Martinez, on Yonge Street's legacy and future. 

OUR PANELISTS 

Greg Godovitz is a musician with over 50 years of experience, but best known as the longtime bassist for the band, Goddo. He is also the author of the memoir Travels With My Amp, as well as the former host of the radio show "Rock Talk" on Toronto’s Newstalk 1010 CFRB. 
 

Mike Tanner is the Music Sector Development Officer with the Film & Entertainment team in the City of Toronto's Economic Development & Culture Division. As former Director of Operations for North by Northeast (NXNE), 

Amy Terrill-Vice President Public Affairs, Music Canada Tanner played a key role in elevating NXNE to its current status as one of Toronto’s marquee events. He is also a longtime musician.

Nicholas Jennings is a music journalist and historian. A former editor and music critic at Maclean’s, a columnist at eye weekly and a contributor to the Toronto Star and other publications, Nicholas is the author of Before the Gold Rush, about the Toronto music scene in the 1960s, and Fifty Years of Music: The Story of EMI Music Canada. He has produced several TV documentaries for the CBC that documented Canadian pop music from 1960 to 2000. With his interest in local heritage, Nicholas leads a series of popular walking tours focused on the music history of Yonge and Yorkville.

Amy Terrill is Vice President Public Affairs at Music Canada. She is responsible for overseeing Music Canada’s branding, communications and media relations strategies. A seasoned public speaker, Amy also leads the organization’s research activities. These include the publication of The Next Big Bang – A New Direction for Music in Canada, Accelerating Toronto’s Music Industry Growth - Leveraging Best Practices from Austin Texas, Fertile Ground - Alberta Music Cities Initiative and Economic Impact Analysis of the Sound Recording Industry in Canada.     

The event will be moderated by Amanda Martinez, a singer-songwriter whose music exultingly blends her Mexican father and South African mother’s roots with Latin soul and folklore. In the media, Martinez hosted PANAMANIA-- a TV series she produced with CBC Sports that highlights Toronto's cultural scene, and has worked as a radio host and actress. She also hosts and co-produces Ingredients for a Good Life to promote Mexico to Canadians.

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