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NORTH SHORE KIDS™
YOUR GUIDE TO EVERYTHING KIDS
Meet Social Dad James!
We met James when he decided to help out with our Holiday #nskiveaway in support of local businesses and we wanted to share a little about him. Don't forget to say hi if you bump into him at a coffee shop around town!
Hi James, could you please introduce yourself and tell us a little about you and your family?
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My wife and I met in a London pub. She's a Vancouverite who was on a working-adventure and I was living in London after years of studying, working, and living in as many countries as possible. We have one charming daughter and love life here in North Van.
When you moved to Canada, why did you choose the North Shore?
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I'm an Englishman and my wife is from Main St. Vancouver. We moved back here to be closer to her family and after a few years on the other side of the water, an opportunity arose to move in with my wife's wonderful aunt. We're one big family and we love it.
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How did you become interested in creating digital content?
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Writing and photography have always been a passion of mine. My Father taught photography and visual media so I guess his passion was passed onto me.
What type of content do you produce and what is your target audience?
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Storytelling through videos is usually the most fun, although they're a lot of work. My main love is writing, along with photography of course.
Can you tell us about your podcast and what made you start it?
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The SocialDad Podcast is something I sorely need to get back to working on. With a 9-5 job, working from home now, plus the blog, sitting back at my desk and getting out the microphone never seems to take priority. Having said that, if anyone wants to be a guest, let me know! It's loosely about being a Father and some of the things I've encountered or overcome, but mostly it's for meeting interesting people and hearing their side of the story.
What does a typical day in the life of a dad influencer/blogger look like?
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My typical day is mostly either being a busy parent or sitting at my desk on Zoom calls for work. The blogging/Instagram stuff happens on the cracks in between my regular duties. I reply to emails after work and when my daughter is in bed, or in the morning over my first coffee while the house is dark and I'm the only one up. I'm lucky that my wife is willing to take photos of me for content. There's only so many selfies you can take before it gets very boring!
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What are some of your favourite ways of connecting with your daughter?
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I love building crafts with her or to get her to 'help' me on some small DIY projects. She gets an enormous sense of accomplishment when we build things together, even if it's just LEGO.
Leading up to the holidays and in preparation for a bit of Christmas shopping, we want to ask what your favourite local place to shop for kids is?
I honestly don't know that many! That's what I love about things like this. It's a great opportunity to explore what's on our doorstep instead of going directly to the bigger stores but I do like to buy toys and books from a couple of little places in Edgemont Village: Kidsbooks and BC Playthings.
I'd love to hear some recommendations from other parents though!
If you could go back to before you became a parent and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?
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Take more vacations because they're about to become periods of parenting, just in different places.
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What is your favourite spot in the North Shore and why?
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I love Lynn Valley, Cypress Mountain, and Grouse Mountain. Having incredible nature on my doorstep makes me so happy. I also love walking along the waterfront. It's beautiful in the Summer.
We'd like to thank James for his support and invite you to follow his adventures on his social media channels!
Photos by Christy Smith